64. Moderation in Moderation

I follow the diet of moderation. I more or less eat whatever I want, whenever I want, and somehow, my body weight and fat percentage remain relatively unchanged as I watch time go by.

This is what I tell my personal training clients when they ask me about my own habits. It’s my truthful answer. I don’t have a strategy or special method. I just eat in moderation.

What this means is that I don’t eat too much of any one thing or at any one time. When there’s desert I’ll have some, but I won’t eat a family size bag of chips by myself. I’ll go to restaurants now and again, have fast food from time to time and have a few drinks on the weekend, but I won’t string a line of days together like that because that would be a bit too indulgent.

Okay you get it, but now I want you to circle back to when I said I remain relatively unchanged with my efforts to eat in moderation.

If I was looking for physical change, you know what I’d do?

I’d abandon moderation.

I’d create a strategy. I’d track my calories. I’d map out my meals and put a timeline on how long I’d do so. I’d set a clear target of what I was trying to accomplish and prioritize the most efficient way for me to get there. I’d wake up and know exactly what I’m eating or not eating for breakfast, and if someone asked me to hang out and have a couple beers, I’d say no.

Moderation is a wonderful strategy for a lot of things. In fact, there’s that phrase that we all love: “everything in moderation”.

Here’s a phrase I like better: “moderation in moderation”.