John,

Roger that! I know exactly where you're coming from, in the past I've walked past chocolate or other snack displays in a shop and thought "Naah, no thanks." and yet by the time I got to the counter, I was holding a little treat (or two, or five) for myself. An hour later I'd be kicking myself, totally disgusted with myself and feeling guilty and depressed. Why can't I "just say no"? Well?:

I honestly do believe that I am a sugar (carb) addict, if something is stronger than your conscious willpower - then that has to be an addiction. Not a pleasant thought, admitting to addiction, but my logic is that if I can't stop eating junk, I must be a junky.

I had to make the same admission to myself recently about smoking, sucessfully quitting after a 20 a day 25 year addiction. I'm now applying exactly the same techniques and mindset I learned to break my nicotine addiction, to my lc regime. And boy does it work.

Take last night, like yourself, driving home I was tired and hungry, so I pulled over to a petrol (gas) station. I told myself there is only one rule "You can have as much of *anything* you want, as long as it is low or zero carb."

Well, a diet soda and two packs of pork scratchings (combined carb 0g) certainly hit the spot. And I didn't glance twice at the millions of other sweet or carby temptations that I would once have drooled over. Didnt even cross my mind.

I won't say "dont feel bad", but keep hold of that feeling and try to remember it next time. I take every negative emotion about myself I experienced after "just one cigarette can't hurt" all those times I was *trying* to quit and load them into the moment I'm now tempted to take a puff - it helps me discipline myself to say no.

Another thought, I know from my own chocolate consumption (and I can binge well over 2kg of the stuff in one sitting) that the following rule now applies to me:

One mouthful is too many, a thousand isn't enough.

Do I want the thousands that go with that first "just one"? No. So don't take that first one. Simple, but very difficult...

Peter.