In my last post we discussed the challenge of being unexpectedly confronted with a box of freshly made Krispy Kreme donuts as you arrive at your workplace the first thing in the morning. While it’s nice that a generous coworker thought well enough of her fellow officemates to treat them to an unexpected morning treat, those donuts, at least for you, are pure poison. The last thing you need so early in the morning are loads of carbs and sugar coursing through your body before your day even begins.
But now that those donuts are sitting there, within arm’s reach, you begin to imagine how one would taste with that hot cup of coffee you’re holding. You run a preview of the experience through your mind, imagining that wonderful sensation of the sweet donut, covered in a sugary glaze, melting in your mouth, washed down with a few sips from your freshly brewed, hot cup of coffee. Your imagination makes the experience of eating that donut almost real.
Compounding this direct assault on your self-discipline and resolve to avoid sugary and high carb foods, your fellow coworkers are gathered around the box of donuts with expressions of pure delight and joy as they partake in the carb and sugar feast. You feel a bit of jealousy, thinking to yourself, “why can’t I have a donut like everyone else? It’s not fair.”
And if the temptation of grabbing a donut for yourself isn’t enough at this point, a fellow coworker with her cheeks bulging with donut, sees you standing by the box without one and urges you to have one yourself.
“Oh, come on, just have one. It’s not going to kill you.” she pleads.
In your battle against carbs and sugar, you are standing in the middle of a battlefield. You are not only battling your own cravings, but you’re up against your coworkers who are making it appear that having a donut or two in the morning is completely natural and harmless.
What’s a low-carber to do? How can you possibly leave this battlefield without giving into the temptation?
It’s not easy, but you’re not completely at the mercy of your cravings and the peer pressure that surrounds you. There is still one effective weapon you can draw upon that may help you escape with your pride and stabilized blood sugar intact.
It’s as simple as running a quick Return On Investment (ROI) analysis of the benefit (the pleasure) of eating the donut and the cost of eating it (the impact it will have on your blood sugar). When you think in these terms, you realize that even though you are really craving one of those donuts, you realize that the pleasure it brings is quite brief, maybe perhaps, one minute? Or, if you’re extremely ravenous, 30 seconds?
Regardless of how quickly you devour that donut, the cost of eating it is quite high. While the return or pleasure of eating that donut is fleeting, the cost of having it in terms of having elevated blood sugar for a few hours afterwards and the feeling of guilt that inevitably follow such lapses of self-discipline are very high. In short, you are overpaying for that donut and your ROI is extremely low.
Running this ROI through you mind whenever you are confronted with such temptations is extremely effective. It changes your whole mindset when you come across these kinds of situations in life when you feel like your cravings and emotions are running the show, not your rational mind. Simply being aware that there is a cost/benefit trade off whenever you feel tempted will increase the chances that you will walk away from that box of donuts or that piece of chocolate cake with renewed confidence in your ability to say no to temptation.
