Oct 28
Day 90

So, my mother came to visit and with her came armful after armful of candy and baked goods. I abstained like the good Jenny Craig client I am, but eventually, sugar won out. I was worn down by my mother’s incessant badgering.
“Did you try the pumpkin scone?”
“Can you have bagels and cream cheese on Jenny Craig?”
“What do you mean you can’t have nachos on Jenny Craig. Now that’s just silly!”
“Can’t you cancel your weigh in for this week? Let’s go shopping!”

My mother is a saboteur.

It is something I have come to understand about her over the years and it is a bitter pill to swallow. Also, when she is away from my father, she likes to “cheat” as they say. He is pretty careful about monitoring what she eats and despite the impressive stash of low carb bars she has hidden all over the house (which are not effective when eaten in bulk), he still manages to keep a watchful eye on her sugar and fat intake. Of course, once my mother is away from my father, all bets are off. I will find her jamming scones and hotdogs into her mouth as fast as she can. It is no use talking to her. We have tried begging, pleading, insisting-but to no avail. She is overweight and will most likely stay that way because she absolutely has no interest in diet or exercise. The thread of relevance here is that when she is in town she brings a wide array of fatty foods into my house and tries to take me down. I think it is an unconscious thing but still…

Like a nutritional Icarus, I fell-possessing too much confidence in my ability to maintain willpower. Ah, the hubris of me. Within 24 hours I was reduced to eating the multitude of chocolate bars, cocoa, cakes, and cookies my mother purchased and lay in plain view. By 48 hours, I was happily reduced to taking my mother on trips down the sugary cereal aisle. Pirate Choco-puff balls with marshmallow eyeballs (Halloween you know), no problem!

Ohhh, this week is turning out to be a mess.