What are some tips for avoiding temptation when trying to lose weight?
Yet you can’t live in a cave, and no amount of careful planning will save you from temptation. If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, lose weight for the summer, or cut yourself up for a show or photo shoot, then you know how difficult dieting can be. In a way, that doesn’t make me any different from the guy who cornered you at a party to tell you how keto is different from any other diet, and it’s really the only way to lose weight. This is the fourth part of my three-part series on obesity, as it felt wrong after the first three to have an obesity series without actually talking about weight loss.
And when you read about how weight is related to carbohydrate metabolism, your microbiome, or your insulin resistance, it’s hard to believe that the answer is as simple as getting the food out of the room. If I had to fight a house full of ice cream, fries, and baked goods every day, I would undoubtedly lose. Learning to deal with these temptations will make your dieting experience a lot easier and more positive. Instead, remind yourself why you want to lose weight—to be healthier, have more energy, look good in a bathing suit—and tell yourself that you can.
Some creative solutions and family compromises may be needed to make your home a temptation-free zone, but it’s worth doing so because it’s the part of your food environment that you have the most control over. However, a recipe for what you should eat doesn’t really help if you’re tempted by the temptation of what not to eat every time you turn around. After two decades of writing about nutrition and fighting my own weight all my life, the best suggestion I have is to clean your house of every single food that calls you. A simple exchange of words can have a huge impact on your decisions and therefore on how successfully you achieve your weight-loss goals.
More importantly, learn how to resist temptations that impact your longer-term goals of living a healthier life. Yes, dieting requires a lot of commitment, desire, and preparation, but it also requires a lot of willpower to resist temptation. Another way not to spoil myself is to avoid situations where these snacks could be readily available.
