Junk food is so available in our society, it surrounds us at all times and we need to resist its’ influence by realizing that as attractively as it is packaged,it is indeed junk.
The mini sizes of candy and soda and single packages of donuts and cookies lure us into thinking “oh I can have just one,I don’t have to buy a whole box”, but you wind up eating more because they are so small.
The advertising people know this and market their products specifically to make us eat more of it.
I am focusing on sweets in the following tips but they apply for all junk food.
Here are 3 tips for resisting sweet temptations:
1. Break the habit and the emotional connection to junk food-Make a conscious decision not to eat junk food and set clear guidelines.
It’s very easy to unconsciously eat a cookie when you are in the habit of doing so. I see people do it all the time-the cookie is there so I am going to eat it. It’s not necessarily an emotional trigger.
At a certain point I just decided that I wasn’t going to eat sweets even though I had lost a lot of weight,because they weren’t healthy,so I made a conscious decision to break my pattern.
I don’t have any cookies,cake or candy in the house and when I go to a social event where they are present I just don’t go near them as they are not an option anymore.
It is hard to resist sweets if you don’t have clear guidelines otherwise you will always be giving in to free cookies at the office or cake at birthday parties.
I think it’s best to decide to eliminate them completely and decide that they are not an option,knowing that occasionally you will consciously decide to treat yourself,but not necessarily because you deserve it or have had a hard day,but just because it’s fun to eat a sweet once in a while.
2. Walk away from temptation
It really helps to not look at tempting foods if possible and to just walk away from them.
This is difficult when you go to the supermarket and all of the cookies,cakes and candy are upfront near the cash register in an attempt to encourage “impulse buying.”
I look at those yummy products,think “Boy,I’d really like to have a Snickers or a chocolate donut” and then I have to turn away and just say no.
Occasionally I do have a treat but usually it’s a conscious decision that I preplan.
Last night I went to a party and there was a plate of M&M’s which I didn’t touch all evening as I usually don’t eat candy and it wasn’t on my radar.
At the end of the night I was standing right near the M&M’s talking to people and I decided “Oh,I think I’ll have a couple of them” and then since it’s impossible to eat only 2 M&M’s,I kept eating more and more until I had eaten at least 20 and maybe more; I don’t even know how many I ate.
Other people were doing the same thing-they couldn’t stop eating them either-the more you eat,the more you want.
Finally I said to myself “Step away from the M&M’s” and I did; that was the only way I could stop eating them.
The little birdie or the healthy angel on my shoulder was a mental command which I obeyed,so when you are confronted with an unexpected temptation,have a pre-prepared mental command or statement that you can give yourself and then physically remove yourself from the temptation.
Your statement could be as simple as “I have a choice and I choose not to eat this food right now.” This takes all the emotion out of it and puts you in conscious control of your eating.
Sometimes you will choose to eat a sweet food and that’s ok,just enjoy it and don’t feel guilty about it-it was your choice!
3. Don’t have it in the house!
Remove all junk food from your house; out of sight is out of mind and even if you see an ad on TV for a junk food that you love and it starts a craving,if it’s not in your house,you won’t eat it.
Last week I saw pudding in the supermarket and I wanted to buy it but I resisted the temptation.
The next day all I could think about was eating pudding but since it was so cold outside I had no desire to get dressed and walk five blocks to the supermarket to buy it,though up until 12:00 at night I considered doing it.
Then I gave it up and the next day the craving went away and I totally forgot about buying pudding. If the pudding had been in my house I would have eaten it,so it’s a good lesson in not having unhealthy food in the house.
Removing temptation to achieve your weight loss goals is only one of the many non-diet techniques I use to help you go from FLAB to FAB in 12 weeks and keep it off FOREVER.
If you are ready to take control of your weight and your life email me at miranda@fab-weightloss.com and put “I Am Ready!” in the subject line.
I offer a free consultation to get started.
About The Author:
Miranda Adani is a weight loss and healthy eating coach located in Brooklyn,NY.
Inspired by her own weight loss and healthy eating journey,she created Fabulous Weight Loss, a 12 week individual and group coaching program for women over 50.
She believes that women over 50 have a whole second life ahead of them and that they should go into it looking,feeling and being fit and fabulous and that they don't have to wait until they lose weight,they can start doing it right now.
Her program is based on “The 7 Power Principles of Weight Loss." which is available as a free downloadable E-book on her website at www.fab-weightloss.com.
You can subscribe to her blog at:
http://fab-weightloss.com/blog/
You can join her Facebook group at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Fabulousweightloss/
Please like her page on Facebook
www.Facebook.com/fabweightloss