3.
Strength in Strategy
These tactics will help you resist cravings and temptations by
putting knowledge into action.
Having talked to thousands of people—including close friends and relatives—
who struggle with food choices, I understand the tug-of-war that happens nearly
every time you eat.
On one end of the rope is your inner nutritionist, reminding you about all the
food fixes I explained in the last chapter and pulling you toward those veggies
and that delicious salsa-smothered chicken breast. On the other end, there’s a
puff-pastry doughboy with a come-hither finger, reeling you in to a land of
bakery shop temptation.
These everyday moments are where the weight and health battle is won or
lost, one decision at a time. Information isn’t always enough to steer your
nutritional choices in the right direction. Neither is motivation. Sometimes, no
matter how smart, driven, inspired, or even desperate you are, the slice of cake
wins. Sometimes, when you’re hungry or sad or out-of-your-mind mad, you will
comfort-binge on leftover linguine. Sometimes, you need reinforcements to
support your best intentions.
This is where strategy comes in.
For food fixes to work, they have to be automatic, almost mindlessly easy to
put into practice. Your goal is to get to where you’re not struggling with
decisions but instead eating right because that’s just what you do naturally.