How to Conquer Temptation?

[Vpeach]

I'm house sitting for the weekend and I'll be spending a majority of my time alone in this house.

There is a candy dish full of kisses w/almonds, mini snickers and milky ways.

I haven't volunteeringly eaten sugar since 12/31/09, but the cravings to eat the whole dish is extremely strong!

I'm not even hungry!!!

[TTLWBY30]

why don't you stick that bowl in a drawer where it wont be right under your nose?

I think that will help. It's easier to ignore things when they're not right on your face.

[GlendaRC]

Can you put the candy dish in a cupboard or somewhere you won't be using? Out of sight always helps me, at least a little!

[Vpeach]

Thanks guys for your quick responses!

I put the dish in a closet on the other side of the house. I hope that helps!

It scares me how strong the craving demon can be.

[CMCM]

I'm house sitting for the weekend and I'll be spending a majority of my time alone in this house.

There is a candy dish full of kisses w/almonds, mini snickers and milky ways.

I haven't volunteeringly eaten sugar since 12/31/09, but the cravings to eat the whole dish is extremely strong!

I'm not even hungry!!!

I struggled with temptation for years, but now I'm totally beyond it. I'm not entirely sure how I finally did this, but partly I think it was because I got rid of EVERYTHING tempting in my house while I got myself into induction mode for a serious period of time. In my case, it was actually pretty fast because I had been eating fairly low carb before I started induction. I was finally able to put my head in the right place and I decided that doing what I need to do for whatever period of time I need to do it to reach my goal....this was more important that indulging my cravings over and over and over and over and as a result, never getting anywhere. I really managed to take to heart the idea that "nothing tastes as good as being thin feels." I also read a book by David Kessler that talked about how we are deceived by food companies and how they "hook" us on foods, and also the psychological end of how we get addicted to junk food, and somehow all of this crystalized in my brain and gave me the drive and knowledge to do this right.

One thing that was true for ME and also with so many others is that we just get on this diet treadmill (like a rat in one of those circular running things), and we never get anywhere, not really. I'm tired of that, I wanted to take control of this and control my food, not have it control me.

Long rambling answer, but my advice is to get ALL the junk out of the house: then it can't call your name.

[Vpeach]

I can't really remove the sweets from the home since it isn't my place. But, moving it out to the closet really helped. I didn't think about eating the sweets after it was removed from my site.

But, I do agree with what you are saying about the junk food industry. We are visually fed everyday by commercials and they bring up deep rooted feelings that certain foods can cause.

I know chocolate, mashed potatoes and ice cold whole milk are my weakness. But, learning to say no was initially difficult, (I too started lowering my carbs a month and a half before beginning Induction) but the end result of not experiencing blood sugar highs and lows makes it all worth it. The weight loss is a nice bonus too. ;)

I just wish that I can make myself control my cravings. I'm proud of myself for not caving in...but for an hour I felt like a recovering alcoholic with a shot of whiskey in front of me. The sad thing is I actually went through the candy dish...holding and smelling them. But, I did not eat any of it.

[CMCM]

The sad thing is I actually went through the candy dish...holding and smelling them. But, I did not eat any of it.

I did the same thing with.....of all things....a grapefruit! After all my sugar and junk cravings went away, my cravings got focused on just a few things like grapefruit!

But really, it does get easier, and there comes a point where you realize the food no longer has an emotional hold over you and you can get detached from the things that used to tempt you. You'll get to the point where you can look at some thing you used to like and think, "Well, I used to eat that. But I don't eat that now." And then that's the end of it, if you think it at all!

Recently, I walked by a huge display of Svenhard's breakfast pastries including my (formerly) beloved bear claws, and none of it looked especially good. I could smell them, and they didn't smell so enticing, either. Strange. But this is such a sea change because before, I simply could not resist the bear claws and I'd buy a pack of three and go home and wolf them all down. I loved those things, I've loved them since I was a kid, but I don't care about eating them any more.

[MsGinger]

Before I started eating LC, if I craved something, say a snickers ice cream bar, I would tell myself, "If you really really still want this tomorrow, you can eat it for breakfast!" Well, by tomorrow morning I felt so good, physically, mentally, since I passed on the junk the previous night, I really didn't want it for breakfast. Sometimes the craving would come later in the day, and I'd think I should have had that for breakfast, even though I wasn't in the mood for it. But, again, I'd talk to myself and give myself permission to have whatever I'm craving for breakfast, and before long, I lost a lot of cravings. And when I would eat a snickers ice cream bar, I didn't enjoy it, I couldn't even eat it, it became so sickening sweet.
I usually try and try to talk myself out of it.
Hope with the junk out of sight, that helps you.

[CMCM]

Another thing that helped me in the beginning was NOT thinking I could never have certain things again. Rather, I constantly told myself that RIGHT NOW I would not eat these things because they put me away from my goal, and that eventually I might eat them again, just not now. By doing this a lot these foods lost their hold over me.

It's also helpful to not think of foods as "bad". Instead, think of yourself on a road. Eating certain foods move you backwards and away from your goal so you'll have to make up that lost distance again. Or other foods will help move you closer to your goal. Not "bad" or "good", but just direction of movement. You have to ask yourself, "Is eating this bowl of candy really worth it? A minute or two of pleasure, but I'll have to make up that distance I went backwards."

I've discovered a lot of my eating was habit. I was conditioned to eat certain things at certain opportunistic times. I've always read that you can change a habit by doing something different for about 28 days or so. Then the old habit is weakened and the new one is in the forefront. I've discovered this to be true with me. An example of this: When DH and I were traveling around, there was a certain gas station we'd stop at and I got conditioned to buying a Hostess cherry pie there. Now, every time we stop there, the thought of a cherry pie still flits into my brain (from the old conditioning and old habit), but that's the extent of it. Now I don't even consider buying the pie because I've changed the habit of going in and getting it. The thought is still there, lurking under the surface, but the action has changed.

And here's another habit: I was in a habit of indulging myself with whatever appealed to me. I was in the habit of not refusing anything. I was in the habit of finding a convenient excuse for indulging: I'm sad, I'm happy about something, I've worked hard and I deserve a reward." Believe me, there's no end to the excuses you can find to indulge. I was really good at that and I did it for over 10 years. It's the Scarlett O'Hara complex...."Tomorrow...tomorrow....tomorrow is another day. I'll be good tomorrow." Well, for 10 years with me, tomorrow didn't come, tomorrow was just like yesterday. Indulge, indulge, indulge. Finally I got sick of being like that rat on a tread-wheel, going nowhere.

I've gotten to a point finally...after 10 weeks now, but it actually was happening at about week 3, that I have been able to look at any and all the foods I used to binge on and I feel indifferent to them. I may have a moment of "ah....a bear claw...", but that's the end of it, it cuts off at that point. I no longer even have the argument with myself about whether or not to eat it. I CONTROL FOOD, FOOD DOESN'T CONTROL ME.

I think 90% of the battle is getting your head in the right place to do this without torturing yourself. That really is the key to it all. I once read "Weight loss starts inside." Meaning, it starts in your head. If your head isn't in the right place, the body won't follow the right path.

[Vpeach]

Here is an update.

I'm officially home and I did NOT have any of the candy!!!!!!!!!!

I started craving it again last night, but mentally yelled at myself to be strong.

It worked. Thanks for all of your suggestions and stories. They really helped me out this weekend.

[Elizellen]

Well done, Jessica!! :cheer:

[FatFreeMe]

maybe you're feeling a little deprived.? have you ever tried making up some sweet treats from the recipe section?

[Vpeach]

I have tried a few sweet treats, but I try to limit my splenda intake.

In the past if I had too much splenda or diet soda it would usually lead to me eat the real, high carb stuff.

Honestly, I haven't had any sf jello or sf pudding this year.

I treat myself to the random 85% dark chocolate square. And, If the Houston heat is getting to me, I will make a sf lemonade.

[krystalr]

do you like blackberries or raspberries? If you do, take about half a cup (3 or 4 net carbs) of frozen berries and blitz them quickly in the food processor until they're broken up. Once that's done, add in a few tbsp of heavy cream (start out slow, blend, and add more as needed) until it's nice and thick like ice cream. The frozen berries freeze the cream and make a super fast and taste fruit ice cream. You can add as much sweetner as you feel comfortable with. It's a really nice treat that's high in fat from the cream and tastes AMAZING.

[karenjs]

I'm very proud of you Jessica!!! It's really hard to stay on track some days!!!! Way to go!!!

[CMCM]

Here is an update.

I'm officially home and I did NOT have any of the candy!!!!!!!!!!

I started craving it again last night, but mentally yelled at myself to be strong.

It worked. Thanks for all of your suggestions and stories. They really helped me out this weekend.

GOOD GIRL! Every time you can do this, you get a little stronger and can more easily resist the next temptation. And there will always be a "next temptation" lurking here and there. You've gotta be ready for it.

[mike_d]

I haven't volunteeringly eaten sugar since 12/31/09, but the cravings to eat the whole dish is extremely strong! You could just eat it all, get ill and learn a valuable lesson -- at least that's been my experience. Probably not the best way to go as the above suggestions are excellent barring human nature :)

Dr. A said something like this "the ill effects of going off the diet are kind of a built in enforcement to stick to it."

[3shewolf8]

May sound kind of weird but if you are going to be alone, walk around totally stark naked. I found out that when I am walking around naked I don't want to eat any kind of junk LOL

[karenjs]

ROFL ~ Shewolf!!!!!

True, so true!!!

[Vpeach]

Hahaha! Great advice, Shewolf! Too bad I can't do that at restaurants.

[karenjs]

~ Jessica - you really could do it at restaurants, and it would probably be even more of an incentive!!! LOL