Who’s Foolin’ Who? by Janice Taylor, Life & Wellness Coach, author, 50 pounds big-time-loser. These ‘thoughts’ might not hold much power on the page in this moment, but when you are of the mind to eat something, they may seem perfectly rational.
Crumbs Count
A bunch of years ago I stumbled upon Nancy, the star of Ernie Bushmiller’s comic strip of the same name, “Nancy.” As I remember it, Nancy was pictured with a box of cookies in one hand and a hammer in the other. Her aunt was yelling from another room. “Don’t spoil your appetite. Dinner will be ready soon.” To which Nancy replied, “I’m only eating the crumbs.”
I carried this image with me and laughed whenever I was carefully creating crumbs! Crumb cake, being an easy favorite. Cutting slivers of cake so thin that they fall apart. I was really good at the crumb thing!
And then one day … the truth roundly adhered itself to my thighs! Even if I’m not counting crumbs, my body is! After all, It comes complete with a built-in calorie-calculator – no extra charge!
1. Crumbs don’t count.
2. Eating while standing up, doesn’t count.
3. It’s only one bite.
4. I won’t eat the whole thing.
5. Just this one time.
6. I deserve it.
7. It’s a celebration.
8. I don’t want to hurt my mother’s (my sister, my friend, my boss’s) feelings.
9. Samples at the supermarket are unexpected. Surprise!!
10. Licking doesn’t count.
11. It’s free.
12. They’re eating it.
13. Life’s short.
There is an infinite assortment of circumstances in which we encourage ourselves to tell little white lies in the Land of Weight Loss (note I did not say Permanent Fat Removal; because there is no need to lie to oneself in the Land of PFR).
In the face of food, fooling oneself, lying to oneself may seem easier, but in the end you are planting seeds of unhappiness, guilt, and well – fat cells! Fat cells in your mind as well as your body.
Tell the truth! Say what you will, you can’t fool your inner calorie-counter!
Spread the word, NOT the icing!
Janice
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” . . . . kooky genius ~ see if her idiosyncratic diet plan will work for you.” ~ O, The Oprah Magazine
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posted July 30, 2008 at 12:32 am
Hi Janice, I call this “Fat Person’s Logic,” and I fight it every day. I was just explaining this the other day: a broken cookie doesn’t count, a lick of frosting or a finger full of ice cream doesn’t count, etc. But really it does count, and it’s part of impulsive behavior that I have to control. If I eat it I count it.