As the days grow darker, I’m feeling the increasing desire for carbs — potato chips, dark chocolate, white or brown rice. But if I want to maintain the weight loss I’ve enjoyed since summer, then I have to remain diligent and keep quality foods in the house and handy for meals and snacks.
That means understanding my inner toddler (who is tempted by everything in sight and throws a tantrum when denied) when I go grocery shopping:
- Avoid the inner aisles of a store where packaged foods are offered. That’s how Albertsons, Safeway and Smith’s Food & Drug are set up (as well as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market).
- Make a list of items you need so you won’t have to browse the store.
- Avoid browsing the aisles and shelves. Guaranteed you’ll find more items — good AND bad — to buy than you really need.
- Check the ingredients of every packaged item you do pick up including Greek yogurt or a can of beans. This is especially important if you have sensitivities to ingredients like gluten, nuts and preservatives or keeping your daily intake of sugar and sodium to a minimum.
- Go shopping after you’ve had a meal or hardy snack. If you’re hungry when you hit the store, you quadruple your chances of buying junk foods. I’m only okay with breaking this rule if I’m shopping at Whole Foods. That’s because I use their salad bar for a satisfying lunch or dinner meal. And I do this before I shop.
And if I really, really, really, REALLY want that enticing and tempting Endangered Species dark chocolate bar? I opt for one of their one-ounce Bug Bites or something like that. Something tiny for the taste but without all the calories that I’ll hate myself for indulging in.
What do you do to avoid temptation in the grocery store? Let me know below. Thanks!
