37 Grams Worth of a Mistake

Tonight, after taking a few loads of household items to our storage building (we're moving on Saturday) I talked Carl into putting Cale to bed because there were a few essentials we were almost out of, like milk (and with a one year old you can't even go a few hours without that) Carl despises going into Wal-Mart for groceries so he gladly chose to stay and handle bath and bed time. Because we're moving in with my parents on Saturday our once-overflowing cabinets have been pretty bare lately. So, we haven't had sweets in awhile. I decided that after having the stomach bug last week, we deserved a little splurge. So, I journeyed down an aisle in Wal-Mart that I only dare to enter a handful of times a year: The frozen dessert section. It was like stepping into a forbidden area. I almost felt like I was breaking a rule. It felt good. All the wonderful choices surrounding me...dozens of flavors of ice cream on my left, and pies on my right. I quickly decided on pie, because ice cream seemed a little too boring. My eyes glazed over the many delicious looking choices. This was going to be a hard decision. Finally, I had almost made up my mind on a pie we had tried before, when I saw it. Coldstone Creamery, Cookies and Cream pie made with chocolate cheesecake, fudge, white chocolate icing... At that moment, I knew the decision was made. Now I've had Coldstone ice cream before and the taste is indescribable. But, I've also read the lists that print in magazines and on the Internet about the most fattening foods out there. It seems like some item from Coldstone is always on that list. Side note: Why do people do that to us? They spend hours trying to figure out how to ruin all our favorite foods at our favorite restaurants by putting them on a list that displays the unthinkable amount of calories in the item. Can't they just let us eat in peace?!

I knew I shouldn't. I knew I would regret it. I didn't even want to do it. But, the suspense was killing me, so I did it; I looked. I turned the box over and looked at the dreaded number (not that it was going to stop me from eating it) What?! Were my eyes playing tricks on me? 37 grams? 37 grams in one small piece of pie. I stood there comtemplating my decision. My 45 minute workout right after school flashed before my eyes. I remembered the feeling of satisfaction I had leaving the gym having done something good for myself. How would I feel after eating this chocolate blob of fat? It's like a week's worth of going to the gym in one slice of cheesecake. I almost put the pie back, but then got gutsy and thought, "What the heck, we only live once." Oh, Carl and I have all kinds of excuses...here are some of our most used: "It's vacation... It's the holidays, It's the weekend" or my favorite, "We worked out today, we deserve it." Anything to convince ourselves that it's okay! :)

So, now I sit here at the computer feeling guilty as I eat this, much smaller than it looked on the package, piece of pie. I've decided that if I take small bites and savor each one it makes the experience worth all the grams. Halfway through and I'm already suffering from "Dunlap Disease".