I mentioned last week that I seem to have a new voice in my head. When I'm staring at an off plan food that I absolutely don't need to be putting in my mouth, the voice simply says, "You need to make a better choice today." Thats it, and I repeat, "I need to make a better choice." I make that better choice, then move on.

Last night, it was a piece of cheesecake pulled out of the freezer for DH. Yum, looks good, I've been OP for almost a year, it's ok *interrupt* *it's my little voice*

If I want to keep losing, I need to continue to keep making better choices.

BTW-My better choice was 1 triscuit with a tsp of RF cream cheese w/ chives

What strategies do you employ when you're about to take that first bite?

I'm really glad I didn't eat the cheesecake. I wasn't a big sneak eater in my past, but I felt a powerful message last night that when I cheat the only one I'm cheating is myself. A cheat that no one else sees doesn't go unnoticed anymore-I notice.

Thanks for sharing this and congrats on your choice. I think I will need to come up with some good strategies for the future when my motivation starts to wan.

Right now I am motivated by the public accountability I have built for myself. One example... in the Spring Challenge I am going for no cheats. I would much rather post my success on this board than eat whatever tempts me! Very powerful for me right now. As is blogging.

Also, I know that I can easily be derailed by just a taste of something off plan. So I try to focus on how much more I want to be successful than I want that bite of whatever.

I have always loved the saying that nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. And also... a moment on the lips, eternity on the hips.

I am in my 7th week back on plan (I think) and so far so good. But I know that my tough challenge will really come in PH3 when we are allowed to have those off plan foods. I am interested to hear the strategies of the other chicks (and Mike) so that I can draw from them in the future. I do not want to regain as I have done in the past.

I wish I could partake in this but, well I am not there. YET. I have been very good at planned "cheats" where it's one thing of the bad, then filled by the good. So if I want a slice of pizza in 2 weeks when we're in NY, I am going to have ONE SLICE with a salad. Not three slices.

I hope there will come a day when I don't want the bad but so far, not there.

YET.

Though resisting *is* getting easier...

We are going to be in NYC in March... and we have the same idea... I mean.. NY Pizza... I think this will work for us since we've figured out what a lot of our triggers are.

KicknKnit - yeah -- NYC is home to me and NYC pizza is one of those comforts. We are going to be walking a LOT when we go and I am taking snacks with me so I am OP. Now I just need to look at a menu for when we go to dinner for DW's birthday night (we're going to see Mamma Mia WITH HER MOTHER, oye vey)...

Karen-I think the public accountability really helps, too. For a long time, I really used "willpower" to stay OP. Now, it's seeming easier to justify something off my plan. In my Yoga class we talk about "shifts". I feel like this is a "shift" for me towards personal accountability...and I really want to keep the motivation pointing me in the direction of my goals.

Jenn-I seem to do pretty well with planned "cheats". Even this last weekend when I was unsure of my food plan, I knew I was jumping right back on as soon as I got home-until I was staring at the wonderful cheesecake. I do still want the bad stuff. YET is a good word-it seems to be a part of the shift.

And, yeah, one piece of pizza is better than 3.

I always like to have a future event in mind that I want to "look good" for; going out with friends, family get-together, to keep me OP. I know if I eat that one thing off plan, it will lead to another and another, and soon I will have gained. Pants will be tight, etc. I've been maintaining for almost two years now and this is the strategy I use every day to stay OP. I weigh in at WW (Lifetime member) once a month to keep myself in check too. It's so easy to lose sight of your goal when some luscious food is staring you in the face. I try to remember how awful physically and mentally I feel when I cheat. I have a Dr. appt. next week, so that is one reason I'm staying OP this week. That just works for me, to have small goal set up for myself every week, so overwhelming urges don't take over.

Yesterday I came home from work and was starving. I knew my husband wasn't going to be home for supper for hours. I kept thinking about eating crackers, chips, anything crunchy. I opened a can of beans and ate them warmed up with a can of Rotel mixed in, I ate the whole can. It was lovely and filling & I felt so much better afterwards. I love eating SB. It really works for me.

I'm 41 and in this life I've rarely been hungry. I mean stomach growling, eat my shoe hungry. I'm good to eat because of boredom. I've started asking myself, "Am I hungry or just bored" before I shove something in my mouth. Most of the time, the answer is bored.

I do like Anne does. I think of future events. I also visualize the "bad" for me food being placed on my hips or butts. I now call french fries---fat thighs.
When I look at doughnuts or cake I think that is larden laden and it doesn't sound very appetizing(I think cottage used that phrase in the daily the other day).

I have not cheated since starting this woe 5 1/2 weeks ago, but I have thought about it many times. I say to myself why would I want to cheat? Do I want to lose this weight or do I always want to be fat? If I want to feel good in a swimsuit I have to eat right.

I guess my way of staying on plan is to play tricks on my mind and to think before I eat.

Tammie

Today I was tempted by all kinds of goodies at work.. but I really really thought about it before I decided to walk away.. what works for me is to "experience" the food... I think back to what the food *really* tasted like.. example: cream cheese topped brownies from Walmart.. I remembered that I really disliked the feel of that fake greasy cream cheese frosting.. and that all the sugar makes my teeth ache.. and that the brownie was not going to be rich and gooey but instead sort of dry and bleh.. I liked the "idea" of eating one, but when I really thought about it, I wasn't going to enjoy it..

I figured if I was going to go off plan for a brownie, it was going to be a gosh darn good one and not that lousy one.

This is a great thread. I'm going to change the voice in my head that says, "I need to eat that.....(insert whatever bad food here, it rarely matters what it is)" to a voice that says "I need to make a better choice".

Tammie - You also make some really good points. I need to think more before i randomly put bad food in my mouth. I am trying to fit in a bikini. I need to remind myself that. So mind games, if it works, here I come.