Week 10 was a fairly standard week, though I did help with setting up a Cinco de Mayo nachos lunch for our employees. Though I would have eaten my share of nachos in the past, this time I didn't partake at all, finding that nothing we were serving was on my diet. I must admit that as I was making the beans the night before I sampled them several times to make sure they tasted okay, and didn't account for that extra.
The second challenge I had this week was to eat a corn muffin, made from Jiffy Mix. I made some meatball chili last night and decided to make the corn muffins to go with it. I had one muffin with my meal, eating slowly, and didn't feel the desire for more. I counted it as a weekend treat, an extra two breads, one of the choices on the Controlled Exchange program.
I had not been indulging in the weekend extras because I felt like I've been eating enough and didn't want to jeopardize weight loss by eating more. Since I didn't lose any weight last week I think that's a real danger. But I wanted to try it once, anyway.
One thing I've noticed this week is that no one seems to be hassling me about not eating. Of course, my colleagues wouldn't, since they're a polite lot, although one person did express sadness that I didn't get to eat any of the nachos I had so nicely prepared for others.
I've often heard that view over the years, especially from people who like to eat: eating is one of life's pleasures, so why deny yourself? Shirley Simon would say that such a statement is a subtle example of the Good Time Charlie subterfuge: "happiness comes from eating. Unfortunately, this pleasure, like all good things in life, carries with it a high price tag. But [GTC's] rationalization is that in order to get something of value you must be willing to give something up--in this case, good looks, good health, a sense of dignity, and a host of other expendables" (30).
There are other pleasures in life besides eating, as I'm re-discovering. It was pleasing to me, for instance, to present a nachos lunch that everyone liked. And I really didn't miss the fat, salt, and calories.
I plan to continue to assign eating a less important role in my life. Thanks to Shirley and my husband, I'm hopeful I'll succeed.
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