The luxury of full-fat

I have been successfully drinking 2% London Fogs for the past week. I made the decision after a doctor's appointment at which I realized that I was the same weight that I'd been over the winter.

This, despite riding my bike to and from work every day and to wherever else I might head to after work and on the weekends.

Have I really been eating that much? I wondered.

Last summer, I lost quite a bit of weight that I attributed to my bike riding. I was wearing jeans that I hadn't worn in years. I felt good.

This year, nothing. What was the difference? The only change I could think of was my daily London Fog habit. And not just any LF, a venti with full-fat milk. And I thought of what I could do about this. If you read me, um, ever, you probably know that I love the earl grey tea mistos. Very, very much. Would I have to give them up? Blasphemy!

And so I thought, instead, I could try lower-fat milk. (NO, I will not go to a smaller size yet! They already seem not to last long enough.) I've been doing that, as I said, successfully for a week. Quite proud of myself, actually, and not missing the other 2% of fat.

Until today when I forgot the addendum to my Starbucks order.
And I sipped the frothy beverage.

Pure heaven. Like a hot milkshake. Mmmmmmmmm. I closed my eyes and really enjoyed it.

THAT is the difference. THAT is the joy that comes from full-fat milk. But, like every luxury, one only enjoys it when you don't normally have it.

It brought to mind travelling. When I lived with my life on my back for a year. It was amazing how little I really needed to live quite normally for 365 days. And I remember how many little luxuries popped up to elicit a stronger than normal reaction. A deeper enjoyment. Things that I had never really appreciated before.

The lesson? Maybe you need to deprive yourself just a little bit to truly enjoy those amazing things in life.