keep the candy out of the house

My dad is a big candy maker. My entire life he’s been perfecting his caramel and turtle recipe, and I have to say, he’s done it.

When Jared and I walked into the house for Christmas this year, there they were—a huge batch of caramels and cookies and other holiday delights.

This candy is basically crack to me. It’s impossible for me to pass by it and not have at least two pieces. I can’t finish dinner without picking out a few cookies for dessert.

The holiday season is already a time when I’m moving less and eating more, and this change in my normal habits is only exacerbated by a seemingly endless supply of delicious home-made sweets that my dad provides for us.

I have to be real with you for a second.

I’m not a snacker. I don’t really eat candy (unless I’m at the movie theater). And generally, I’m pretty good at regulating my food just by eating lots of protein, veggies, and fruits.

This is not the case in my parents house around the holidays.

My stomach is an endless black hole for christmas candy, and as hard as I try to resist (I really do!), nothing can stop me.

I don’t tell you this because I’m upset with myself for indulging on candy over the holiday. Sure, ideally I would have a bit more moderation, but it’s a week of the year and I’m able to snap back into my habits pretty easily when I’m home in New York.

I tell you this because it’s a clear example of how important setting up your environment is for maintaining habits.

“My stomach is an endless black hole for christmas candy, and as hard as I try to resist (I really do!), nothing can stop me.”

I have the data points. I know that I don’t randomly snack throughout the day and I don’t need dessert every night. I know that I’m “disciplined” and have “willpower” for many healthy habits.

And yet, when I’m at home and I’ve got a huge candy tray in front of me, everything I think I know about myself is thrown out the window.

The bottom line is—if you don’t want to eat certain foods, set up an environment so that you don’t have to rely on willpower to say no to them.

Not keeping processed foods in the house isn’t going to keep you from ever eating the christmas candy again. But it may reduce the mindless, persistent eating tendencies that tend to accompany sugary, salty, and highly-processed foods. And even a small reduction in our mindless eating can have profound results.

Next year, I’m setting up my environment properly. I’m going to have a few pieces of candy because duh. Then, I’m going to tell my dad to gift it away because I don’t need all that in my life.

“Next year, I’m setting up my environment properly. ”