The Super Bowl Party

Have you ever noticed that the it's damn near impossible to have a family event without unhealthy food? 

Last weekend we had our family's version of a Super Bowl party, and it was no exception.

While shopping for groceries last Friday, I got the bright idea that while watching the game, we could make some traditional Super Bowl Sunday snack foods. 

When Jaxon asked "Why?", I told him that we were having a Super Bowl party - and that everybody who lived in the house was invited. 

We had queso and chips. We had little smokeys. We had brownies. It was everything a fat American football party should be. 

(and yes, that's a new "How to make sushi" kit in the background - we've already established that I don't learn...)

Once the game was going, everyone assumed their positions in the front room and we settled in to watch what initially looked like a complete shutout of a game. Jaxon, the family's only Patriots fan, ended up going to his room to play xbox. I think he got tired of the rest of us saying "Holy cow, are they even going to score one point?!" 

...if we had only known. 

Jade, with only birthday and slumber parties as a point of reference, decided that she would enjoy the night more with a pallet on the floor, and honestly, she went all out. 

(She also provided our half-time entertainment to the music of Lady Gaga)

As the night wore on, we all lamented on how crappy we had eaten this weekend. 

Well, by "we all", I mean Shelly and me. 

That's the thing about temptation though, isn't it? It's not fun to just put your toes in the pool. You walk around it for weeks, looking at the clear blue water, thinking about how great it would feel on your skin - and how much fun it would be to make a huge splash... 

...and before you know it, you "accidentally" fall in. Cannonball style. 

For me, my cannonball this weekend was a chicken shell taco from Taco Bell and a Grand Mac from McDonald's. 

Seriously, I had been doing SO good. I counted calories. I exercised. If nothing, I was holding firm at a weight I was moderately happy with. But then, two of the many fast food restaurants in town came out with their odes to gluttony and I was lost. 

I mean, really. The shell of the taco is made out of fried chicken. Also, it's a Big Mac... but bigger!

Can you imagine if they made "meth-ier meth"??

I have to admit though, as a therapist who spends so much time helping people deal with their individual addictions, there's a moderate amount of guilt whenever I relapse like this. 

I'll be the first to admit that my drug of choice is clearly food. I think about it. I read about it. I watch television shows about it. I plan vacations around it. 

I've struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. 

Every time I go to the doctor, I'm told that I could stand to lose a few pounds, but advice has never done much to turn the tide of cravings. 

Now, admittedly, I do good for long periods of time, but the temptation is always there. 

Thankfully, I've got a pretty great support system, and a great family who is always willing to join me in a little bit of healthy exercise. 

So, as Sunday ended and Monday began - it was back to the real world. A world of calorie counting apps and semi-regular trips to the track. 

I know that there will be more relapses in my future. I'm pretty sure I can get through them.