Oh my God I want a brownie........ I need some help with this

I'm lucky that my husband only keeps apple juice in the house, so I was able to give up soda completely on May 8, 2010 without temptation everywhere. (Diet Dr Pepper was my weakness, though Mountain Dew was hella good on occasion too!) I have to say... It's totally worth it. It means not drinking my calories, which means a lot when you're restricted to 1,200 a day. When I want something other than water, I drink unsweet tea with Sweet and Low (zero calories)! Giving up soda has so many added health benefits, but the big one for me has been fewer migraines. I also experience less indigestion than I did when I ate meals with a can of soda. So it was a no brainer for me to give up. But I probably wouldn't have done it if my husband kept MD in the fridge 24/7. (p.s. Soda is formulated to INCREASE your craving for sweets. So it might be worth your while on more than one level to give them up or at least decrease your intake.)

As far as random cravings I have, I've learned the only way to do this right is to... give in to them. gasp That doesn't work if you have the same craving every day or if you can't practice moderation, but as an example, I was really craving restaurant food this weekend, specifically a burger from the best burger joint in town. Instead of denying myself the burger (even though I had lots of reasons to), I gave in to the craving. Oh my god, it was delicious. After I finished, I headed to the gym and got right back on track. Denying ourselves any kind of enjoyment while on this path just leads to disaster for most people because we start to think, "Boy, diets are NO FUN! I can't eat ANYTHING I like!" And the diet becomes the enemy instead of the tool to help us become healthier, longer-lived people.

Oh, boy! I LOOOOOVE Special K chocolate delight protein bars. Usually when I try any kind of "health bar" it tastes "okay" but not good enough for me to pass on a candy bar. But those Special K chocolate delights taste like a mix between a 3 Musketeers candy bar and a Snickers. And they're only 110 calories each. They've totally helped me keep my chocolate craving at bay by eating one for breakfast every morning.