One part of my job requires me to speak to large groups and I did just that today. In the morning the audience for my first speech was about 55 people and I had  a different group of about the same number in the afternoon. I love to hand people something as they enter the room - it seems to lift their spirits about having to be there and puts them in a better mood to receive my speech. And I have always given my groups chocolate. And I did that today as well. I went to the bulk aisle in our local grocery store and purchased those gold foil covered chocolate coins - the big ones - so that I could give one to each person entering the room.  That big bag lived in my kitchen ovenight, rode with me on the hour and a half trip to the work site, and more than half were left over and available during my lunch time. Durnig the afternoon I handed coins to the attendees and still had twenty or more coins left. And those I gave out to people as they were leaving the room. So I had opportunity to eat the chocolate on the way home from the grocery store (but I don't eat in my car anymore) or I could have eaten them while watching TV tht night (but I don't snack after dinner anymore) could have eaten them on the way there the next day (no car eating) could have eaten them during lunch (I had brought a nice healthy and pretty lunch with me) and I could have kept and eaten the leftover coins either on the trip home (not in the car) or later at my house.

But I didn't. And even more important I didn't want to. And even more important than that - I didn't even think about them They did not call my name.

One of the women who I offered a chocolate to, shook her head and said, "No thanks, I'm on Nutri System." I asked her how it was going and she told me that she missed cooking for her family and that the meals didn't feel like the real food she was used to. I know there are a ton of diet plans out there - and lots of plans where the food is delivered to your door - but I think being on those plans is asking for trouble because once you end the plan and return to real food, you haven't learned anything about how to handle that real food. The plan I'm on allows me to eat real food, allows me to cook for my family and is training me how to handle food for the rest of my life. And that's better than a whole pot full of gold coins.