What’s the food that breaks your diet every time? For me, it’s a perfectly crafted chocolate truffle. Whatever it is, you have it, and no matter how healthy you eat, you still crave and crave and crave.
There’s great news for you: It may be best just to go for it.
“Maybe” is the key term here. So how do you know when it’s best to indulge and when it’s best to refrain?
The simplest thing to do, according to Michelle May of the “Am I Hungry?” program, is to ask yourself: Do I really, really, really want it?
You’d be surprised at how well asking yourself this question can help you figure out whether or not it’s a passing thought or an occasion worth indulging in.
So let’s say someone in my office brings in a tray of truffles. They’re okay, they’re pretty good. I can look at them, and ask myself, do I really, really, really want these? The answer is no. I'm not hungry for those in particular, and I really just want them because they're right there. ##MN_RESP##
But let’s say it’s been a stressful day. There are a million things going on at once. I’ve still managed to eat well during the day, but I’ve been thinking about a chocolate truffle from my favorite chocolate shop ALL. DAY. It’s gotten to the point that even with all the stuff on my plate, it’s all I’m thinking about. I have a box of them at home, and I only dip in when I really, really, really want them. Is it better to just give in now and eat one, or to wait until later, when I’m so desperate for my absolute favorite food that I eat the rest of the box?
There’s an obvious answer.
The trick here is to not let your favorite unhealthy food become off limits for you. By putting it up on a pedestal where you can never ever have it, ever, you’re just giving that food the power to make you feel awful for wanting it. But if you allow yourself to have it, and control when you have it, you have the power, not your food. You, and your weight loss, will be better off that way.
