One of the things that I’ve always struggled with is boredom eating. If there’s food around and I’m not busy it magically appears in my hands and before I know it I’ve scoffed more than I should ever be eating.

When I’m busy it’s really not a problem, I’m much more disciplined which is useful in an office environment because there’s always better offers for lunch than my tupperware of salad, and there’s also constant chocolate and biscuits being passed around.

I was on a commercial shoot last week from 9am-9pm followed by dinner with clients which sounds glamorous but when you’re sat in a cold, cavernous, semi-dark studio in Acton all day it loses its appeal pretty quickly. Food on shoots is notoriously awful and awfully available so although lunch was relatively healthy (salmon and salads), I followed it by a piece of apple tart and then binged on sandwiches and pastries in the afternoon. Dinner was rich and heavy and eaten much later than I normally would. I ended up house-bound for the next 2 days with the worse IBS flare-up I’ve ever had. That’ll teach me.

Here’s my top 5 tips for dealing with temptation and kicking it to the kerb:

1) Be prepared

You know when you’re going to be faced with serious temptation so prepare yourself by bringing something healthy (or at least healthier) and delicious with you to eat while everyone else is tucking into their triple fudge chocolate cake

2) Volunteer to bake/cook

You know what you like to eat and what agrees with you so rather than forcing someone else to try and cook for your requirements, why not do some cooking yourself? A few people might moan about it tasting ‘healthy’ but you can feel secretly smug knowing that they’ve eaten something that’s good for them.

3) Plan in advance

If planning a week’s worth of food seems too much of a task, try planning a day in advance. Write down everything you’re going to eat the next day, prep it the night before and stick to it. It’s always easier if you have a plan.

4) Retrain your palate

This one isn’t quite so easy but try and train your body to enjoy the sweetness of fruit rather than chocolate or the nuttiness of wholegrain pasta, rice and bread. It will gradually happen over time so stick with it.

5) Surround yourself with positive influences

Not all of your friends will see the benefits of how you want to eat, especially if, like me, you used to be a bit of a food dustbin. However, once they see how much happier you are following your chosen lifestyle they’ll come round and accept it. In the meantime, find supportive influences to help you through the transition. Whether these influencers are online, in the gym or a bit closer to home, you’ll need them when times get tough to lean on.

What do you do when the temptation monster hits?