A nice (light) snack

I have fallen prey to a bad habit. Not my first and certainly not my only, but a bad habit none the less. I am a bit embarrassed to admit it and should know better, but I can’t resist the urge, the overwhelming desire, the single minded goal of having a snack before bed.

I realize that this in itself may not be unusual. Many people complain that they too have fallen prey to this phenomenon and admittedly, like I, have experienced the additional weight gain that goes with it. Unlike most, I find my mind wandering, daydreaming if you will, about what this evening’s snack will look like, well before the day has turned into evening.

I can spend the better part of my late afternoon wondering what I can have for a snack that night, smiling with self satisfaction when I finally settle on the perfect one. I have tried to convince myself that yogurts disguised as desserts, (Boston Cream Pie anyone?) fruit displayed as kabobs, and cheese flavoured rice cakes are adequate replacements for real food. (Not the rice cakes…I suspect these are Styrofoam in a bag.)

I know this is why I have, uh, “grown” as a person. I know this is why my clothes don’t fit as well as they did last year… although thanks to stretch fabric I can proudly say, as misguided as this is, that I can still get into them. And I have tried all the self righteous speeches to myself about feeling good about who I am on the inside. I have news for myself-the inside is not the problem.

I have tried drinking hot water to curb the hunger- the only thing this did for me was burn my tongue. Added lemon because that was supposed to help…uh, no. And finally resorted to going to bed early.
(I don’t eat in bed…something my mother instilled as a child.) When going to bed at eight is not
really an option, I am left with attempting some element of self control, which I obviously and painfully don’t appear to have.

Really this isn’t about the type of snack or about keeping my hands busy or even about the taste. This is all about feeling good after a long hard day… giving myself a reward for a job well done. No light, zero fat, 100 calorie or “baked” snack is going to cut it. I need the “real stuff” and as they say I’m worth it… (She said while reaching for the ice cream scoop.) Happy summer everyone.

Sue Prodaniuk has worked in the field of communications, marketing and advertising for over 25 years and has been a regular contributor to Bayview Magazine. She notes that her ‘real’ job is
at Confederation College as their Director of Communications. Visit her website at www.sueprodaniuk.com.