Outsmart Temptation!
Does this sound like you? You start each morning with the promise to be “good” today. You’ll refuse the baked goods at the office. You’ll speed past that fast food place at lunch. You’ll turn a blind eye to the vending machine in the mid-afternoon. And you’ll pass on the ice cream after dinner. But… you hadn’t counted on the fact that a box of your favorite donuts would be sitting in the break room. Or that co-workers would invite you to join them for fast food place at lunch. Or that Girl Scouts would come through the office after school with boxes of thin mints. Or that your special someone would come home with a pint of Coffee Heath Bar Crunch. And as you get into bed each night you tell yourself that tomorrow will be different. Tomorrow you will conquer temptation. But tomorrow comes with its own set of special circumstances and temptation gets the best of you once again. Why Does Temptation Always Win? We live in society where food temptations are everywhere.
- Walk through a store and you’ll see the unhealthy food items displayed front and center.
- Turn on the TV and you’ll be assaulted with commercials for fattening foods.
- Open a magazine and you’ll notice glossy pin-ups of sugary snacks.
- Go down the street and you’ll have restaurant signs clamoring for your attention.
In addition to the abundance of tempting edibles, you also have deeply ingrained positive associations with indulging.
- You treat tempting food as a reward.
- You turn to tempting food for comfort.
- You rely on tempting food as stress relief.
- You allow tempting food to become a habit.
It’s Your Turn to Win Temptation doesn’t need to have the upper hand on you anymore. It’s time to fight back using your most powerful asset: your brain. Your mind is an amazing thing. Once it is made up about something it is nearly impossible to change it. A Matter of Perspective Imagine for a moment that you’re peacefully floating down a river in an inner tube. The sun is out, the birds are chirping, and you are having a wonderful time. You feel great about the river because it is making you feel good. Now imagine that you are in a plane flying over the river. Your eye is immediately drawn to an enormous rocky waterfall. You look up the river and just around the bend is a person floating in an inner tube, having a wonderful time, headed straight for the treacherous falls. Do you think that after your plane ride you’d be happy to get an inner tube and float down the river? Of course you wouldn’t. You’ve seen that the river spells disaster. You now have a negative association (watery death) with the river rather than your initial positive association (relaxing fun). Overcoming temptation is all about building negative associations in place of existing positive ones. Use the 2 steps below to harness the power of your mind to become stronger than any temptation. Step One: Create a Strong Negative Association with all the BAD STUFF
- If cookies and chips and burgers are put on a pedestal in your mind as your favorite things to eat, then you will always eat unhealthy and will continue to gain weight.
- What do you dislike about tempting food?
- It makes you unhealthy.
- It causes weight gain.
- It drains your energy.
- It kills your confidence.
- It degrades your quality of life.
- It hurts your love life.
- Every time that you encounter tempting food items focus on your list of negatives. It’s time to kick those cookies off the pedestal and to put something healthy in its place.
Step Two: Create a Strong Positive Association with all the GOOD STUFF
- Now that your mental pedestal has been cleared, put healthy food items on it. Juicy fresh fruit, crispy vegetables and savory lean meats are a great place to start.
- What do you love about healthy food?
- It makes you healthy.
- It causes weight loss.
- It boosts your energy.
- It builds your confidence.
- It improves your quality of life.
- It enhances your love life.
- Immerse yourself into the world of healthy food. Browse the aisles of a natural food store. Walk through a farmer’s market. Bring healthy snacks to work. Clear your kitchen of anything unhealthy.
Using the technique above, you will soon find that healthy food is your favorite food. And temptation will become a thing of your past.
And, as I’m sure you know- starting your day off right with a healthy breakfast is a KEY way to kick start your metabolism, and stabilize your blood sugar making you less likely to give into temptation. A small boal of this hearty breakfast with a protein shake or egg whites is a great choice…and can feel like a little bit of a “treat!”
You’ve probably heard of quinoa – it is hailed by some as the new super food. It’s high in protein (12%-18%) and contains a balanced set of essential amino acids – this means it’s a surprisingly complete protein. It’s also high in fiber and iron. And, as if the edible seeds didn’t have enough going for them, NASA is thinking about growing it in space. Quinoa is quite possibly the perfect thing to have for breakfast to start your day off on the right foot. Servings: 1 Here’s what you need:
- 1/2 cup quinoa, cooked in water according to instructions on package
- 1 Tablespoon golden raisins
- 1 Tablespoon date pieces, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon pecan pieces, chopped
- Dash of cinnamon
- Dash of nutmeg
- Drizzle of pure maple syrup
1. Top cooked quinoa with raisins, date pieces, pecan pieces, cinnamon, nutmeg and a drizzle of maple syrup. Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 344 calories, 5g fat, 59g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, and 12g protein.
How to Eat Out at a Restaurant and choose healthy!
Its not surprising that we are eating out more and more an there are so many reasons why this can derail many people’s weight loss efforts.
On average, a meal in a restaurant will have 20 percent more fat, and 15 percent more saturated fat, than a home-cooked meal, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. It will also be higher in sodium and cholesterol and lower in calcium, fiber and iron. YUK!
Of course, eating out can also be a much-needed retreat from cooking/cleaning , a chance to celebrate a special occasion, and a time to enjoy some really good food. And it can be done in a way that’s healthy, enjoyable and affordable, if you follow these 12 essential eating-out tips.
- Share an entrée (and order an extra soup or salad, if you want). This keeps you from eating too much of an over-sized portion, and saves money.
- Order water with lemon or lime for your drink. Much healthier than soda or sweetened teas, and free.
- Take advantage of ‘Kids Eat Free” offers if you’re bringing the kids. But, check the menu first to be sure they have something healthier than hot dogs and fries.
- Eat out less often. Rather than eating out five lunches a week, brown-bag it to work (choosing healthy, sensible foods), then pick one night every two weeks to go out to dinner. You’ll be able to splurge at dinner and still spend less money and eat fewer calories overall.
- Skip the appetizer and dessert. Adding on these two items will add a lot of extra sugar and calories to your meal — a lot more than you’d normally eat at home — and extra costs. If you must have an appetizer, consider ordering it as your meal, along with a small salad or soup.
7. Order a small portion or half-order, when offered. You’ll find you get more than enough food, and it costs less.
- Ask for healthier options. You can always ask to have your chicken grilled instead of fried, to have no oil/butter added to your meal, or to have a side of steamed veggies instead of fries. Also feel free to ask your server for a more detailed description of an entrée (what type of oil is used, how is it cooked, etc.).
- Go out for lunch instead of dinner. Lunch menus often offer the same things as a dinner menu, but in smaller, lower priced portions. Good for your waistline and your wallet.
- Ask about the specials. Specials that aren’t ordinarily on the menu may be better priced, and they’re usually made with fresh, in-season ingredients.
- Order dressings/sauces that you know the ingredients of. You may be surprised how many additives are in a restaurant’s ranch salad dressing or “special” sauce. If in doubt as to the quality of the ingredients, opt for olive oil and vinegar for your salad and mustard, etc. for your sandwich.
- Choose foods for their nutritional value, too. When choosing what to order, don’t just pick something for taste alone. Think about nutrition and what the food can give back to your body (and how you’ll feel later if you indulge too much).
- Stop eating when you’re full. You can take the rest of the food home with you and have it for another meal later.
Remember, it’s never to late to pass on these and other healthy habits to your children and family members!
Why Soda Is Making You Fat!
If you’ve been drinking one or more sodas every day, that aluminum can in your hand is to blame for those extra digits on the scale. We’re not talking a couple pounds either. We’re talking long term weight gain. One can of cola adds more than 100 calories to your daily intake. That’s over 10 lbs of additional body fat every year.
Obesity, type-2 diabetes, and soda addiction have all risen together steadily and scarily over the past decades. Coincidence? Not a chance. Soda is sabotaging your body.
What’s so bad about a little bubbly liquid?
Lots and lots of calories and zero nutritional value. Sugary soft drinks account for almost 10% of the average American’s daily caloric intake. That’s a ton of empty calories that lack any of the nutrients, fiber, or minerals your body needs to function. Because soda’s missing what your body craves, no matter how much you drink you’ll still be left feeling hungry. So, on top of hundreds of empty calories, you pile on additional food that still counts against your ideal daily allotment. Remember, there is one absolute truth: if you take in more calories than you burn you will gain weight.
Your odds of becoming obese increase as much as 1.6 times for every 12 ounces of soda you drink over the course of the day. That’s because one small can of soda holds a whopping 140 calories of added sugar. Reality check: at most fast food restaurants, a 12 ounce serving of soda is considered the kiddie size.
Go directly to fat jail.
All these added sugars are simple sugars, meaning they are readily and easily absorbed. When you take in such a high volume so quickly your insulin spikes. Your body can’t handle the rapid influx, which leads to extra glucose being stored as fat. You don’t get any lasting energy from the liquid carbs; you get that familiar and inevitable crash. Instead of being ready to hit the gym to burn off any extra fat, you’re so exhausted you just hit the couch. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.
I’ll just switch to diet soda!
Not so fast. Recent studies show that over time diet sodas still cause weight gain. If you drink 2 or more servings of diet soda a day you are 5 times more likely to increase dangerous visceral fat in your midsection. That extra fat puts you at greater risk for diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses.
Let’s say you only drink a single serving of diet soda a day. Diet soda is still high in sodium. The more sodium in your body, the more water you’ll retain. Which means if you’re trying to lose weight, diet soda can actually make it that much harder move the scale in the right direction. And let’s not forget the artificial sweeteners in diet soda – a BIG no-no!
Instead of sodas, why not reach for healthier and even more refreshing beverages?
If you won’t give up the carbonated bite of soda, mix two parts seltzer water with one part 100% fruit juice – like powerhouse pomegranate or cranberry. You’ll get your pleasant pop and fizz along with rich antioxidants and vitamins. Embrace homemade smoothies made with fresh fruit and almond milk or greek yogurt for added protein.
Maybe it’s time you jump on the green tea train. Even if you sweeten your tea, you’re more likely to check your sugar intake when you’re the one spooning in the sweetener. Or reach for that oldie but goodie, pure H2O.
One thing is for sure: cut out sodas and you’ll start to feel lighter than carbonated air.
My favorite analogy is this: Would you ever think to give your dog a soda? Or Wine? Coffee? Seems pretty silly doesn’t it, yet we as humans sometimes drink more of those beverages than anything else.
Water. We need it, and that is really ALL we need when it comes to beverages so try to drink as much as you can!
Be Healthy!
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