Have your cake and eat it too?!

I made a decision yesterday.  I have decided to give up cake.   A piece of cake is much like a donut for me.  A trigger food!  I am finding that when I have an event coming up (birthdays, etc.) and I know there will be cake, I stress out about it.  I find myself thinking things like, “I want a piece of cake but I know that if I eat it, that may be the end of my healthy eating”.  I fear that one piece or even bite will send me back in to my old habits of eating.  That may sound crazy but to me it is a very real thought!  Cake and donuts are a major trigger food for me.  I wish it was easy enough for me to eat a small piece and move on but I am realizing that it’s not!  I think if I treat cake like I have treated donuts and not allow myself to indulge, that would be the best decision I can make.

As soon as I made the decision to give it up,  I felt like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders.  It’s easier for me to look at a food item and say that I can’t have it as opposed to wondering if I should allow myself a piece/bite and hope that it doesn’t trigger a downhill spiral. 

The kind of cake I’m referring to is the bakery kind.  Lots of buttercream icing.  A big corner piece.  You get the idea, right?!?!  I am fine with a homemade cake with maybe some powdered sugar or cool whip on top.  That is not a trigger for me.  But I still have to be careful.

I have also learned that I have to make these kinds of decisions for ME and not anyone else.  So many times, I feel myself feeling guilty if someone offers me something that I don’t want to eat.  They will say things like, “oh, you probably can’t have that”.  YES, I can have that, I can have whatever I want, I just have to choose what is worth it to me.  I have heard people say that when you are losing weight/trying to be healthier and someone offers you a “treat”, you should just take a bite or small piece so that you don’t offend them.  I don’t agree with that.  In my opinion, if they get offended, that is their problem.  I am doing this for ME and nobody else!  I would never be rude about turning it down.  I will always tell them that I am trying to watch what I eat.  If they are truly my friend, they will understand.

So, my twins birthday is tomorrow.  We will be purchasing a cake this weekend.  I feel very good about it.  I’m not worried about seeing it sitting on the counter.  I can’t have any and I am totally ok with that!  J