Probably one of the most difficult things to do in life is to resist temptation. If you tell somebody not to read a particular book, in all likelihood, he’ll be thumbing through the pages before you can even stop him. The human mind seems to be wired in such a way that it will direct the body to do what it’s been told not to. Hard as it is to do though, we must learn the skill of resisting temptation and all the pleasure it brings if we want to achieve bigger goals in life.
When it comes to diet and losing weight, the same principle applies. Dr. Ian K. Smith, a popular diet expert, says in his book “The 4 Day Diet” that “Losing weight is 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical”. If you want to successfully keep the pounds at bay, you must learn to muster enough willpower to say no to the lure of temptation. But how do we manage to do this? Is it at all possible?
Dr. Smith says that in order to fight any form of temptation, you must let your mind take the lead. It isn’t called the “head” for nothing, right? When you give in to temptation, your mind temporarily loses its winning streak at resisting urges. Your mind is in a constant battle with your cravings, so if you want your mind to win, you must focus and set your sights on winning.
One way to do that is to keep telling yourself that if you give in to the momentary pleasure that slice of decadent chocolate cake may give you, your abs or thighs will have to pay for it in the long run. It’s all about delaying gratification. Just think about the greater benefits you’ll gain if you hold off on those pleasures for now.
