Confessions of an Afternoon Sweet Tooth

Some days I'm so strong, others I am not. Today is the latter.

I sit here today with dark chocolate chips on my breath and I realize that there are so many of you reading this that "suffer" from my same habit.

It's after lunch. I know I ate enough - a good balance of protein, fruit or veggie, and a complex starch - but my taste buds think something is missing that can only be satisfied by something sweet.

These are the strategies that I usually take to avoid a handful of delicious, dark chocolate chips {and extra poundage if the habit continues}...

* Brush my teeth.

* Pop in some gum.

* Have hot tea {for some reason cold doesn't cut it for me} or sparkling water with squeeze of citrus

* Eat a pickle. 

* Get involved with the kids outside of the house after lunch {walk, painting, etc.}

* Paint your fingernails {I never paint mine but this is a great tactic to keep you from munching!}

* Exercise

* Refer to the journal {I don't keep a food journal but for those working to improve their eating habits, journaling is a proven way to improve}

* Accountability: call/text someone and tell them I'm about to give in

* Store temptations way out of sight and in hard to reach place:

     ~ tie rubber bands around them; 

     ~ bury them in the freezer or the back of the shelf; 

     ~ put them next to your bathing suit;

     ~ put them near a picture of you the way you don't want to look;

     ~ put them next to a full-length mirror.

* Eat a small amount and then throw the rest away, immediately.
* Don't buy it in the first place! {Although it's easy to turn just about anything into dessert}

* Put on something you want to fit into comfortably.

* If I just have to have it, I tell my spouse so that he holds me accountable for not having dessert that night. {Who says you can only have dessert at night?}

What's your tactic for avoiding the afternoon sweet tooth attack???