• Strategy #1: Use the statement ‘I don’t’ as opposed to ‘I can’t.’ A recent study revealed that it is more psychologically empowering to believe and state that YOU DONT do something as opposed to believing and stating that YOU CANT do said thing/consume said meal
  • Strategy #2: It’s the weekend and you have resolved to eat better. Start in the kitchen. Do a kitchen cleanse and get rid of everything that is packaged.Give it away if you feel bad trashing it. Goodbye biscuits, chips, khakras, rusk, candy bars and everything in between. Hello fruits, nuts and homemade goodies for your next hunger pang!
  • Strategy #3: Along similar lines, cultivate a cheat culture of eating outside as opposed to at home. Want a baked goodie or a fried snack, so go out, have one, enjoy it and call it a day! Just don’t bring leftovers and takeouts at home to keep nibbling on through the week and subsequently guilting and obsessing over
  • Strategy #4: Be selective and picky! You really want to cheat over something as mundane as a chocolate bar? Or would you rather save your cheat for something more exquisite and worthy? Yep, that’s what we thought
  • Strategy #5: Think about actual versus perceived reality. Does said cheat meal ACTUALLY taste that good or is your mind merely PERCEIVING that it does? Isn’t the goodness of said cheat meal heightened and exaggerated in your mind versus in actuality?
  • Strategy #6: Exert control over your external environment, because you can! Meet at the park as opposed to the coffee shop
  • Strategy #7: If you know that you’re going to be out all day running errands, pack mid-meals with you. It is unrealistic to expect that you won’t get hungry. That is exactly the kind of expectation that is going to have you grab that samosa or grande caramel frapp in the evening and write it off as a cheat you couldn’t control
  • Strategy #8: Set timelines. For instance, set a 60 or 90 day timeline where you cut out one cheat that you’re most susceptible too. Pick your vice—alcohol for some, sweets for others. For instance, my next sweet consumption/alcoholic drink will be on my birthday 2 months later. This works wonderfully because you have set a goal for yourself which you identify with and would like to see through

These aren’t a bunch of complex strategies. Just some ways to get thinking about how NOT to let your weaknesses get the better of you. Follow these and your cheats will become your treats (we can’t help being corny sometimes).