Cravings come in varied and sundry times. We have not the slightest clue when and how they will hit…
I had just left a powerful women’s conference on the east side of Albuquerque, and this crazy craving hit me. It was lunch time and my stomach was making weird gurgling noises as if to say, FEED ME…Now! RIGHT NOW!
Let me preface this by saying, I have many titles but the most recent one to be added to my repertoire is “Health Coach.” I was hit with several health issues three years ago that required a drastic change. I literally had to go on a stringent diet for which I have no better title than… the NO FOOD diet. I am not exaggerating here. I promise you. No Dairy. No Sugar in any form other than Stevia, and no Gluten. Friends, can you please tell me what in lands sake this leaves in the four food groups? I’ll gladly fill you in. Lean pieces of meat. Vegetables. And Fruit. Even my fruit intake had to be limited because though natural sugar, too much sugar in any form was not going to do my gut justice. So there was little to nothing to even to satisfy my sweet tooth. I immediately went into withdrawals. I was madder than a hornet. What? No food? Are you freakin’ kidding me? This is clearly not fair. Why ME? HOW am I going to live…YOU KNOW, survive? I am suddenly left here to die in the middle of the Albuquerque desert with no food?
I literally grieved over the food I had to say goodbye to in the face of my health issue. I grieved over the Dairy Queen Blizzards that would not be gracing my lips. German Chocolate Cake…German Chocolate Blizzards. EVERYTHING GERMAN CHOCOLATE! All the yummy coconut and extra toasted pecans. (My mouth waters just thinking of it)! The D.Q. Banana Splits, the Peanut Buster Parfaits, the Ice Cream Cones and the Cheesy New Mexican food right here in New Mexico that I would no longer be able to partake in for who knows how long…set me on edge.
And the list goes on…
When my husband Gary and I had our three kids at home, they all three played ball. Our son’s Shawn and Chad played baseball, and our daughter Michaeli (Mikaylee) played softball, which later included a fast pitch traveling softball team. They each had a number of other activities they were involved in to add to our busy lifestyles. We ran literally all of the time.
Fast food was the order of the day in those days. I cooked when I could but having three kids that played ball all on different fields and sometimes on opposite ends of town, was no picnic. We lived at three fast-food restaurants the majority of the time because they were cheap: McDonalds, Burger King, and Taco Bell.
The years passed quickly and I suddenly found that McDonalds had stopped agreeing with the old digestive system. Very strange things would happen to me. AND suddenly. It wasn’t a pretty picture. Just trust me on this one.
Right there in the parking lot of the church next to my slate gray Mazda, I had a Big Mac Attack. I started craving those “Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun!” So, I did it. I drove directly across the street and I got into the drive through and ordered. The Big Mac, the Fries AND the drink, dagnabbit! I couldn’t wait to enjoy every bite. McDonald’s Fries…Ahhhhhhh. I started stuffing my face like no tomorrow. And I’m not gonna lie. I felt a tad bit guilty, but I figured…What possible harm could this do? It’s just this ONE TIME. Not like I do it every day…
Low and behold, that night clear into the next day, I beheld the throne. Some call it the toilet. And I’m sorry folks. I truly am. I know some of you will say, T. M. I.! But it was what it was. It tore my stomach up. Picture a wrestling match with two heavy weight wrestlers inside of your stomach.
Was it worth it? Momentarily it was. While I chowed down on every bite of that sesame seed bun with the two all beef patties…literally savoring the flavor of DAYS GONE BY I was in heaven, OR so I thought… The memory flashbacks of our hectic lifestyle we as a family once lived during our softball and baseball years with our beautiful family…It truly seemed worth the torture AT THE TIME.
Perhaps I also needed the confirmation that the days of eating Big Macs at Micky-D’s had on no uncertain terms DEFINITELY taken a BACK SEAT. And for more reasons than one. Like…THRONE TIME. And not the royal kind. Not AT ALL.
