Twisted by Twizzlers

Okay, I have to admit I was astonished when a good friend of mine with whom I'd been roommates for several years, ask me, "What's a Twizzler?". I thought she remembered my love/hate battle with "The Twizzler."   For those dear readers who have the same question, here's a photo:

(thank you < www.diseaseproof.com/ archives/2008/04/> for the photo)

This hunk of red, chewy, snake-like sweetness is vegan but so full of high-fructose-corn-syrup (HFCS) that I'm embarrassed to admit it I find them so yummy and almost impossible to resist. If you haven't heard or read or heard about the health concerns related to HFCS, it's probably a good idea to look into it.  I'm a former marathoner, horseback rider, champion bowler, golfer (including the miniature variety), sailor, swimmer, ping-pong player, power walker and I'm vegan so one would think I only eat the kind of healthy stuff that honors my body-as-temple life style.  Well, I do eat healthy (no sodas, no animal products, fresh veggies, fruit, nuts), but The Twizzler is my nemesis. For me, it's like the sun to a vampire -- like donuts to Homer Simpson -- it's my most dangerous high-fructose-corn-syrup (HFCS) guilty pleasure weakness to which "resistance is futile".  

Ok, I exaggerate.  I can resist Twizzlers if: 

• There aren't any in my residence or 
• I they're not on 2-for1 sale at a nearby local store or 
• I read the ingredients on the package

I recently read an article about a general behavior modification technique that utilizes a 3-tap sequence over 9 body locations. It might just help me on the battlefield, face-to-face with The Twizzler.  

The idea is that you repeatedly verbalize what behavior you want to embrace while tapping 3 times on each of the following body parts:

1. Outside edge of the hand (where a karate chop is centered)
2. Inside eyebrow
3. Outside the eyebrow edge
4. Under eye (center)
5. Center of the dip between the end of the nose and upper lip
6. Center of the chin
7. Collar bone
8. Under arm
9. Top of the head   

I figure it's worth a try even if I look like a loon during the confrontation.