Home Alone with a Chocolate Cake…
I just got back from a relaxing week on Martha’s Vineyard with my family (some of you might ask - is that possible??). A lot of food, some exercise. I TRY to follow my own advice. I wanted to share my chocolate cake story. My step-mother baked me a cake to welcome me to MV. Yes, some people still do bake these days… just not us citygirls (too many bakeries around!).
The trigger
So here was the sceniero… my step-mother baked a flourless chocolate cake. Of course, I am not a rude girl, so I had a piece (ok - a big piece) to show my appreciation. It was amazing! Then my parents went out for the evening. I was left alone with the cake. I knew I was in trouble as chocolate is my weakness.
The tactics
I tried the techniques I teach my clients on how to deal with cravings or trigger foods.
1. Hide the food. I covered it with tinfoil and hid it in the cabinet. Of course, I knew it was still there.
2. Wait 15 minutes for the craving to pass. It did not pass!
3. Distract yourself. Turned on the tv - nothing interesting. Went out and took a hour walk. That helped while I was out of the house, but when I was back in the house, thoughts of chocolate cake appeared once again.
4. Call a friend. I told my friend I would owe him $200 if I ate another piece of cake. This may sound bizarre - but this financial tactic often works for me. I made the price high because I really thought it would deter me (as it has in the past) from eating the cake.
So what do you think happened? You probably guessed that the tinfoil covering was opened and cake was consumed (not the whole cake, but another good sized piece!).
Well, needless to say, I am $200 poorer. Not the end of the world…but I must say I am glad I do not live in a household where someone is always baking chocolate goodies. I would be poor and pudgy. Check out my other post on whether nutritionists can control their intake of sweets (obviously this one can’t!)
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