5 Make-or-Break Moments for Your Diet
1. The "no milk for breakfast" moment
You usually grab a bowl of cereal before dashing out the door, but the milk carton in the fridge holds a mere dribble of milk.
Do you:
- a) Grab a giant Danish pastry on the way to work.
- b) Refuse to eat anything all morning, getting snappier and hungrier.
- c) Eat a couple of pieces of fruit instead of cereal.
AVOID: Plan ahead, and check food stocks the evening before.
2. The "elevenses" moment
A colleague brings round a tray of homemade cupcakes. You think something sweet would go well with your mid-morning coffee.
Do you:
- a) Take one - after all, you don't want to be rude.
- b) Glare. Tell your colleague that you know they're trying to sabotage your diet
- c) Say that you don't want to spoil your lunch, but you'll have one later.
AVOID: Keep healthy but tasty snacks to hand, so that you don't feel you're missing out.
3. The "hand in the cookie jar" moment
You had a healthy lunch, but it's 4pm and you're hungry again. You find yourself reaching for the nearest sugar fix - the office cookie jar.
Do you:
- a) Take the largest cookie - you need the energy boost.
- b) Smack your hand away from the jar and ignore your stomach's gurgles.
- c) Have a healthy snack (perhaps a handful of nuts, or popcorn).
AVOID: Make sure you eat enough at lunch time. Fiber and protein are both good for keeping you full for longer.
4. The "slump on the sofa" moment
There's a circuit training class you were thinking of going to, but you're exhausted the lure of the sofa is much, much stronger.Do you:
- a) Settle down in front of the television with a tub of ice-cream.
- b) Force yourself out to the class, feeling moody by the time you get there.
- c) Go for a gentle half-hour walk.
AVOID: Head straight to the gym from work - it's much harder to motivate yourself to go out after you're home.
5. The "I need chocolate" moment
Someone in your house has opened a giant tin of chocolates and left them in the kitchen, telling you to "Help yourself".
Do you:
- a) Gobble a handful of them; after all, you want your fair share...
- b) Insist that the owner of the chocolates takes them out of the kitchen right now or you'll throw the lot in the trash.
- c) Have one of your favorites, savor it, then brush your teeth to remove the temptation to eat more.
AVOID: Ask for support. Explain to your family that you'd appreciate them not tempting you while you're dieting.
When are you most tempted to give up? Do you have any tips for coping with these tricky moments, or for stopping them before they even come about?
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Great post, and great practical solutions!
I have another one for the "no milk in the house" dilemma - UHT milk. We always have a carton of UHT (Ultra Heat Treated) milk in the pantry (or if there's room, in the fridge.) It's not really as nice as fresh milk but it does the job. If you've just poured cereal in your bowl or made a cup of coffee, and discovered there's barely a splash of fresh milk left in the bottle - UHT milk saves the day.
ReplyAll the milk I buy is UHT, but even that does go bad sometimes, and I run out in spite of buying 24 cartons at a time.
I always keep yogurt in the fridge, so I can eat granola with yogurt instead of milk. Yogurt seems to last way past the expiration date, even.
ReplyUgh, I hate UHT milk. Call me spoiled, I suppose. I live in Wisconsin and we pretty much usually have very fresh milk at all the supermarkets. I never run out of milk, but I think if I did, I'd just have oatmeal instead. Or I'd eat the cereal dry and grab a yogurt or something.
ReplyI hate oatmeal without milk... but I can do dry granola with extra nuts and raisins, as a trail mix kind of thing.
The markets here don't sell fresh milk. You can get it if you order it to be delivered in your home, but it is too expensive - they'll charge me $8 for each bottle of milk. I pay $2 for the UHT.
ReplyI keep food on me. I have to eat every few hours or it gets ugly. (I have fasting hypoglycemia, not reactive hypoglycemia.) I had a few eating whats there or near blackout moments before I got it in my head I needed to keep food on me in case there's an emergency, and try to eat every few hours to avoid it.
ReplyPlus, it's good to eat small meals throughout the day instead of several big ones. Makes it seem like I'm always eating, but it helps avoid a lot of problems. (When I worked somewhere I couldn't eat at my desk back when, I'd take the federally mandated two 15 minute breaks and my lunch in even intervals and eat during all of those.
when i want to give up, i pick up a magazine with health, dieting, and beauty tips. Number one, my mind is occupied by something else less sugary and tempting; and number two, i'm looking at dozens of healthy women who clearly haven't binged as i wanted to ten minutes ago!!
ReplyI am more of a harm-reductioninst. If someone has cupcakes at work, I am SURE someone else would split one with you. I don't like feeling left out or deprived. Halve it, have it, enjoy every second of it. But I like the theme of this article about planning ahead.
ReplyGreat point, I often find that half a treat is satisfying enough! And I agree there's not usually a shortage of friends/colleagues who'll heroically offer to eat the other half...
Ali
ReplyYeah, my home is an energy sucker.
Maybe I should sell it. That would solve multiple problems.
But then, the current owner might have a problem with that.
ReplyKeep healthy but tasty snacks to hand, so that you don't feel you're missing out.
I don't know that I care much for this suggestion. A cupcake is a cupcake and a handful of low-fat granola is a handful of low-fat granola. The two don't overlap in some sort of magical land of satisfaction. Eating something else won't keep you from feeling like you're missing out on a cupcake because you are missing out on it when you choose to have something else. Learning not to care about "missing out" is more important...
But I think, if I wanted something sweet, I'd just eat the cupcake or split on with someone. After all, it's not a huge slice of cake or a giant sundae. One cupcake isn't going to pack on the poundage!
ReplyMy answer to the cupcake question would depend on how often this situation happens. Does this co-worker bring in cupcakes once a week? Once a month? Once in a blue moon? An occasional cupcake isn't going to hurt anything, but if platters of cupcakes are appearing in the break room every day, then we've got a problem...
(My personal tipping point is once a month, more than that and it's time to start avoiding the cupcake-pusher :p )
ReplyChicken Girl - I couldn't agree with you more! I'm always having to say "NO" to treats at work. They come 2 to 4 times a week. Usually I try to avoid the break-room. I'd hate to see what I would look like if I ate all of the snacks - even in halves. :-)
As far as the "The "hand in the cookie jar" moment" Why not avoid being so famished by having a high protein snack after lunch? I usually try to have a protein shake or smoothie (about 150 calories) as a snack. This keeps me going till dinner.
ReplyI really never get tempted when people bring in treats at work. Not sure why, really...most of the time, they aren't all that great-looking. Sorry, but just because you made some crappy box-mix cupcakes for your kid's birthday and brought the leftovers to work doesn't mean I'm eating them. I always keep fruit, yogurts, nuts, and cut up veggies at work to eat as snacks so I don't get tempted. Plus, I chew sugarless gum between meals, which seems to help the cravings.
I think my biggest diet problem is when I wake up late on weekends and just do not feel like working out. I have to force myself to put my shoes and gear on and I tell myself that I'll do 20 minutes. Once I've done 20 minutes, I'm usually more energized and I do more.
ReplyI'm with Spectra. Box-mix or grocery-store cupcakes aren't a temptation for me. I'm not worried about offending by not having one -- they didn't put any work into them anyway.
But tell me you baked that cake from your grandmother's secret recipe, and I'm a goner.
I only eat sweets that baked from scratch by a friend or at an excellent bakery. I wish this would help me lose weight, but most of my friends are excellent bakers and we have a few very excellent bakeries around here. I've got to figure out a better ploy.
ReplyBecome paranoid about trans fats. That works for me. I assume they all have margarine and are bad for me. I stop by a bakery on my way to school to get fresh whole wheat bread every evening, look at gorgeous cupcakes, remind myself they have trans fats and buy a pack of whole wheat-sesame sticks (made with oil, not shortening) instead.
ReplySome of these substitutions are crazy, I saw one thing the other day that said avoid baked beans (because of sugar), instead eating a can of kidney beans with a little vinegar. I don't think so. I like baked beans, really enjoy sugar (in stir-fries, beans not pastries), would NOT like plain kidneys. Yuck. If it doesn't have enough fat and sugar, i won't eat it, and will eat grilled cheese, or something worse. I'm a huge fan of moderation
ReplyI would say cutting back will help but fading out unhealthy snacks and replacing them with healthy choices is the best way of achieving our goals.
ReplyThe real remedy is hit the gym and do compounds.
ReplyI don't think that would fly in most workplaces, though.
"Oh, you brought cupcakes? Excuse me while I go the gym for 1h to do some compound exercises. kthnxbi!"
Yeah.
ReplyOf course it would. Compounds are the best thing one can do. 24x7.
ReplyOne cupcake will make you obese, after the first bite. No just holding it up to your mouth.
ReplyThat is a hell of a big bite, if it can make you obese.
ReplyI really have a tough time wanting the unhealthy stuff the hungrier I get. To combat it, I try to eat more regular meals so I don't get to that "extreme" state of hunger where anything goes
ReplyI love #5 i never thought of that becuase I think a piece of chocolate is fine but just once you eat if you want more
Replyit *
ReplyI think the biggest tip that works for me is eating consistently. The hungrier I get and the lower my blood sugar gets, the more I crave foods that are unhealthy for me and the susceptible I am in eating them.
Reply