A few old college friends and I were at a birthday party, sitting near the birthday cake and talking about our dieting struggles and how hard it is to lose weight. We spoke of how many failed attempts and programs we had under our belts. We decided it was terribly daunting and only a miracle could save us from our fate of being overweight the rest of our lives. We griped about how society, work, stress, so many things played into the weight loss equation. One of my friends' youngest children, who had been listening, came in and sat at the table, listening intently, and then said, ''Just don't eat the whole cake.'' So pure! That is really the essence of it all. One slice has less calories than two. You can always track it in your plan. No more throwing out the ''day'' because of a treat. ''Just don't eat the whole ___.'' Split it with your friends, your husband, a take-home box. The truth is, our portions are just too big for most of our activities during the day. We don't burn off enough calories. I'm not saying this lightly. Honestly, we can choose to be happy. If things get tough, we have to get tougher. At 460 pounds, I didn't have it in me to get tough, but I did have it in me to make baby steps. That was the toughness that I needed at that time. Through these very baby steps, I lost 200 pounds and gained the ability to walk again. Do you eat cake? I do. I have it as a treat, but cannot have such treats in the house. I imagine we all have foods like that. Once I get started eating them, I lose control and spiral into some sort of insatiable frenzy. Those foods never come into my house. When I go out, I will eat them in small portions if I crave them severely. I don't always deprive myself of what I'm craving. I've found that eating ahead of time helps if I know tempting foods are going to be around. By filling up ahead of time on fiber and protein-filled foods, I don't leave enough room for the tempting stuff. Fiber really is your friend in this battle, and partnered with protein, the two are hunger killers. Be sure to drink plenty of water, as the fiber will swell a bit in your stomach, creating a full feeling. Back to the simplest thought at hand. Don't eat the whole ______. I challenge you to leave some of whatever on your plate as an exercise in control. Start with a scrap if that's all you can muster. Then build from there. NEVER EVER TREAT YOUR BODY LIKE A GARBAGE DISPOSAL. If food is unwanted or unneeded, then toss it out. Give it away, set it outside for hungry animals... No, you are not wasting food. A TRUE waste of food would be to put it on your body and have the ill health effects it could give you as an overweight person. I speak from experience. You then have to work off any weight gain, as well. So, isn't the food better off somewhere else, like maybe with a sick or hungry neighbor? Take the very pure advice of a child: ''Just don't eat the whole cake.'' Children see things so simply without having to overanalyze the matter at hand. I also found that the more pure and simple (close to nature) food I eat, the more weight I've lost. You can do what you set your mind to do. Eating a bit less at each meal is a good start. Are you ready to put down the fork and not eat the whole _______? Do you derpive yourself of the foods you enjoy or do you plan for them so that you can still eat them in moderation? |
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