Just when I said that I wanted to cut back on carbs, I get bombarded with tempting sugary sweets less then an hour into my workday.
My Bosnian co-worker had a birthday Saturday and he gave me THREE pieces of baklava-like cake and a Pepsi.
But everywhere I go at work, I have sweet temptations.
Robin’s Eggs!
Cuties!
Hershey’s Chocolate Eggs!
Temptation. Everywhere.
I have to kick in every willpower trick that I can remember. I am a certified smoking cessation facilitator with the American Lung Association and American Cancer Society. (If you or someone you know wants to quit smoking, I can give free smoking cessation clinics thanks to Idaho’s Millennium Fund.) In my Smoking Cessation classes, one of the big things that I tell people about is willpower. It is not just tricks to stay away from that ciggy, but tips that also help you not put that bite of cake into your mouth and to keep your hand out of the candy bowl.
Distract your mouth with some gum (I chew at least 3 pieces of gum a day.) Or brush your teeth or swish with mouthwash. Minty fresh is always better then ciggy breath or after eating anything.
Distract your hands with grabbing some weights and doing some bicep curls, take up knitting, grab a stressball, type a blog post. Anything that you can do to not grab a fork, ciggy or candy in the candy bowl.
Walk or run away from the temptation. You can’t have that candy if it is in another room. Or across the city.
Put it in the trash. I am so not going to eat something if it is in the garbage, or has something gross on it. That yummy cake went into the garbage after I took the pic of it. The Pepsi went into the fridge because I am not a big pop drinker anyways.
Set rules. Although this is too easy to allow, but the only candy that I will have is if it is chocolate. And obviously that chocolate is everywhere!
Be accountable to others. I told you all that I was going to cut the carbs today and I am staying accountable to you all!
Take a break. Sometimes stress is a trigger for smoking AND eating. Take 10 deep breaths to calm down and visualize something relaxing.
Make new friends. Only one of my friends smokes, which is good because smoking is not a peer pressure temptation. But we all love fooding. I guess I need to meet some people who don’t like to eat. Or who don’t like to eat chocolate covered bacon.
Get busy. Doing anything. Clean your bathroom/litterbox (which kills MY desire to eat), deleting text messages from your cell phone, have sexy time, call someone.
Substitute. I was going to sub a chocolate protein shake today instead of snacking on the candy in the dishes above. I tried to make myself prepared to encounter something I didn’t want to have.
Drink more and less! Drinking more water will help with some cravings. Drinking more alcohol will lower inhibitions and willpower.
Do you have any tips for sticking with your goals? How to you keep your willpower? Do you or someone you know wants to or has to give up smoking?