Preventing temptation..what do you do?

jessicamichalski

So this whole weight loss adventure for me is NOT and I repeat, NOT a diet, it is a lifestyle change. So I try to not deprive myself and am learning new things to make sure since I won't deprive myself of things, that I don't overdo it..
For example...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE ice cream...and before, at my failed attempts at losing weight, I cut it out so I would start craving it and go to DQ and get a blizzard...so now I buy lite fudgecicles and keep them on hand at all times!

Another thing I do, is if I know I will be going out to dinner with friends or family, no matter what restaurant..I go online and look up nutrition facts and pick what I want BEFORE I leave the house and write it down. When I get to the restaurant, I do not look at the menu and I just order what I wrote down.

What do you do??

emmaleigh47

I love your great attitude!
Before reading your post I thought this was going to be another one of those... I am never having ice cream again...

But instead its a great example of how we need to make choices to live our lives... not diet!

I am soo proud of you!

Now for mine ... I keep Lindt Dark Choc Truffles on hand. Its portion control... I can have one at the end of dinner, if I choose, but I dont have to have it every single day!
I also have LOTS of smarties (at 25 calories a roll they are a great dessert)

ErinBeth7

I do treat myself about once a week or once every two weeks. You're right that its not good to just cut it out, cold turkey.

That's a good idea to look at the a restaurant menu before you go!

Usually, when I have cravings for ice cream or something sweet I drink crystal light or eat some 100 cal yogurt.

If you like ice cream a lot, try those Smart Ones sundaes. They're individually wrapped, 170 cal each. They have several flavors...Key Lime Pie, Cookie Dough, Brownie Sundae, pie/cake flavors...etc. They are delicious!

KrystalLight03

I do pretty much the same things. I read a long time ago that Kim Kardashian dumps her drink on her dessert at restaurants when she's full to stop the temptation to keep eating, and I've started implementing this technique as well. Whenever I go to restaurants I feel the need to get my money's worth and eat every bite (and sometimes my eyes are just bigger than my stomach), but I always go home feeling sick and exhausted because I've gorged myself. By essentially ruining the food once I feel full, I stop that from happening. I've also found that with a lot of my cravings I'm really only craving the initial taste, everything after that is just extra, so I plate everything I eat (even snacks) to prevent taking the whole bag/container to the couch and mindlessly eating.

jamaka1

i totally agree with you, its a lifestyle change, i eat everythinge but i dont overindulge. i try 2 workout alot to compensate if i'm having extra cals but not as a habit.

JMJohnson1005

I do try to look at what I want to eat before I go out. I always still look at the menu and end up ordering something completely different. I never really thought about not looking at the menu. Thanks for that tip!

teeminus30

I love this post. I have the same attitude. I treat myself. It's the only way I can be successful. I've learned to take one bite of something yummy. If I have calories left at the end of the day, I have dessert. And once a week I eat something fabulous even if I am over calories for the day. I shave those calories off a little at a time over the next week and/or work extra hard at the gym. I've also discovered great tasting low calorie foods that feel like a treat, like CJs mini wontons available at Costco. I think you can eat 12 for 150 calories. My new favorite indulgence is In & Out Burger. A hamburger no cheese w/ everything else that normally comes on it is 390 calories. Skip the fries and soda and 390 calories is great for such a treat.

Martha_VH

I agree with you and everybody else! Lifestyle change = better than "diet".

Anyhow I also love ice cream.
I have recently discovered the Skinny Cow. They come in little cups, which is a bit more expensive then a gallon. And actually they have a few more calories then the slow churned ice cream, but Its actually much easier for me. When I get a whole gallon of Edys, its really hard for me to measure and stick to one serving. With Skinny cow, I just eat the little cup and I'm done.

Other things I enjoy instead of ice cream, are yogurt with 1 tbsp chocolate chips. Or I have recently found an organic pudding that's really good with banana slices.

anubis609

I do the same thing. If the restaurant offers nutritional facts online, I'll choose the best one that suits my palate and caloric intake needs for that night. Also, I do not order restaurant salads. Those are a lot of times more calories than actual dinners.


On a night where I'm going to have a cheat meal, I'll do just that and enjoy every sumptuous bite without regret or guilt.

My main temptation is anything I see on Man Vs Food...specifically, beef [ribs]. But, since I've actually cut it out from my daily intake, I literally don't have it quite often.

A lot of times what I'll do also, is if I know what a specific dish tastes like, I won't be tempted to eat it. If I DON'T know, I'll literally take one piece, taste it, then go right back to my meal. That way, I'll know what could have been. I don't have a problem "using" food like that. I have the mental security to kick people and food to the curb once I've gotten my kicks.

brityn

I cook a ton! I always have healthy things portioned out in the fridge. I've learned to buy ingredients, prepare them and portion them out so when I get hungry I can eat something right away before I feel famished and cheat on something bad. EX: 1/2 c. plain fat free yogurt, mix in a bit of splenda and vanilla extract, top with 1/2 c. frozen berries and a tbls. of slivered almonds. Put them in containers so they're ready in the fridge. When I get hungry for something sweet that definitely kicks the craving. Also I cut up my veggies, carrots, cucumber red peppers and put them in 1c. portions in zip lock baggies and eat them with hummus when I need something salty. This has helped me get to my goal weight along with regular exercise. Good luck to you!

jessicamichalski

Oh my goodness...thank you guys so much!! I love all your ideas...and seriously I just about cried at the thought that I have more ideas I can actually use. You can read online or in magazines about ways to curb temptation, but it NEVER works. They aren't easy and I ALWAYS feel deprived. So if I want something, I eat it, that way I know I won't over do it later...and by the way, I absolutely love the idea of dumping my drink (which is water lol) on foods at restaurants to make sure I don't keep picking!! LOVE LOVE LOVE the ideas!!

PLEASE KEEP EM COMING!!

Martha_VH

Hey anubis, I love to watch Man Vs Food. And other cooking shows as well.
Whenever I used to watch it I would have to get a snack during commercial breaks. But last night was the first time I've watched since joining MFP. Man my moth was watering, but learned that it was only my brain that wanted the food, and not my stomach. I was so happy that I only had a diet 7up during the whole episode!

tmaksparkie

I watch food shows all the time, I find for me it does not make me hungry it is interesting and fun to watch and I am staying away from the kitchen. My thoughts are if I am not moving then I should not be eating. So watching tv means no moving means no food. Works for me.

rizorw

I do the one bite thing. I have children so there is something that is tempting me I just have one bite off of one of theirs. Then I don't feel like I am waisting the food by throwing it away, but I still have that portion controll. (Trust me if I take too big of a bite they will let me know) LOL.

At work, there are several of us trying to change our habits and someone brought in frosted sugar cookies (Ummm) and we split one cookie into 4 bites and 4 of us shared one cookie. It was a great team effort and we all suppot each other.

Our local Ice Cream shop carries Skinny Cow Ice Cream, I can order the same sunday or flurrie (small) with using the skinny cow Ice cream and I can't tell the difference and it shaves off calories.

There are also a lot of great recipes on here that help you make modification on the food you love. You can alway post a question for help with something you really want to eat. everyone on here are so great and helpful.

swimmermama

Dark chocolate really helps me keep my desserts under control. A small square or two of the really quality stuff for less than 100 leaves me totally satisfied!

jljohnson

I agree with you and everybody else! Lifestyle change = better than "diet".

Anyhow I also love ice cream.
I have recently discovered the Skinny Cow. They come in little cups, which is a bit more expensive then a gallon. And actually they have a few more calories then the slow churned ice cream, but Its actually much easier for me. When I get a whole gallon of Edys, its really hard for me to measure and stick to one serving. With Skinny cow, I just eat the little cup and I'm done.

I'm the same. I have trouble portion controlling my ice cream. If I open a gallon bucket, I'm guaranteed to take at least 1 1/2 - 2 cups out. Instead, I buy the little cups (usually $1 each), and just have that. I get Edy's... didn't care for the taste of the Skinny Cow, and they have artificial sweeteners where Edy's doesn't.

I think the key is to know your personal weaknesses, and work from that. I have trouble portion controlling pretty much any sweet. I have a few things that work for me: I don't buy it so it isn't a temptation, or buy just enough for a single serving so I don't have extra around the house once I've had my treat, or trick myself - right now I have Ghiradelli dark chocolate in the freezer so when I go looking for a snack in the cupboard, I don't have chocolate staring me in the face.

I also keep my eyes open for healthier substitutions for my cravings. I've been going for rice cakes or Veggie Straws when I want something crunchy/salty, Archer Farms fruit strips instead of gummy candies.

jadesign19

I cook a ton! I always have healthy things portioned out in the fridge. I've learned to buy ingredients, prepare them and portion them out so when I get hungry I can eat something right away before I feel famished and cheat on something bad. EX: 1/2 c. plain fat free yogurt, mix in a bit of splenda and vanilla extract, top with 1/2 c. frozen berries and a tbls. of slivered almonds. Put them in containers so they're ready in the fridge. When I get hungry for something sweet that definitely kicks the craving. Also I cut up my veggies, carrots, cucumber red peppers and put them in 1c. portions in zip lock baggies and eat them with hummus when I need something salty. This has helped me get to my goal weight along with regular exercise. Good luck to you!

This is an awesome idea !!!! thanks.

AmeMahoney

Plan out all my meals for the entire week. I also consult with everyone about plans/going out, and make sure to check if there are birthdays, anniversaries, or other celebrations coming up. Then I eat what I write down. [Mostly.] :embarassed:

I used to watch "You Are What You Eat" before we got ride of cable. You can still watch some episodes on YouTube. My favorite part is when the people write down what they eat for a week, and then they put it all out on a table (or sometimes multiple tables) and confront the people with it. They they put everyone on healthy clean eating plans (though they don't call it that), and exercise, and the people lose amazing amounts of weight. They do bloodwork and health stuff before and after. It really proves it's not about "genetics" or just calories, but about the quality of the food you put in your mouth.