Crack.... in stick form

I have such a love-hate relationship with chewing gum.  When I'm dieting, it's the perfect tool to keep my mouth busy and my mind off of food, and it supplies me with that sweet sugary taste I miss so much (I have a MAJOR sweet tooth!)  But, there's a dark side to my chewing too.  It wasn't uncommon for me to go through an entire pack in one day during my last contest prep.  And I've found myself slowly falling into those same old habits again.  For the average person, this might not actually seem like such a huge deal: it's just gum, after all!  But consider: there are 5 calories per stick of gum x 15 pieces per pack = 75 calories per day.  Again, that might not seem like alot to most people, but that's almost 10minutes of exercise needed to burn off the excess.  And if left unchecked, I'm looking at approximately 2.5lbs (75 x 7 days x 16 weeks) gained over the course of my contest prep from chewing gum alone! 

Yes, I'm aware that this is completely neurotic behaviour lol

So, I'm going to make a new rule for myself: chew gum only to freshen breath, or in desperate situations.  Only one stick at a time.  Each pack must last at least 4 days.