As I’m writing this, there are 10 plump blueberry muffins sitting on the kitchen counter… right behind me, about a dozen feet away, just through the open window between my sunroom home office and the kitchen.
I can almost feel them staring a hole through my back.
They came out of the oven around 7pm last night, just as I was walking in the door after a 12 hour day of total will power against a buffet of carb choices.
(My teen daughter should be grounded for that -lol)
I spent the day in Nashville attending the Food Blog Forum event, which was fully catered – offering a beautiful breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack.
Breakfast was an endless buffet of muffins, scones, danishes, cinnamon rolls, bagels and fruit juices.
And then I spotted the fruit tray. Still out of my carb range, until I saw the big red strawberries in the bottom tray. I decided to have a half dozen strawberries along with bottled water & coffee.
Then I quickly made my way out of the food area and into the conference room before I lost my will power. 😛
Fortunately I’d had a Quest Bar on the way there. Knowing it was going to be a long day, and not knowing what the food choices would be, I decided to go prepared – and I’m glad I did.
I often carry “emergency provisions” in my bag when I’m out. Things like Splenda packets, Quest Bars, sometimes even Low Carb Tortillas in a Ziploc bag – which are great for handling a big messy burger or sandwich on the go.
And yes, I feel like my grandmother pulling crazy stuff like that out of my bag – LOL. At least it’s not used tissues and Wrigley’s gum. 😛
Usually you can find things like Splenda anywhere you go, but not always – and not yesterday. The only sugar free option they had was Stevia. I tried it, but my tastebuds just like Splenda better.
I’ve found I’m less likely to indulge/cheat if I actually have things I LIKE on hand.
Speaking of Splenda, I realize some of you are not keen on artificial sweeteners. To each his own, I say. Splenda has been instrumental in helping me make the switch to a Low Carb Diet, and cutting the sugar out of my day while still enjoying the coffee I adore so very much. If it kills me, at least I’ll die skinny! And that’s all I have to say about that. 😉 (Besides, I smoke menthol cigarettes – so please, choose your battles with me wisely, okay?)
Will Power = Conscious Choices
I was pretty pleased I made it through the morning without scarfing down muffins and scones, or breaking down and just having a good cry over it (lol). Those beautiful pastries stayed out on display the entire day, by the way – making it a battle every time I walked through the lobby area. I was seriously tempted once or twice, I admit. Especially when I was all alone with the carbs and I knew nobody would ever know but me.
What did I do? I asked myself the usual question every time I felt tempted: “do you want that *more* than you want to be thinner?” The answer was always no. That’s been the key to Will Power for me – consciously forcing myself to make logical choices instead of emotional choices.
I also consider whether I want to feel pleased with myself at the end of the day, or disappointed in myself. That disappointment sucks, and I’d prefer to avoid that feeling – which just makes me want to curl up with a treat and indulge in juicy carb fantasies as a means of comforting my sad little feelings (which doesn’t even work anyway).
Fortunately on a Low Carb Diet there are tons of wonderful, delicious food choices. It’s not like I have to miss out on indulgences at all. It’s just a matter of consciously choosing fabulous yummy low carb foods, then ENJOY feeling skinnier and being pleased with myself.
(If we know all of this, why is it still so hard sometimes?!)
And Then There Was Lunch…
We were treated to an awesome array of foods at the Food Blog Forum seminar. Nashville has some 40+ food trucks, and three of the best arrived with an assortment of choices.
An assortment of carbs, that is – LOL.
I chose @RiffsTruck. The other two were Japanese and Mexican, and Riff’s – well, I had no idea what they were serving but the line was shorter.
The side of the truck said “Special: Shrimp & Grits” (I think), but it also said “ask about Vegetarian & Gluten Free options” at the bottom of the sign. Gluten Free is often close to Low Carb, so when it was my turn to order I asked about the options. The guy was super nice and after double checking with one of the cooks he came back with a big smile and said, “Don’t worry – we’ll fix you up something special!” 😀
My “lunch surprise” was impressively fabulous! I have no idea what the total carb count was, or what the little yellow things were, but the rest was: tender seasoned grilled fish, grilled tomatoes & zucchini and peppers:
O.M.G. Y.U.M. !!!
It was a long day, but I survived the entire thing without splurging on all the beautiful carbs that were offered. I drove home pretty pleased with myself over that, but was super hungry when I walked in the door (to the smell of warm blueberry muffins, no less) at 7pm.
I changed into comfy clothes and flip flops and headed right back out – to the local Waffle House. I decided to reward myself with a big plate of Pork Chops & Eggs. 😀
I made it through the muffin craving this morning too. No easy feat. I decided to try the new “Peanut Butter & Jelly” Quest Bar for breakfast instead. They just came out with it last week, and while I’m not a big fan of the “Peanut Butter Supreme” flavor, I thought I’d give it a try anyway. The PB&J is MUCH better. Love it!! So that makes 3 favorite flavors now, and a handy option when I’m on the go…
What about you – what works for you when you need Will Power the most? How do you make your Healthy Food Choices when you’re faced with other tempting options??
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