I Ordered a Slice of Key Lime Pie...

No, it's not a big deal if you choose to order Key Lime Pie. Unfortunately for me, at this particular time, it was not the smartest move I could have made. Allow me to set the stage.

My husband and I traveled to a nearby city so that he could play tennis with our eldest daughter. It was a beautiful day and I had been ahead of the game all week with my eating well and exercising routines. I was feeling pretty good while still trying to shed a couple of pounds I had put on over the course of the holidays, a cold weather snap, a brief unexpected medical problem, a four day mini trip and my recent birthday celebration. I was well on my way towards accomplishing the goal of losing the weight and feeling good. My plan was to stay away from reasons to celebrate where food was involved. Now we all know this is quite hard to do in America.

I had a great workout the day before and my plan was to sit on the sidelines, enjoy the beautiful weather and finish a book I had been reading. Not long after, during a court switch, my daughter casually asked if we would like to go out to eat after the tennis match. If you know me, I don't need to be persuaded in the least when the subject of food or eating out comes into play. I was like, "Yeah, I'm in!" Truthfully, I almost fell off the bench in anticipation.

So much for control, not even a moment's hesitation. After the match, we piled into our cars and proceeded to drive to a quaint little seafood/burger type restaurant on the beach. I ordered the peel & eat shrimp for an appetizer.

By the way, peel and eat shrimp is always a great choice! We split it three ways and I had five shrimp.

Here's the aha moment that I apparently missed. I didn't stop to think about the best choices I could have made for my main meal, in fact, I felt entitled to eat a hamburger because I rarely eat one out anymore and I rarely eat fries. Forget about the things I sometimes do eat that I shouldn't, these two things I rarely eat and that's a fact if anyone cares.

That's when my husband and eldest daughter's mouths dropped open and their faces immediately expressed great concern. You see, it's like my little family unit has this fear that I'll turn back into the grabby Octopus and start treating myself like a human version of a garbage disposal. Hey, guys, I got rid of my GDS or Garbage Disposal Syndrome two years ago! Give me a break!

Then it came down to another big decision. Do I order a burger and fries for myself or should my husband who can finish a half burger in two bites in less than minute and I share one order? I don't trust him. I know the pattern. He eats his and then starts in on mine. I have a problem with anyone touching the food on my plate. It is my domain and everyone who knows me knows this. I wasn't about to let that happen and again, I had done so well all week long, this was my REWARD! Yikes, food can't be a reward, I know that, it's in our book, "Tame Your Inner Octopus!" Yes, I knew all of this but when the waiter came over I promptly blurted out. "I'll take a hamburger medium well with FRIES!" I could see the fear in my husband and daughter's faces. It was like they were thinking, "Wow, she's going for it; I hope she's not reverting to her old pattern of eating."

I ate only a half of that burger and of course, I didn't eat all of the fries, my husband and daughter took a few and there were a few left over. I was TEMPORARILY happy but then I had another dilemma, was I to "choose" to order dessert?

Well, remember I had done well with my eating and exercising all week long, why not I told myself. My daughter sort of looked at me like, "You're not going to order dessert Mom?" In fact, I don't think she thought it, I think she said it out loud, "You're not going to order dessert Mom?" I've always been the rebellious type and I quickly stated, "Yes, I am."

I did it and I ordered coffee too. In my mind I was celebrating the beautiful day, the quaint little beach side restaurant and the opportunity to be with my husband and eldest child. In my mind I was creating a beautiful memory.

The truth is, I have a lot of beautiful memories and I really did not enjoy that Key Lime Pie, it wasn't the greatest I had ever eaten. I only ate about four small bites of it and it wasn't worth ordering. I wasted money and it simply wasn't necessary. Another valuable lesson learned and at least I am now able to assess the situation after the wrong choices are made.

In the past, when I was overweight, I wouldn't have cared or have been aware because I was the grabby Octopus who ate mindlessly throughout the day and I did treat my body on a daily basis like a human garbage disposal.

The moral of this story is to know when not to order Key Lime Pie!

Have a great day!