It started innocently enough: After major oral surgery and the removal of seven teeth, the thought of eating was not remotely appetizing; a challenge I was unwilling to undertake. Unfortunately, the horse pill antibiotics I needed to take twice daily required a full stomach, so I alternated between Jim’s chicken noodle soup and rice pudding.
As my mouth healed quickly, I noticed I didn’t have a taste for any other food but rice pudding. Admittedly, I have a very strange appetite to begin with: If I’m not hungry (which is often), I simply don’t eat. If I don’t have a taste for something specific, I’ll skip the meal completely or grab a bowl of cereal.
Then I noticed I always had at least two containers of rice pudding in the house at all times. Over the years I’ve tried to stop eating it, but would find myself literally craving the dessert and leaving the house to buy it, no matter what the time.
Last week I unloaded our kitchen trash compactor which we use for our weekly recycling, and was appalled to see the number of empty Jewel Chef’s Kitchen Rice Pudding containers. Seriously appalled, bordering on frightened. How much calcium, rice and cinnamon could one body need?
Okay, in my case, apparently A LOT. I evaluated the evidence and made the rational decision to quit cold turkey. I ate my last spoonful at 3:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon and haven’t touched the creamy vanilla treat since.
Sadly, there are no support groups or rehabilitation programs for rice pudding addicts. Forging ahead on my own, I instead opted to trade this desire for dessert for a desire for health: I began jogging Monday morning, squeezing the workout in between when I get Jordan off to school and wake Jamie to start his day.
Yes, it’s quite a 180 to trade food for exercise, but this is uncharted territory for me. I’ve tried to quit many times before cold turkey, but for some reason the feeling of being outside in the morning quiet has been quite invigorating and dare I say enjoyable?!
In discussing what I thought was a unique problem, I was relieved to discover that I was not alone. While no one else admitted to a rice pudding addiction, others confessed to food affairs with everything from honey-roasted cashews, Swedish fish, M&Ms, Dots, white chocolate-covered Oreos to cinnamon raisin bread and butter, stashing their snacks in night stands, the far back of center desk drawers, glove compartment boxes and empty ice buckets, far out of reach and unbeknownst to coworkers and family members.
Admittedly, as I write this, my legs are sore and my mind is trying to convince me to jump in the car to buy a small container of rice pudding. Yet with short sleeve and bathing suit season a mere few weeks away, this new attraction to a healthier behavior and lifestyle keeps my car keys hanging safely where they belong, my fridge filled instead with small containers of chocolate and vanilla yogurt.
Four days down, a lifetime to go …
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