“Just do it.” I’ve said many times that those words are what will get you to your goal. Errr, but then we’re also dealing with real life, real people, real stress and real problems. According to the latest report from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 3 adults is obese. So it doesn’t appear that we often “just do it.”  Let’s get real here. Let’s talk about those moments when your temptations are at their highest, when you’re stressed or filled with anxiety and just want to scream or better yet, devour something you know you shouldn’t, just so you can get some relief.

One of my online clients provided a real-life example, and shared an inside look into one of those moments.  Here’s what she said, “I went to the store today. I picked up a chocolate bar and went to the cash register. Then I talked myself out of it and put the bar back and just bought what I came to the store for.”

The actual moment someone goes off their diet, the precise second that decision is made, is fascinating to me.  What happens in those moments? And what happens in the moments when someone overcomes that grueling temptation?

I asked her to tell me exactly what happened and what went through her mind – to step me through the process.  What did she say to herself to garner such strength? Here’s what she had to say – exactly how she talked herself through the moment:

“Before I would have said, ‘I deserve this treat, I don’t have lots of pleasures in my life so I deserve this one. I will be really on track tomorrow. This time I said, today is tomorrow, I really want to do this, this year.  I don’t deserve junk, I deserve to be healthy and eat healthy food. I deserve to be at a healthy weight. I deserve to move freely.  I am working really hard for this and really want to get some pounds off. Just put it back and you will be okay. Just put it back and feel good about doing that.’ I felt strong putting it back. That is basically what I am telling myself. Instead of talking myself in to it like I used to I am talking myself out of it and using my desire to be healthy as a base.”

Notice all the positive self talk and the constant reaffirming and repeating of the word “deserve” and the phrase “just put it back.”  Tremendous power in that. Notice also the sentence related to feeling strong about putting the candy bar back. She reiterated that in her email to me, she told me that she was proud of herself because she overcame such a strong urge. I’m tremendously proud of her too.

These temptations spring up a lot. You know that. I know that. We all know that. That’s why losing weight takes work. It gets easier as you progress, but it does take work.

Use this as a blueprint. When the difficult moments arrive, determine what specific phrases you need to say to yourself. Then keep repeating them as my client did. Keep the positive comments coming and think about how good you’ll feel when you succeed.

Tell me about a time when you’ve talked yourself out of giving into one of your urges.  If you’re having urges and giving in, tell me about how that talk sounds, and we can brainstorm some ideas for next time the urge strikes.