Are Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies a Reason to Cheat?

It's widely believed that if someone else buys a treat for you, the calories don't count. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get my hands on the scientific evidence to support this, but I'm sure the tests continue in earnest. So imagine the day when you show up to work on your birthday, or you've been feeling a little down and someone brings you a nice gift to cheer you up, unaware that you are in the middle of a strict diet that requires you to avoid all desserts and anything that resembles a snack food. With the best intentions the world has ever seen, your friend drops a wonderfully tempting basket of Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookies in front of you. Your friend will stand there with a hopeful smile as a tiny war breaks out inside your head. You're not going to get away with a mumbled, "Thank you, I'll try these later," this time. They want you to give them a taste. Right now. They want to see that their gift had the desired effect. What are you to do? Cheat? No! You've been good for a long time now. But then you think--is it really going to hurt that much? Plus, you've been craving Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookies since the day your diet began. Then again, all it takes is one slip-up to ruin all your resolve. But those cookies look so good! The smell alone is irresistible! And your friend looks so happy to have found a great gift for you. This internal struggle could continue indefinitely, or at least until your friend starts to look at you strangely. Sometimes the only thing you can do is consider the situation reversed. How do you feel when you are giving a gift? Whether it is a basket of Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookies or something else entirely, you want to know that your gift really meant something to the recipient. If that's the case, maybe it's worth a little cheating. The Diet Police are completely understanding on this one. Plus, there's a very scientific way of cutting the calories in half--invite your friend to sit down and share!