Combating Food Temptations

For a foodie who recently went off a diet temptations to “mis-eat” can lurk around every corner, while grocery shopping, and even while driving down the road (as in, “I have a few dollars in my wallet, maybe I should stop and get a cinnamon raisin bagel.”) The desire to keep the weight I lost from creeping back on has forced me to create some guidelines for myself and my enormous sweet tooth.

1. Make appointments with special treats
Hot chocolate is one of my favorite things in the whole world. I drink it all year round (even in the 100-degree South Carolina heat), but it is not calorie-free and packs quite a bit of sugar so I obviously don’t want to drink it every day. To moderate, I allow myself two mugs of the hot, sweet stuff each week, no more. I schedule my hot chocolate appointments for the same nights every week, that way I always have them to look forward to and am less likely to spontaneously reach for my soy milk, cocoa powder, and sugar.

2. Allow yourself one day a week to eat what you want WITH one condition.
Sundays are my day to eat what I like, waffles for breakfast, an extra snack after lunch, whatever, PROVIDED that I do at least thirty minutes of planned exercise at least three times during the previous week. This means a yoga or pilates DVD, jogging, cardio, whatever fits my schedule or mood, but it has to be a concentrated workout not just getting out of my chair more frequently during the day.

3. Keep junk food out of the house.
This may sound like a no-brainer but anyone who loves to eat understands that this is not always easy. Simple yes, easy not necessarily. Rarely does an afternoon go by that I don’t need at least a little something to get me through until dinner. By keeping my fridge, freezer, and pantry stocked with healthy options such as fruit or “healthier” versions of some junk foods helps. I love Bethenny Frankel’s Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (see "Recipes" page). They are low-fat, vegan, and easily made with whole grain flour. At roughly 165 calories each (and they aren’t tiny cookies) I can have one as a mid-afternoon treat or a reasonable dessert without any guilt. Keeping homemade, whole-grain, low-fat sweets in the freezer makes it less likely that I’ll be tempted to pick up a package or Oreos the next time I’m at Walmart.

4. Allow yourself one major dessert a month.
Knowing that I don’t have to give up decadent desserts entirely makes it easier to stay on course to maintain my new weight. And if I can make it one of those aforementioned “healthier” versions all the better. For me this usually takes the form of vegan ice “cream,” which I can even get sweetened with fruit (fruit juices carry a lower glycemic index ranking than cane sugar or corn syrup).

5. Seek ways to treat yourself that don’t involve food.
Admittedly this is something I’m still working on. Take stock of the non-food things and activities you really enjoy. Is it curling up with a good book for an hour in the middle of a busy afternoon, poking around a bookstore with a cup of coffee (Hey! It’s only a few calories black!), windowing shopping with girlfriends, taking a day trip to a state park? Try using these non-food rewards the next time you hit a weight-loss milestone or finish a big project at work.

Even working within these guidelines requires some self-discipline and I wish I could say that I always follow them all the time. I don’t, but having a road map makes it easier to detect when you have gotten off course than when driving map-free. It also helps to be honest with yourself about what your personal food demons are. Clearly my downfall comes in the form of sweets. For someone else it might be salty snacks or fast or fried food. Whatever food temptation trips you up, determine to combat it and win.

Question: What eating rules have you created to combat your own food temptations?