Don't deny yourself...these are the words that virtually every dieting expert utters, but what the hell do they truly mean? Either something is good for you, and you should have it, or it's bad for you, and you should avoid it.

Today my job had an ice cream social. I went and stayed as far away from the ice cream is possible; just like I avoid the brownies at our afternoon team meetings and the kolaches (butter rolls filled w/bacon, egg, and cheese or some other combination) at our morning team meetings. I socialized and interacted with co-workers, but I was dying to have some ice cream. I kept thinking of that phrase, which I've read in nearly every health & fitness mag. Don't deny yourself. I understand the theory. If you really want something then go ahead and have just a little. Don't binge, but also don't make yourself miserable trying to cut out all of your favorites forever. However, how much is really enough versus too much? I mean, whether you want/love something or not, you're still consuming the calories and grams of fat that you're supposed to be trying to avoid. You need to get enough to feel satisfied that you did in fact have the treat that you desired. Yet that much may still be a poor dieting decision. Where do the boundaries lie?

In the end, I asked the vendor to give me a smidgent of Banana Pudding flavor. Trust me, it was indeed a smidgent. We're talking 2 tablespoons max. I guess that was ok. I mean, I got to taste it, which is what I really wanted. Yet, I didn't really get to enjoy it, and what's the point of extra calories if you can't even enjoy it?

The rules need to be more defined. At what point in your weightloss process are you allowed to 'stop denying yourself'? Is it when you've reached your goal weight? Is it when you've grown truly accustomed to making good food choices and exercising? 6 months? And then once you are allowed to re-integrate these things, to what extend should you do this? One splurge a every 2 weeks? Every month? What?

I honestly don't know. I guess I'll go home content with what I did have today. I'm proud that I didn't break down and get the 2 scoops (1 Banana Pudding, 1 Strawberry) that I wanted. Yet, I'm glad that I didn't completely avoid it, like a weirdo (again, I'm trying not to be obsessed). Tonight, I'm cooking chicken and brocolli w/black beans and rice (if I don't get too lazy or run out of pots). I think its best to just banish the ice cream to back of my mind.