Success People: How did you overcome food temptations?

JeanDescole

I try to think about it this way... food is an important part of daily life and meant to be enjoyed. If you eat the junk food in front of you, you wont truly enjoy because all the while you'll feel a bit guilty, and those guilty feelings will only increase the more junk food you eat! Hope I helped

novaBYnature

Good Advice

carfamily08

I keep a lot of junk out of the house to avoid the mindless snacking and easy accessibility, but I also treat myself to everything in moderation. If it fits in my calorie goal, then a bowl of ice cream or a cookie or glass of wine or meal out at my favorite restaurant are all fine. I'm not on a diet, it's a lifestyle change. I haven't felt deprived or like I'm missing out on any of my favorites and I've lost over 40lbs. I can't eat bags of Easter candy and have McDonalds as a second dinner anymore obviously, but it doesn't mean I won't have a few pieces of chocolate or some fries every once in awhile either

ETA: I also refuse to feel guilty about food. I enjoy what I eat and move on.

nachodman

My main philosophy is if I can't live without it, I exercise for it! Weight loss and keeping it off is all about lifestyle change, so if you want the donut, have it , but earn it. When you make the connection between the 'junk' and how much it takes to 'earn' (via exercise) it, it may not longer be so tempting!

Calliope610

If I really crave _____, I can eat it. Just wait until tomorrow.

atb0821

I remind myself it isn't worth it. Or, I make a healthy substitution. Or, work a bit of whatever I want really want into my calories.

Bssh

I tend to eat all my temptations :happy: but just account for them in my daily/weekly calories. I also try and fill up on the healthy stuff first when I get the munchies but if I still am "hungry" for ice cream then I eat it and modify my eating another day.

roxy08fox

In the beginning....

Chart out all the food you will eat tomorrow, and then tomorrow eat that food; Don't eat other food. Not in the plan, don't eat it.
Repeat. Over and over again.

THIS! And I also chart out all of my workouts too. That way I know what i have to "spend". I think of my calories as money :laugh:

shutterbugtn

Here is what has worked for me:

Eat it outside the home

Study how to avoid emotional eating. ( I read some books on this and it really helped. If your craving is sudden, it is most often fueled by emotion and not true hunger. Distract yourself, deal with your emotions, instead of eat.

Schedule the days you can eat your treat. I can have my favorite donut on the 1st and the 15th of the month. Knowing that I am getting it in the near future makes me not binge.

Enter it into your journal before you eat it and before you eat your other food. It helps you map your food for the day.

Rate your foods. I started giving my foods, both healthy and unhealthy, a rating of 1-10. 10 is divine. I learned a lot doing this. I have a lot of 150-200 calorie treats and only 25% had scores of 8-10. How does this make a difference? A lot of times when I am out and I am offered one of these treats, I would eat it because it was offered. I had a hard time saying no to them. Now I know that I would prefer to have something else that is an 8-10 on my scale. I started really winning when I realized that I had some healthy foods start beating out things like snickers and m&ms.

Especially in the beginning, don't let yourself be around it. Saying no to foods is so much easier having lost 35 pounds and knowing what I am doing works. It is so much harder when you are down only a few pounds and you want to scream, "this isn't working!!!".

I also use my exercise calories on treats when necessary. I make myself earn my treats. Really makes you think about whether that treat is worth an hour on a bike, etc. Sometimes I have said absolutely (Hello Thin Mints!!) and other times no (butterfinger, yuck!).

rvicini

I am with other posters. Plan ahead. If it's not in the plan, don't eat it.. You can have a flexible plan of course! But try having an extraprotion of exercise to make up for whatever surprise as there are!

stephanj

I play back in my head the millions of times I gave in, and how bad I felt afterwards, you know that feeling when you wake up Sunday morning and flash back to Saturday night and have instant regret? Every time I am tempted I remember that feeling vividly.