“I don’t know, but I’ve been told
The world outside is, oh, so cold.”
–Fitz & the Tantrums, “Don’t Gotta Work It Out”

Miles Since Last Time: 109
Total Miles: 1442

When trying to get a handle on your diet, it can be hard to decide whether you are treating or sabotaging yourself every time you have a brownie.***

I know you aren’t supposed to reward yourself with food, but sometimes it’s difficult not to think that you deserve a little scoop of ice cream or something. I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit lately, and I have decided that the treat vs. sabotage label comes down to two things: frequency and attitude.

Frequency–i.e., the rate of occurrence.
There’s nothing wrong with having a brownie on a scheduled cheat day, but when you start having cheat meals and cheat snacks every day, then you have a bit of a self-sabotage problem. Trust me.

Attitude–i.e., a way of thinking/feeling that is reflected through behavior.
I’ll often find myself making excuses for having something I know I’m not supposed to have, mainly that it’s more convenient, that it’s not that bad, or that I’ll make up for it. The danger with all of those thoughts is that they tend to forget pesky things like consequences and make promises to deal with any fallout at some unspecified future date. Very self-sabotage-y.

The only way that I have found to battle the frequency and attitude of sabotage is to constantly ask myself why I am doing what I’m doing. And can I just say how annoying it is to constantly interrogate yourself and categorize anything food-related that comes into your head?

Really.

Please join me as I attempt to classify some of my thoughts.

I’ll only have Starbucks on writer group days or during special trips to Barnes & Noble. TREAT

Do they have size Trenta here? SABOTAGE

Oh, I’ll have a mini-cupcake to celebrate this holiday. TREAT

I think I’ll shove this second cupcake in my face before anyone sees me. SABOTAGE

I’ve been really good all week, so I think I’ll have a little brownie. TREAT

Well, there are three little two-bite brownies left, and if I have two, the last one will be lonely in the package, so I better eat all of them. SABOTAGE

The difference is subtle, but it is there. Treats, not sabotage!

*** Yes, I recognize the obvious trick-or-treat tie-in here that probably would have been better during Halloween, but I didn’t think of it then. So there.

Also, I apologize for all of the brownie talk. A peppermint chocolate candle is burning in my house right now. I’m kind of distracted.