So it had been another jittery, monkey-minded day. I had dosed myself earlier on with some bread and cookies and it was now evening, and I was walking my dog to the nearby convenience store where I knew I could pick up something sweet. I even pictured exactly what that sweet would be: a kind of ice cream sandwich, like a Chipwich. As I walked along the main road I could feel the chains of desire. As I realized that, I told myself a phrase I use: the best way to get rid of 500 calories is to just. Not. Eat. Them.
Boom. I felt the release, the chains dropping away. I chuckled loudly enough that my dog looked up at me curiously. All the way home a smile kept breaking out on my face. I didn’t eat anything else that evening and slept soundly.
Of course, that was one day. There are other days when habit/negative outlook will keep one panting for sweets. But I have learned that top-down mindful attention can work wonders. Journaling when one eats sweet/fat foods is also a powerful tool.