Obviously, half your problem is controlling what you eat. As with most things the key seems to be balance. If you totally deprive yourself of your favorite foods you won't stay on the diet long. But if you continue to eat as you have been eating, then you won't lose weight.
Likewise, your body needs a balance of nutrition. Many diets try to eliminate entire food groups often resulting in weight loss but at the cost of other health problems. Being sure to get the right balance of nutrients each day is vital to healthy and sustainable weight loss. In this section we will be looking at some things specifically related to diet.
Choosing a Diet Plan. For many people, it is easier to control eating if they are following a diet plan. You can easily adapt the Get Real approach to most good, healthy diet plans. But, the buyer must beware when purchasing books or tapes. This article discusses things to look for when considering a diet plan.
Understanding your Overeating Style. Why do you overeat? Why can't you control your cravings? Your answer to these questions could be different than mine. Once you understand your overeating style you can start to make realistic and personalized changes.
Remember when a Treat was - well - a Treat. Growing up we didn't have much money so a couple of small homemade cookies every couple of days and dessert on Sunday were the "treats" of my childhood. Now, it seems like I got into the habit of confusing treats with staples. I've started to turn my treats back into treats and I find I enjoy them more.
A couple of days ago, I had a waffle, butter, syrup, the works. I may not lose anything this week, and maybe gain a pound, but I'll lose it the following week if I do. I'm far enough along now that I can afford it if I don't do this often. It tasted so Good!. I don't remember a waffle tasting that good since I was a child. Then I understood, as a child, something like a waffle was a "treat", something special, something you didn't eat everyday.
I don't know about you, but when I was growing up, we didn't have dessert at every meal. We had dessert after the Sunday dinner. We ate a snack maybe once a week like on Saturday nights when everyone was home. (My Dad worked nights, so the weekends were for family) I might buy one nickel candy bar each pay period (remember when you could get a Hershey's chocolate bar for a nickel. If you do, that means you are old like me). But that candy bar was the greatest delicacy in the world. But when we went shopping there were "staples" such as meat, veggies, potatoes, cereal, etc. and "treats" candy chips, cookies, etc. We only bought a treat (notice the singular form of that word) when we had money left over after buying the staples. Even pop was considered a treat in those days.
Of course, this was because we had little money and had to make it stretch until the next payday, but I never went to bed hungry and I enjoyed the meals. And when I got a treat it was special and wonderful.
Maybe we need to make treats TREATS again. Do you consider things like ice cream, cookies, candy, chips, etc necessary items to put in your shopping cart? Do you think you have to have dessert at every meal? Do you think that watching TV means eating something whether you even taste that something or not? Why not, plan your treats as treats. Instead of spending 10 bucks for 2 bags of chips, a package of cookies, and three or four candy bars in a week, take that money and go to your local ice cream parlor and have a hot fudge sundae. It would be cheaper, and if you did it only once a week, you would enjoy it more and get fewer calories over all.
Even if you have a family which has grown to expect a "dessert" at every meal. Switch from sugary things to natural desserts like a bowl of fruit (without sugar or sprinkled with Nutrisweet if you must guild the lilly). Then on Sunday or Saturday night have a "treat". They will learn healthier eating habits before their declining metabolism means they store more calories than they burn. And you start losing weight.
A simple thing to do to start is simply dump your sugary treats and
substitute fruit. Get rid of the chips and substitute low-fat microwave popcorn. Then try going a single night without a snack or treat, then alternating nights and work your way up to once or twice a week. You'll enjoy your snacks more and start slimming down at the same time
No comments:
Post a Comment