Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to figure out the best way to
Speaker 1: handle indulgences and to recognize times when having none may
Speaker 1: be easier than having a little. In general, I try
Speaker 1: to eat a fairly healthy diet. However, I have a
Speaker 1: particular thing for dark chocolate covered caramels. I used to
Speaker 1: buy them all the time at Trader Joe's because well,
Speaker 1: they're good. But whenever I bought a box, they would
Speaker 1: be gone within the day, and eating a dozen chocolate
Speaker 1: covered caramels in a day does not leave one feeling
Speaker 1: particularly chipper. So eventually I realized I was better off
Speaker 1: just not buying them at all there, or at Wegman's,
Speaker 1: which has some pretty good ones too. If the chocolates
Speaker 1: are in the house, I will eat them, and I
Speaker 1: will eat them quickly, saying no over and over again.
Speaker 1: That is practicing moderation, and maybe eating one per day
Speaker 1: is really hard. But giving a hard pass in the
Speaker 1: store once, well, that's not so difficult. None turns out
Speaker 1: to be easier than a little. I have a feeling
Speaker 1: I am not the only one for whom this is true,
Speaker 1: although I'd say here that it's not true for other
Speaker 1: things in my life. I can eat a small number
Speaker 1: of potato chips or French fries. A pint of Ben
Speaker 1: and Jerry's ice cream is definitely three or four servings,
Speaker 1: not one. For whatever reason. It is just the chocolate
Speaker 1: covered caramels that kept me. But for some people this
Speaker 1: may be true or globally. Writer Gretchen Reuben has theorized
Speaker 1: that some people are moderators, that is, they are able
Speaker 1: to indulge in moderation, while other people are abstainers, people
Speaker 1: for whom it is easier to have none than just
Speaker 1: a little. She explains that once an abstainer has decided
Speaker 1: not to partake, they're no longer really tempted. Are there
Speaker 1: things that you can't help consuming more of than you
Speaker 1: want once you start? Would it be easier to turn
Speaker 1: them down altogether? These particular vices need not be food
Speaker 1: at all. Some people can't stop watching certain TV shows
Speaker 1: once they start, or once they open Instagram, they feel
Speaker 1: compelled to look at every picture ever posted, whatever it is.
Speaker 1: If there is something that is nearly impossible for you
Speaker 1: to stop once you start, then consider just not starting.
Speaker 1: Don't turn on h G t V. Don't buy chips
Speaker 1: at the grocery store, don't order popcorn at the movies,
Speaker 1: don't open Instagram, or at least not usually. Sometimes abstainers
Speaker 1: can indulge within very particular rules. You decide that you
Speaker 1: will watch reality shows while staying at hotels, or eat
Speaker 1: dessert on Saturdays, or only look at Instagram for five
Speaker 1: minutes in the morning while you are making your coffee.
Speaker 1: In these cases, you can set specific contexts for indulging
Speaker 1: and then still realize that none is easier than a little.
Speaker 1: The rest of the time, you don't waste the bandwidth deciding.
Speaker 1: If you are not in a hotel, there are no
Speaker 1: reality shows simple as that are there indulgences you find
Speaker 1: it easier to just stay away from. Let me know
Speaker 1: what is your equivalent of dark chocolate covered caramels. You
Speaker 1: can reach me at Laura at Laura vander Kim dot com.
Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening and
Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter. Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod
Speaker 1: that's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: At iHeart media dot com that before Breakfast is spelled
Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look
Speaker 1: forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production
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