I am a Big Old Cheater

Remember how proud I was of myself for mindfully eating a piece of dark chocolate, just, oh, like yesterday? Yeah, well, that’s out the window.

I had serious cravings after lunch (which seems to be the most dangerous time period of the day for me, food-wise) and instead of just eating my ounce of dark chocolate, I opened the pantry….insert ominous pipe organ music…why am I opening the pantry when I’ve just eaten a nice healthy lunch, and I’m FULL?

In the dark recesses of my pantry I found an impulse buy from a few days prior, a box of “meal replacement bars.” You’ve seen these, right? They basically look like a candy bar, have many of the same ingredients as a candy bar, and, here’s the important thing, they are supposed to replace a meal, not be eaten in addition to a meal. Ideally, they would not be eaten at all. I like to pretend they are very healthy because they have so much protein and fiber, etc. But I know I am a liar, and so, I hardly ever keep this type of thing (ditto sugary granola bars) in the house. Not even for the precious little ones.

I ate an entire meal replacement bar, not at all mindfully, after my meal, and though it was indeed yummy, would you be surprised to learn, dear reader, that I did not feel satisfied afterwards? That my longings and cravings did not go away and, in fact, only amplified? I had to brush my teeth to keep from having another.

Yesterday, however, when I mindfully ate a piece of dark chocolate, I did feel satisfied. But I think there’s something at work here besides just the mindfulness. I suspect chocolate that contains more sugar (e.g. my meal replacement bars, various milk chocolates) lead to higher cravings. I mean, is it chocolate that I’m craving or would a marshmallow dipped in crushed jolly ranchers do the trick?