One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well. —Virginia Woolf
Well summer is coming, and there are parties everywhere, left and right. From BBQ's to fine dining, people surround themselves with food, and LOTS of it! As you attend these events, you can't help the fact that you see an array of delicious snacks, smell the mix of spices in the air and your mouth starts to water because your taste buds is crying out for some satisfaction! Your eyes and your mouth is wanting more than what your body can afford. That's when you STOP and think about the following tips to help you resist temptations!
- IDENTIFY WHAT MAKES YOU CAVE: Take a moment to think about it, what pulls the trigger and makes you binge? You must know this in order to be mindful of how much you are eating when you're SURROUNDED by food and drinks!
- Is it that you don't want to disappoint the people who made it?
- Are you going through a rough time?
- Is it that you're feeling a loss?
- Are you lonely and depressed?
- Do you not like your self-image and you always post-pone losing weight?
- Do you feel like you constantly have to "treat" yourself because you "deserve" it?
- Do you feel obligated to eat more since everyone else is?
- Once you know what pulls the trigger, determine that you're not going to let that be the reason/excuse of why you're binging.
- ALWAYS REACH FOR THE WATER: Whether you're eating at a restaurant or eating at a cookout, always get water. Sure you can have a can of soda, BUT you don't want to because even though it may seem really harmless, everything adds up. At events like these, you will unconsciously eat more than you want and drink more then you need, so why not just have water in hand? You will unconsciously drink whatever is available to you, so make water your only option. And if you're at a restaurant, you've just saved yourself $2-$5! Remember, everything adds up!
- FIND THE GREENS: Anything that is a vegetable or fruit, devour it. If you're in a restaurant, get a side salad and order something from the menu that has lots of vegetables. It could be done anyway BUT fried! If you're at a cookout, go straight to the neglected area, the salad bowl. And of course, right next to it is usually the fruit bowl. EAT IT. These are the foods that you can eat EXCESSIVELY and not even think twice about it! Your body is going to love you for it, and you'll be more happier when you step on the scale.
- DRESSING 101: If you're like me, you probably like a salad that is NOT boring and tastes like grass. That's why the dressing was invented. Your salad can now taste more like a respectable meal rather than rabbit's food. Unfortunately, not ALL dressing is good for your body. Just because you're eating a salad, does not mean you're not inhaling calories and fat. If you're eating your salad with a generous amount of cream based dressings such as ranch, thousand island, Caesar, creamy Italian, etc., I'm sorry but you might as well pick up a number 1 from McDonald's that has a Big Mac, large fries and a coke cause THAT is equivalent to how much calories are in that generous amount of dressing! So to solve this little problem, I suggest you look for oil based dressing such as Italian vinaigrette, balsamic vinaigrette, honey Dijon vinaigrette, etc. Basically, anything that is not trying to force it's way out of the little hole on the top of the bottle, without squeezing. Capiche?! Oh and order it on the side. And when you do have it on the side, please do not drown that poor lettuce in dressing. Remember, there is a reason why you're eating the salad.
- SAY "NO" TO FRIED FOODS: Anything that is fried is of the devil, cause hell is where they fry it. Ok, I'm just kidding. But I do recommend that if you are confronted with fried food, I want you to reach down to the sides of your belly and grab those love handles. You feel that?? Do you want that around your heart and arteries? Or to grow more around your waist? I didn't think so. So you might be wondering, why is fried foods so bad? Not only does it affect your weight but also your health. It can contain trans fats, which puts you at higher risk of heart disease. Restaurants like trans fats since it raises the flash point and lets them use the same oil over and over again. As for your weight, studies have been proven that people who consume the most calories in fried foods are had a positive correlation with obesity. It's LOADED in fat, calories, and grease because the breaded part of it, soaks up the grease. It's kind of like drinking the left over oil after you fry something.... which is something you would never do. Solution? Go for grilled, or boiled. If you're eating a salad or meal with meat on it, ask for the meat to be grilled. Stay away from those chicken platters that only offer fries and fried wings together, which is SO bad for you!
- CUSTOMIZE YOUR ORDER: Hey look, you have a waiter/waitress for a reason, to serve you. If they weren't there, you'd be in the restaurant kitchen serving up your own plate, and you wouldn't dare put anything on your plate that you don't like or you know is not good for you. SO- you're going to have to tell your server what is it that you want. Ex:
- Ask if they have whole wheat noodles
- Ask for the pasta sauce on the side (this is so that you can put sauce as necessary so you're noodles aren't swimming in fat)
- Ask for the dressing on the side (same reason as #2)
- Ask for extra vegetables on your meal
- Substitute your side that may be mash potatoes or french fries for steamed vegetables or coleslaw or a salad
- Ask for a wheat bun
- Ask for honey (to substitute that for sugar)
- TALK YOUR BRAIN OFF: Yes, you read right, I said TALK. The more you talk, the less you eat. You'll take bites every now and then but really, you will unconsciously tell your brain that you are full in 20 min. Talk about an interesting story but instead of giving the basics, elaborate! Give the juicy details and the inside scoop of what, where, when, why, how! By the time you've finished your conversation, you've only eaten half of your meal and your are full! And then you'll look around you, and everyone has finished their plate, and they're full too! So who's go the better end of the deal here? If you're at a BBQ, visit with everyone! Find out how they're doing while you have a plate in your hand. You'll make more friends and devour less calories. Seriously, try it!
- DON'T EAT JUNK PRIOR: If you know that there is a BBQ or an event where there is food, don't stuff yourself before you go there! If you're going to eat, have a smoothie, or a salad, or a fruit! But there's no point! Some people say, "Well, if I eat at home, I won't eat much there." Well, let me tell you that it's a bunch of baloney! When you get there, you're going to forget all about the fact that you had eaten. Oh and you're stomach and taste buds will forget too! Once that sweet, mouth-watering, aroma goes up your nostrils, you'll start craving food all over again.
- SKIP DESSERT: Don't order dessert. Don't go to the dessert table. If you HAVE to have it because someone special made it, have a small piece that is equivalent to 2-3 bites. You just want to taste it, not devour it. If you're at a restaurant, don't order a dessert. If you really want to, order to share it. Allow yourself only 2-3 bites. OR you can substitute dessert for tea or decaffeinated coffee. The warm liquid will help you feel full.
- DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP: So you pigged out. You got there and you couldn't contain yourself. Now you feel like crap. The worst thing to do at this point is to beat yourself up about it. So don't. You're human. The best thing to do in this situation is to take note of how you felt after you pigged out. Make sure that you know this so that when you're out again, you will remember how you felt when you lost control. Then, get back on your healthy regime the next day, and stick with it. DON'T give up and say, "Well, since I screwed up, I might as well just keep eating whatever I want." This is what I call a LOSER mentality. You will never win if you are already planning to fail.
