The lesser of two evils

I used to have a big problem with chips. (I mean Crisps, for you furriners) I used to pick up a big ol’ bag of Smiths Chips on my way home from work, and eat it slumped in front of the telly. Often, I’d fill up on them to the point where I couldn’t be bothered cooking dinner. So I’d miss out on nutrition and fill up on fat. I don’t do that anymore.

I stopped eating after dinner, and eventually I cut chips out entirely. It was hard. I still slip up a bit if they’re offered when I’m out, it’s hard to have only a handful and leave it at that. And last week end when I had a big slip up, I actually bought a 100g bag (better than the 200g bags I used to buy!!) and ate it in front ofthe telly. I don’t want that to hapen again ever!

Just recently though, I’ve been allowing a subsititute to gain a little more control than I like. I’ve been eating a lot of popcorn. Nothing really wrong with that, it’s quite low calories, lightly salted, and tasty. It satisfies that hand-to-mouth craving.

Problem is, I can’t seem to stick to one serving, which is 1/3 of a bag. I divide the bag up into 3, I put the other two serves in ziploc bags for another day. Then I eat all three of them anyway.

Now that’s about 330 calories, which is pretty damn good compared to the 1000+ cals I’d get from an equivalent amount of chips, but still, it takes me over my daily limit every time.  And I’m doing it more nights than I’d care to admit.

Even though the popcorn is the lesser of the two evils, I suspect that this could be something of a ‘gateway’ snack. Just as marijauna leads to ecstacy leads to heroin, could popcorn lead to biscuits lead straight back to chips and a big fat ass?

I don’t think I need to give up the popcorn entirely. I’m pretty sure I can keep it in the house and not go nuts. But I think I haveto set some boundaries.

First, I’m going to go back to “No eating after dinner” especially during the week. I’m going to set up a star system again and stick to this for the next 30 days, starting tonight.

Secondly, I’m going to set some rules specifically for popcorn. Those rules are -

• Never after dinner, even on weekend
• Never more than 25g on a weekday.
• Never more than 3 serves (1 packet) on a weekend day

This means that I can still take popcorn to work as a snack, and if I want to indulge myself with a big serve of popcorn on a weekend when I’m having a lazy day, I can, as long as I don’t go overboard.

To remind myself of these rules, I’m going to write a sticky note and stick it on the box of Microwave popcorn in the cupboard, so that I remember every time I take it out.