By Staff Writer - February, 24th 2014

When the urge to splurge hits you, don't ignore it. Tell yourself that the feeling may pass in 10 minutes. Focus on your breathing, taking in your surroundings. Are you eating out of sadness or frustration? If so, address your feelings and let your yen naturally diminish. If your stomach's still growling, have something nutritious.

Dieters more likely to give in to alcoholic temptations than to sugary snacks.

There’s more to dieting than just sheer willpower and self-control. The presence of friends, late night cravings or the temptation of alcohol can often simply be too strong to resist. Research led by Heather McKee of the University of Birmingham in the UK monitored the social and environmental factors that make people, who are following weight management programs, cheat. The study¹ is published in the Springer journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

Eighty people who were either part of a weight-loss group or were dieting on their own participated in the one-week study. They were given mobile phones on which they kept an electronic diary of all the temptations that came their way, and the situations during which they gave in to these temptations. This helped the researchers to make a complete real-time record, known as ‘ecological momentary assessment,’ of …

Self-control is a limited resource, so if you try to tackle your morning doughnut, afternoon chips and evening ice cream in one swoop, you'll be sunk. Allot willpower to one behavior at a time. When a day without doughnuts becomes the norm, move on to the next goal. Your taste buds get worn out after a few bites, so each mouthful is less delicious than the last. Employ the technique of a wine connoisseur when you sink your teeth into your culinary crush; relish every bit and stop when the flavor falters.

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