People are weak. The basic premise behind the downfall of civilization, I think, will begin with “…and then God sent artificial sweeteners across the land and the great scourge followed…” But for now, we’ve got what we’ve got. Americans in particular are susceptible; America is built on capitalist principles, sugar is cheap and abundant, cheaper food is tasty, tasty food is easier to sell, slogans get stuck in our head, to alleviate this madness we really do have to “break ourselves a piece of that Kit Kat Bar.”Americans also have gargantuan appetites and we’re lazy. And everyone wants a good deal. And if the deal on Kit Kat bars is $.95 for a single serving Kit Kat Bar or a 12 wafer Kit Kat Bar (the big guy) for $1.25. You know that a single four-wafer Kit Kat bar isn’t going to satisfy your gargantuan hunger; you’re of course going to spend the extra $.30 for three times the food. Naturally. You don’t want to get ripped off.
I’m no different than anyone else. Today the wife and I were in our local grocer and were looking for a supplement to our turkey sandwiches on whole wheat bread. My wife suggested the Ruffles Sour Cream & Onion potato chip (“Ruffles have Ridges!”) which would have been a great buy if we’d had our own storage facility as they were B.O.G.O. this week. Two big bags of satisfying Ruffles potato chips would have only cost three dollars or something. However living in the subterranean jungle we call home currently (my wife kills more slugs in a night than I’d care to admit) I decided we ought not to bring in a crumby bag of chips into the room. Lo! Why not just get some Pringles! They come in a re-sealable can and while the taste sensation is different, it’s no less satisfying. And after all; “Once you Pop, you can’t stop!” Right?
Wrong. My wife and I have been trying to live healthier lives for some time now. This includes a dedicated exercise plan and modified calorie restriction. We’d never eaten badly, per se; it’s just one of those things where you can’t get too much of a good thing. So rather than change our diet altogether, I’ve just decided to enjoy in moderation. Now I go by “serving sizes” (or, if that’s too much; ½ sizes or even ¼ sizes) to figure my day. I have my weaknesses (coffee, yogurt) and I have things I need more of (fruit and veggies ebb and flow) but all-in-all I try to keep things where I know just what I’m putting into my body, how much, and like that.
It’s worked so far if it weren’t for that damn advertising! So one way I’ve discovered to beat the Pringles can is to a) decide how many calories you’d like to have and b) set aside that many chips so you can c) put the chips away!!! A single serving of Pringles (150 calories) is 16 chips! That’s a lot of chips, when separated from the can. However if you have that can to just dip into willy-nilly, there’s going to be a feeding frenzy. If you leave it out and that can of Pringles is sitting there in front of you; taunting you; chances are you’ll eat them. So smack down those Pringles chips and don’t be blinded by the corporate advertisers who are trying to rule your life!
