Temptations...We All Have Them

Nancy Inglehart: Certified Zone Instructor, December 6, 2006

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It�s been a challenging day, the stressors are high, the baby�s been fussy, the dog is barking, the repair man is an hour late, you have to pick up the kids from school�..It�s time for a balanced snack�maybe some fruit and cheese, but instead you open the freezer and grab for the Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, a couple of chocolate chip cookies and a coke.

Traffic was horrible, you were 20 minutes late for work, your supervisor is counting on you to deliver that report and you just spilled your Starbucks on it and all over you! You work steadily through the morning to catch up on your to-do list and finally it�s lunch time�.You look at your lunch bag which you packed with the healthy low glycemic salmon salad�.your co-workers are going out for fast food, so you push it aside and head out to grab a burger and fries.

You�re at a social gathering and the buffet spread is full of decadent morsels. You know you shouldn�t, but you want to fit in��You take a plate and sample everything that is offered.

You�re the only one in the family who is �dieting�. This is a whole new concept for you. The kids are used to pizza and burgers. Your husband wants his usual meat and potatoes and pasta. Dessert has always been a part of the meal. It is hard to stick to your balanced meal��so you join them in a piece of pie and whipped cream.

Do any of these scenes sound familiar? How do you overcome those temptations? An occasional indulgence is something we all need now and again, but what often occurs is that what we see as occasional, turns into a more and more frequent habit, until those extra pounds start adding up and soon, your jeans are tight.

I have found some techniques that work for me to avoid these temptations:

If I find myself becoming too stressed:

If I pack a lunch and find myself slipping into the �But I�d rather eat out today� habit:

If the temptation of unfriendly foods gets too great:

When others tell me that �just this once won�t hurt�, or when I find others apologizing to me for eating all those tempting things in front of me:

When I am in this alone and other members of my family want to eat �the way we used to�:

And in general:

Yes, Balanced Nutrition is a forgiving lifestyle. You can jump right back in if you have fallen out. You realize how much better you feel when you are balanced. However, it is so easy to slip and backslide further and further until you find you have gained more than just a couple of pounds and your jeans no longer fit, unless you know how to beat those temptations at their own game.