The other day I found myself backtracking into bad habits. Yes, I was innocently doing some catch up binging on a favorite TV show with a friend when before I knew it, my hand was reaching for the chocolate covered caramels. We made good dinner choices, salad with a touch of light dressing, a few pieces of sushi and ok, yes a glass of nice wine (good for the heart). Anyway, as we finished our dinner and were on the second episode, the chocolates appeared. I thought, yum it’s been awhile so it just can’t hurt anything, right? I mean 80/20 rule applies.
Here is where it goes south. I hadn’t planned on having a treat so I was not in the mindset of mindful choices, I just went for it. Now if I had only just had one that would have been okay with me, but that was not the case. Turns out after enjoying one tasty block of sea salt chocolate covered caramel I told myself “yum, I should try another one to make sure it was as good as it seemed”. So, I did. After a few moments I thought, “Well I wonder if I just nibble the chocolate edges off the first, would it still be tasty”. As I reached for a third “block” my recall kicked in and stopped me. I realized I was doing all that bad self-talk that caused bad habits, weight gain, blood sugar concerns and clogged arteries that can lead to a train wreck if not identified swiftly.
Fortunately I forgave myself for the two pieces, did not indulge in the third and woke up to mindfulness again. Is it me or have you found yourself in this pattern. The whole “you can’t eat just one” slogan popped into my head and memories of over indulgence returned. It is time to journal, prepare, be mindful and forgive when you find yourself off track. Today is always the first day to the rest of your life no matter what time of day it is.
So when you find yourself looking for an “angle” of permission to over indulge, take a moment to think about the “why”. Am I really hungry, will this really taste different, did I really not have the best taste of it already, do I need to find the perfectly shaped chip before I can put the bag away. You may surprise yourself.