My friend Julia Havey, the "Master Motivator" over at eDiets.com, can help you if you’re on the verge of a splurge. Check out her "10 Ways to Ward Off a Diet-Busting Binge" article.
Clearly millions need her (and my) help, because, as Julia mentioned in the lead to her piece, for an eDiets.com survey, "38 percent confessed to breaking their diets DAILY to consume them, while another 33 percent break their diets WEEKLY to indulge in them." Yikes! That’s a lot of people dashing out for culprit carbs and fatty junk food!
I applaud Julia for some of her helpful tips. You should follow her advice to have breakfast every day, to drink ample water, and brush your teeth. And I especially like her pointer to "STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN" and to find a buddy on eDiets.com who’s also in the midst of trying to ward off a binge.
Truth be told, though, I’m not sure if I agree with Julia’s idea that you should begin writing a novel! (But that’s the book-weary, exhausted Connie talking here. As I’ve discovered, it can be one very long process to pen a book — at least a non-fiction one! I mean I began my research-intensive SUGAR SHOCK! in August 2001 — five long years ago — and it’s not being published til December 26, 2006. Maybe I would have been better off writing a novel!)
While I’m a HUGE of Julia’s — she can be very motivational, and I even interviewed her in a well-received tele-seminar as part of my Fast-Track, Kick-Sugar Countdown Program — I do NOT agree with most of her recommendations for "snacks that won’t ruin your diet."
For a sugar addict or quickie-carb junkie, it’s simply NOT a good idea for sugar-sensitive people to snack on animal crackers, low-fat crackers, Fat Free Fig Newtons, strawberries with Kool Whip, or sugar-free chewing gum. Frozen grapes and frozen banana are decent ideas, but it’s best to eat them with some protein and/or at the same time to keep your blood sugar stable. As for air-popped popcorn, while it’s not ideal, it could work as a snack, again if you have some protein and fat at the same time. (Also, I do not recommend any foods with artificial sweeteners such as she suggested, because so many dangers have been associated with these foods.)
Despite my disagreement with Julia’s snack ideas, I heartily recommend this article to help you keep from caving into your cravings.