I don’t know about you, but I completely binged on sweets and candy last weekend with the Easter holiday. There were Reese’s eggs, donuts, Starburst jellybeans and more and I just couldn’t say no. Sure I enjoyed every bite while eating, but it wasn’t more than an hour later that I came down off my sugar high and crashed with a major headache that no amount of water seemed to be able to help. Did I learn my lesson? Sure didn’t, because this weekend I made a double batch of chocolate chip cookies for a party on Friday night, and promptly helped myself to the leftovers for the remainder of the weekend. Sometimes I wonder if I am the same person who gave up both sugar and flour for months. Where did that girl go? Sure, I’m pregnant now, but that’s no excuse. Our baby doesn’t need sugar to grow, it needs protein and vegetables and plenty of water.
My sister said something to me last week that stuck with me (thanks Kels!). She said, “I decided I didn’t want to have x for breakfast because I knew I would feel terrible the rest of the day, so I opted for y instead.” To her, the fact that whatever sugary breakfast food she could eat would make her crash and feel sluggish the rest of the day was worse than not enjoying the taste of said sugary breakfast food now. I thought that was a great way of thinking about it – “how will it make you feel?”. Too often, I don’t think past the present moment to the next hour or 8 hours when my body is trying to process something that is not good for me and I turn into an unproductive, less than ideal version of myself. And for what… a cookie or a handful of jelly beans?
Kathleen wrote this great post last week about moderation when it comes to eating and other things. She claims to be at her best when she has set boundaries for herself such as giving something up or embarking on a Whole30, etc., but when it comes to having the willpower to enjoy things in moderation on a day-to-day basis, that’s not so easy. After reviewing my habits these last couple of weeks, I have to say I completely agree. So starting tomorrow I am giving up sugar. Those are my boundaries. And anytime I have the urge to break that boundary for some ice cream, cookies or other sweet, I am going to ask myself “how will it make me feel?”. Hopefully I’ll be able to remember the damage it does, and select something instead that will give me energy and give my baby what it needs instead of what I want.
a little old fashioned 
I have excellent self-discipline when there’s nothing in the house to tempt me. During both my pregnancies, I’ve given myself “permission” to have a tiny square of very good, very dark chocolate once a day. It wasn’t fool-proof, but it mostly worked for me 🙂
When I worked with high school students, we always used the “if, then” method to frame decision-making. Helping them actually think through the consequences actually did make a difference in what they chose to do. Sometimes the simplest things help us make everyday decisions like that, too!
Also, though, it’s really hard to resist sugar and processed goodies! I realized that I basically overeat any time I eat them, going well beyond the point of being full, so it’s better if I can avoid them as much as possible.