Saturday, July 01, 2006

on avoiding temptation

i have something i have to admit, though it pains me to do so. throughout the past 3 months, as my little babe has been growing inside of me, i have tried my utmost to eat healthier. not that i was eating total junk before, mind you, but i wouldn't hesitate to down a glass of pepsi with dinner and then pull out a bag of doritos afterwards. at first, it really wasn't that hard to change. i stocked up on lots and lots of fresh fruit and veggies and snacked on those instead of on unhealthy things. the only problem is, a stick of celery is great and all, but when a sudden craving hits my brain like a bullet, i find myself nearly powerless to stop myself from eating that particular thing ASAP. i have never had a craving for celery. nor for carrots or green beans or broccoli, funny as that is.

so, here is my confession: three days ago i had a super powerful craving for a mcdonalds sausage mcmuffin. i was at work at the time and the craving was so strong i found it nearly painful to abstain. abstain i did, however, and by the time 11.00 rolled around i knew i was safe because breakfast at mcdonalds is not served that late. the very next morning i had the same craving. my mouth was literally watering just thinking about that juicy sausage cradled between two halves of an english muffin, drenched in melted cheese. again, i abstained and felt very proud of myself for doing so. then yesterday morning came. i was about to leave for work when the same saliva-inducing craving hit. i was weary of the battle, so i decided to wave the white flag and be done with it. i looked at my watch and figured if i left for work a few minutes early, i could go through the drive thru on my way. i have never gotten ready for work so fast. i was in my car and on my way 15 minutes early! not only did i order a sausage mcmuffin, but i also indulged in coffee (decaf, of course) and some extremely greasy and delicious hash browns. i scarfed that meal down so quick and it tasted every bit as good as i had imagined it. ahh, nothing quite like satisfying a craving.

there was only one problem (besides my growing guilt) left. i was still craving it. how could this be? i didn't even feel very hungry anymore, but somehow my mind would not let it go. i arrived at work in record time and sat in my car debating. it didn't take me too long to make up my mind. away i went to the nearest drive thru and bought ANOTHER juicy sausage mcmuffin. i quickly devoured it, then walked into work 5 minutes early, worridly awaiting the next onslaught of cravings. thankfully, they never came. my cravings were appeased that morning and, i hope very dearly, that they will stay that way for the next 6 months!

10 comments:

kelly ens said...

HA! Welcome to pregnancy :) In moderation, giving into cravings is totally fine, as long as you're making the effort to eat healthy the rest of the time. It's when you indulge in cravings for EVERY meal and eat poorly the whole pregnancy that you would be paying for it long after the baby is born.

ps. mind if i add you to my links?

Korinne Tjepkema said...

I agree. Just GIVE IN! I discovered that if I gave in early, the craving would subside. But if I didn't give in I'd end up eating the food the entire day! And too MUCH of it! I also heard that if you're craving a particular food, there's something in the food that your body KNOWS you need. Don't know if it's true, but it sure made me feel better about indulging :)

Jennifer said...

'They' say so long as it's not coacaine...yada yada yada....:)

Shannon said...

Hopefully you arent feeling as sick now. Sometimes you can only eat what sounds good even if it isnt the most healthy choice. moderation is the key. Some of the junk food cravings it is best to give in early before they take over though. Or you'll find yourself eating a whole large pizza thinking things like "oh, its for the baby and I'll lose the weight later". Not that I know from experience or anything ;)

jennifer said...

oh my goodness, do i know what you mean. mainly i've just been craving buttered toast to the exclusion of all other foods. worse though, is when you're craving something, and you get it, and the first bite suddenly makes you want to vomit. pregnancy is such fun!

Marion McCready said...

hey I sure indulged in a lot of chips during my first 3 months, I think it's ok as long as you balance out with the 'good stuff'.

Meredith said...

I also had a McThing with Michael. Do it and then it goes away. :) LOVE your baby counter thingy.

Lee said...

you are already being a good mum, thinking about whats best for your little peanut! How neat. Missing you, wish I could be one of the annoying people who randomly rub your little ponch!

Talk of the Town said...

That must be sooo strange - I've heard all about the uncontrolable cravings - so weird and interesting!!!!! I am positive that babies like sausage McMuffins!

Cara said...

Sounds like you had a 'fat' craving - craving for fat...just thought of making sure you have plenty of healthy fats in your diet too (avocados, nuts, seeds, healthy oils (flax - ground flax, in your coffeemaker on cereal, in pancakes etc.) to even things out...if your healthy options are very low fat your body will definately miss this important part of the diet. New a lady who would be feeling a little off (shaky, weird, something) and having a tablespoon of peanut butter would even things out for here. Need any healthy 'fat' recipes let me know. A fav. of mine which takes getting used too is Udo's Oil (http://www.florahealth.com/flora/home/canada/products/r7980.asp)on popcorn with nutritional yeast (high in B vitamins http://www.lesaffreyeastcorp.com/nutritional/consumer/index.html)...can add Udo's Oil to just about anything or use instead of marg. or butter. Anyway, enough nutritional blah blah...glad you enjoyed your McMuffin Heidi. Love you!! You look great by the way.
P.S. Re: cravings, I heard about, chocolate, if you have a craving, good to have some rather than none, otherwise you may 'eat your way' to the chocolate anyway and eat all sorts of other stuff AND the chocolate. Might as well 'kill' the craving with a little chocolate, they said. yum. Dark chocolate for me please.