Do you ever find when you want to lose weight, you immediately start craving bad foods and are always hungry? Even the use of diet pills leaves you staring in the cupboards for something, anything. You are not alone. It is kind of like when someone says “don’t look now, but…” do you really have any choice but to look immediately? It takes a strong person to bypass the desire to do an activity they are all of a sudden “not allowed” to do.

You can go your whole life without wanting a brownie. That is until you are “not allowed” to have one. I am not a “sweets” person, but when I am getting ready for a fitness competition and no longer able to dabble in temptations, I suddenly want candy bars and ice cream. After the show, when I can indulge, I’d rather have chicken and a salad…just isn’t right.

There are some tricks that you can use to help your cravings as you pursue your goals in weight management. It takes more than a great diet pill, it takes thought and planning.

American Dietetic Association spokesperson Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, recommends:

• Eat plenty of low-calorie vegetables to help you feel full.
• Drink plenty of water so you don't confuse hunger with thirst.
• Clear the house of tempting foods.
• Stay busy to prevent eating out of boredom.
• Eat only from a plate (not from the container), while seated at a table.
• Always eat three meals and one snack daily -- no skipping meals.

Weighing yourself daily and tracking your food intake can also help you stay on track focused. The conscious act of writing down your progress, or lack there of, can help you avoid temptation through out the day and force yourself to choose momentary satisfaction or restraint that will reinforce the big picture. 

"Even if you write it down on a napkin and end up throwing it away, the act of writing it down is about being accountable to yourself and is a very effective tool for weight loss," says Bonnie Taub Dix, MA, RD, a food and nutrition blogger for USA Today.

These simple tricks will help you to reach your goals better than using a diet pill alone. You can expect a little pill to be able to make up for your neglect. Diet pill are not a pass to eat what ever you want. If they were, we wouldn’t have such an epidemic.