A stroll down memory lane......

When I was in elementary school back in the early 80s, the cafeteria sold large hard pretzel rods for a nickel each. I remember getting two almost every day. We would, of course, play with the pretzel rods before we ate them. They made wonderful fake cigars, and we used to think we were SO COOL holding them between our fingers and puffing on them like we were grown.

I remember I used to like to suck on the tips of the pretzel rods before I ate them. Then, I would proceed to use my bottom teeth to scrape the outer, brown layer of the pretzel off. Only when about two inches of the pretzels were denuded of their bark did I bite into the pretzel and fully enjoy their salty, crunchy goodness.

So, I was in heaven when I saw a big tub of these very snack items at the supermarket the other day. Only $5.99 for a tub of almost 100 pretzel rods. I had to have them!! When I got them home, I put them on my kitchen counter in a very prominent spot. And, I pointed them out to every guest I had in my house, taking the opportunity to talk about those elementary school memories with each person.

Now, just to let you know, I have been trying to be careful the past six months about what I eat. I lowered my blood sugar from an average of 300 to an average of about 110. I cannot say I am actually on a "diet", I eat what I like, I just try to be a little more thoughtful about what I consume lately. My caloric intake is probably about 2/3 of what is was 6 months ago. PORTION CONTROLLED PACKAGING has been VITAL in my struggle towards healthier habits.

I LOVE 100 calorie packs. I buy single serve ice cream treats so I will not overindulge. I buy individual bags of sun chips or cookies. I should have known that bringing a huge tub of pretzels into my house was a recipe for disaster!! And, really, what was I thinking when I put them front and center on the counter top?

I swear this pretzels are laced with some kind of highly addictive drug. At least twice a day, I find myself pulling 3 or 4 pretzel rods out of the tub and munching on them. So, what started out as a healthy snack choice has become a recipe for disaster.

At first I thought that I would keep the tub of pretzels in the cabinet or above the refrigerator next time I purchase them. But, I do not know if that will even help. I think I am going to have to quit my pretzel rod habit cold turkey! So, I am NOT going to buy these pretzels when I go to the store this week. I just hope the withdrawal symptoms are not too debilitating!