Doing it in the Car Doesn’t Count….right?

We’ve all done it, haven’t we? You know before you do it that it may not be the smartest decision or even that safe, but somehow it feels like as long as you’re doing it in the car, it’s not so bad. I know. You said the last time would be the last time, but it just happens. Next thing you know, you hear the oh-so-familiar tearing of the wrapper and  there’s no turning back. And just like that…you’ve done it again. Broken your promise to yourself and sabotaged all your hard work with some empty-calorie junk food crap. *side eye* What did you think I was talking about?

Alright, so maybe I was being a little cheeky, but my point remains. I’ve realized that the car is definitely my ‘danger zone’ when it comes to maintaining my healthy eating habits.  I don’t know what it is really. When I get in the car, I just feel like I need a snack. Maybe it’s living in LA and knowing that the potential for horrific, frustrating, time-consuming traffic is always there. You think you’re taking a 20 minute drive to the park and end up camping out in your car overnight because some joker transporting shopping carts has tipped his truck and blocked all four lanes of traffic. (Why the hell do you have 100 shopping carts in the back of your truck anyway?) *sigh* Oh, L.A. So is that it? Am I just preparing for the possibility of being stuck in my car? Eh. Nice try, but I don’t buy it.

Ok then, maybe it’s a convenience thing. If I’m on a tight schedule and not sure when I’ll have time to eat, it’s just easier to stop at a Starbucks/7Eleven//BajaFresh and keep it moving. Seems logical, right? But then why do I order an upside down soy caramel macchiato rather than an unsweetened green tea? The tea is still just as convenient and a much healthier choice. I’ll tell you why, Beaker. Because unsweetened tea tastes like the bottom of my shoe. Bleck! So while convenience COULD be a legitimate explanation, I know that’s a load of rhino nuggets, too.  (*Sidebar: If you don’t know who Beaker is, shame on you and your parents!*)

Still, though, there’s something about that damn car. It’s like a wormhole. What happens from the time I enter to the time I exit is a total mystery.  And somehow, in my delusion, whatever I consume inside said wormhole does not actually count toward my total caloric intake for the day. Now clearly, this is complete codswallop and a product of my inner FatGirl’s propensity for snacking. But this realization only came through after really taking the time to examine certain habitual behavior and explore. Car snacking has become a habit. Plain and simple. It may have started out as a matter of preparation or convenience, but those justifications went the way of the dodo long ago. The question now is…what do I do about it?

Well, as they say in the ‘program,’ the first step is admitting you have a problem. Done. Now that I’m aware of why and how this problem began, I can take small steps to break the habit and create new ones. For instance, a nutrition counselor I spoke with recently suggested carrying a small cooler in my car loaded up with healthy options like fruit, hummus, raw veggies, homemade smoothies, etc. Initially, I thought, ‘oh hell. Am I that person? I have to ride around with a freaking cooler to keep from eating garbage? Where’s the will power?’ Hello, McFly, if you had will power, this blog wouldn’t exist. Fact is, I am that person. I know that when I’m in a hurry, I will almost always make an unhealthy snack choice. To prevent that, I have to be prepared. If that makes me a weirdo, well that’s nothing new. I’ve been a weirdo for most of my life, and to be quite honest, it’s f*cking awesome!

Today, I purchased my cooler, bought a bunch of fruits and veggies, and committed to giving this a try for at least a week. Who knows, it might be just want I need to break my car-snacking pattern. Or not. Either way, I’m not putting  any pressure on myself. It’s a fairly easy adjustment, so what the hell? Wish me luck. And if you have any bad habits you’re trying to break, share them! Maybe someone has a tip in mind that’s perfect for you! Happy eating, my friends.

P.S. At the urging of my dear friends Ebony and Tina, I have decided that at the end of each post, I will share one thing I like about my body, and I encourage everyone to do the same. More of that self-love stuff I talked about before. 😉

1.) My skin! I love my mocha-choco-lata-beautiful brown skin. The melanin helps protect me from the evil sun rays and keeps me youthful, (although sun-block is a must, people,) and on top of that, it reminds me of melted chocolate.  And who doesn’t love melted chocolate.  (That would be me and my skin below. :))