I am passionate about donuts.
I also love cookies, cake, chocolate, and lattes. My perfect day would start with sprinkle donut and end with a piece of chocolate with a little latte in between. 
I am drawn to bakeries. On vacation if I spot a bakery, I immediately drop everything and head on in for a cake donut and a cup of coffee.
To me donuts are a glorious necessity of life.
I did not always possess this positive perspective about sweets. I use to live in fear of desserts.
Before deciding if I was going to eat a sweet, I would evaluate the size of my thighs to determine if I could afford the extra calories. If I felt it was safe to indulge, I told myself I would just eat a couple bites.
Soon, a couple bites became the whole slice. I could just feel my thighs growing and would start condemning myself for having my cake and eating it too. Here’s a list of my condemning thoughts I used to diminish my dessert enthusiasm…
A list of my thoughts when faced with dessert…
“Once on the lips a lifetime on the hips.”
“Aren’t desserts calorie free?”
“I just look at sweets and gain weight.”
“I didn’t eat that much for lunch so I can have a little dessert.”
“I am being so naughty but brownies taste so good.
“I’ll start my diet tomorrow.”
“I really shouldn’t.”
“She’s so thin she can afford to have dessert.”
“Honey, how about you order dessert so I can have a little bite.”
Deep down I wondered if people would approve of me eating a slice of cake or if they thought I was too fat to deserve a sweet treat. My weight is normal but I was so afraid others would disapprove of my lack of self-control I made sugar and fat the enemy.
But my guilty dessert conscience only made me feel miserable. Distant were the days when I was excited to see the ice cream truck drive down the street and the joy of walking in my grandma’s house and smelling freshly baked cookies. Then, one day it hit me, I wanted those feelings of excitement and joy for baked goods back. It was time for me to make peace with my inner child and renew my friendship with desserts.
How I became friends with dessert…
I eat for taste and not for approval: No one will think any less of me for eating a slice of cake.
I eat for moderation not deprivation: Eating sweets doesn’t mean I lack self-control, it means I have a sweet tooth.
I eat for ownership not for justification: I do not have to make excuses for eating donuts.
I eat to live not self-approval: I can feel good about myself and eat cake.
I eat out of enjoyment not entitlement: I do not have to be a certain size to eat dessert. I can eat cake just for the pure joy of sprinkles and frosting.
Having a healthy attitude towards desserts has taught me the value of a good donut as well as passing on to my girls a balanced dessert perspective. As I learn to love myself well it gets a little easier day by day to eat a donut without embarrassment. And for that I am truly thankful.
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