The Last Supper

Many people find themselves experiencing this mentality when they are about to go on a "diet":

SFG: Self, I am going on a sugar free diet tomorrow. Thus, I should eat as much sugar as I can tonight, because I'm NEVER going to eat it AGAIN.
*run screaming to the nearest Coldstone*

C'mon, 9 out of 10 of you know what I'm talking about. It's "The Last Supper." But looking at it from this point of view, doesn't it sound just a tad bit ridiculous? Really? You're going to go through the next 50+ years without ever eating sugar AGAIN?

Now I can sit here in my glass house and throw stones, but instead I'll openly admit it: I had an extreme mocha ice blended, 2 chocolate chip cookies, and a Love it! sized Oreo Overload from Coldstone that I justified by using this mentality. Guilty. As. Charged.

The problem lies in the approach. Instead of making this vast blanket statement that I'm never going to eat sugar again, let's break this down into smaller more manageable pieces. Like the long division problems I used to do with my dad at the dining room table. If we tried to do it all at once, a screaming match usually resulting in my grounding for multiple days would ensue. If we took it one step at a time, not only did we finish the homework with my name still in his will, but I also actually learned something!

How does the math problem relate to the sugar addiction? I'm glad you asked. The key is to break it down. Instead of this:

SFG: "Self, I am not eating anything sugary ever again!"

Try this:

SFG: "Self, I am not eating anything sugary for breakfast."

Not only does this not seem quite so insurmountable, but you also get that warm fuzzy feeling of accomplishment when you achieve this goal. And then you embrace that warm fuzzy feeling and decide, "Hey, I'm not going to have 3 mini candy bars for my mid-morning snack." It's a slippery slope, my friends! Next thing you know you're eating lunch sans ginormous cookie some client sent in a gift basket.

The key to any succesful "diet" is baby steps. As much as the folks on The Biggest Loser want you to believe it, rarely are people able to maintain the habits they are forced into on the show. It's just not realistic to expect someone who hasn't exercised since the Jane Fonda era to suddenly be able to maintain the workout routine they've created in this false environment.

And on that note, I say bring on the Cheez-Itz. There's got to be some reason to get up in the morning!