Walls and Hangovers

I believe there is always a way to get through, around, over, or under any wall we might be butting our head against.

I keep thinking I've found a door through my dieting issues, but I smacked my head against that stupid wall again. 

Dieting shouldn't be difficult. It's just choices.Will you eat that or not? Will you eat more or not? Will you exercise today or not? The answers to all these questions are determined by one thing. Will it make me feel good?

Three days ago I went to my mother-in-law's house to eat dinner. In preparation for this dinner I ate vegetables,  all day long. When it was time for dinner I was ready to EAT. But, I know I'm starving so I lay the ground rules before I start. Start with the soup. Don't eat any rice. Pig out on the vegetables. Lay of the meat. STOP WHEN YOU'RE COMFORTABLE, NOT WHEN YOU'RE FULL!!! I have to scream that one at myself because I can never hear it. I sure didn't that night (first head butt to the wall). So I got full. Then to make matters worse (and I always make them worse), I thought to myself, "You've already screwed up, so you better live it up because you're going back on the diet tomorrow and who knows when you'll get these foods again." My mother-in-law's house is full of junk food. I'll leave it to your imagination what happened next (head butt 2-12).

The next morning I've got a sugar hangover and I'm ready to never do that again, but there must have been some sugar still hanging out in my mouth because none of my healthy stuff sounded good to me, so I had the forbidden breakfast food, just this once, which lead to the same for lunch, which lead to a "forget it" dinner and junk food before bed because "You've already screwed up, so you better live it up because you're going back on the diet tomorrow and who knows when you'll get these foods again." And the cycle continued through yesterday. Three days and I've got a headache. I'm not sure if it's because of the headbutting or the hangovers.

So back to this, Will it make me feel good? question. Because I think this is the door in my wall. First of all, I know it won't make me feel good in the long run. But in the short term it feels good like drugs (which I've never done... of course). What I need is something to replace the food that feels good, now! Drugs? No, no, no.

So here's my list:

1. Learn new things through reading

2. Make plans to accomplish things

3. Play piano

4. Watch a movie

5. Play computer games

6. Read to my kids

7. Go running while listening to General Conference

8. Hug my husband

9. Dance to "Hairspray"

10. Take a shower

11. Take a nap

12. Do math (don't judge me)

13. Do something that takes me closer to my goals

14. Write and send an encouraging letter

15. Do Personal Progress

16. Make a tent and play in it with my kids

17. Plan a Family Home Evening lesson

18. Quality time with my husband

19. Do something to make my kids laugh

20. Play with playdough with the kids

21. Plan the next holiday's activities

22. Do science experiments with the kids

23. Make a cardboard clubhouse with the kids

24. Write and illustrate stories with the kids

25. Do something to surprise and make my husband laugh.

26. Design a math and English curriculum

27. Call my sister or friends

28. Go on a motorcycle ride.

A pretty exhaustive list and some need more effort than others, but I thought if I had a lot of options to choose from then when the ones I usually think of don't have a lot of pull, I'll have a lot more to choose from. Here's hoping this works. If it doesn't then we'll come up with a different plan.