The hardest part about dieting is keeping your appetite under control. Temptations surround you wherever you go. If you make it out the door in the mornings without eating breakfast, there are a multitude of fast-food joints that you pass on the way to work, each doing their best to tempt you to stop. Once at the office, food is abundant, from the bagels and doughnuts a coworker brings in, to the lunch meetings full of cheesy pizza and sugary sodas, to the impromptu birthday celebrations where if you decline a piece of cake people look at you as though you have two heads. And then there are the coworkers who always have a candy dish sitting on the edge of their desk.

So how does one go about resisting all these food temptations while on a diet? Here are some simple tricks to help curb your appetite and keep you from giving in to all the temptations around you.

Apply lipbalm

If you apply lipbalm, you will not want to mess it up by eating or drinking anything for a while. Applying lipbalm as a means to avoid temptations when dieting will also allow you some time to think about what you were about to do, and will help you establish a mental brake between you and any impulse to eat foods that are not part of your diet plan.

Eat a carrot stick

When you are staring down the plate of bagels left in the break room, detour yourself by munching on a carrot stick. Eating a carrot stick will provide distance between you and the tempting food, giving you the break you need to avoid temptation. You will leave feeling full and satisfied, knowing you deliberately chose to eat something healthy instead of something bad for you.

Drink water

Whenever hunger strikes and you are tempted to visit your coworker with the candy dish, drink some water. Water is not only good for you, but it serves as a natural buffer between meals, helping you to feel full. When you feel full, you will not be as tempted by non-diet foods. In addition, drinking water flushes toxins out of your body, and encourages your body to drop excess water weight.

Chew gum

Always keep gum in your pocket or purse. Chewing gum will stave the cravings your body has to eat and chew something. It tricks the brain into thinking you are eating, and your thoughts about that slice of leftover pizza will subside.

Have a breath mint or use some mouthwash

To overcome that afternoon slump where you are most susceptible to hitting up the vending machine, have a breath mint or swish some mouthwash instead. You are less likely to want to eat or drink something after having something minty.

Pack lunch/snacks

To avoid the temptation to order out with the team and prevent you from overeating at those impromptu lunch meetings, pack your lunch and several healthy snacks. Make sure you have healthy food alternatives to whatever your cravings are. You will be less tempted to eat impulse foods if you've put time and effort into making your lunch and snacks. Plus, you will not want your efforts to go to waste by not eating the food you brought.

Store "emergency" snacks in your desk

Keep a stash of emergency snacks at your desk. These can include a bag of low-fat pretzels or some protein bars. Whenever you feel the desire to go visit the vending machine or see what kind of goodies might await you in the break room, reach for your emergency stash first. If you have to eat, you might as well have healthy alternatives readily available.

The most important part about overcoming temptations when dieting is to put a thought-trigger in between you and the impulse to cheat on your diet. All of these tricks do that. They require you to think about what you are about to do so you can actively make a different choice. Practice these simple techniques whenever you feel tempted and before long, they will become habits and you will find yourself naturally losing interest in your temptations.