New here - and with a question about temptation!

[Christella]

Hi everyone!  I have to say when I got my Flex about exactly a week ago, I didn't think I'd be using it as intensely as I have - or the dashboard or this website!  I've never been one to enjoy logging my food, but somehow I'm really addicted to doing that and not cheating even a little yet.  I have been paying attention to my steps and my calories in and out and have been having a great time with it!

I arrived at work today and found this (someone's idea of a great gift for sedentary people) and wonder how you all might deal with it... I am an emergency services dispatcher and I'm trapped in this small room for 4 or 5 hours all alone with this stuff.  I know I could ask someone to remove it but how would you deal with the temptation if it was right in front of you (and you liked it all!!) Would you have a piece or two and feel glad that you could have ONLY a piece or two?  I have about 70 lbs to lose and I'm feeling encouraged that I can do this, while knowing that there will always be temptation.  Thank you!  Lisa

[WendyB]

Im pretty good at ignoring stuff like this now. Its hard to get past the temptation. And Some times I would just have one. But its not worth it to me anymore.

Sometimews I tell myself there are hundreds of ants running all over it

[Hawkins]

I am also new to kicking the sugar cravings (and I have a terrible sweet tooth), and I also have about 70lbs to lose. I tell myself that everytime I eat something sugary that I am making a decision to not fit in the jeans, I so badly want to wear. I also turn it into a self competition...such as I tell myself if I can go this week without sugar, I'll buy myself something non-food related. Once you start down that path it starts to get easier, especially since it takes about 3 days of no sugar to kick the cravings, after that its smoother sailing. Hope that helps a little. T

[Hannah_L2M]

Here are a couple recommendations:

1. First read the serving and calorie information for all options - infoming yourself about what you might get into is a good start. 

2. Allow yourself to have a piece of two, if you feel like that will resolve the temptation issue. If having a couple pieces doesn't solve temptation then ask yourself if you should have any to begin with.

3. Set timers on your phone or paper. For example set a timer an hour from now. If you still want a piece have 1, then set another timer. 

4. Commit to drinking x cups of water or some other non-calorie beverage before even considering having a piece.

[Christella]

Thanks for all your responses!!  (especially WendyB, I like the idea of the ants!! )  It's been almost 2 hours and I've managed to hold off so far.  I heard recently that cravings only last 30 seconds so if you can get past that you will be better off, even though there may be more cravings that come along all day.  I will probably end up having one or two, but I will be rigorous in logging it and drinking lots of water! Thanks everyone, I look forward to coming here more often!

[Shelley]

If I eat sugar, it flips some kind of switch in my brain and I become ravenously hungry and no matter what I eat, I do not stop feeling hungry.  That will last for about two days before it returns to normal.  So, now I have no desire to eat sugar and have to go through that.  I had no idea, sugar and refined carbs were doing that to me until I stopped eating them for about a month and then had some at a birthday party.  I feel so much better now that I don't feel so hungry all the time.  It is a relief!  Feeling better and watching the scale go down, is reinforcing.  When I see candy now, it is not tempting anymore since it represents suffering to me.  But if there is something tempting me, I think of all the non-food things I am hungering for.  Like, hungering to feel good, hungering to have energy, hungering to be fit enough to keep up with my sister on hikes, hungering to not be too embarrassed to go swimming.  I also, always have some article of clothing I am trying to get to where I can fit into it.  I think about how good it will feel to be able to wear that.  Put the sugary stuff somewhere out of sight, and if thoughts of it come back in, re-focus on your short and long term goals, visualizing the scale showing you at the weight you want to be.  Imagine, your fitbit Dashboard showing you have made it to your goal!  Imagination is very powerful.  When we sit and think about how good that stuff might taste, we are using imagination but in a self-defeating way.  When we imagine ourselves healthy and fit, we are using it in a self-helping way.   Good luck and congratulations on getting your Fitbit and getting on the path to a healthier you.  The fitbit and it's dashboard, logs, forums and groups make up such a great system to help us.  I got my fitbit in September and have lost 28.5 pounds so far.  I also started with 70 to lose.  Keep coming to the forums and groups and tracking everything.  You can do this!!

[MoreVeggies]

My office has lots of homemade bakers who bake and then bring things in so they don't eat them.  I make sure I have a stash of almonds, fresh fruit, and roasted soy nuts in my space.  The nuts help me with the salty/crunch cravings.  The almonds with fruit help with the need for sweet and the protein in the almonds seems to curb all feelings of hunger.  Then there's the question list; 1) Is this a want or a need? 2) Can I live without it? 3) What will happen to me if I eat it? and the final question.....4) Do I want to move it?  Which can mean standing up and doing a little jig, or moving the food out of my direct sight, or thinking of the food as attached to my body and having to haul it with me everywhere.

[Carlis]

As a sugar addict I know I could never keep looking at this all day.  I would move it or cover it with something.   Once I spent a week in a hotel room that had baskets of candy on the mini bar.  I covered it with a towel and didn't have any.  Success!

[Christella]

I've been pretty happy with myself!! Going on 2 days now with no slips at all, although the food keeps rolling in!!  of course, 2 days ago a nice fireman brought over a cinnamon bun that had bacon wrapped inside for me to try...  i ate two bites of it (and logged it!!) and threw the rest away after he left so he wouldn't be offended. 

Carlis, I think i'm like you - if i were to cover up something good, I might not be tempted by it; I've never tried that before!  I know if there's a sealed package of something I probably won't open it, but once it's opened I figure it's a free-for-all and will eat the whole thing!  The food logging definitely helps me be honest...

[Inga]

Remember your "why" as in "why do I want to be slim?"  

Write your goals down. Every time you are really tempted by that crap, stop, take a deep breath and write your goals down again, then think about whether junk like that will contribute to a healthy, slim, beach body... it won't, you know 😉

I plan my candy. I like a piece or two of quality chocolate oe ice cream now and then after dinner,and I plan for it in my daily calories. eating it off a desk because it is there is not planning.

I hope this helps 🙂

[kaet]

If you're really all alone with it, couldn't you put it away in a cupboard so it's not staring at you? None of it looks like food that will go off quickly (like a homemade cake might go stale or something), so it wouldn't do any harm for it to be found later by someone whose diet it fits into better.

[KirstenRuns · Accepted solution]

i think its so great that you are analyzing the situation before anything.  I have been dealing with something similar but regarding christmas cookies and the like in my office during this holiday season. I have been doing a good job of having literally one piece to be social and polite ( i am italian  🙂   ), but i have been finding that it helps so much to have a bottle of ice water with lots of lemons (makes water more interesting, AND stimulates metabolism) around all the time, as well as having healthy snacks on hand.  For example, i will keep i pile of veggies and hummus in the office, or fruit. If i am feeling like i could break, I will go for a walk - then i usually come back with the craving mostly dissapated. 

I hope everything works out. feel free to friend me - i am so happy to have someone to talk about wild snack temptations.  🙂  best of luck to you!

[KirstenRuns]

reading the nutrition facts is SUCH good advice. 

after this fantastic little fitbit telling me all about my calories in and out food seems more serious now. I feel like i am able to think to myself "ok, my last run was this many calories.... this cookie (or whatever) is THIS many calories.  is it worth it?"

This also plays into my goals of eating clean food.  i ❤️ it.

fantastic advice.

[KirstenRuns]

thinking :slim: is great, but for me at least, i had alot of thoughts about clean eating and being healthier in general.

[sim_smax]

I feel your pain.  I am a food addict, especially candy and sweets.  If there is an open bag of jub jubs close by, I can't help myself but eat the entire bag. Its a total mental battle to stop myself.  I sometimes think they my colleagues bring it into the office on the "better you then me principle".  They don't want to eat it and gain weight, but they know you will - grrrrrr - makes me mad. 

When I know my cravings are bad I will remove myself or the offending candy.  Another strategy to ward off the cravings and emotional eating - usually the result of stress - is to stuff myself.  One handful of candy is easily worth a couple of cups of chopped vegetables. Eat the vegetables with a couple of cups of water and you will satisfy the urge without consuming a whole lot of calories.

[Miss_Primrose]

how about taking that piece of candy you really want at the moment & throw it right into the trash?

[KJScarp]

I just turn the package over and look at the ingredient list.  It's not food, it's Frankenfood (or Carbage).  I spend good money to buy my meat, milk, yogurt, cheese and eggs from a local farmer, so I'm not about to throw that good money out the window by turning around and eating food-like substances.

Once you've eliminated sugar from your diet for about a week, the temptation won't even be there.

[Christella]

Thanks everyone!!  I got through my candy/cake/baked goods quandary with flying colors this holiday!  I had a total of 4 pieces of candy out of the huge batch that kept coming and coming... 2 mini chocolates and 2 nougats, which I logged!   It was a learning experience and it was tough, but I did it.  If I can avoid all these temptations for a week +, anyone can!

[Direwind]

If you want to avoid temptation there are afew things i do that may help.

1: take alook at how many cal/fat/sugar content there is in the item, then work out how much time it would take to burn that off, this normally puts me off the food.

2: crush one of the items up and put it into water, then smell it, the smell might put you off.

3: this is the extreme version, you get smelling sauce and sniff the food and at the same time you sniff the smelling sauce, do this every time you want to eat the food, soon your brain will link that horrid smell with the food and you'll never want to eat it.

[sim_smax]

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@Miss_Primrose wrote:

how about taking that piece of candy you really want at the moment & throw it right into the trash?

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Nice one, I like it.