How Do You Overcome Temptation?

This question came to me just a few moments ago.  But before I give you the answer I came up with, let me recap the day for you. 

I started off this morning with the best of intentions, feeling pretty good about my 85 minutes on the treadmill from the night before.  Like any other Tuesday morning, I woke up at 6 a.m. and started about my morning routine - which includes a visit to my bathroom scale. 

I've become a slave to the scale these past few months, weighing every morning right before the shower.  Just last week I finally lost weight, 3.4 pounds.  So what did I do, I weighed the next morning to discover I gained nearly a pound.  It only goes to prove that weighing every day is not a help to me, but a defeat.  So, on the advice and support of my very insightful sister, I stopped weighing.  I set a new focus...do everything I could do to lose weight in anticipation of my weigh-in this morning. 

So the morning comes, and I visit my friend, the scale.  It read 295.4...and I think for a moment...I didn't lose anything.  I'm disappointed, and even depressed.  I worked out, I tried to eat right, and I lost nothing.  Let's be honest...I not only lost nothing, but I gained 0.4 pounds. 

I took a hard look at myself today, recounting the previous week.  What did I do wrong?  Well I let the food control me some days.  Even on days where I chose good food, I let my portion control fly out the window as I constantly justified extra food. 

So fast forward to this evening.  Michael just called, on his way home.  His meeting ran late and I've already determined that I'm not going to the gym tonight.  We hang up the phone and I wait just a moment before picking up the phone again.  I start dialing the number, knowing that when he answers I'm going to ask him to do me a favor.  Get me a hamburger - I have a craving.  I was four numbers into the dialing when I moved my finger to the right to press the red button.  End the call.  Stop the sabbotage.  My husband is wonderful, but he's an enabler.  I take advantage of his desire to make me happy and convince him to bring me food I know is not the best for me. 

Now, to answer the question.  How do you overcome temptation?  My answer is simple...one step at a time.  For me, tonight it was one button push at a time.  It took four pushes of that red button to erase Michael's phone number and resist the temptation I had to ask for a cheeseburger. 

Tomorrow I will resist the temptation to jump on that scale.  Tomorrow I'm sure I will have to resist the desire for a cheeseburger (by the way - turkey burgers from Costco are fabulous!).  I will avoid the peppermint patties in my bosses' office, and I will happily eat the health food I bring for lunch because it makes me feel better in the end. 

I will overcome this life of temptation one step at a time, and realize that I'm only human and it will take time.  Oh yeah, and I will stop setting myself up for sabbotage by preying on the generous spirit of my husband.  I will do better, and I'll allow myself to be proud of the choice I made tonight.