 |
Diet-DangersWhat To Watch Out For
Diet-Dangers!
Strategies for avoiding the trap of eating during the holidays and anytime for that matter.
What Marilyn and I have learned over our years of research and study is that no matter how tuned in we may think we are to our eating habits, it really seems that we're a generation of mindless eaters and imbibers.
Here's the truth, most people think they make maybe 15 eating decisions a day, but there's been recent studies showing we actually make well over 200 decisions a day.
We just don’t realize this, and that’s what leads to mindless mistakes or as we like to say..."Diet-Dangers"!
Let me explain.
The diet-dangers get slammed into overdrive during the three supreme diet-danger months.
Those months being the party happy holidays. Let's see, it starts with Halloween and ends with the final whistle of the Super Bowl.
During this time we don’t overeat because we're hungry, not even because the food tastes that good.
Nope!
We overeat because of the cues or diet-dangers around us.
We overeat because of family and friends, then more friends.
We overeat because of the cool or pretty, packages and plates, shapes and smells, distractions and distances, cupboards and containers.
Whoa, it's crazy!
The list is almost as long as it is invisible.
Take, for instance, the problem of ice cream bowls.
If you serve 2 scoops of ice cream into a small bowl, it will look like a lot more than if you had scooped it into a soup bowl.
Even if you intended to carefully follow your diet, chances are, the larger bowl would subconciously influence you to serve more than intended.
Don't dispair though, I'm guilty of this with my wildberry frozen yogurt.
This tricks everyone.
And, it was actually put to the test by inviting 64 nutritional science professors at a leading university, to an ice cream gathering to celebrate the end of the year as well as the success of another esteemed professor.
After the distinguished guests arrived, they were given either a medium sized 17-ounce bowl or a larger 34-ounce bowl.
Even though these people think, sleep, lecture and study nutrition, they still served themselves and ate 31 percent more ice cream (106 more calories)when they had been given the bigger bowl.
Now, slightly over 100 calories may not sound like a whole heck of a lot, but if you did this everyday for the three part-happy months, you'd have gained over 5 pounds.
Take Charlene as an example, a woman in one of the studies.
She’s quickly moving up the ladder within her chosen profession and she’s in her late 30s.
That’s the good news.
The bad news is that her great job is actually a diet-killer, as it requires her to entertain and to be entertained at receptions, parties and buffets four to five nights a week over the holiday season.
Those are serious diet-dangers!
She compensates for being away from home by eating just a little more than she should.
But, “just a little more”, four or five days a week, has added up to 16 pounds in three years.
Part of what leads Charlene to eat so much is the cues around her.
The plate size, the convenience, the variety, the distractions, the length of time these parties drag on, are all contributing factors.
But a few small painless changes could help her and most everyone turn the situation around.
Adopt three or so of the following strategies for avoiding this holiday season's (or any season for that matter) diet-dangers.
*** Use the appetizer plate for dinner.
*** Put "only two" items on your plate during any given trip to the buffet table.
Return as many times as you like, sure, but only take two items each time.
*** Use the volume approach to make yourself feel full.
Chow down on the healthy stuff (like broccoli and carrots) and then see if you have room for the rest.
*** When you think you'll be distracted by an important and/or fun ;O) conversation, set the food down and give the conversation (or the person) your undivided attention.
Remember, the more you're distracted by people or, hmmmm, maybe the Superbowl game winning touchdown, the more you'll tend to eat, drink and be merry, the more you'll fall into the danger-zone.
*** And if you're really worried about overeating at a cocktail party or buffet-style meal, arrive late or leave early.
If you show up late, most of the good stuff will be gone.
Leave early and you will make it easier to avoid a second (or third) helping of dessert.
These suggestions can be applied, to a degree, with alcohol and should help you avoid weight gain during the next couple of months or anytime of year.
They might even bring extra enjoyment to the season by helping you focus more on friends, family and fun and not so much on the...
..."diet-dangers".
Newsletter
_________________________________________________________________
*** Our Featured Sponsors ***
It's Finally Here ~ MaxLife Research
_________________________________________________________________
For your convenience & for more search info, just type your keywords in the searchbox below
|
