Have you ever had foods that you just couldn’t get out of your mind?  Foods that had a hold on you and controlled you?

Been there.

For years it seemed that I was tormented by my favorite sweets.  Cookie dough, dessert bars, and other confections were my downfall.  I just loved them.  But they controlled me and I hated that.

Then one day, I had a breakthrough moment.  It was an Aha Moment for me and the beginning of learning the skill of disarming the foods that controlled me.  Let me share with you the secret I discovered.

At the time I was on a date ball kick.  I think I had seen someone on the Food Network make them and was hooked.  In case you’ve never had date balls, I’ll describe them.  They are this gooey sweet treat made with melted butter, sugar, candies dates, pecans, and rice crispies. Because you make this confection on the stove and not in the oven they are accessible throughout the preparation and cooking time.

So there I stood at the stove, with a pan full of gooey-ness and easy access. Of course I was taste testing the entire time. My experience was similar to Lara’s in Bite #1 vs Bite 21:  Bite #1:  AWESOME!  Bite #2:  YUM . . . need I say more?  But by Bite #10 (or probably even before that) I should have been finished, but I just couldn’t stop.

This scenario was played out too many times to count, but on this particular day I had had enough.  I literally said out loud, “Date balls you will not defeat me!  I will defeat you!!!”  It was game on.

Right then and there I came up with a plan to get victory over these date balls.  Instead of making the full recipe I cut it down to a fraction of the original recipe.  I did this by deciding how many points (Weight Watchers) I wanted to consume and then made only that amount. Let me tell ya, it worked like a charm.

The next time date balls called my name I was able to make them, eat them all, and do it all guilt-free.  I got closure, met a need, and best of all won a victory.

So, why not try it out?  Next time you are faced with temptation try cutting it down to a portion that is moderate and will give you peace.  With enough practice you will begin developing new habits and perfecting the skill of disarming the foods that control you.

Posse Discussion:

Part 1: Name one food item that controls you
Part 2: Rate your current level #peace  with that food item (see Peace Chart below)
Part 3: Describe how you can disarm that food item (make a smaller batch, order a kid-sized meal, split a meal with someone, etc)

 

 

 

Click Here for Day #11!