How do you NOT give in to temptation??

Dark chocolate sugar free jello pudding is awesome as are the multiple naughty flavors of low cal yogurt.
Thin and crispy pizza has 40% less cals than pan pizza.
Whole wheats keep you full longer.
Strawberries, blueberries, and watermelon are awesome fillers and awesome for you!! (especially with redi-whip)
Sugar free jello is awesome
frozen cinnamon graham with redi-whip between = 75 cals

As far as being hungry, carry snacks with you. I always have almonds, a low cal granola bar (you can get chocolate ones with only 90 cals!), and usually cheerios (100 cals for a whole cup!!)

Try to learn to eat smaller portions more times during the day (I plan 6 meals a day, not 3), buy a cupcake instead of eating a cake, check out the recipe board, eat redi-whip on everything low cal.

Best of luck to you!!! You can do this. You deserve to be happy and healthy

I don't buy temptation from the store. Sweets come up enough at work/parties/dates that I don't feel deprived. I do keep a rich dark chocolate bar handy. A small bit is all I need because it's strong!

I've found Sugar Free Dark Chocolate from Wegman's in the bulk aisle....really good. The fact that i have it with a glass of Pinot is beside the point.

When I want something bad for me, I try to drink more water, drink flavored water (some of them have zero calories or low calories) or try chewing gum. If these things don't work, I get up and take a short walk. Do not deprive yourself of everything. It becomes very hard. If you have to have some chocolate, cut back and eat smaller portions and just log everything you eat.

It does get easier as the days go by.

Hang in there. If you need more friends for support, feel free to add me.

I was once told you can't beat temptation. You can only avoid it. And that's always been true for me. If I buy cookies from the store, I'm not going to eat them in moderation. I'm going to eat a whole sleeve. If I leave them at the store, I won't eat any. When I'm out and about, it's less tempting unless I'm starving. Food out costs too much for me to want to buy it to satisfy a craving. But at home, for my sweet tooth, I have little "harmless" sweet things like dark chocolate (80-90% cocao), apple sauce cups with no added sugar or Chobani Champions, which are little Greek yogurt cups for kids.

To keep myself from falling off the wagon, so to say, I make sure I have satisfying meals (5 small). That way if I do want something (like the chocolate I had today), it is only a small amount and doesn't set me back.

Leaving home is a challenge, and that is when I make sure to get those nutrients in my body so I stay comfortable and able to fend off bad food choices!

My favorite secret weapons right now are ...
Designer Whey...low carb/fat/cal but high protein and helps energize/satisfy!
Plain greek-style yogurt...sometimes sweetened with stevia and sometimes topped with chocolate syrup!!
Cottage cheese...loaded with protein

Today I was out shopping and got a In-n-Out double meat no cheese ...and popped over to Jamba Juice for a whey boosted lo-cal smoothie. Not bad macros for a satisfying meal!!

Also i have pretty much handed over any baking activities to others, because that activity kills my diet!!!

:)MinMin

I buy healthier snacks to keep at home and I keep some dark chocolate at work as well. When temptations come up at work and I see others eating cake or cookies, I can't resist and I have to have a piece, but it's easier to limit myself to only one piece at work because I don't want everyone else to think I'm a pig (I would lick the frosting off of the plate if no one was there to see me do it, lol) -- so I can't have those kind of things in my house or I would devour them.

So I am having trouble staying on track with MFP. I usually use the iPhone app, it's so easy and convenient but my phone is away getting repaired so I have to get on the computer (which I rarely do anymore).

Better meal planning ahead of time (and also for snacks) is definitely key to helping to keep on track

I have to plan ahead with my meals which is fine. I don't think that I am not getting enough food, most times I am quite satisfied but on a day like today it's a struggle, I was in a hurry at work then had to hurry home, ate lunch quite early and I was starving by the time I got home and had a headache, so I started baking a cake and started eating the mixture etc and then I thought I should just give in and eat the chocolate I have in the house.

Try to find the time to sit down and review your last six weeks of intake and see where you went with it. Try to indentify where you can add more vegetables into your daily intake, evaluate if you have had enough water. Did you have alot of processed foods? Boxed foods? Convenience foods? That will cause triggers thus getting hungry like you previously mentioned.

I know it is still early days and all but I just don't know how to get through those days, I don't want to completely deny myself my beloved chocolate and sweets etc but at the moment I am just not sure how to NOT give in.

Sounds like better meal-planning ahead might not be enough if you cant control your sugars. Give yourself a good one week (maybe two) to thoroughly clean your system of this and revamp your entire intake to only real foods. Learn to look for other types of 'treat'-foods... for example, Im a BIG fan of freezing sliced strawberries. Pop a slice in your mouth and its like freaking CANDY!!!!!!! Red Grapes freeze up just as good too!!!

Does it get easier??

Easier is determined by how motivated you are to reconfiguring your intake, making the necessary changes and learning to adapt to stressful situations that will tie in to your meal planning efforts.


You can do this but you have to want to make the commitment happen.

If it's happening mostly on the days when you have an early lunch, why not have an afternoon snack? Plan for them in advance, or have something that is filling but not too caloric, like an apple or extra-dark chocolate.

I also fill up on flavored herbal tea. Not as effective as duct taping my mouth closed, but fills the bottomless abyss that my belly has turned into since the third baby. (haha)

1) I don't buy it.
2) I make it too much effort to reach.
3) I make someone else keep hold of it.
4) I put an alternative with the exact same calorie amount (but better) next to it. E.g. 1 square of chocolate = 1 satsuma.
5) Or if I do want to give in, I only eat it on days I work out so I have spare calories.

It's all about finding something that works for you.

Just have smaller amounts of the things you enjoy! MFP is not a diet it's a lifestyle, so you can whatever you want in your diary.

I've been at my goal weight for a while, and I routinely drink wine, sweets, coffee and anything else I want -- in moderation!

I don't have a cheat day, if I eat it I log it. Oh, and exercise vigorously on the days you know you might go over!!

I don't have anything that is 'off limits' because then I can say to myself 'I don't have room for this, or I can have a small amount if it fits in my calories'. I find that when I try to cut things out completely, I am more likely to just say 'screw it' and go off the rails. If I know I can have those things in moderation, I'm more likely to feel empowered to resistant when I do have those cravings and it doesn't fit in my day. However, there are some things that I find really hard to resist, so I have to be honest about it and keep them out of the house if I'm struggling. I also enlist the help of my husband on certain things. If I know I'm making something that will fit with moderation, I will ask him to help me by putting away the leftovers so I don't clean the plate. Or he will ask, politely if I have accounted for the snack, or seconds, or whatever.

Pre planning in my mind helps a lot. If I am going to a party or something I decide ahead of time if I am going to eat/drink "junk" or not. Sometimes telling myself it's ok to eat something I normally wouldn't actually helps me NOT want it.

I also have my low calorie junk foods that I eat all the time that help me not eat the crazy high calorie versions.