What do you tell yourself (that works) to make yourself resist the temptation to overeat? "Self-talk"

And conversely, what do you tell yourself to permit yourself to screw up?  What phrases are passing through your head?  I think in cognative therapy, they examine the phrases in your head and evaluate the truth and helpfulness of those phrases.  For instance, before I overeat, or continue eating beyond a sensible portion, I will tell myself things like "you aren't really that fat," or "you will be hungry later if you don't eat as much as you want" or "it doesn't matter if you're fat".  If these statements were examined, one would conclude that they are false or unhelpful.

 Also, when I am successful at resisting temptation, it seems to be because I come up with powerful motivational phrases in my head - they seem to trigger caring about myself or my diet.  For example, I was at a birthday party and there was cake.  I almost began to eat it, but then my friend told me, "You have plenty of chances to eat free cake.  You can eat some next time.  You can even buy it - what'd it cost?  4 dollars a slice?  Why eat it now?  Do you really need to have it this time?" and it worked.  In subsequent situations, I've told myself the same thing, and it worked again.

 When you find powerful phrases to tell yourself, they seem to work for awhile, then their profundity wears off, I guess, and they stop working.  I need some new ones.  What have you got? 

"Skoal"

This is a little weird, but... 

When there is something I really don't want to eat that I find tempting (like cake) I convince myself that it is something disgusting.  I think about the cake in terms of disgusting ingredients -- for instance I think of a huge spoonful of shortening (like Crisco) or solid butter or globs of wet flour.  It really works for me.  Suddenly that appealing cake is no longer appealing; in fact it is kind of disgusting.   

Ever thought about mayonnaise in terms of raw eggs?  See what I mean? 

  

Try this thread. It's about exactly that kind of self-talk. :-)

And personally, the self-talk I have goes "You may have ONE cookie, but only if you really want it. If not, it's not worth the calories. How many calories are in a gingersnap anyway?"

I usually get over temptation by allowing myself to eat just one of something, or a reasonable, small portion. After that, as I pass the cookie table again, I say to myself "You don't need that. It's not worth it."

I say.... there is no way you are going to ruin this now when you've come so far....

and then if the calories fit i will have one cookie and stop there because ive worked so hard to ruin it now

This is about me and only me..... Only I will be the one in control to succeed or fail...

i really do beat myself up and if that doesnt work I grab a glass and drink water..until i am so full I have to pee plus the fact that i already drink a gallon of water a day.

LOL at bigblueworkinghorse...Tanqueray on the rocks, please.

I ask myself two questions...

Is it worth it?

Do I really want it?

If answer to both is yes, I have a very small portion. If the answer to one or both is no, I pass. Works a charm if you learn to just say NO to yourself sometimes.

I read something once that really has helped me on this.  It works EVERY time, for me --- I just have to be conscious of it.

The main reason people give in to vices (eating, smoking, or whatever) is that they believe they are giving up more than they are gaining.  If you put yourself in the mind-set that what you are giving up (cake) is nothing compared to what you're gaining (health), it's easier to fight the urge.

Works for me anyway ....... just think to yourself ---- "By giving this up, I'm gaining so much more."

haha big blue, kodiak is better, lol im adding you to my friends

..

"I'm going to have to log this...."  *g*  That's really effective for me.

I also think about my bloodwork numbers.  Would I rather be overweight, sick and soon dead, or thinner, healthier and alive?  In other words, cake, or death?  *g*

That's a good one!

logging also helps keep me faithful. if i log something and it sent me way over my target for the day, i feel bad about it and i am sure not to repeat the same thing anytime soon. if i can fit it into my calories, i feel proud of myself for being able to enjoy myself and not lose control. so it reinforces those good habits, i think.

I think about oral sex then go do it. It satisfies my oral fixation the need to put something in my mouth=)

WOW! Maybe angiethe1_2005 has the right idea. Unfortunately my husband is deployed right now so that isn't an option.

I've noticed that if I'm watching TV and food commercials come on I start thinking about food and head to the kitchen. TIVO works great because you can fast forward through those temptations. It's worth it to me to pay the $5 a month for the service when I know that it's reducing the urge to cheat. So, it isn't really a phrase that helps, but it's a way to not think about eating. 

haha, angiethe1_2005 - that is one amazing answer.

I think;
"Ok, so at this end of this what do I want. I want to be able to wear skirts and shorts without feeling self conscious, I want to have confidence to walk into a club and dance without looking stupid, and I want be even better in bed. If I binge, none of those will happen. ...ok so I won't binge."

When I'm talking myself into eating something 'naughty' it's only when I haven't eaten my GDA for that day and need to get the count up or when I've exercised heavily and feel like a treat xD

I am a bit of a food nut, and frankly, I just can't give it all up, so I work out a lot.  But there are a few thinking modes that I use:

First and foremost - if I eat it I'm going to pay for it, so is it worth the cost?  This comes down to how much time I want to spend at the gym, or if I want to eat something else later on.  I've kind of learned to find a balance, by eating things that aren't too too bad (ie healthier versions of things, or a very small portion of something), and incorporating that into my caloric balance.  If I eat too much or something, or something that is really bad (ie cheesecake), I will spend more time at the gym.  End of story.

When it comes to over eating, I really focus on how gross I will feel after the fact.  And again, how much time at the gym it'll cost me.

 Over time though, I've started to find that some things just don't appeal to me anymore.  Like a lot of refined sugar things.  I'd rather eat something that won't make me crash an hour later.  Unfortunately I still love cheese.

 

I love cheese too. 

I've been on track since I joined CC, I guess.  I've been here a week and lost three pounds.  I'm down to 175 from 178, at 5'7. 

 I think logging my calories is the single strongest motivating factor I have right now.  Also, reminding myself that I can eat whatever it is tomorrow.  When I really binge, though, the trouble is that for a few minutes I stop caring about my goals and thoughts about how I'll look great or feel great if I stick to my diet don't help me becuase, for the 10 or 20 minutes it takes to do the damage, I just don't care.

 Thanks for all the responses, guys.  Have you ever lost weight because you had a crush on somebody?  The only significant weight losses in my life have been due to huge crushes, which is pathetic, I know, but that's how it's happened.  Maybe this will be the exception.

I try to remind myself the pleasure of eating the food only lasts a few minutes. The pleasure of seeing the scales drop and the hearing the compliments lasts much longer.

I was in the petrol station last week and was tempted by the krispie creme doughnut stand but then i watched the boy in front of me pick up a mars bar and scoff it right there in the queue before he'd reached the counter. That was 300+ calories in 20 seconds, and im sure he didnt enjoy it that much. It clearly wasnt a problem for him he was a teenage boy with armfuls of junk. But the point is if i ate the doughnut i would have pleasure for less than 1 minute, surely thats not worth it.

Alternatively i try to decide if it a momentary laspe or a proper craving. If you see the food you want it, but walk away tell yourself that if in 1 hour you still want it you can have it. More than likely in 1 hour it will be out of your head. Give yourself a set time or activite to achieve before you indulgue, eg 50 sit ups if you still want it then ok, or eat a piece of fruit and then decide is you still need it. seems more often than not you get over the craving quickly.

Sometimes there's just nothing that's going to get rid of a craving. But if I'm rational enough to think about it at the time, then I try to go through one or hopefully all of these steps:

 

1) I ask myself DO I WANT IT because I want it, or am I procrastinating something else or feeling anxious?

2) I browse the CC forums for motivation.

3) I browse the CC forums and the internet in order to DELAY the craving, in order to see if I really still want it in half an hour (if I'm lucky, I will forget about it all together).

4) I look at myself in the mirror, clothed/unclothed. Whether or not this stops the craving doesn't matter-- I'm not at my goal, but I've come to a point where I am happy and comfortable with my body. And this usually improves my mood overall because examining my progress I can say "Yes, I can have that treat" and there is a 50% chance I won't want it anymore once it is allowed.

If I end up eating the evil food anyway, then I just tell myself that it isn't a big deal. I can do better next meal!

edit; Also, I don't even know if it counts as 'mental reasoning', but the delay tactic on #3 is one that really works for me. Sometimes the internet isn't enough, though. I sort of hate to say it, but: masturbation.

I only allow myself to give in to a craving if I am 100% sure that I can stick to a very small portion and not take a second helping.  I ask myself:

Is it worth it?  Do I need it?  Am I even hungry or is this boredom or emotional eating?

I try to always remind myself:

Look how far you have come!  Look how long you have been able to stick to this diet!  You've been doing it for two months straight!  You have overcome cravings before and you can do it again!