Smells Like Lean Spirit

“You get some bling tonight,” Gail announced, as I stepped off the scale.
After nearly six months of carefully measuring portions by spoons and cups, exercising, mindful eating, and SmartPoint-counting, I had finally earned the sought-after, the highly coveted, the revered… the 25-pound weight loss trinket from Weight Watchers!
I still have more I want to lose, but so far I’ve now lost the equivalent of a large-sized bag of cat food from Costco. To think I was lugging that around like a fat jacket! And the weight loss process has become somewhat of a lab experiment for me. Cause and effect. Careful attention to detail. You can make this happen when you do that? Bring it on.
I may be hammering this subject when I originally said I wouldn’t, but I’m just so tickled by the results. And to anyone who’s been struggling with weight loss, to quote one of my all-time favorite teachers: “If I can do it, you can do it.”
I understand there are roadblocks which can seem so insurmountable as to make you want to quit. My own weakness: salty snacks. Potato chips, tortilla chips, roasted nuts… sorry… I’ll stop now. The siren-like thought of a Frito, or some Trader Joe’s Inner Peas (but they’re baked!) can be nearly impossible to resist. I’ve come right to the brink of surrendering—especially at one of those giant gas-stops on I-5, where I stand at the end of the chips aisle in the middle of a long drive thinking, “What could one small bag do? I’m on a business trip and I’ve worked very hard.”
Here are some excuses I’ve used which may be helpful:

• The check-out line is too long.
• I refuse to spend $2.79 on a tiny bag of chips.
• They’re probably stale.

The smell of something deep-fried and crusty with sugar can also be intoxicating, and the prelude to a full-on binge. Your friends posting photos of themselves indulging at Voodoo Doughnuts can create a substantial tremor of abdication. Instead, I’ve been experimenting with just smelling the potential intoxicants. For instance, the sweet fragrance of a honey-glazed doughnut has the power to satisfy me, rather than dealing with the shame of actually eating one. I inhale deeply, thinking, “This is just as good, and I don’t have to go through all the trouble of digesting it.”
Try it sometime. Walk past a doughnut shop and see if you can enjoy just smelling them instead of eating them. You can beat back those sirens. I believe in you.

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