When people see my "mini store" at my house, the most common comments are things like, "If I had that much________________ [chips, candy, crackers, ice cream] it wouldn't last three days!" Or, "I can't keep that stuff around, I'd eat it!" Or, my personal 'favorite', "You are so lucky that you're so skinny and can eat this stuff!" Well, dear friends, I have a little secret. The secret is called my mother.
Growing up, candy, cookies, etc, were never off limits to us. And believe me, we had lots of them. One cupboard always had cookies in it. The pantry was chock full of food, including candy, chips, popcorn (and healthy stuff too mind you. NOBODY puts a balanced meal on the table like my mother. NOBODY.) And, while I think my mom probably was a bit stricter when we were very small, I don't ever remember the "junk food" being off limits, unless of course it was close to mealtime or during a meal time. My brothers' friends and my friends loved coming over and gorging themselves on all the foods that were strictly forbidden and never stocked at their own homes. My brothers and I thought it was hilarious. After we would go trick-or-treating (mind you , this is above the age of 4 or 5), we could do whatever we wanted with our candy. We weren't limited in how much we could keep, and my parents certainly didn't make us part with it, or give it away while we were in school. No, we were given free reign of all that kind of stuff.
My mom's goal was for us to learn self control. To not grow up seeing food as the enemy. My brothers never really were (and still aren't) huge candy fans. Truthfully, most of their Halloween candy went to their sister who begged mercifully for it. I AM a candy fan, I admit, though I am not one really likes baked goods--especially cake. I do not like cake. And that has nothing to do with this post. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
Anyway, I thought my mom's whole idea was fine and dandy, but I didn't fully realize the wisdom behind it until later on. When I got to college, it wasn't exactly fiscally sound to give myself a cupboard of candy, nor did it really occur to me. However, a few things happened that first year. For one thing, that was the first year in three or four years that I wasn't doing cross country. There were some other issues health wise that I dealt with, but those aren't too relative to this thought. But what I was shocked to find myself doing was going and buying candy just because craved it, and then eating it all. Binging. Gorging myself. And one day it all made sense.
In America, most of us grew up always having food to eat, so we don't exactly gorge ourselves when given a meal. However, sweets are off limits to most people. Any diet regime involves ridding one's home of all calorie laden foods. And then, when the dieting or weight-conscious individual can't take it anymore and can think of nothing other than the food they are prohibited from eating, it becomes too much. Binging insues, and the diet is over.
And so, my happy home always has candy. It always has cookies. It always has yummy things. But I am noticing an interesting trend. Tanner will usually ask for a treat once a day. Not twice a day, once a day. And I get down the treat basket and let him pick one. Sometimes when he has been extra good, I offer him two. But he always said, "No Mom, we only need one treat." Even when I had their Easter baskets sitting on the counter, they weren't touched by either child! I never said, "No, don't touch these!" Granted, I didn't say, "Go ahead, eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner!" My kids ask for seconds and thirds of things like eggs, peaches, and applesauce, but they are okay with only one treat! (OK in all honesty we're still working on Preston, but he is getting MUCH better). And that, my friends, is my little secret. I have candy, and once a day, I also let myself have some. I don't limit myself to one piece--unless I only want one piece. But I don't eat it all either, because I don't want to. I don't need to. So, in answer to the question, "How do you have all this junk food around and not gain tons of weight?" The answer, ironically, is that I don't eat it BECAUSE I have it around. How's that for reverse psychology?
2 comments:
Okay, I totally agree with you on this! We always have stuff around, and when I see it sitting there, I sometimes eat it but it seems to last a long time. Seriously, we still have Easter candy sitting in a basket that none of us has finished (and not because it's things we don't like). Madelyn has her own little candy stash and you're right, even she manages it well--she always asks before eating any and usually only once a day. Crazy how that works.
We need to clarify that I usually stocked the types of candy and stuff that I didn't like so I didn't stuff myself since I have no self control to this day. Hence I am not skinny like my kids or Dean.
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