Friday, February 24, 2012

Truman Would Tell Me To Stop (A Mama Kat Writing Prompt)


This week, random.org "chose" Mama Kat prompt number five for me: What is the one "vice" you can't give up?

My vice is not immoral or illegal. It doesn't even cost a lot of money.

It is (drum roll please) the nightly snack.

I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't have a nighttime snack. There were times when it was something "lighter" (like a Weight Watchers ice cream snack when I was on Weight Watchers). It's pretty much a 47-year-old habit, whether light or "heavy."

I have heard some people say that calories are calories, whether you eat them at 10 a.m. or 10 p.m. I have heard more people say that calories before bedtime are not good for a nutrition plan. After all, they are just going to sit there in your digestive system looking for some activity to fuel. Last time I checked, brushing teeth, reading, and sleeping aren't super-demanding activities.

The one time I was successful in avoiding (and not wanting) the nighttime snack was during my and Tenley's trip to Guatemala last summer (see #9 in this post).  We had a satisfying dinner around 6 p.m. every night, followed by an activity (such as a speaker), then took showers and went to bed. The "nightly slowdown" came so early compared to my usual habits that I would read and fall asleep. There weren't nighttime snacks to be had, and I didn't miss them.

I know that my nighttime snack is a grown-up pacifier - I like the routine, I like the taste, I like slowing down long enough to do something pleasurable. When I have a freelance project underway, it marks the end of a long couple of evening hours of proofreading/editing on top of my day job.

When I have thought about meeting with a nutritionist, I have envisioned the conversation going something like this:

Nutritionist: "It is good that you kept a food diary before our first meeting. The skim milk every night is good but what's the deal with the Double Stuf Oreos?"

Me:  "I'll do anything to keep 'em! Run an extra mile! Eat less some other time! I want to lose weight so I am more likely to run faster but I love my evening Oreos."

Nutritionist: "You know that's almost 1,000 extra calories a week, in those Oreos alone?"

Me: "1,000 extra calories that are weighing me down when I run."

Nutritionist: "Run away, as fast as you can, from that nighttime snack."

Me: "Here I go ................."

"If I want to be great I have to win the victory over myself."
- Harry S. Truman

Mama's


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

UGH! I have the same nightly discussion with myself. It's my guilty pleasure once my kids are in bed, and I pull out something I don't even let them eat on a regular basis. But since I've been hitting the gym, and not really losing much weight, that snack has to go. Grumble, grumble, grumble.

jennie jackson said...

Yea the nightly snack is a hard one to break! Good luck with that! How about still having the snack but choosing something healthy like a carrot? Although I'm on to talk. I need to give up my 2nd breakfast!

Recovering Supermom said...

That's a tough one. Those sweets taste so good and bring comfort! For what ever this is worth, when I was working on losing weight, I counted out thirty chocolate chips to have as an evening desert. It was 70 calories and eating one at a time let me savor the chocolate for a good amount of time.
Good luck! :)

Unknown said...

My husband has ice cream EVERY night. I used to think he was crazy but after 15 years I am no SUPER jealous! I say just keep running and eat your Oreos. I run, so I can eat pie for breakfast!