Resurrecting a Diet

"You can't resurrect a diet on a Friday afternoon, it's crazy." Doug Heffernan, King of Queens

I just sat down to my usual afternoon dose of King of Queens when I heard this joke. Not only hilarious, but right on time.

Last week my diet began without a hitch. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - all perfect days. Three days in a row is quite an accomplishment ten years into my dieting. But then there was Thursday.

On Thursday my husband's truck broke down and I had to pick him up right after work, which means I was starving. When I arrived, he hopped into the passenger seat and greeted me with some Cinnamon Roll/Muffin-things with cream cheese frosting. Of course being more hungry than I've ever been, I ate one.

The amazing thing was, I didn't feel chained to that cinnamon roll. That cinnamon roll did not derail my day. Well at least I thought. I felt successful for about 30 minutes when I grabbed a second roll. I then turned to my kitchen for ice cream and chips.

What derailed me? How could I do this?

I let that cinnamon roll destroy me. If I did not have a problem with food I would have been able to eat it without obsessing over the last roll. I'm walking backwards through the process of eating it, trying to figure out what I did wrong.

1 - I thought, I am really hungry. I can eat this cinnamon roll.
2 - Grabbed the treat and peeled a piece off.
3 - When I put it in my mouth I thought about the calories I was slipping into my body
4 - Next piece I thought about the real lunch I would not have
5 - I finished the roll feeling accomplished. I felt that I could truly eat the cinnamon roll without having another. I thought I was done for the day, and that was just that.

Maybe I shouldn't have guilted myself through the process. By the time I finished my delicious baked good, I knew I had broken the laws of my life. It was too late to resurrect my diet. I was a goner, there was nothing I could do to get those calories back. Obviously that's not a healthy way to think -- I'm going to try to stop feeling guilty and start tuning into my body. Wish me luck!

By the way, an average cinnamon roll costs about 223 calories according to calorieking.com. Keeping that in mind, I could have had the treat and still had plenty of calories to finish my day. This was a mental block, one I am trying to overcome.