Dealing with food temptations at the most difficult time.

Trying to lose weight? Here's some advice on dealing with temptations from the book "How to Lose 9,000 lbs. (or less)" (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $13.95), straight from people who've done it.

What's their temptation time?:

    "Seven p.m.: That's because I teach a yoga class at five o'clock, and I'll be hungry for supper before the class even starts. I make sure to snack on vegetables, maybe with some fat-free dip, before I leave for class. I keep vegetables cut up and batched in Ziploc bags in my refrigerator."
    _Joan Rainwater, Waterville, Ohio, lost 37 pounds
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    "Ten a.m.: I usually get up for work at 6:30 a.m and eat a small breakfast. That will hold me over until about 9:30 or 10 o'clock, when my stomach usually starts making enough noise to disturb my coworkers in the cubicles next to me. The bad part is that we have to take lunch at 12:30 p.m., so I know I still have two and a half hours to go before I can have any food. I've started keeping some rice cakes in my desk. They are nasty, but it's better than nothing."
    _Tracy Mollica, Youngstown, Ohio, lost 9 pounds
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    "Midnight: Oh man, I get off work late (midnight some nights) and I am hungry! And I want my cookies, and pizza or cheesy tortillas, so bad."
    _J.S., Iowa City, Iowa, lost 25 pounds
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    "After dinner: I have to remember not to just sit at the computer and continually munch. I try to save some fruit and popcorn for the evening, and I drink a lot of herbal tea then, too."
    _Deb Wunder, Brooklyn, N.Y., lost 36 pounds
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    "Two thirty in the afternoon: It's that time where that little salad you had for lunch is gone and dinner is still hours away. The candy machine at the office seems to be calling your name. I'd bring in a piece of fruit or some rice cakes, but I can't say that I didn't still hear the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups calling me."
    _William Green, Frostburg, Md., lost 9 pounds
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    "Noon: Lunch is the meal that gives me fits. I actually had to quit the diet because Mickey D's was so close to my office, and I only get a half hour for lunch."
    _Sandra Monroe, Cumberland, Md., lost 50 pounds
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    "Eight To Nine p.m.: I talk on the phone or take a bubble bath to distract myself from food. If it gets unbearable, I just call it a night and go to sleep early. I also have the occasional 3 to 4 p.m. craving, and I just have some coffee."
    _V.B., New York, N.Y., lost 20 pounds
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    "Morning: I'd eat late at night and then be really hungry in the morning. But when I stopped eating late at night, it gave me a sense of control, and I discovered that I'm no longer so hungry in the mornings."
    _Leah F., Suffern, N.J.
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    Hundreds of Heads Books' survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life's biggest challenges and have insight to share.
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