Where hath all my willpower gone?

There have been platefuls of cookies sitting in my kitchen as of late: leftover Super Bowl treats and heart-shaped Valentine’s Day goodies, complete with pink frosting, sprinkles, and jellybeans. But I’ve never been one of those people who can leave a plate of goodies out on the counter—and casually resist their call. You might argue: Who really has willpower strong enough to do that?

Sweets should come with a warning label: DANGEROUS TO THOSE WITH LITTLE TO NO WILLPOWER. STORE OUT OF SIGHT!

There definitely are people: a friend of mine used to have a giant jar of M&M’s on her desk and only ate a few per day (crazy but true!). I was always so impressed and told her that if I had a jar like that on my desk, I’d eat the candy by the fistfuls! No joke—and the reason why I never had (or ever will have!) a candy jar on my desk.

So I’ve always been of the mindset that I should just keep the treats out of the house altogether: no treats equals zero temptation—and no extra pudge around the middle.

But I could not just toss the cookies in the trash as I might have done years ago; not only do I realize that it’s a complete waste of food, but my son likes them with his lunch and my daughter eats them as afternoon treats. So as my kids get older, I need to learn to manage my stay-slim tricks accordingly.

What I have found: by just moving the treats out of view (Ziploc them up and put them in the cupboard or, better yet, store them in the furthest recesses of the freezer), I don’t nibble on them all day. In fact, I don’t even think about them. It’s an easy and quick solution. And in the meantime, I’m working on why I feel the need to eat four cookies off the plate in the first place!