Temptation...

So, the diet's been going for a good while now, 6 months in fact. I've seen nice steady progress up until the last few weeks and the "plateau of motivational destruction." During that time, we've had lots of cakes, cup cakes, homemade ice cream, cookies, and other extra foods all in the house. And they're good too, my wife's an excellent baker...which tends to be a problem. So, how do I deal with the temptation of all these?

Tip

If you've used food as a reward, find a new reward.

Part of the dieting process is psychological, learning enough about your thought processes to find why you're not at the weight you want to be. For me, it was that I would use food as a reward. For example, we'd celebrate virtually every significant accomplishment with a "nice dinner." So now I've had to replace that reward with a fun activity like watching a movie or playing a game. Now that I've got the reward part, it's time to apply it.

Oh those tempting cupcakes, how good would one be right now? Quite! But, as mentioned, is it worth 12 minutes on the elliptical for something I'd eat just to eat? Nope. Sometimes that's not enough though. Rewarding myself for good behavior had to become my staple. "Great job, me! Here, watch this movie you like!" Yes, this is exactly like training a dog. Who ever said that it could only apply to dogs? I'm trying to correct my own behavior, so why not reward myself when I do the good thing? Makes sense to me.

Needless to say, .

Kidding. With the recent influx of tasty treats in the house, I've gotten some good game and movie time in. Of course, I've slipped up too, which could explain my recent plateau. I realize that I've given no direct advice on reducing temptations, because I honestly don't know how to reduce them. However, I do have one piece of summary advice:

Temptations will always be around, so reward yourself when you don't succumb to them.