How to stick to your healthy eating plan

If you are dieting or trying to lead a healthy lifestyle, temptation is your greatest enemy. Going on a diet means agonizing over everything you put in your mouth. Peer pressure to eat at fast food restaurants or pizzerias makes it even more difficult. This can be very frustrating for a dieter. However, do not despair. You can overcome these obstacles and learn to avoid being led into temptation by others.

A problem area can be your work. If someone orders lunch for everyone, it is almost always unhealthy food. In meetings or seminars there are the inevitable donuts, sodas and cookies. Try to decline unhealthy food politely and let your ordering person know ahead of time that you would like something healthier. If a lot of food is provided, you can take your own portion, divide it in half, and save it for lunch tomorrow. Learning to stick to your healthy eating plan means you have to be resourceful.

Social gatherings are also a great source of peer pressure, especially if alcohol is served. Party food is usually fattening, fried, or loaded with sugar. For the dieter, the situation is almost intolerable. For one thing, you don’t want to offend the host or hostess. You also don’t want to appear unsociable. Now may be the time for a little white lie. You could say that you have just returned from dinner with a client or that you are not feeling well and have an upset stomach. Eat before going to such a social gathering. This will make it much easier for you to resist the temptation. If you satisfy yourself with healthy food before attending these gatherings, you have made sure that your caloric intake has been healthy and it will make it much easier for you to resist all the tempting foods.

Dieting is never easy. Temptation is all around you.