That first bite!
It’s what sets you up for wanting more.
So if you can prevent yourself from taking that very first bite, you’ll be able to escape the instant taste trigger that weakens your resolve.
But how do you do this when a tempting food is calling your name? First, work on creating a strong self-talk plan.
Make a decision that you won’t eat even one bite of the enticing food item. Then come up with a variety of phrases that you can tell yourself again and again to strengthen your resistance.
Whenever you’re about to reach for one of these foods, immediately stop yourself with a firm, stimulus-narrowing message that says, “Don’t even start!”
Repeat this phrase again and again until you feel totally in control around the food. You can come up with a variety of self-talk phrases that work to protect yourself around food temptations.
In addition to the powerful phrase, “Don’t even start,” consider using:
- Don’t even go there!
- Stay on top of your plan.
- Hold your goals up high.
- Live above the crowd.
Play with your self-talk phrases until you find the ones that are most effective for you. Every time you are determined to avoid a food entirely, use your own firm self-talk words as a way to instantly stop yourself from eating.
Today’s assignment (My answers are in blue)
1. Look for a situation in which you might be tempted to eat a snack or dessert, then intentionally don’t eat any. Describe the situation and your actions.
I use this idea for things like bread or taco chips at restaurants as well as the snacks at my book club meetings.
2. Repeat a strong phrase such as “don’t even start” several times inside your head. Keep using this message to protect yourself from the first bite. Write your phrase in the space below.
No! I simply won’t even start!
3. Walk away from the food and then congratulate yourself on a new level of success with managing temptation. Make some notes on how this went.
When I went to a party recently, I used the “don’t even start” phrase to stay away from the dessert table. Then I set a goal of connecting with at least six people. It worked great, and I came away with new friends instead of feeling stuffed from overeating.
Excerpted from Day 66 in the book 100 Days of Weight Loss