If a mom eats chocolate in a forest does she still gain weight?

So... I have this dining room at my house.  It enters from the entry way and from the kitchen, which makes a great shortcut at times.  The problem is that the carpet is not loving the traffic from the kitchen or from the front door.  My kids love to play chase in the dining room as well, adding to the problem.

I started putting a piece of tape blocking just one of the entrances and it works beautifully.  But, from time to time the tape breaks or wears out and the path is open for a time once again.  Even me, mom, takes the shortcut when the tape comes down.  When the tape is up I never even think about it.  The choice is made.  And, while I only cut through in emergency situations, my definition of emergency gets broader and broader.  I was thinking about how I have to use similar tactics with food.  I have always said that I will eat anything but, anything and everything are two entirely different things.

Yesterday I was at the store and I was going to buy myself a treat.  I was in the mood for something chocolaty - what else?  As a avid reader of labels I had a hard time choosing.  A nice scrumptious Symphony bar was calling my name but it only comes in the king size ginormous.  I knew that I did not have the will power that day to stop eating.  After several "are we done yets?" I chose a small bag of bridge mix.  Thank you bulk section I never once mourned what I was missing.  Man, dang, freak they were good!      

Craving food verses craving everything else

We must see that if food could and would be taken away then something else would take its place.  Look back at your latest and greatest diet.  See if it went something like this.  You hear from a friend or on TV or read something that talks about losing weight - many times there is a person that has lost weight and their life is on fire at the moment.  They are oozing everything that you feel you lack.  You get completely jazzed about this new "plan".  You buy what needs to be bought and then you start.  Life is grand until it is not.  Something always comes along to sabotage your hard work.  Maybe something at work arises or maybe a friend betrays you or you are bored -  whatever the stress is that seems to come out of nowhere.  I am saying they were probably there all along.  Life was not grand while eating life away.  You were just living life on medication.  "Obsession gives you something to do besides having your heart shattered by heart shattering events. " says the book Women Food and God. 

When these moments have come along.  I learned to lean into them.  Make a list of all the horrible stuff and then some of the good.  Ask why.  Cry.  Hurt, and then see if that craving is still there.