Good evening. It’s past 10:00 PM, and I’m just getting home from work. So this is going to be a quickie (with some good tips at the end)!
Mid-afternoon snacks included Chobani + Kashi TLC Bar + handful of cereal:
And grapes:
Before I left for work at 6, I ate a whole wheat bagel + PB + drizzle of maple syrup + banana.
Just Say No
At work, I was confronted with the delicious chocolate chip cookies that tempted me so last week. I wanted one so badly, but these cookies are literally the size of my palm. After a few days of poor food choices (beer, cake, ice cream, cookies galore…), I was ready to get back to clean(er) eating, but sometimes it’s hard to say no. Especially for me — I find tempting foods to really hard to resist (which is why I do not keep cookies or ice cream in the house, ever).
Here’s how I walk away from a tempting treat after a weekend of overloading:
- Assess Whether You Are Really Hungry: Tonight, I knew I was just bored, not hungry. If you’re truly hungry and the only food options are not-so-stellar, maybe its better to eat the cookie. But tonight, I was just BORED.
- Walk Away: I have to physically remove myself from the area of temptation. Usually, it’s out of sight, out of mind.
- Remind Yourself How the Cookie (or Whatever) Will Make You Feel: I thought about how my blood sugar would spike and crash if I ate the cookie. That made it easier to say no. I also thought how I would feel emotionally if I ate the cookie — a treat every day isn’t a "bad" thing to me, but this weekend was cra-azy and I knew I wouldn’t feel happy if I ate that cookie!
- Eat Something Else: Instead of the cookie, I bought a hot tea to keep my mouth busy.
- Remind Yourself the Cookie (or Whatever) Will Be There Tomorrow: I told myself that I can have a cookie NEXT week if I want. I don’t need to stuff my face just because there’s a cookie in front of me right now…. there will be many more cookie opportunities in my future. 🙂
When I got home from work, I made Amazing Grass + almond breeze.
It was no chocolate chip cookie, but it still tasted pretty good (for vegetables). 🙂
What are your tips for saying no to tempting food?
These tips are great! I also have to physically remove myself from temptation–it can be SO tough.
Thanks so much for the inspiration–especially the segment on "Fat Talk". So powerful and was a big step in changing my perspective about my body image. Thank you!