I pressed the fork down on a small red, buttered potato and it easily flattened, releasing a small puff of steam. Taking the lid off a skillet on the stove, revealed tender, browned chunks of chicken breast and nicely steamed broccoli. After sliding the contents of the pan onto the plate containing the potato, I walked into the dining room and sat down at the table.

The food before me was everything my high school home education teacher said was ideal for a meal. It was attractive and colorful. The browned meat, buttery red potato and bright green broccoli were pleasing to look at. I’ve read that colorful foods contain all sorts of vitamins and minerals that a body needs. Best of all, despite having butter on the potato and vegetable, my meal was low in calories.

I want to lose weight.  But I also don’t want to suffer to accomplish that by having to gnaw on dry rice cakes. Being mindful of how good my food tasted and chewing slowly and longer than usual, I practiced every diet tip I’ve ever heard about that is supposed to help dieters feel satiated. Half an hour later as I placed the empty plate next to the kitchen sink, I felt full and satisfied. Surely, after eating such a good supper, I wouldn’t want to eat again until tomorrow morning.

The minute I sank down into my favorite living room chair, I felt a familiar longing for a snack. Trying to ignore the growing desire, I found a channel playing the 1993 movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. Enjoying the familiar story, I tried settling down to watch it. I couldn’t concentrate because a bar of dark chocolate in the kitchen was calling my name. Finally, glancing at the clock on the wall, I decided that since it was just eight p.m., it was still early enough to eat one more thing, especially since my evening meal had been so low in calories.

Confident that dark chocolate was a healthy choice, I felt good about having some. Chocolate is filled with lots of rich antioxidants. However, one piece of the candy bar wasn’t enough. As I made another trip to the kitchen, I rationalized that chocolate was good for me and it would be alright to have more. On the television, Bill Murray’s character was waking up to the same Groundhog Day for the seventh time. He was trapped in a time loop!

It wasn’t until nine thirty p.m. that I started to feel remorse for once again eating snacks after supper. Running a hand over my tummy, I despaired, “Why did I give in to my urge again? I had a beautiful supper. There was no need to eat more! At this rate, I’ll never lose weight.”

Most of the time the snacks I choose are healthy in themselves but shouldn’t be eaten in large amounts every day. Nuts, fruit, avocados, bean or lentil chips simply cause me to take in too many calories.     

Every day is the same. I eat healthy meals and vow not to eat snacks. Every day I break this vow. The desire to eat more than I need is so strong, that I’m surprised that it can’t be seen as a shadow following me around.

The movie ended and I was preparing to retire for the night when it suddenly occurred to me that my daily failure to abstain from snacks made my days the same. It was like living through the same Groundhog Day over and over. My daily dietary indiscretions were Groundhog snacks!

I mused, “How did Phil, the obnoxious weatherman in the movie escape his time loop?”

The answer to my question didn’t come to me until the following morning as I was poaching two eggs for my breakfast.

Sliding the perfectly poached eggs onto my plate, I had a sudden, clear understanding. To escape a repetitive loop requires a change of attitude. Changing one’s attitude comes easily only after a person gets sick enough of the loop.