I did pretty well for a few days. Then one Saturday afternoon, I wanted a Snicker bar. Like seriously. I wanted one bad enough I was tempted to swap weekend pajama wear for real clothes and drive to the store.
But I resisted. I ate a banana. Still wanted the Snicker bar. Drank a choco-chalky diet drink. Still wanted that Snicker bar. Ate another banana. Then a yogurt cup.
Still, I wanted that damned Snicker bar. I was about to mix up yet another choco-chalky drink and my skinny niece, who was spending the day with me, said, "Would you just get a Snicker bar? It's what, 280 calories? So far, you've consumed about 400 calories trying NOT to eat what you're really wanting. Go get the Snicker bar before you gain 10 pounds resisting it."
It was an educational moment. She was right. For me, there is nothing to be gained by trying to stay on a stringent diet. That only leads to binge eating and depression.
I've since learned the smarter way to approach healthy eating is to allow for cravings. And here's a great quick and easy crunchy, chocolatey treat:
Put a few chocolate chips (I prefer dark chocolate; it's health food) on a pretzel, microwave for a minute, top with another pretzel. Delicious.
