Chocolate

...and other delicious sweets. Hm. How to address these delicacies in our lives :)

Here is an excerpt from French Women Don't Get Fat.

"Too often, American women eat on the sly, and the result is much more guilt than pleasure...If you really enjoy something, there is a place for it in your life. But we cannot allow guilt-ridden scarfing. Only with cultivated pleasure can you enjoy chocolate in the clear light of day."

What she is referring to is that Americans will hoard chocolate for a random Wednesday night and sneak it to ourselves. There's really no one in particular we're hiding it from. Oh, that's right, it's ourselves! We're eating it while saying, "I shouldn't be eating his. But it's sooo good!" And the feeling like we shouldn't be eating it drives us to eat even more. Oh the vicious cycle. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about :) She says French women do not do this. They eat chocolate (and other sweets) while at a social gathering, or for a simple pleasure. But it is not an every night ritual and they are mentally very cautious of what and how much they are putting into their mouths while doing it. And, they are truly appreciating it, not feeling guilty with every bite.

The author of French Women...says this:

"I had to cultivate my appreciation for what I was having...The keys are sensory awareness, portion sense, quality, and an eye to the big picture of overall wellness."

So yes, you are going to indulge in some sweets now and then. But use your head.

• Eat it if you are truly enjoying it, not just because it's there and it contains sugar.
• If you know you're going to get-together where there will be food, decide beforehand what you will have. And enjoy it. Don't beat yourself up all night for eating it as long as you stay within your bounds.
  
• A treat is a treat. Exactly. Treat it like one. It shouldn't be an every night excursion.
  
• Quality = a few scoops of delicious Ben and Jerry's Ice cream.
  
• Quantity = 3 bowls of sugar free ice cream. (Please tell me you don't do this! It's so much worse than the real thing as far as your metabolism is concerned.) Always take quality over quantity.