The Opposite

Today I have been considering what it will take to be successful this time. This isn't my first weight loss rodeo and what is going to make it different. To make my results different -- I have to act,think and behave differently.

This makes me think of "The Opposite" Seinfeld episode where George does the opposite of his natural inclination. George tells Jerry at the cafe that "if every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite must be right" I can apply this to my weight loss decisions.

Before - no carb was my decision - didn't work - so go with carbs this time.
Before - no sugar at all - didn't work - so include sugar periodically this time.
Before - no wine with dinner - didn't work - so have a glass of wine (4 oz not 8) 2 or 3 times per week.

I have used this practice several times this week with good results. One was when a friend of mine who went to dinner at an exclusive restaurant with her husband while I watched her 3 kids, thanked me by bringing me a piece of their carrot cake in a take out box. Now none of my family likes carrot cake and no this isn't "friend sabatoge" as I am not announcing I am on a diet to anyone - this is my new lifestyle and not anything for me to broadcast - I am just going to behave differently.

What did my instinct tell me to do with the cake - it told me to throw it out immediately. However I also knew that my instinct to throw it away would be followed by me not being able to stop thinking about the carrot cake and then possibly retrieving it from the trash to eat it later in secret or compensate by eating a lot of other stuff because I couldn't have the carrot cake.

Now this cake was premium not processed Little Debbies and I knew it would be delicious. I also knew it was a huge portion and if I ate it all, I would feel physically sick and would consume probably around 1,000 calories. I slept on the decision and thought about what the opposite of my instinct would be.

The next day I decided to cut off 1/4 of the cake, sit down and slowly enjoy it and threw the rest away. I also decided to count the calories as before those would have been "ignored calories" the ones I pretend I didn't eat since they were not approved.

All in all it was a succesful interaction with a forbidden food. I enjoyed it, counted it, savored it, and did not feel guilt at all. I will continue to apply "The Opposite Theory" when faced with future food showdowns!