May 17, 2012

I have met the enemy and he is chocolate

I have met the enemy and he is chocolate
Over the weekend, you might say I stumbled over a few rocks in my “lifestyle change.” I always hesitate to use the word “diet”; it’s a foul four-letter word that I just don’t like.
I admit; however, that my stumbling was really my own idea and it was more like tumbling willingly into the Grand Canyon.
With a family event in an urban area that offers the food and drink temptations our Heartland home doesn’t have, I was drawn in like a magnet. No, not to the bright lights and culture of the big city but the lure of the Cheesecake Factory.
This is my paramour.

From Cheesecake Factory website, Hershey's Chocolate Bar Cheesecake. This is the description included on the web site: Hershey’s chocolate cake, layered with chocolate ganache and chocolate cheesecake, finished with chocolate icing and chocolate chips.
My Beloved wanted to kill me as I asked the waiter for a nutrition breakdown, as he enjoyed his carrot cake cheesecake. My selection had 1500 calories. Even the waiter was astonished that I wanted to know the calorie count as I plowed my way through this slice of chocolate heaven.
Here’s the strange thing. After the first few bites, it didn’t taste that good anymore. It was terribly rich. I didn’t finish it. (I would be less than honest if I told you that I quit after the first few bites, habit and the $8.50 price kept me going, but I didn’t make the Clean Plate Club.)
I heard a story recently that backed up my anecdotal assertion. Researchers studied 1,000 healthy people and found that those who ate chocolate two times a week had a lower BMI. Of course these individuals also exercised at least three times a week. I don’t think the exercise was defined as lifting a fork to one’s mouth.
According to the CBS report, researchers found that the participants - who were an average age of 57 - ate chocolate for an average of twice of week and exercised roughly 3.5 times per week. But the more frequent chocolate-eaters had smaller BMIs, a ratio of height and weight that's used to measure obesity.
By the way, I ordered a chicken wrap that came in a lettuce leaf to go with the cheesecake.
We’ve now returned home, back to the land of the diabetic diet with turkey, chicken and fish almost every night, unlimited vegetables (except for the really starchy ones), lots of fruit and Walden Farms ranch dressing to make a baked potato palatable.
In case you are wondering, I gained two pounds over the weekend (which also contained several other high-calories, high-fat celebratory items which I won’t confess here.)
Now back on track, until the next vacation.

http://open.salon.com/blog/bernadine_spitzsnogel/2012/05/17/i_have_met_the_enemy_and_he_is_chocolate