You gotta be DETERMINED. Bottom line. You have to recognize that it is a life time change and that you are the only person that feeds yourself. Here are a few mindsets that I have come up with myself to help me get past wanting to eat certain foods.

1. Unhealthy Food Outlook: Look at the food; you've eaten it before. Do you remember how it tastes? Of course you do! Has it changed? Of course it hasn't. Is it nutritious for your body? If not, why bother eating (edit: especially an unhealthy portion) again?

2. You can have your cake and eat it too: Take a bite, put down the fork, or the bag of m&m's or whatever your weakness may be. Chew, swallow. Okay now have the flavor in your mouth and you did not go over board on your calories. So after you swallow your food, it is gone, in your tummy, and you are only left with the stale taste off your tongue. So if you put another bite in your mouth, you double it. Then triple, etc. So in essence, calorie consumption is only about how many bites you put into your mouth. So CHILL after a few. (portion control)

3. Waste is Waste: If you are satisfied and have that "I really don't want to waste the rest of this" attitude, think about it! If you consume the food, you will digest it and it will still end up turning into WASTE. Or you can throw it away in the waste basket (or pack it for later) where your body does not have a chance to soak up those calories. Deal? All in all, its waste, so make the right wasteful choice.

4. Time is of the essence: Think about the non nutritious food that you are consuming. Are you going to remember that you consumed it after you have eaten it a week from now? Probably not. What did you eat last Monday? Don't know? Well then... my point is made.

5. Be the Spunky European Car: We only have 1 body, treat it with respect, the right nutrition, and it will treat you that way back. If you give a gasoline powered car diesel, it wont run right. So be a spunky European car and your engine will purr.

6. Give smell a chance! We have 5 senses which are nearly equally strong. Sight, smell, taste, and touch all play a role in how good the food is that we consume. Instead of always receiving joy from food, enjoy the smells of nature (flowers, grass, air) or light some candles to enjoy. This is not good for everyone, but I LOVE my berry candle because it reminds me of starbursts, and my vanilla one reminds me of cake. Mentally I am satisfied. Some cannot cope with these tho, so this is not for everyone.

7. Don't feel obligated to eat: You don't HAVE to eat that birthday cake, or celebration food. SO many people are wrapped up in celebration food and feel guilty if they do not eat the birthday cake. Let this go! Stand out from the crowd by putting your foot down. Bring your own healthy variations and suggest fruits and lean meats for parties you are attending. A healthy alternative for cake and ice cream is to bring sorbet instead. In this case, food is all about socializing.

8. Newly Added - Coping with a Binge: If you feel the want to binge, or eat a late night snack because you just WANT it, remind yourself that you can have it tomorrow. Tomorrow is ALWAYS an option. Keep it in your mind that you can fit it in the next day's calories.

9. Newly Added - Calories = Your Budget: Think of your calories as a bank account. Calories are your money, so you must budget them to fit your needs. If it's not in your budget, then don't eat em. We all hate those over draft charges.

If you have anything else to add, be my guest. If it's a good suggestion, I'll add it to the list.