"Sticking to my diet is too hard"

[Thomas]

The text below does not belong to me and is originally posted on http://www.intense-workout.com/cravings.html
For some it may promote unhealthy relationship with food, for others is a very useful tool in achieving diet goals, so take that into perspective.
Leo used it in one of his videos and from that moment I've been going back to it every time I happen to be on the edge of breaking my eating habit or just want to boost my motivation. It does help me when I think that:

“Sticking To My Diet Is Too Hard”

SHUT UP!!!! Who the hell are you to whine to me? Shut up already!! Sure, I can completely understand if your problems with getting the results you want are from the wrong information about your workout or diet. I’ve been there before. I used to do the wrong stuff. But after I finally learned what works, I created this website to help others avoid the same problems I used to have.

I want to save you time, money and effort by giving you free honest information about how to get the results you want. But, this isn’t about your diet or workout. This isn’t about you wasting money on some useless ab workout machine or stupid weight loss product or other useless supplements and gimmicks that weren’t working for you. This is about food cravings.

Don’t whine to me. I’ve heard it before… “It’s so hard, I’m around this type of food all the time, the cravings just won’t go away, I have a sweet tooth, I just have to give in to the cravings.”

Stop it, you’re boring me.

Don’t give me your little stories. Like how you are around this type of food all the time. Do you think you are the only one, buddy? Everyone I know and am related to eats junk food all day long. This crappy food is everywhere I look. I am no different than you, except, I don’t give in.

Do I have super human powers? No. Do I not give in because my arms are bigger than yours? No. Do I not give in because I can bench press more than you? No. Do I not give in because my body fat is lower than yours? No. Do I not give in because I am physically better or physically stronger than you? No.

I don’t give in because…

I Am Mentally Stronger Than You

That’s all it is really, mental. And for you to give in and me not to give in, we can only assume that I am mentally stronger than you. How does that make you feel? I don’t know a damn thing about you, but I know that mentally, I can do something that you cannot. It sure makes me feel good though. That fact puts a smile on my face every single day. So, thanks for being so mentally weak. It will make me work that much harder during my next workout. Thanks a lot.

Sorry, did I hurt your feelings yet? I didn’t mean to, I’m just stating the truth. It’s not my fault if the truth hurts. You understand now that this is all mental, right? You understand that it’s all a matter of mental strength and will power, don’t you? Good. Here’s what you do.

Next time your little food cravings start coming out, think about this. Look at the food and think, “What do I want more… the 5 seconds of enjoyment that I will have while I chew this food, or the enjoyment of the fact that 24 hours of every day, 7 days of every week, I will have the body that I want to have.”

That is what it comes down to really, and let me tell you… no food tastes as good as that feeling feels.

And you other people, you bullshitters. The ones that give me that speech about how “every food is okay if eaten in moderation.” And how “no one should deny themselves anything.” These are the same people who probably believe in having “cheat days.” Cheat days are the 1 day of the week where some people allow themselves to cheat a little from their diet and give into their food cravings, in moderation of course, kind of like a reward for the good work they did all week.

You know what… BULLSHIT! The hell with you and your cheat days. Your reward for sticking to your diet all week is 1 day of cheating? What kind of crap is this? Your reward for sticking to your diet all week is RESULTS! Remember them? They’re the reason that you are on this diet and working out in the first place. To get results!!! Not to have a cheat day at the end of the week.

Every food is okay as long as it’s eaten in moderation. One candy bar won’t hurt. One cookie won’t hurt. One piece of junk food won’t hurt. Maybe, but only if you CAN stop at one. If you can’t, then it WILL definitely hurt.

That means that the cheat days and the idea of “giving into your food cravings in moderation” that supposedly helps us stick to our diets actually does the opposite for many of us. It makes people feel guilty. It makes people crave that food even more. It keeps the cravings alive and strong.

Well, guess what? You are giving into your cravings for 5 seconds of chewing enjoyment, and nothing more. Stop giving in to those cravings and the cravings will go away. Simple as that.

What are you thinking now? Who am I? Like I never cheat or give into my cravings a little? This isn’t about me, this is about you. And you appear to be someone who is unable to give in to sugar and junk food cravings in moderation and should therefore avoid it completely. The thought of eating some type of junk food needs to be removed from your mind in order for you to stick to your diet.

You are the type of person who needs to realize that you don’t need or benefit from those 5 seconds. You need to become stronger than that.

Eat For Purpose, Not Pleasure

Call it will power, or call it mental strength. Your goal is to get results. Your road to getting those results doesn’t have to have 5 seconds of chewing pleasure. You need to eat for purpose, not pleasure. Food is not a hobby. Food is something your body needs to survive, and in the case of working out and getting results, food is something your body needs so that you can get those results. Food is nothing more than that.

So, give your body only what it needs to make these results happen. Does your body need the 5 seconds it takes for you to chew a piece of chocolate? No. Does your mind need it? It shouldn’t. It should be stronger than that because the feeling of not needing it feels much better than any piece of chocolate would ever taste.

Like I said, you need to eat for purpose, not pleasure. That statement sums up the solution to the problem many people have with “cheat days” and “food cravings” and “everything is okay if it’s eaten in moderation.” If you can make that type of mindset work, go for it. But if you can’t… then it will always be the downfall of your diet.

So don’t whine to me about how hard it is for you. Do you think I will feel bad for you? I won’t. You are not special. It is exactly as hard for you as it is for me and EVERYONE else. What’s the difference? I have what it takes mentally. You know what else? You have it too. You just need to learn to use it. And, hopefully… this article has helped bring it out.

[Nick]

Uhm.. this was from one of Leo's videos of how he lost weight..