What internal message to you give yourself when all the Christmas goodies are around and you need to kick in your self control. I need to change what I am telling myself because it is not healthy. "Just one won't hurt, I will kick it into gear tomorrow" etc., etc. is obviously the wrong message.

What does everyone tell themselves to mentally stay on track.

I keep reminding myself that every time I cheat, it's another day of being fat. Remember that old saying, "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today" ? I live by those words these days. I tell myself, you can sample here and there (and potentially set yourself up for a binge), and wake up in the middle of the night with heart burn, stomach cramps and bloat only to wake up in the morning all puffy and stiff, or you can skip it, get a good nights sleep and wake up feeling fit and trim. I LOVE the fit and trim feeling...

What I tell myself is that it is NOT the last chance I will ever have in my life to eat an X. (Christmas cookie, piece of candy, dessert item, etc. etc.) Of course I don't really know if that's true, but I assume that it is!

Therefore, if I make a better choice right now, it is just FINE. I have missed out on nothing! It will all come around again, another day.

If you're at a party where there are just no good choices to be had--no vegetable plate, no cold cuts, etc.--then at least limit what you have. Take the smallest plate you can find and arrange whatever the best choices are that you can find. E.g. one serving of corn chips (12) with salsa. Don't eat a whole chip at once--see if you can manage three bites for every chip. And drink beverages! Diet beverages, seltzer, plain water. Avoid the alcohol, or make better choices there as well. No to the eggnog, Yes to a hard liquor in a diet soda or with seltzer. Limit yourself by alternating alcohol with a nonalcoholic drink, and take it slow.

And if there is just nothing at all that you can eat or drink and feel safe, don't stay. Put in an appearance, sip on some water, say hi to people and be friendly, and then leave! Have somewhere else to go--doesn't matter.

Hope it helps...
Jay

The thing that works for me is to remind myself, as someone else said, that this is NOT the only/last time I will be offered this item. One of my highest temptations/justifications has always been "well... it's Christmas... or a birthday party... or Friday..." and so on. It doesn't take long for the justifications to mean I'm eating unhealthy foods constantly, if I let it.

There are definitely moments that are worth it. But there are a lot that aren't - I just try to stay on top of things. My proud niece's first batch of Christmas cookies are worth a taste... another pile of purchased cookies at an office party are not. I try to run through a mental list - am I hungry? If I am, what can I eat that's nutritious? If I'm not, is this item worth eating anyhow? Is it something unique, or could I have it some other time if I want to? (almost every time, the answer is "yes, I could have it some other time)

Good luck - the biggest thing to keep in mind is that you've never "blown it" - if you eat something (or several things) that aren't according to your plan, the last thing you should do is eat poorly for another week!

I rationalize myself. I think 'That sugar cookie tray doesn't really have anything amazing on it.' Or just remind myself that this is my new life. Remind myself of my progress so far...

I don't feel bad about enjoying treats, but I remind myself to choose real treats, the things that are the best, and not throw away calories on something just so-so.

I really tell myself that anything that isn't on my plan is poison, that I'm allergic to it, that I simply don't eat it. I don't have any trouble avoiding foods I don't like, and I'm working on putting "sugar cookies" into that section of my brain.

I have a bunch of different things that I put into play according to the situation that I'm in or for just what strikes at that particular time.

A few:

-I ask myself why is it more important to eat ________, then to lose/maintain my weight?
-Like was said above, I tell myself that there will always be ________ at some other time. But right now I need to focus on my weight loss/maintain. I can eat _______ at another time.
-I'll tell myself that I am looking to lose weight, so why on earth would I dream of eating ___________.
-I tell myself that my mission, my job, is to lose weight. And I always do my job well, very well, so therefore eating ______ is not an option.

I got lots more. But that's it for now. Self-talk has been vital to me and will continue to do so. It's gotten me out of many a sticky situation. I rely on it heavily.

To cut and paste what I wrote on this topic in the 100 lb club...

"It seems that fresh baked cookies, cakes, fudge, pie etc...are triggers for me. Soooooooooooo...I'm not eating any. Period.

"Just a taste." has derailed many a plan for me. A taste leads to eating the whole thing, which leads to eating ALL of them, which leads to guilt, which leads to condemnation, which leads to quitting.

Maybe next year, I'll have a better grip on triggers and can indulge."

So my inner monologue is pretty simple "NO! Don't even think about it!".

I just remind myself that I know what most of these things taste like; chances are I've eaten them (in abundance) in the past. For some reason this seems to help.

I can almost always tell myself, you already know what that tastes like, you've eaten it before, move along--nothing to see here!

This is a strategy I often take. It one that works very well for me. I find once I take the decision making process away, it's much easier. No hemming and hawing, should I?, shouldn't I. No is no and that's that. Once you open up that door just a little bit, it's very easy for the flood gates to open up.

And when the event is over - you feel absolutely thrilled with yourself. Being in control IS an unbeatable feeling.

I am a teacher, and we always have treats and things in our department office. I used to graze that table several times each day, but not anymore. I bring my own food and enjoy that, knowing that I can eat, take care of myself, and continue to LOSE!

I remind myself of how annoyed I feel when I weigh myself the next morning and see my weight UP from where it was last time! That is such a crappy feeling! Bottom line, I need to look at myself every day and say I did the best I could have done today for myself! No one else cares what I am eating-- so I have to!

Great self talk everyone. Very inspiring and some great ideas. I am really worried about this holiday season and want to get through it. I will definately refer back here often!!!

I do the same thing Jay does. I say to myself. There will always be ______ in your life again. Do you really need to eat it today. Usually it works...not so much with the plate of fudge my neighbors gave us yesterday however. I had to send that to work with my husband this morning...two slices was enough damage done.