Shabbos afternoon, 4:47 p.m. You enter the dining room, refreshed from your nap. You place down your Gemara, and sit, ready to learn. Then you notice the delicious chocolate babka cake resting in the center of your dining room table.
You stare at the babka; the babka stares back. Its inviting fresh chocolatey aroma pulls you closer. Slowly, as if in a trance, you reach for a plate. You pick up the knife and prepare to slice a thick heavy slab. You pause and think, “What am I doing? I’m supposed to be on a diet.” Then, you mind wanders, “Oh, come on. One little slice won’t do anything, and besides, it is Shabbat after all.” You reason, (rather the babka speaks for itself) “I will just eat a little less tomorrow and it will all be okay.” With the temptation too great, you cut off a fat chunk of your Shabbat treat. Hastily, attempting to concentrate you recite a brachah, and dig in. For a few brief moments, life and the babka slowly melt away. Then, reality comes crashing down as your mind races, “What did I just do? I cheated on my diet!” Obviously, unimpressed with your reaction, you resolve, “Now what?”
Step one requires the self-restraint to stop eating. Do not give up and choose to go all in on the babka. Truthfully, you were right that one piece will not kill your diet. But now that you have consumed that piece, you must resign yourself to keeping at just that one slice. If you have a second, third or 17 more slices, it will be much longer until you are back on track. Do not dig yourself into a deeper hole.
Step two is to grasp why you cut into the babka in the first place. Understandably, if the cake on the table were chocolate chip cookies or blueberry muffins, you probably would have still grabbed a couple. Remember, you walked into the dining room holding a Gemara, not a fork. You ate because the food was there. So, staying away from the kitchen and dining room outside of designated mealtimes is a smart idea.
Keep in mind, nobody intentionally plans on failing at their diet. Usually, miniscule flops in judgement turn into larger ones. If you can agree to hold your little cheats to just one slice of cake here and there, they will not add up too much. Still if you slip up, do not opt to correct a slip-up by eating less the following day. Instead, get right back on track to your scheduled meals and pledge to not err again.
Our bodies do everything in their power to keep us at a stable weight. When in a deficit, our bodies trick us into seeking out high calorie, highly palatable foods. Delicious cakes and cookies can kill days or even weeks of progress if you fail to restrain yourself. Take into account, the greatest victory is against your own desires.
Moshe Orbach was born and bred in Kew Gardens Hills. Moshe is a product of our yeshivah system and yearns to give back to his community. Fitness and health are Moshe's longtime passions. Moshe wants everyone to lead their daily life energized, and aware of their body's potential, no matter their age. Moshe can be reached for personal training, diet plans, and more at (516) 962-1417.
Now What?
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