THIS IS HOW YOU CAN STICK TO DIETING

For over two weeks now, I have been attempting to eat healthier. No idea if I've lost any weight - I don't use a scale - but I do notice that those love handles are starting to become a bit less noticeable. A bit, okay?.

I must honestly admit that I did go a little off the rails this week and - okay - sinned like a starving animal. I was out with my good friend Lauren, and we made the sensible choice to skip the cocktails and opt for a Martini with ice. I thought that was quite impressive for us. When we were about to leave the wrong place we had ended up in around half past one at night, I suddenly received a message from another friend. ’Look, I'm eating a cheese soufflé. And it's delicious.“ Oh gosh, if there's one thing I'm a sucker for, it's a cheese soufflé.

A quarter of an hour later, I'm at the snack bar. And I'm not just getting my beloved cheese friend...

No, I wasn't going to do it. The ‘snacking after partying’ was permanently crossed off my list. Everyone knows that calories are little monsters that sneak into your cupboard at night and gradually take over your clothes, right? That was really not going to happen to me. A quarter of an hour later, I'm at the snack bar. And I'm not just getting my beloved cheese friend, but also a fucking fries with satay sauce. I will NEVER go out again. I will NEVER eat a cheese soufflé again.

But let's be honest: nothing is more human than giving in to desires. Good intentions and willpower often prove helpless in the face of our favorite snacks. But what does new research show? You are better off telling yourself: “I will eat this again sometime’ than “I will never eat this again.’  In a series of experiments, researchers from the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, and Houston University presented their subjects with a number of tempting but unhealthy snacks.

Their desire for snacks decreased, and they also ate significantly less of them

The results show that denying desires is anything but effective. In fact, subjects who initially managed to be strict with themselves and say ‘no’ often ended up eating even more of the snacks later. Other subjects were asked to tell themselves “I will eat this again someday.’ Their desire for snacks decreased, and they also ate significantly less of them.

Ha, so you know what you need to do. For now, I tell myself: I will definitely eat a cheese soufflé again.

Written by Kiki Düren