Moderation

"Moderation in all things."~Aristotle (probably)

So, my husband and I have been working out regularly and counting calories for the past week or so. I have been doing very well actually (I have only gone over my calorie goal twice in the past 8 days! Major improvement!). I have read nutrition labels, measured out serving sizes, and cut out most of my snacks.

Then today, I felt it. My chocolatometer dropped below "sufficient" into the "deathly low" range. I needed chocolate. Fast. (Some will try to convince you that one never needs chocolate, but I can assure you that women need chocolate just like men need steak).

I decided to make chocolate pudding for dessert. But, then I had to run to the store for milk and eggs. So...I waltzed down many of the aisles in pursuit of a particular chocolatey, sugary goodness that I could justify the amount of calories it contained. There exists none.

Defeated, I brought my groceries home. My husband made us some fried egg sandwiches (under 300 calories!) and I mixed up the pudding. I boastfully declared to him that I had enough calories left that I intended to eat TWO whole servings of the Devil's Food pudding.

After we had finished our dinner, I went to the kitchen to get a bowl of pudding for my husband and another one for me. Even though he had many more calories leftover than me, he insisted on only having one serving of pudding. Feeling guilty, I scooped out one serving for him and finally talked myself into only putting one serving in my bowl as well ('After all, if this doesn't curb my craving, I can always come back for more!').

I thoroughly delighted in every delicious morsel of that Devil's Food pudding. And found that by the end of my half-cup serving, I needed no more. However, had a put a full cup of the pudding in my bowl, I would have eaten the whole thing. And thus, I would have overeaten.

It is hard to break bad habits. But, one by one, I am cutting those thick cables and building new, healthier cobwebs...er, habits.*

{*Reference to a quote in a previous blog: "Habits are first cobwebs, then cables."~Spanish proverb, courtesy of The Quote Garden}