Lead me not into temptation

Eating sensibly and healthy is not always feasible. It’s also not bad to indulge in “off-limit” items every now and then.

Case in point – On Monday, I attended a dinner thrown in honor of our doctoral cohort. I started the day with my usual protein shake, had a salad with grilled chicken for lunch, and a banana for a snack. Then we got to Austin and the steakhouse where the reception was held. From there, healthy eating went out the door. But for all the temptation before me, I refrained from going hog wild.

I sampled many of the appetizers, but none to excess. I chose to skip the wine/alcohol…mainly because I don’t drink. Dinner included was a four-course meal. I started with the Caesar salad, but didn’t eat all of it nor any of the croutons. I took small helpings of the butter-drenched green beans and cheese-topped, butter-soaked potatoes. I had the filet mignon, which is a SMALL steak.

Then…I had turtle pie for dessert. It was a chocolate pie, topped with walnuts (think pecan pie), and drizzled with homemade caramel syrup. I couldn’t wait. I haven’t had dessert or chocolate (yes, it is its own food category) the whole month of January. I was drooling in anticipation.

Finally, the pie arrived and looked scrumptious on the plate. I took my first bite and the overriding thought was, “That’s a LOT of sugar.” I was so bummed, not enough to prevent myself from eating quite a bit of it. But honestly, I could have stopped with several bites and been fine. In my past life, I would have scarfed down the entire slice and seriously considered licking the plate. Now, it was more of a disappointment than an indulgence.

But all of this brings me to my point: If you eat healthy 90% of the time, the other 10% won’t hurt you. I knew I would be having a big, calorie-loaded meal that night so I tried to counter it with a healthy breakfast and lunch. Then, during the meal, I carefully selected what I would have. I had appetizers, but not many. I took small portions of the unhealthy sides at dinner. I chose the smallest cut of steak and I didn’t finish my dessert. I also passed on the alcohol and bread.

Temptation isn’t a bad thing and we’ll all face it at some point. But look at it from this angle when faced with a similar situation: What do I want the most and what can I pass on? (90-10) I don’t drink, so that one was a no-brainer. And I didn’t need the bread with the meal since I had appetizers. I wasn’t going to skip dessert and I thought it was a win because I didn’t inhale the entire slice.

Personally, I considered the meal delicious and a form of reward (I’ll discuss rewards in another post) for eating well all month. Even better, I lost weight for the week.

As long as we don’t eat like this on a regular basis, giving in to temptation every now and again is NOT a bad thing. To me, it helps prevent me from binging when I do indulge in not-so-healthy food choices.

Now….back on the healthy eating bandwagon.