Easter can be a treacherous time when trying to stick to a healthy lifestyle. I thought about this as my daughters discovered their Easter baskets and flew through the house searching for hidden chocolate eggs. Indeed the mascot of the commercialized version of the holiday seems to be at the root of the issue.
By most accounts, rabbits seem to be gentle creatures though notable exceptions exist such as the rabbit from Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail. Indeed it was the most foul, cruel and bad-tempered creature you had ever set eyes on.
Yet, there is something much more subversive about the Easter Bunny. Benign on the surface, he deals in chocolate, marshmallows, and giant candy replicas that he creates in his own image. This results in Easter being quite similar to Halloween. A crushing heap of candy and sweets that will linger in my house for months to come.
For example, the Chocolate bunny, weighing in at 12 oz contains 26 POINTS. The Rabbit cookie lollipop device has 6 POINTS and the Peeps are the relative bargain at 1/2 POINTS per marshmallow bunny. Not pretty.
To their credit, the girls are very good at having just a little of their candy bounty as an after-dinner treat. So this Easter basket could easily last a month of more. That speaks well of their habits, but it also creates a long half-life risk for the grown-ups in the house.
All this said, this is a risk I can live with as I've gotten pretty good at not diving into the kids' candy. First off, it's theft, and they would be happy to remind me of this fact (and possibly call the police). Second of all, it's become much less of a vice for me over the past 9 years on Weight Watchers. Just not worth the POINTS for the amount of food pleasure given. Just not enough tonnage for the calories, and certainly not filling.
My vices and danger zones tend to lie in other areas. One of the biggest is travel, and I have a dangerous stretch coming up. More on this later...
Pre-Weight Watchers, I bought a bag of peanut butter cups each year for Easter. Yet my four kids have NEVER eaten a peanut butter cup because they never made it into the Easter basket!!
ReplyDeleteI haven't given them up completely--each Easter I buy one peanut butter cup twin pack, put the kids to bed early, send the husband out to the movies with his buddies, light some candles, turn off the lights, and savor those sweet cups o' joy. It's the best 7 minutes of my life. I even might have the urge to have a cigarette after--and I don't even smoke!
A package of peanut butter cups doesn't appeal to me anymore. But that little once a year treat...man, I live for it!
I love that you are doing this. It is my boss, keeping it real. I have a blog too. I started mine right after innovations. Thank you for your inspiration.
ReplyDeleteLove in Losing,
Jenny
WW leader from Festus, Missouri
Easter reminded me yet again how far I've come and how easy it is to get back on plan. Just posted about it.. http://ronisweigh.com/2009/04/a-sweet-stuffed-sunday.html
ReplyDelete3 Years below goal thanks to Weight Watchers (70lb loser)! :~D Just wanted to pop in and say hi!
Enjoyed reading your blog - congratulations on your Lifetime award! I joined three times before realizing I needed the meetings to stay accountable :) I also blog - it's a great way to share with members outside of the meetings.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your travel challenges!
Bobbi
Lifetime Member (-90 lbs.)
WW Leader from St. Louis, MO
It is a real treat to read about our CEO and his trials and tribulations in the pit with us. Thanks for keeping it real and laying it out there for everyone. We all appreciate your openness.
ReplyDelete