How do you resist "TEMPTATIONS"

RaineyLaney

Hi everyone out there in MFP land. I wanted to put this question to all of you who have managed to stray from the strongest of temptations. What do you do, or say to yourself that makes you stop and ignore that goodie temptation?


For me, I am diabetic and what I find works really well for me is, when I want that piece of cake or that extra helping or 2 of potato's, pasta's etc (big no no's for diabetics). I just ask my self one question and it works.

Is this *insert tempting food here* worth losing a toe or two? Of course the answer to my question is always no, and that is all it takes for me. I either put the temptation down, or never pick it up to begin with and am able to walk away.

MikaMojito

Since for me, that extra serving of pasta isn't a health risk, it can be a bit more difficult.

What I'm trying to do is look at the food I want to eat and rate how happy it would make me to eat it.

So that extra serving of pasta: well... a little happy because yummy pasta but not VERY happy.

A piece of take-away pizza at the mall: not happy because usually it's not nice

Fried goodness at the Chinese buffet: HELL YES, it will make me happy, and I'll be back on track tomorrow

Homemade cake given to me by my pupils: VERY happy because I love cake and I love that "my kids" want to share their treats with me.

Sometimes I give in and then regret it - this week I had an entire bag of crisps that wasn't even that nice. Not worth it. I logged it for the next day, reduced all other calories, added a workout and was back within my calories.

Krissypantz

I usually think back to how bad I felt the last time I ate something I didn't feel good about. I also think about how far I have come, and what those foods really do to our bodies. After all of that I usually just forget about it and move on.

Fivepts

I sat down and calculated about how much money I'd spent on maintaining my extra weight and it was a shocking. Then I went on to calculate how much it cost to maintain it for 20 years and I decided that I'd given in to temptation waaay too much. The sad part was that I could have used that money for something better that to hang on my midsection. Maybe, it's a self-driven guilt trip (I hope not), but it helps me to remember how many $ of extra calories I'm still carrying. At least it seems to help me from eating the third cookie!

Fivepts

Of course, as you can tell I'm only a beginner at self-control!

RaineyLaney

bump

ktsmom430

I constantly ask myself if it is worth the few minutes of enjoyment................the answer is usually no, and I do not ever want to go back to where I was.

nyaladreamer

Thanks for that! Don't mind if I use your tactic?

RaineyLaney

Thanks for that! Don't mind if I use your tactic?

Not sure which tactic you are refering too. Mine or another posters, but feel free to use my tactic .. It sure does the trick for me.

Capt_Apollo

i don't really have a problem with food. i find a way to fit it into my calories for the day.

my issue is cigarettes. i have one and then i want another. the first one feels sooooo good. but i know that by the end of the second (or third) i'll feel gross. i know it'll effect me in tomorrows work out. so i try and remember that before i even pick up the first one.

escloflowneCHANGED

I only ever cook the amount I have entered on MFP so I don't over eat at night, dinner is my only issue.

Also who doesn't love the Temptations!?

Francl27

I eat them in moderation. If I knew it was going to make me sick though, I wouldn't even touch it. Maybe you need to talk to your doctor about it... it doesn't sound very healthy to be tempted to eat things that can make you sick.

Amy11108

I don't like to feel miserable, so I give myself an alternative that will make me happy. Sometimes it is an activity or the promise of a healthier treat later. Last night I had a box full of pumpkin cookies leftover from a bake sale and I know if I had 1 I would have eaten the whole box. The only way I made it home is by telling myself I could have a 1/2c of fat free vanilla ice cream when I got home. Saved myself TONS of calories and stayed within my budget for the day.

dsjohndrow

I don't have it in the house. I will possibly have something indulgent if I am out with my wife on a date, but we split it. Truthfully, there is just a lot of stuff I will not eat anymore. I have trained myself to prefer low-sodium and non-sweetened food. It took a while, but I really don't enjoy things that are too sweet or too salty. At one time, it was a steady parade of junk.

GalloMatesegirl

I'm just a beginner, as well & have lost 12 lbs. so far. The answers helped me a lot too! It seems as if I'm constantly working on my Temptation issues since my parents both come from Italy & have had an Italian restaurant for 51 yrs.

hopes_fury

I imagine the " sexy me" of the future, how I'm gonna look at the pool next summer in my daisy dukes and bikini top.... after that I'm over my cravings mostly

annekka

I once heard of a woman who would make herself eat temptations in front of the mirror...I have to make temptations unavailable to me, or "freeze" them so that they're harder to enjoy.

MelRC117

I know in my head that the temptation will only last for so long and I'll feel good about it for the 3 minutes or whatever I'm eating it. Then I feel guilty about it the rest of the day while I try to limit to make up for it.
For some reason I feel better when I plan out my higher calorie meals. I feel more in control then or something.

lep_623

I have an app on my phone called the diet couch and it had a quote one day that said temptations only last for 15 minutes... so i have been setting a timer for 15 minutes and then doing other stuff and generally when the 15 minutes goes up i have forgotten what i wanted or just don't want it anymore.

Hildy_J

I have NO idea what I'm doing right when I resist temptations and NO idea what I'm doing wrong when I give in and go nuts. Proper nuts.

I think it's a mood thing...

seltzermint555

Like several others have described already, I usually talk myself out of it by reminding myself that it wasn't THAT great the last time I indulged. There are a few things though (chocolate, noosa yogurt, cheese) that are always that great. So I eat them still. Just in moderation :-)

dizzow

Fantastic Thread.. learning lots of helpful ideas. Bump.

SLLRunner

Is this *insert tempting food here* worth losing a toe or two? Of course the answer to my question is always no, and that is all it takes for me. I either put the temptation down, or never pick it up to begin with and am able to walk away.

To me, that's incredible and shows what a healthy perspective you have.

Work is the big deal for me because our lovely receptionist makes sure the place is loaded down with candies, cookies, pastries, and all kinds of treats every day. That's partially how I gained my weight back, by partaking in the treats there and not knowing when to stop.

I no longer have cravings for those treats, but at first it was so hard to stay away from them. I have a sugar sensitivity where I soar then crash, and then feel pretty darned tired (I''m not diabetic, I've my sugar tested), When I'd want to have some treats, I would ask myself if I really wanted to feel so horrible after eating something so good. Every time the answer was no, so I walked away.

I'm so glad I'm able to avoid the treats there now.

servilia

If I know I have leeway in my day I just go for it. No sense in punishing myself, life is still supposed to be fun! But I find that it gets easier with time after I start getting serious about logging. My mindset changes such that the desire to lose weight outweighs the craving. Plus I would remember the last time an indulgence got out of hand lol

tmpecus78

I don't. See the thing is I don't eliminate the foods I love to eat. When you restrict yourself, you get "temptations."

threetonguerings

When I get a craving (usually something sweet), I tell myself it's not worth the damage it will do. I then proceed to chug a bottle of water. Helps me curb the craving.

yuliag92

I tend to just to fit into my calories for that day - so i tell myself if I eat that cupcake I can't really eat a very big dinner, so that usually helps to just stick to eating one little cupcake, or one brownie. (then again, i'm not diabetic, so eating that cupcake or brownie won't make me sick)

Or I pick a healthier version of something sweet. like I'll get some tea with sugar, or coffee (not all that healthy but it's better than a cupcake.. ) , or eat a kind bar (it has chocolate, but it also has some fibers and nuts and good stuff.. ) - so I still get sweetness and sugar in my day.

I mainly just go by the 'everything in moderation' policy.

WeepingAngel81

I give myself a break. I am a busy person and there will be days when I need convience over eating healthy. This isn't to say there aren't any healthy options where convience is concerned BUT if I want McNuggets, I will order a happy meal. I also remind myself that eating convience food adds up claories quickly and I will end up more hungry in the long run if I don't stick to nutrient rich foods.

littlelaura

wait? what? we are suppose to resist temptations!!?? since when did I miss that memo? *facepalm*

Sovictorrious

I ask him to never call me again...Wait... whaaaat?

littlelaura

I am diabetic also but if it fits in your macros, and also for me I keep track of my carbs, I can eat carbs but only if they are balanced.
Try eating the same gram carbs at breakfast, lunch and dinner, say 15 grams per meal, maybe 10 grams for your snacks, then work that for a week, daily try to keep each meal of the day the same grams of crabs so there will be no major spikes, over time trying this you will find your carb threshold, Mine is lower than above, I range between 30-50 grams total for a day to split evenly between all meals and snacks. I guess there are days you will want a treat say like an oreo or something and I avoid those but if anyone can attest it is hard to resist something if it is your favorite treat, so eat it and go workout more or plan for it in advance to fit it into your day as hopefully it would be just one day. Same for holidays. Good luck.