
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
John had a box of candies. On the first day he ate exactly half of the candies and gave one to his little sister. On the second day he ate exactly half of the remaining candies and gave one to his little sister. On the third day he ate exactly half of the remaining candies and gave one to his little sister, at which point no candies remained. How many candies were in the box at the start?

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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