When facing temptation...

[NeverlandClub23]

What do you say or do? I have a hard time with temptation (work birthday parties full of cake, going out to dinner with friends and not wanting to eat healthy, being in the kitchen fixing something healthy while staring at a huge plate of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies my mom made, etc.). I try to rationalize with myself that I'll work out extra hard at the gym (which I usually don't end up doing) or I deserve it after being good all week (which I do but in moderation, not the calorie extravaganza I'm intending on having).

We all face temptation at one time or another. What do you say or do to keep your willpower going strong?

 

[ohMom]

lately I have been asking myself "will this really taste great?" "am i going to regret eating this afterward?" "is this something that won't be offered to me again for a long time?"

hang in there -- you can do it!!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Thanks for your reply! You're right, I usually build something up so much in my mind that it's going to taste so amazing and it almost never tastes as good as I think it's going to.

A client (I work at a law firm) brought in the most delicious looking brownies today. I was so proud of myself for turning them down. I ate 2 bite size dark chocolate 3 musketeers to celebrate

I'll be sure to ask myself those great questions in the future when I'm faced with temptation (which is an almost daily thing!). Thank you!

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

I seem to do best when I log everything and/or if faced with that temptation I think about what I would feel after I've logged in my poor choices. It usually helps to keep me focused.

Best WISHes on your journey. You CAN do this!

 

[PoppyMcTwist]

Whenever I am faced with temptation (at this very moment, some cherry pop tarts are in the pantry....calling my name) I remember my trip to Disneyland in the summer of 2005. I had recently undergone surgery, lazed around for a couple of months, ate out of boredom, and sure enough found myself about 30 pounds above my normal weight. My whole family was on this particular trip to Disneyland ...my husband and 4 kids, my sister and her husband and kids, my parents...it should have been an amazing time. But there I was was....too embarrassed to wear shorts, too embarrassed to swim in the hotel pool, too embarrassed to even eat in front of everyone. And the REALLY pathetic part? I had bought myself a whole bunch of pretty new clothes for the trip, but of course none of them fit. So while everyone else was enjoying the California sunshine in their gorgeous summer clothes, I was miserable and sweaty....completely covered from head to toe in old sweat pants and big T-shirts. When I returned home I absolutely THREW myself into losing weight, and now I'm back to normal. It's still a daily struggle to avoid overeating, but that 2005 trip was a turning point for me...without it, I may have continued to gain weight. Now, if ever I am tempted, I close my eyes and remember that god-awful feeling of NOT enjoying Disneyland because of my weight. We go to Disneyland every summer, so the absolute FEAR of that happening again is a very strong deterrent.

Anyway, Thanks for the opportunity to tell my little story. I've never really talked about it before, so it feels good to share.

 

[TammyNC]

Since I know that temptations are always going to be around I've just had to learn to say no and feel good about it. If there is something that I truly would like to taste, I will take a small bite of DH's, enjoy the taste and move on. I also ask myself if it is truly going to be work the extra work to burn off the calories.

You can do it , stay strong and focused and learn that saying no isn't a bad thing.

 

[HockeyKat]

My tactic in the past is that if it is something that looks really, really good to me, has been to take one bite, like, a portion about the size of my pinky fingernail. If it tastes really, really good, then I might take a half-portion and count that in my calories. However, I have found that most of the time whatever it is looks WAY better than it is.

Right now I am carb-restricting as well as calorie-restricting so this doesn't apply, I just have to pass it up unless it isn't a sweet or starch.

 

[sskem96]

I found it was best to just completely give up sweets for a month and learn to snack on other things like apple slices. After a while, the sweets weren't very tempting anymore, probably because I was proud of the progress I'd made losing weight by not eating them! I loved the number on the scale more than the taste of the junk food. Of course I still indulge occasionally, but maybe one small dessert a week instead of nearly every day. At my nephew's b-day party last Sunday, I just had a small scoop of vanilla ice cream instead of the huge piece of cake and 2-3 scoops of ice cream that I would have had in the past.

 

[albertagirl2007]

I have a couple of things I say to myself when faced with temptation

NOTHING tastes as good as being thin and healthy feels

It will still be there tomorrow, and if I still want to it tomorrow then I can have half

 

[dairyou]

When I face temptation I tell myself "I can have it". Then I say if I have it am I willing to exercise an extra 1/2 today? If it's worth it I will. Once I tell myself I can have it sometimes it's not so tempting anymore.

I figure I'll have to face this everyday of my life, not just because I'm on a diet now. I might as well learn how to deal with it.