Every dieter handles temptation differently. Some exercise endlessly, hoping to burn the calories off faster than they can put them on. Others resort to pre-planned foods, lists, and recipes; following a strict regime of eating only what they are told and nothing more.
I, on the other hand, try to empty my cabinets and refrigerator of all temptations. The logic is, "If it's not here, I won't be inclined to eat it." (However true that is, I have been known to go out to the trunk of my car -- where I store temptations -- in pajamas during inclement weather, and bring in a box of granola bars or other carby goodness.)
The other problem with my solution is the definition of "tempting" seems to change based on whim or day. For example, I think we would all agree that a Boston Creme Pie or pipping hot double cheese filled pizza would indeed be "tempting." Bringing them into my house would present for me a major problem. After a rough day, chips or snack bars could most likely earn the moniker, "tempting."
However, it gets just plain weird when I'm having to leave rice cakes and bags of uncooked fat free popcorn bags out of site for fear of having a gorge fest on tasteless, dry, cardboard-textured foods.
Lately, it's getting even more odd.
Like I said in an earlier post, I've got a thing for Boca Burgers lately. If you haven't had them, they're as close as you can get to hamburgers without being hamburgers. My wife and I refer to them as "gut bombs" because when you've eating a Boca Burger, you know it. There's a fullness one cannot ignore. Don't get me wrong; I like them (maybe a little too much) but they are indeed, one solid food. It is suggested that one eat one, maybe two. They come in a box of four; only professionals should try and consume a whole box of Boca burgers in one sitting.
So, when I realized that I was doing exactly that -- and I am not a professional -- I figured I better put them in the "to be avoided" list which already includes:
- Almost any bread products (as illustrated in an earlier post)
- Peanut butter
- Chocolate
- Sugary cereals
My list grows longer by the day.
Although these lists of "prohibited foods" do help cut my grocery bills, they make for a more and more sparse kitchen, forcing me -- should I choose to continue my residence in this mortal plane of existence -- to find new foods so I started exploring:
- Soy chips
- Yogurt
- Sardines
- Packaged soups
- Bagged salads
(Doesn't that shopping list just get you all hyped up and ready to rumble?)
The score so far is that the yogurt cannisters and packaged soups (you know, like Nile Spice Split Pea or any other brand where you just add hot water) are doing just fine, thank you. However, I've been going through pounds of salads, cans of sardines, and bags of soy chips at an alarming rate. Therefore, they too have now been banished from the cupboard, exiled to homes of others less vulnerable to their siren call.
I have learned two things from these experiences:
- I am a "bulk eater." I like the feeling of being full before I go to bed. That's not an excuse, just an observation.
- If this keeps up, I'll be chewing on the cabinets soon. Although my daily allotment of fiber will easily be met, the level of variety in my diet will be sorely lacking.
One note: The weird thing is my sister, when she was last here, turned my wife and I on to Slow Churned Dreyer's Low Fat or No Sugar Ice Cream bars. I've been buying those also. However, they sit undisturbed in the freezer; limiting myself to one a day. No way around it, I've got issues.
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