Today I was in line at Panera around lunchtime – standing behind a guy in gym clothes. The cashier told him since he ordered a drink with his lunch, he could get a 99-cent pastry. His reply: “does it have to be a pastry?” “Yes,” she said.
And that was that: he immediately complied as if he was obligated to give her 99 cents (that he wasn’t going to spend 5 seconds before their conversation) so he could eat a pastry amounting to the calories he’d burned off moments before at the gym. She popped a buttery bonus of 400-something sticky-sweet calories right into his bag and he headed over to fill his soft drink cup. (Thank heavens he “saved” $1.80 on the pastry.)
Perhaps you, too, feel like opportunity equals obligation….
- When there is one more serving of mac ‘n cheese in the casserole pan – you just must consume it, right?
- One last scoop of ice cream in the carton – you are simply obligated to double your initial portion to finish it off right now, right?
- Your waiter brings you an overflowing plate at dinner: he really shouldn’t bother clearing your plate until it’s empty, right?
- You catch sight of samples in the grocery store and wait in line for them, not even knowing what they are serving.
- You’re offered a supersize or BOGO deal for something you didn’t plan to eat…until you knew it “wouldn’t cost you anything.”
Hmm….perhaps it will in fact cost you something? Don’t be fooled: maybe it was worth it, but maybe not. How about decide on the front end of the caloric transaction?
As a “clean-plate-club member” growing up, and one who didn’t have many indulgences in reach, I noticed that I had a subconscious “better not pass this up” obligation around food – particularly treats. You too?
It really wasn’t until a couple years ago, when I was at the supermarket in the grocery cart “traffic flow” behind people who appeared to be in an assembly line, robotically sampling one tiny bite of twizzlers off a little square napkin, that I realized I subconsciously felt that same obligation they were falling prey to…a natural impulse to not pass up an opportunity to eat or indulge.
Do you think any of those partaking of the little red nugget in the grocery store were thinking, “Oh thank goodness someone set that ¾ inch bite of Twizzlers out for me! It really hit the spot?” Of course not! (If anything, the red goo stuck in their teeth afterwards was annoying rather than satisfying).
I was definitely in the minority when I decided to pass it up, and it struck me that years ago, before I had learned to eat attentively, I would have not walked past it either. Similarly, I wonder how many people at Panera pass up the opportunity to get a 99-cent pastry with their meal? Did you catch that the discount pastry-pricing is only for those who also purchase a drink at Panera? (Not surprising…the decision makers know that sugar indulgence begets sugar indulgence).
A client told me me last week, “I decided when I eat junk, I’m not really ‘fat and happy’ I’m just fat and frustrated. It really doesn’t satisfy.” I’ve been thinking on her comment.
Regardless of your weight, how often do you eat what you don’t really want just because it’s available? Or maybe you start eating something just to realize that no amount of it could make you feel deeply satisfied, and perhaps it would have been easier on you to just pass it up altogether. Food for thought!
The image below is a clip from my free mini-Ebook that just came out this month (click to download the freebie!). It’s one of my Sugar DOs and DON’TS tips to eat attentively as the New Year’s festivities and football parties give you ample opportunities to indulge. Though you are not forbidden, neither are you obligated to sample everything.
Decide in advance what is BEST for YOU, so you can be the BEST YOU this New Year!
