Day 3 ... How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

How many days does it take before I fall off my diet?
The answer, according to the wise Mr.Owl, is "Three".

Day 3 ...

I started off in good shape... I got in a morning run (before the rain started) and my first meal was a fruit smoothie (recipe below). So far, so good.

d.Mark Fruit Smoothie Recipe:

• Two bananas
• Small container of fat-free yogurt (peach flavored, I think)
• Frozen Mixed Fruit (from Costco)
• Fresh Blueberries (since they were available... thanks Mom! )
• Orange Juice about a cup or two (halfway up after adding previous ingredients)
• Water (to thin out the mixture a little bit)
• Blend until not chunky.

As I write this, I realize that the yogurt has milk in it... oh well, it goes along with the rest of the story ...although I did not notice it when I made the smoothie.

I had a couple glasses of the smoothie and put the rest in the fridge for later. While I was there, I cleaned out some old food in the fridge that was well past its prime... dried out baby spinach, expired yogurt, roast beef & cheese deli slices from Mom's visit last week...

"I think I will hold onto the cold cuts... I'm not one of those militant super-strict dieters, right? Everything in moderation, right?"

Now for something completely different...

I needed to go shopping for food and I wanted to try something different to go with my salads. I searched online for a new salad dressing, found one for Ginger Dressing (more on that in a future post), made a list of ingredients and headed off to Costco for salad-making supplies.

At Costco, I knew that the dark aisles of Costco held untold dangers (to my diet) so I was prepared as I made my way into the mass of humanity. "No chicken sausage for me thanks!" "No cheesecake samples, Thanks." "What the heck is that? I don't think I'm eating whatever-that-is... even if you did heat it up !".

Beware of Trolls bearing gifts...

As I approached the back of the store to pick up my "booty", a case of water and a box of tomatoes, I spied a seemingly harmless little old lady waiting behind the tower of toilet paper... ready to pounce on my diet and kill it with free samples.

She was so sweet and nice. "It is only organic hummus on Naan bread" she said as she lightly toasted the bread to make it even more inviting. How fiendish!

It seemed healthy ... so I reached out, picked up the bread and took a bite ... but little did I know the consequences of my actions.

It was delicious. I wiped my lips, tossed the napkin into the garbage can and proceeded to pick up my case of water & tomatoes. I made my way to the checkout area (and the lines stretching to infinity ... and beyond). I waited patiently ... hmmm... perhaps hummus makes you more patient. I don't know.

The effects kick in ...

What I did know was ... the Appetizer Effect was kicking in! It had been hours since I last ate and that one little piece of hummus-covered Naan bread had shifted my stomach into overdrive. As I waited for my purchases to be scanned, my hunger grew. I finally made it through the register, packed my purchases into my Escape and headed out.

But I still needed to go to a regular grocery store for the dressing components that were not at Costco. I knew that shopping while hungry was a bad idea, I needed a plan!

The Force is Strong in This One...

That was when I did it ... I went over to the dark side... I went through the drive-through at McDonald's !

It was convenient and surprisingly, given my history of Fast-food-itis, I controlled myself pretty well. I declined the McCafe Latte from the automatic recorded greeting (don't you hate that) and ordered a side salad (Caesar dressing, one of my favorites) with a bottle of water. I pulled into the nearest parking spot and immediately scarfed down the salad.

One more stop...

I felt a little better as I made my way to the A&P grocery store. I grabbed a cart and picked up everything on my list ... peanut oil, soy sauce, radishes, ginger. As I pushed past the bakery aisle the smell of fresh baked rolls and bread drew me near.

"I guess I should get a few rolls ... I could use them for a healthy tomato & lettuce sandwich or something."

Again, as I'm in line to check out at the register, the lady ahead of me has a coupon that confuses the cashier... requiring a manager's attention (twice) and then she pays by check! I amused myself by imagining the Ponzi scheme she was using to get a free bottle of green tea extract pills. Thank goodness for the patience-inducing hummus & Naan bread I had earlier.

Finally, I got home, unpacked the groceries and then it hit... THE URGE was BACK !

Oh, The Humanity of it all...

I never stood a chance.... I grabbed the roast beef and cheese from the fridge. Scooped up the jar of mayonnaise and ripped open the bag of rolls. The smell of the whole-wheat bread was scintillating as I cut the roll in two and placed it in the toaster oven. I remembered that I had purchased tomatoes so I grabbed a small one and sliced it as the roll was toasting. Finally, the roll emerged from the oven ... crispy and warm ... to receive a layer of mayonnaise, a heaping portion of roast beef and cheese and, yes, even some healthy tomato slices.

A single sandwich might have been enough... but it was so good that I ended up making TWO !

The diet was BLOWN...

... or was it?

The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow ...

There is always tomorrow ....

And I now have healthy salad fixings to last at least a couple more days...

And the makings for an interesting ginger dressing to try...

So, I guess I'm doing OK... and, if I look on the positive side, there isn't anymore roast beef and cheese slices in my house !

Tomorrow is a brighter day !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

Readers...

Have you been tempted with food? What is your weakness and how are you going to overcome it? Share a comment below !