I love Popeye's chicken!  That's right...you read that right - Popeye's chicken.  Do I eat it very often?  No.  But when I do, I enjoy it and don't feel guilty about it.  Why?  Because I use my Popeye's chicken scale.

 

You see, when I drive by or think about Popeye's chicken, I don't just think in terms of either wanting it OR not wanting it.  I ask myself how bad do I want it on a scale of 1 to 10.  I have a set rule that I have to be at a 9 or 10 to get it.  You know what I find?  A lot of times I'm only at a 3 or a 5.  Shoot, sometimes I'm only at a 1!  Why would I want to eat Popeye's chicken if I only want it at a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10?  It wouldn't be worth it!

 

The bottom line is that many times we fall into the trap of thinking of only 2 options - I either want OR I don't want that glazed donut, those chips and queso, or that warm, oozing Godiva chocolate cake.  We usually want it at least a little, so we end up eating it and feeling guilty about it later. 

 

What would happen if you used my scale?  Would there be many instances that you find you aren't really at a 9 or a 10?  How many guilty foods would you pass up on?  How many calories would you spare?  How many pounds would you lose?  How many new pairs of jeans would you need to buy?  I think you get it.

 

Try putting a number on your guilty foods.  If it's a 9 or 10, dig in.  If it's less than an 8, it can definitely wait.

 

The choice is yours,

 

Mike Thornton