How do you resist temptation?

ASH0502

I'm looking for advice from people who struggle with food temptations but manage to make the right decision in the end. I cook healthy meals in my home andI only keep healthy snacks in the pantry so that I can do my best when I'm in my own home. But if I'm faced with a bag of chips somewhere I just might eat the whole bag. If I'm hungry and happen to be near a McDonald's I just might stop and get a burger and fries. I have the absolute hardest time resisting. At a restaurant I know I should order the fish or the salad, but I don't have that kind of will power if something worse for me looks much tastier.

It's not a matter of knowing what I should have, it's a matter of just not being able to say no in the moment. I've let my skinny jeans hang on the mirror, taped a picture of a bathing suit on the fridge, but when I'm hungry it all doesn't matter.

I'm on a mission to lose about 15 lbs and I know that resisting temptations will be my only route to success. So lets have it. How do you resist temptation?

RobynMcGregor

The way I resist temptation at home is to either not have things that tempt me in the house (biscuits) or allow myself a small portion and record it on MFP in a meal I have labelled cheats and rewards. Resisting temptation when you are out does get easier with time as you retrain your brain and taste buds.
If you "fall off the wagon" don't beat yourself up over it , just log it into your food honestly and try to adjust the rest of your day to minimise the damage as much as you can. We all have naughty days and naughty food but where once I would have thought I've had one chocolate I may as well eat the whole boxful and give up now I have one or at the most two and still feel good about what I have achieved which is to not finish the box in one go.
Chips, I don't eat as like you if I have one it is the one packet not one chip. It takes time and hard work but you can do it.

Danni1585

Once I am in a fast food place my stomach wins over my head every time. I now limit how much money I carry so I have enough for an emergency but cant snack on stuff. It's good for my bank balance as well

ktsmom430

I come here and read the success stories.......works for me.
I haven't been to a McDonalds since I started here 10 months ago.
Try having raw veggies prepped and ready to eat in your refrigerator (carrots, celery, radishes etc) very low calorie.

Emtabo01

What's helped me avoid the fast food urge, is to not be starving when I'm out running errands, driving by there, etc. Make sure I've had a meal recently or a snack if I'm due for a meal soon, if I'm starving - I'll stop, if I'm not ravenous I have much more willpower.

YcatsFursworth

when I have a food I really want to eat I sit and I look at it. I don't think about it's taste but instead what's in it... how much sugar/oil/cals are inside of that food.... do I really want to stay the weight I am or do I want to be fitter and healthier then I have been in my life... yeah... it might just be one bit of cake or something.... but it will undo all of my hard work for a week. (or atleast I tell myself it will) and do I really want to give up a full week of my hard work?

stormtruck2

I don't resist it. What I do do is ask myself will this get me to my goal. I control myself, not my urges. So I chose what I want to do. Their is no law saying I can't have what I want. When I make the right choice, and you always know what the right choice is in yor heart, I take pride in making it. Each time you make the right choice it gets easier. In time it becomes a habit. It takes 29 days of conscience choice to create a new habit. You already have the self control, free youself to use it.

maryjay52

its hard ..i did well with everything for about 80lbs of loss and then wound up eating crap again and gained 35lbs back.. so im back to working out and eating healthy ..if u can get through a few weeks then it gets easier .. for me i need a carrot. i got my carrot last week. i was invited on a date to go to an extremely high society event that i do not want to look like crap at .its in april .perfect amount of time to do something to myself ..

disawell

It's really helped me to learn (and add as a meal) stuff I might be tempted by when I go out. I have learned for example that at McDonalds I can have a seared mini chicken snack wrap (no mayo) with a small skim cappuccino, and that's about right calorie intake as a *whole meal* not a snack. I am a sucker for sausage rolls too - so i know i can have a cocktail sausage roll and a skinny capp and thats a meal too. Ohhh and I found a nice place that does kids size chicken kebabs with hummus omnomnom so these things save me from scarfing down a whole plate of butter chicken with rice! BUT i have to plan it a bit. That being said if I know I'm going to be going out for a birthday dinner or something i don't track it, just try to track everything every day and most importantly ONE meal or ONE BAD DAY is not going to ruin all your efforts (I just took a week off my plan!) but it's when you do it every day that you slip back to eating the whole bag or whatever. Jump back on, don't beat yourself up and just make sure you're not falling down the rabbit hole every day. Consistency is the key - consistent bad = fat consistent good = the results you want - noone's perfect all the time and nor should you be coz then you'll feel deprived and wont stick with it! best of luck and feel free to add me if you want to!

RhonndaJ

I tend to think of willpower as a muscle. The more you work it, the stronger it gets.

First, stop allowing yourself to get hungry. Make certain you keep healthy snacks, in appropriate portions, handy at all times.
Second, don't look at the bag of chips or drive through as a neon sign begging you to come indulge, look at them as an obstacle you need to overcome.
Third, stop giving yourself a negative message. "I might do this..." "I don't have that kind of willpower." Give yourself positive messages. "I am not going to do that." "I can overcome temptation." "I'm stronger than my own whims and cravings."

Me, though? I tend to put the temptations right in front of me and challenge myself not to get in too much. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail. I succeed more than I fail.

Derpes

Give in, but give in less.

Instead of 3-4 cookies - eat one.

Instead of regular soda, drink diet.

Instead of 4 slices of pizza eat 1-2 or wheat based crust.

This works for me.

blubberbegone1976

Hi, personally for me, it's a shift in mindset. If I can climb that initial mountain of resisting temptation for a couple of days, before I know it, I don't feel like it anymore. I know it's early days but I've been eating healthy for 2 weeks and feel much better. The first few days were hard, more mentally than physically. I remember doing my grocery shopping about 2 days in and seeing some Lindt chocolate on sale and out of habit, I put it into my trolley. I remember thinking "Oh hold on, I'm not meant to eat that" and put it back. What shocked me was that it wasn't a craving, it was a habit. Well 2 weeks later I have only just realised that I haven't had any chocolate, fast food, alcohol etc in 2 weeks, and the funny thing is, I don't miss it! They say the more you eat it, the more you need to eat it and I truly believe that. The only thing I find I can't stop is my morning coffee. I have scaled back but that's my treat, although drinking more water has lowered my dependency on coffee significantly, and now I enjoy it more.

Try to string one day without whatever it is you find hard to resist, then two days, a week etc to break that habit and before you know it, temptation will be a thing of the past.

weightloss12345678

....

Huzke

I am stronger than my urges. So are you.

adriennejennifer

Struggle similarly. Find it helps to have a measured bag of mixed nuts with me so when I see something tempting I have something good to eat which is part of my food budget.

nancycaregiver

Like blubber said, it is a certain mindset that you have to be in. I don't exactly know how you get there because I have tried for YEARS!! But I have been doing it for almost a year now and all I can say is...I just do. Sometimes if there is something on the lunch line that I want that is off limits, like French fries, I get just one. That way I don't feel like I've deprived myself completely and usually I find that school lunch French fries are just not as good as I thought they'd be! The other day I logged one Cheetoh! The lunch ladies laugh at me but they are happy to just let me have one fry or 5 pinto beans!

sarrymerry

Honestly the best way I avoid these bad-in-the-moment choices is to meticulously plan ahead for my food each day. I also always have low cal snacks in my car (even low cal/sodium canned items- which I get so made fun of for but I don't care, it works for me!!) If I know I'm going to a restaurant, I decide exactly what I'll eat before I get there, pre-log it, and I tell the person I'm going with, I'm usually too embarrassed to change my mind after telling someone all my good intentions. Doesn't always work, but when I mess up I just try to figure out exactly why I broke and try to do better the next time. Also I plan on some bad foods, I'll plan to eat a burger but I'll make sure to do extra cardio and make my other meals lighter for the day. I love chocolate and found Cadbury royal dark chocolate, its rich and delicious and fulfills my chocolate cravings but don't ever want to binge on the stuff.
Most importantly, if you go off track, just get back on!!! Tomorrow is a new day and every single one of us has done it!! The people who succeed are the ones who don't kill themselves over it but just get back to work and keep trying!

diodelcibo

I can't resist my urges but I can delay them for a little while by finding something to do.

getitgirl25

At least for me (actually about 15 minutes ago), it's just easier to say no for now to whatever it is I want. Then actually try on the jeans in the mirror : ) Hope that might help!

imogenjade

i dont lol thats y i need to lose weight x

savingsunday

It's tough! If I absolutely have to have something I will go but try to order healthier or if I'm craving something specific then I order as small as possible. For example, I occasionally get serious cravings for McD's fries. My husband and I try to limit our fast food so it is not something I am eating all the time. But if I do get that craving and we go, I try to order a value size fry. They're still bad for me but they are the smallest you can order and therefore less calories. That's my easy temptation to deal with. I think my toughest is pizza but today, hubby and I tried making mini pizzas using a pita and it was fantastic! I measured out the serving of sauce, the serving of cheese and even added a few pieces of fresh spinach and some spices.

Another trick I do is if I do want something that is high calorie or hubby wants something that is high calorie we try to make it at home. It's always less calories but usually does the job of taking care of a particular craving.

This is one that everyone knows but never go grocery shopping hungry! That's terrible in so many ways. Not only is it bad because you'll buy more out of sheer hungry, but you may make more bad choices and you'll pass all those fast food places along the way to the store. On the grocery store note, we always have a list and rarely deviate from said list and we also use a smaller cart (unless we are buying something larger like cat food or cat litter).

Last but not least, just in general, if I feel myself wanting to munch I will either a) munch on something healthier (veggies, fruits or a tiny handful of nuts) and/or b) find something else to do to keep myself occupied!

Reading other people's success stories also helps to keep me motivated.

As other's have said, it gets easier over time but it is definitely tough at the start. Just do the best you can! Not everyday will be a great day but just make sure to track your food, even on a bad day. The more honest you can be with yourself the easier it will be to make better choices, resist temptation, see where you may need to make changes and what you can do to continue moving forward.

ASH0502

I'm so appreciative of all of these responses. I thank you guys for the encouragement as well as the great suggestions. I'm eager to get to a place where it gets easier out of habit. I need to learn to not let myself get so hungry that I can't resist. I hope this post helps others because I know it's so helpful to me.

I'm short (5'1") so every bite of food and every calorie really makes such a huge difference on me. I'm definitely encouraged that I can do this though. I have to keep telling myself that every skinny mom I pass at the gym also is faced with temptations and chooses to resist them.

ASH0502

i dont lol thats y i need to lose weight x

I so appreciate the honesty!!

KenosFeoh

I've made a personal commitment to never eat fast food. If I'm running around doing errands and really starving, I'll stop at a grocery store and buy myself a small fruit cup or an apple, maybe a piece of chicken (peeling all the fried skin away), and a bottle of water if I'm thirsty (although I usually have my water bottle with me), rarely a diet soda. That will hold me over until I can get home and prepare a proper meal.

caroleannlight

Carry healthy snacks and eat regularly so you aren't hungry. I know my weak spot is missing lunch and working late and being famished and then eating junk on the way home( my commute is 1.5 hours or so. I also find it helpful to keep my carbs less than 200. Note I am not a low carber but a moderate one.

If I am desperate to eat I try to eat something healthy first and say to myself well if you are truely hungry after that then you can have. x. Most delaying tactics work as the cravings often pass quickly.

Good luck

belizsera

I ask myself if it's really worth it and squeeze my love handles as a reminder that Muffin tops are not attractive and neither is people thinking i am pregnant because my tummy is big.

nebslp

Sometimes I'll throw an apple or banana in my purse or leave it in my car when I go shopping. At least I have a chance of resisting that way because I have a substitute choice handy. Not foolproof but it gives me a chance of resisting temptation.

nxd10

The truth is, once I started eating well all the time, a lot of those things just stopped BEING tempting. Or less so. So I can eat a chip or four and know that if I eat more I'll feel yucky afterwards (because they have too much fat and salt).

At home, sometimes I DO give in, but again, just in a small amount. So if I really want something sweet I have a spoonful (or two) of ice cream. It's the first taste that's the best. Most of the time, that's enough.

It's my birthday today. I went to the store with my husband to buy a cake, looked at them, and they didn't look appetizing. I went home and made a tastier, healthier one.

skinnyjess6

I have appreciated reading everyone's responses as well! I agree with a lot of the previous people posting- that I try to really plan everything I'm going to eat, usually the night before or that morning first thing. If I do that and have healthy food with me, it's easier. I still am tempted though, but every single time I go to eat now I remind myself that I want to be thin and wear the cute clothes I want and feel confident. I have struggled off and on for a few years, but I am finally truly committed. What made a difference this time was realizing what my problems were. For example, I cut out way too much sugar and fat at first, so now I try to start my day with homemade fruit smoothie. That completely changed my sugar/carb cravings. Stuff like that makes such a difference. Mainly though, I have a couple of specific events coming up (rodeo-big deal in Texas-, summer, etc.) and I keep imagining myself in a cute dress or whatever.

skinnyjess6

Also, I have grown my relationships with those with a similar mindset so I can talk to them about it. That helps a lot!

nanimoose

What I do is log the food before I eat it and ask myself if I'm ok with making that decision. If not, I reduce the portion size and see if I'm ok with those figures. Sometimes I'll end up eating half of what a regular portion size and end up equally satisfied.

I'll portion out the size I agreed with myself and keep the remainder away to avoid the temptation. But really, I make an agreement with myself and I follow it. This allows for my indulgences to be planned and controlled rather than an impulse and regret.