Do you remember what it was like when you were a child and someone told you that you couldn’t do something? If you were anything like me as a kid, this made you want to do whatever that thing may have been ten times more. This is how I feel about putting certain foods off limits; the minute I tell myself I can’t have something—whether it be chocolate, cheese, or fried foods—I want that food ten times more. What if, instead of telling yourself you can’t have certain foods or second helpings, you simply put them off for a bit? Enter the power of deferring.
I recently had an interesting conversation with a friend who used to be a smoker. She explained that, when she was trying to quit, she would tell herself and her friends, “I’m not smoking right now.” She told herself that the cigarettes would be there if she truly had to have one. She hasn’t touched a cigarette in years. This same deferral tactic can be applied to food. Say you’re enjoying pizza as a special treat and you want another slice. What if you told yourself that you’re welcome to have more…as long as you wait ten minutes? You might find that this less restrictive mindset puts you back in charge of your choices and takes the power away from the food.
Losing weight and keeping it off is the ultimate in delayed gratification—you make choices now that don’t show immediate results. But if you practice just a little patience, and tell yourself that the treats you enjoy aren’t off-limits, you’ll be healthier in the long run. Who knew that putting something off could actually be a good thing?
Thank you for that strategy! I am very grateful to have things like this to remind me of my ultimate goal! Next time, I’ll wait!