Food As A Reward?

I realized something today.  It's not really a huge surprise, but I finally caught myself in the act, so I'm going to share. 

I use food as a reward - mainly, sweets.  Shocker!

I made very smart food choices today - a healthy sandwich from Subway for lunch, a very reasonable dinner, lots of water, and practically no snacks (which, considering we drove over 400 miles today, is quite an accomplishment). 

So, as we were leaving the restaurant to walk back to our hotel, I decided that I wanted a yummy treat.  Ice cream sounded the best, but I honestly would have gone for just about anything.

As I heard the words beginning to come out of my mouth, I literally stopped myself from saying "I've been good all day, I deserve some ice cream." 

WHAT?!?!?!?!  I deserve some ice cream?!?!?! 

I realized, without any room for denial, exactly what I'm guilty of - I reward myself for good food choices with food - am I crazy?!?!  How counterproductive can I possibly be?  In what universe does food equal a reward?  In what way is that good for anything besides adding to the junk currently residing in my trunk?!?!

Well, long story short, I talked myself out of a tasty treat, and settled for a small handful of Junior Mints (courtesy of my mother-in-law). 

As our trek across the country continues tomorrow, I'm going to try to continue making smart choices, and maybe tomorrow evening I'll even make it to the gym for a workout once we arrive at our hotel (tonight I'm just too tired).