Vedge Your Best, Vegan Ideas for Everyone At Any Age

266: Moderation - Decision or Excuse?

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Oct 7, 2025

Explore the fine line between moderation as a strategy versus an excuse. Discover how vague moderation can lead to decision fatigue and moral licensing. Learn to set clear, values-based boundaries in your choices. Gain insights from behavioral science and coaching strategies to bridge gaps between intention and action. Michele challenges listeners to redefine their approach to moderation, encouraging concrete decisions and the tracking of progress. Don't just float along—take control and commit to your goals!

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INSIGHT

Moderation As A Post-Hoc Rationalization

Moderation often acts as a rearview mirror excuse rather than a forward strategy.
When rules are fuzzy we cheat ourselves via moral licensing.

ADVICE

Define Moderation With Clear Boundaries

Decide specific boundaries for moderation ahead of time rather than reporting vague behavior.
Use explicit rules like "vegan at home" or "three vegan dinners per week."

INSIGHT

Specific Goals Beat Vague Intentions

Ambiguous goals produce inconsistent behavior and decision fatigue.
Specific measurable targets beat vague intentions for sustained change.

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Is moderation your strategy—or your excuse?

In this episode of Vedge Your Best, Michele unpacks the sneaky ways “moderation” shows up in our lives—not as a well-thought-out plan, but as a default response when we don’t want to commit.

You’ll learn:

Why moderation isn’t a value—it’s a strategy.
How default moderation leads to decision fatigue and moral licensing.
The difference between spontaneous flexibility and intentional, values-based boundaries.
Tools to design your own moderation rules (including the “More or Less” framework).
How to apply behavioral science and coaching tools from Dan Ariely and Britt Frank to your plant-based goals (or any life goal).

This episode is especially for anyone who describes themselves as “mostly vegan,” “trying to eat better,” or “aiming for balance”—but suspects that their version of moderation might be keeping them stuck.

Vedge Your Best Challenge: Pick one area where you’ve been practicing vague, rearview-mirror moderation—and make a real decision. Define it. Write it down. Set a review date. That’s it.

Because you don’t have to be perfect to be powerful.

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