Yesterday afternoon I sorely wanted to eat anything that was sugary sweet. I thought that if I could just have something, then I would feel better. Why did I want to do this, when I’ve been doing so well, eating great, exercising, and losing weight? I was bored, as well as feeling overwhelmed with my never-ending to do list. I was this close to giving in, however I took a detour.
Here’s something that you can do if you end up in the same situation:
- First off, I was physically hungry. If I weren’t then I would have used a different strategy.
- I made a deal with myself and decided that I would eat the nutritious food that I had waiting in the refrigerator, and if I were still hungry after finishing that, then I would re-evaluate.
- I ate what I had originally planned to before my sugar-craving hit, eating the same portion as usual (not overeating).
- After I was done, I did not want the sugary food as much as I did previously, however I made a second deal: that I would exercise and re-evaluate how I felt afterwards.
- I worked out on my treadmill for 45 minutes. After I was done, I didn’t have any desire for the sweet stuff. Exercising always makes me feel better, since it kicks those endorphins in.
Sometimes we may just need to bribe ourselves to get through those impulsive times, which is exactly what I did. You can also promise yourself a reward for staying on your diet plan. Perhaps a magazine, or alone time; it doesn’t need to be anything expensive, and for many, time is the most valuable reward of all.
Sounds simple? It might, but it was not easy. It would have been so much easier to take the other route of giving in and eating the junk food, but I knew that if I did that I would be paying for it afterwards. I would feel horrible, I would have sabotaged my higher goals and myself once again, and I wouldn’t have been progressing towards learning how to overcome my self-sabotaging behavior. I also knew that whatever I ate, one would not have been enough. It would have been so much harder for me to get back on track then.
The biggest benefit I received was that it gave me a suggestion that I could write about, and possibly help someone else who would read this. It worked for me, why couldn’t it work for others?
It will always be easier to give in and go for the junk food, but where will it get us? More importantly, where won’t it get us? It will take us away from obtaining the weight, health, and fit body that we desire.
If you try this yourself, please leave a comment to share how it worked for you.
