DON'T
DEPRIVE YOURSELF
Not
eating enough calories in a day is a one-way ticket to overeating later in the
week. You may have been on a strict diet that limited the amount of calories
you consumed, but it will be next to impossible to maintain that level of
commitment now that you've reached your goal weight. Never let yourself get to
the point where you feel like you're starving – that feeling where your stomach
seems like it could turn inside out from the lack of sustenance. Once you're
that hungry, every healthy eating tip and strategy you've ever read or heard
will go straight out the window as you make a beeline toward an extra-large
double-cheese pizza with a milkshake chaser.
TREAT
YOURSELF IN SMALL DOSES
If
you love chocolate ice cream, but you've said you've sworn it off for good, at
some point that self-imposed ice cream embargo is going to cause a lot of
problems. The longer you go without allowing yourself a treat, the greater the
risk of breaking down at some point and eating three pints of the cold stuff.
Everything is OK in moderation – buy your favorite treats in individually
wrapped containers or create one-serving treat packs out of the full-size
container. The point is to never feel like you can't have something – because we all know that
eventually we all want what we can't have.
EAT
LESS FOOD, MORE OFTEN
To
avoid feeling deprived (and consequently inhaling that oversize pizza) you need
to eat less food, more often. Small meals don't work for everyone, but if you
want to feel satisfied (and not starving) all day, then spreading out your
meals is a great tactic. Eating five or even six smaller meals can really make
a big difference in your energy level and how you feel overall. Larger, heavy
meals are harder to digest and often leave you feeling sluggish, whereas you'll
feel lighter all day eating smaller meals, and be much more able to control
cravings.
STAY
HYDRATED
What
feels like hunger can actually be thirst in disguise, so if you find yourself
contemplating a stroll to the vending machine, make sure you're adequately
hydrated before you give in to a snack attack. It's easy to forget about
drinking water when you're busy, whether it's meeting deadlines, in meetings,
or wrangling small children – but drinking enough water is a great way to avoid
eating when you're not really hungry at all. Keep a pitcher on your desk filled
with water and an inviting dash of berries, cucumbers and slices of orange to
give yourself more incentive to sip.
SNACK
SMARTER
We
all snack, and snacking isn't a bad thing – it's the snack choices that can get
us into trouble. Anything sugary and full of white flour (cookies, cakes) will
give you a burst of energy – then you will crash, staring blankly at your
computer screen wondering what just happened. When you're tired or frustrated
it's easy to reach for the comfort snacks but what you need is fuel, not
something that offers no nutritional value. Instead of chips and cupcakes grab
or pack one of the following:
- Half of an apple covered in almond butter
- Plain, low-fat yogurt topped with ground flax seeds and frozen raspberries
- A handful (12-14) of raw almonds
- Vegetables and hummus
- Low-sodium vegetable juice
- Celery sticks with peanut butter
RETHINK
YOUR PLATE
Your
plate is a good indicator of whether you're going to have trouble maintaining
your ideal weight or not. If it's filled with simple carbohydrates (bread,
pasta, potatoes) and meat, you might have some trouble keeping the weight off.
A better-looking plate would be divided like so: half vegetables, a quarter
whole grains and a quarter protein.
FOCUS
ON WHOLE FOODS
Trade
packaged meals for more whole foods if you want to maintain a healthy weight.
If you're not inspired, take a trip to your local farmers market to see the
fresh bounty that's available – likely much more appealing and colorful than
what's in those boxes at your grocery store. Fresh, seasonal produce doesn't
require a lot of work; in fact, simple preparation is best so you don't have to
worry about slaving over a hot stove to make a meal. It can be hard to veer
away from prepared, diet-friendly meals with a calorie count printed on the
front, ready to be popped into the microwave, but those aren't going to offer
the nutrition your body needs to really thrive.
No comments:
Post a Comment