Society and Temptation

I made it through the first weekend without cheating on my diet! For most of you, this may seem simple and a bit insignificant. However, for me, it is a very big and necessary accomplishment. It is very important to get off to a solid start.

I was able to get in two workouts this weekend. I did a 4 mile run on Saturday and a two hour bike ride on Sunday. My energy levels were strong and I felt good.

The weekends are the toughest part of this plan. During the week, my day is filled with work followed by evenings on the bike or running. By the time I get home and get showered, there is just enough time to eat a quick meal and then lights out. The weekend is full of unfilled time slots that are perfect for grabbing the nearest bag of chips.

Speaking of chips, sodas, burgers, pizza, popcorn and all other highly publicized fast foods, what is the deal with our society? There had to be at least one fast food commercial during every commercial break on every station. The term ridiculous would be an understatement. It is no surprise that the US is the most overweight nation in the world. Our society practically force feeds this crap to us. How would you expect a recovering crack addict to help themselves if crack is at your fingertips every second of the day? In case you were wondering, yes, crappy food is in the same addiction category as crack. LOL.

Temptation is at every corner. The next time you are out and about, pretend you are dieting. Use the guidelines of low fat, low sugar, nothing fried or greasy, no butter and even lower the caffeine. Look around you and count how many times temptation shows its ugly head. My wife and I went to movies this weekend. I had a Diet soda and brought one of my healthy bars with me. My wife had her usual concoction of popcorn, water and a box of candies. I was sure to eat right before we left the house, which is what saved me. The smell of the popcorn was intoxicating. I wanted to bury my face in the bucket and even snort the popcorn if that meant getting it to my stomach faster. However, I stayed strong and spent the rest of the movie licking the wrapper of the bar I had eaten before the previews had finished.

The movie wasn't the worst temptation I had this weekend. My younger brother has been living with us for the past few months. He and I are identical in several ways, especially our diet. Put us in any type of food eating contest and we will give the big guys a run for their money. His favorite meal, you guested it, cheeseburger and fries. There I sat, Sunday night, watching some TV and thinking about my upcoming work week. I was also reflecting on my diet and how tough weekends will be in the future. I was so relieved that is was close to bed time and I was done with temptation for the evening. My brother returns from a weekend of being out of town. I wasn't paying much attention when he sat down beside me. However, my attention was quickly redirected as the smell reached my nose. I look to my right, and my brother is biting into a triple cheeseburger from Wendy's. Three beef patties with three slices of cheese, a large fry and a large DP. I was speechless. The only action I could manage was to wipe away the drool running down my chin. He looked at me and said, "What". Guys and gals, that is temptation.