I know this can be a very bad thread but after the holidays, I have very few temptations.

Our neighbors gave us some very good quality chocolates. I went and visited my husbands office and they had some good chocolates out.

I'm not tempted by either. My biggest temptation right now are prunes.

I should also say that I'm doing South Beach Diet Phase 1 right now so no grains, no fruit. I bought some prunes for my husbands lunch and I have to say I can't stop thinking about those prunes after I made his lunch. I can imagine the taste, the texture, etc. When I go to the next phase of South Beach Diet, the first day I think I want a prune.

Hee prunes I love them too! And dates!

My biggest temptation/weakness is always "surprise food." I am AWESOME on plan. Pack lunches, eat a good breakfast, have dinners all planned out, snacks at my fingertips yadda yadda - I am a well-oiled, on-plan eating MACHINE. Walk into a work meeting and be faced with finger foods? Someone puts out fudge? Work lunch and everyone gets the fried calamari appetizer?

Offplan! Almost every time. Social events are particularly hard for me.

I remind myself that I do eat on plan at least 90% of the time and these little blips do not derail me.

Pasta.... HmMm any kind of pasta i want it. I do eat it in moderation, but when im out i ALWAYS want to order pasta. And if were at a pot luck or a party and there is any kind of pasta i want to eat it.

Taking "just a handful" of some healthy cereal and eating it out of the box. And then taking another handful later in the day, etc., etc. This has been especially bad since I've been in maintenance, because I have been unable to completely stop my weight loss...it is pretty slow...about 3-4 pounds in December, but I am still creeping down. So, I justify the cereal by saying "I need the extra calories..." but I know that is not the way to figure out my maintenance level...since I need to know how many calories I REALLY need to hold my weight steady...and a "handful of cereal" is not helping me calculate my magic target number to "hold the line". It makes it worse, not better.

Self-pity, combined with readily available trigger foods.

Example: "I have to work SO HARD to maintain my weight, and NORMAL people get to eat a freaking cookie! I worked out! I EARNED THAT COOKIE!"

At which point, instead of having one cookie, I have 12 in a giant explosion of self-pity and sugar-triggers.

I've lived in a bowl of self pity for the past few months and really I couldn't knock myself out but I think I have now. It resulted in me reaching one of my highest weights in the last year. Its frustrating to lose the same 10 lbs over and over and over again and this time its even a bit more than that but at least its not having to lose the same 50 or 100 lbs over again.

probablt the hershy kisses sitting in front of me, in a big basket full of chocolate.. That atm anyways. Other wise.. i have a real weakness for sweets and fast food.. i love to bek.. brownies, cookies... cakes.. but the thing is i get this storng need to bake something.. but then what do i do with the brownie and cookies and cakes? yeah not good for me.. and im a total fast food addict.. if my fiance even mentions fast food.. or the thought that maybe i could get him to get it.. i will.. im very manipulative about it and i have to stop! Also keeping anything in the house like T.V. Dinners/frozen pizza.. we get them so the fiance has something to eat if i dont cook dinner, but if i get lazy and desperate enough, i'll eat the too.. not often though. I have been doing great the past week though.. no baked goods, and no fast food.. but thosse hershey kisses are calling me and i dont know what to do! 0.0

My biggest temptation is "more" of whatever healthy thing is in my plan. Today it was dried figs--I wanted twice as many as I should reasonably have. Later today I will want twice as much of my healthy dinner. After dinner I will want twice as much as I should have of my treat--twice as much as I even need to feel actually satisfied. The "more" thing for me is always BEFORE I have the food. I guess I need to really work on cultivating the self-talk that says, "I can have as much as I want, but to start with, I'm just going to have this amount. 'K?"

My biggest trigger is being around my boyfriend. I think it is the comfort thing. Whenever I'm with him I feel so cozy and happy and for me food goes along with that. But also he eats terribly. I'm talking entire frozen pizzas, huge bowls of pasta, tons of bagels, english muffins, burgers, fries, etc. (He is totally skinny too, not fair)

I'm a lot like Glory also. I do great when I stick to the plan I've made for myself, but if I'm at a friend's house and they have something sitting out like candy or chips, I just can't stop eating it.

Also, if I'm caught off guard when going out to eat. Sometimes my friends or family call me and want to know if I can go out to lunch with them right then. Especially if my friends call and want to meet at one of the cafeteria places on campus. Ugh, there are only a couple things I can get. So while my friends pile their plates with pizza, chicken strips, french fries, etc. I have a bowl of soy yogurt w/ granola and a small salad.

Give me the option of chocolate, sweets, and all other snacks and I can generally avoid them but not the stupid chip and salsa which is why tortilla chips are banned from my house.

I'm in BIG TIME self pity mode at the moment, and trying to bust out. Any tips?

I'd say do a lot of self affirmations. I think Meg said something like "I've come too far to be ruled by a cookie". Things like that.

You've worked too hard, you are worth more than the moment of enjoyment a cookie gives you.

It doesn't really taste that good and only lasts a second.

Or even things that can help you get through a moment in crisis. Lie to yourself, tell yourself you will allow yourself to have that item tomorrow if you really want it.

For me, its generally "I've worked too hard to go back to where I started" or something similar.

Skinny jeans, Amanda. Think. Skinny. Jeans!!

My biggest temptation has always been a fully loaded breakfast burrito from a local joint.

Do you know when the last time was that I had one?

November 1st!

I don't know if I am proud that it has been 2 months, or concerned that I am aware it has been 2 months.

Threadjack...maybe I should start a self-pity thread in maintainers...

You know what's interesting? I listed self-pity as a temptation, but I almost never DO anything about it anymore...I eat my healthy food, even though I'm really wanting the cookie. But then I resent that I can't have the cookie. So I'm still IN my skinny jeans, but BITTER that I can't have both the skinny jeans AND the cookie. Does that make sense?

I'm sure I'll snap out of it. In the meantime, all of my cardio is fueled with resentment and venom. Stupid...jumping jacks...hate them...stupid post-obese lame body...etc.

I miss the old "Yay! Go, strong body! Lift that weight! Run that mile! Who needs the cookie ANYWAY?" attitude!

Oh Amanda, I definitely know what you're feeling. I feel that way every now and then!! Most of the time, I'm really on board with my healthy eating and pleased at my appearance, my good health etc etc. Other times I am really AGGRAVATED that EVERYONE ELSE (well, it seems like) gets chocolate chip cookies and all the cheese and crakers they want and cake and scones and salted caramel hot chocolates and can eat candy bars and bagels and all the other things I do without all the time. I get a big case of the I WANNAS. I don't know what to suggest, I usually just keep plugging away, but I definitely have those feelings!