On Deserts and Holidays

The holidays are here, and with holiday's come irresistible deserts.  My usual routine is to stay away from all things junk for months at a time, then overindulge myself when my lent is over.  Yeah, I've heard studies showing that it is better to eat deserts in moderate proportions in a more intermittent fashion, and that's probably true if you just look at the overall health effects, (on the other  hand, kicking yourself into a fat-burning mode requires a longer period of eating paleo than five days).Thing is, while the diet is for the physical body, the ability to stay on that diet is mental.

I haven't had one drip of soda for over four years now.  My friends express awe over my discipline and self-restraint. But in truth, it's because I haven't had it for so long that I don't crave it.  I have absolutely no desire to drink it.  And that's not the only reason; I don't want to break my streak - I even have nightmares every once and a while of me freaking out because I had a soft drink.

So if continual abstinence produces a virtuous cycle of continued abstinence, the converse is also true. Everybody has experienced the slippery-slope of "just one bite." It's horrible; you eat one cookie for the pleasure it brings but face even greater discomfort resisting the next one.  My philosophy is to just not fight it all: always go overboard.

So enjoy yourself this Christmas.  Eat the good stuff, as always, but if you feel you must absolutely some Ice Cream, just eat it.  You just better have a disciplined new years resolution.  And unlike most people, you better stick to it.