Powerless Over Pringles

I woke up with yet another Pringle's hangover this morning ...

I thought I could quit cold turkey. But then they came out with this new 'super sized' can of Pringles. Every can has 100 chips! And ... they were on sale.

So even though, I promised myself that I would rid the house of chips (after I consumed all of them) ... I bought some more.

I am powerless over Pringles.

I can't stop at one. I have tried to switch to different brands of chips to alleviate the addiction. But I always find myself hovering in the chip section of whatever store that I may be in. Whether it is a large chain store that I visit regularly (where the best deals on Pringles are to be had) ... the grocery store ... a corner store ... when I'm paying for gas ... or a hotel mini bar. I am always drawn to the chip aisle.

This latest binge has been a reaction to trying to eat consciously for several months prior to the dance competition that I attended last month ...

I left the house shortly after 6:00 a.m. the morning that we flew to Montreal for the above mentioned event. An ultra-early breakfast, plus no lunch made all of us were pretty hungry by the time we were settling into our hotel rooms later that afternoon. Hotel rooms with a stocked refrigerator (and snacks). All at a very hefty price.

My food deprived body could barely breathe when I spotted the mini can of Pringles on our counter top. For the mere cost of $6.50 we could crack open that can of Pringles and each have about 8 chips. We resisted temptation.

But then ... at the first opportunity, I bought a regular sized can. The cost was close to $3.00 ... but still a steal of a deal compared to the hotel mini bar price. My room mate and I shared and nibbled on that can of Pringles for two days. Can you imagine my angst as I withheld my Pringles addiction for the duration of our hotel stay?

I bought a second can of Pringles. Unbelievably, there were still some chips left when it came time to pack up our bags and head home. I knew that I had chips packed within the airplane storage cargo. I was starting to shake. It was then, that I decided that I would splurge on board the plane and buy some chips when the flight attendant rolled the snack cart down the aisle. Only I didn't catch her eye. I did without.

What was the very first thing that I did when I walked in the door at home? I zipped open my suitcase before it even made its way to my room. I walked around the house and devoured what was left of that can of Pringles. I didn't have to share them or show any amount of will power. I just ate them. Pringles have never tasted so good.

Then, what should I discover as I started to unpack my suitcase? Another can of Pringles in my closet! Yay!! Pringles for breakfast!

Well ... 26 days has passed since that moment. Since that time, I have bought (and consumed) 6 cans of Pringles, 2 cans of Lays and 2 bags of baked Old Dutch potato chips. To be fair to myself, I shared a few of those with my Youngest Son. But for the most part? Ohhh ... my achin' stomach.

I am shovelling Pringles into my body with abandon. Hunger and cravings are not even a part of it any more. It is that sensation of the Pringle when it touches my tongue ... the crispness ... the sound of my teeth as they make contact. And knowing that there are 99 (98 ... 97 ... 96 ... ... ...) more!

Why am I writing about this? Because it seems that every time I write something, I quit doing it.

I wrote about starting to exercise. I stopped exercising. I wrote about healthier eating habits. I stopped eating healthy. I wrote about not eating after supper. I stopped doing that too. I wrote about spending wisely. I went on a shopping spree.

Whatever good thing that I find myself doing ... once I write about it, I stop doing it. I am writing about my Pringle addiction. I want to stop.

Hello. My name is Colleen. And I am a Pringleaholic ...