Sometimes during your day, you come across something that just makes your mouth water. It might be red velvet cake or a slice of pizza.
You know you should not eat it, but you just can not stop yourself. So why fight it?
If you always surrender to these situations, avoid them in the first place so it does not happen! Keep reading into the following paragraphs for how to just prevent temptations so you never struggle resisting them.
Journal your eating. Write down everything you eat and when, but do not judge yourself. Just track everything. This is not so much to be mindful of what you are eating (although that helps) but to record the times of day that you are susceptible to something you should not have.
It might be in the morning since you assume you have all day to burn it off. Afternoon naptime might be cause for a pick me up, or you might have a nightcap when you are tired. Figure out when your temptation time is so that you can make alternate plans.
Stay away from certain activities that might give you a craving. Some individuals love having a meal at a particular restaurant and then reading a newspaper, so just buying a newspaper could trigger their visit to the restaurant. Give these activities up.
Only grocery shop when you are ready. Have a snack before you go so that you do not shop hungry. Have a list and a budget. Stick to both of them as closely as you can, although you have to be somewhat flexible for items out of stock and items on sale you can stock up on.
When cravings hit, exercise. Exercise actually diminishes appetite in the very short term, so do some crunches or take a quick walk. Your metabolism will spike back up long enough for the craving to pass. Even if it does not, at least you will have done something about your craving calories.
If there are certain cravings that you can not avoid, just find different choices. Make sure that you are constantly surrounded by fresh fruit, nuts, slices of cheese and yogurt. Any of these make for a quick snack that can get you by.
A glass of milk is sometimes a good choice instead of a snack. It is cool, sweet, calming and has a little protein in it. Second to water, no beverage is healthier than a glass of milk. If you want a cold snack that has no calories, chew on some ice cubes.
Temptation only has power over you as long as you let it have exposure to your attention. Give yourself five minutes and most cravings should pass. If they do not, you are geniunely hungry and should eat something.
Apply all the ideas presented in this article, and you can maybe start losing weight just by dealing with your temptation eatings. Just remember to be easy on yourself. Habits, not perfection, get things done; an occasional slip is okay.
