Add spices to your food to add more flavor. It can help you feel satisfied. It will stimulate your taste buds so you won’t eat as much.
Intense sweets can do the same thing. Those little sugar-free Altoids and other powerful candies can do the same to curb cravings. Those and a hot cup of coffee can keep you going till you can have a protein filled snack or meal.
TODAY: KEEP UP THE FASTER PACE WHEN WALKING
Some people go on a diet and stop eating some meals. in particular breakfast falls off the schedule. It seems so easy to skip it that many people never eat it. That’s a bad habit. Breakfast is really good for you in a number of ways.
- You stoke your furnace to get your body (and brain) going.
- You get your metabolism started so it burns more calories as it fuels your body.
- You will actually consume fewer calories during the day. (You won’t be starving at lunch.)
It’s supported by research at the University of Texas. They studied the food diaries of almost 600 men and women and found that the more they ate in the morning, the fewer calories they ate during the day.
So eat your breakfast do give your diet a fast break. (After yesterday’s post I won’t say that “the early bird catches the worm”.)
TODAY: HAVE A GOOD HEALTHY BREAKFAST. THEN TAKE A GOOD HEALTHY WALK.
I picked up a big watermelon at the produce stand on Friday. Two dollars and fifty cents went a long way over the past three days. Loads of satisfying natural sugar, refreshing cold liquid that dripped all over the place while munching on the triangle wedges. Though it seems that it’s a splurge that would blow a diet, it turns out that the whole melon probably had less than 1000 calories. Some references even list watermelon as a negative calorie food, which is of course a mythical food. Even at a little over 300 calories a day it wasn’t bad for the diet at all. The refreshment and flavor was a perfect accent to a summer weekend. I think I’ll treat myself again next Friday.
TODAY: SET A SMALL EXERCISE GOAL FOR EACH DAY THIS WEEK THAT YOU CAN MEET.
Call them garbanzo beans, chic peas, or spanish beans but call them part of your diet. They’s really good for you in a number of ways. They are loaded with protein, fiber and polyunsaturated fatty acids. All those things are good for your diet and heart. A surprising bonus is that they actually lower your total cholesterol and (bad) LDL while raising your HDL (good) levels. Eating about 25 ounces per week for 12 weeks is all you need to make this magic happen. That’s not all though. Insulin levels also improved and participants in the study actually lost weight without diet OR exercise. (Imagine how great you’ll do!)
Toss some whole beans on your salads. Puree them with some seasoning and olive oil to make hummus. Add them to three-bean salad. I like them with shredded cheese and a sweet and sour dressing (Splenda NOT sugar) They’re tasty, inexpensive. and filling.
TODAY: ADD GARBANZOS TO YOUR MENU.
Fire up the grill today as part of the great American tradition and celebrate the 4th with a reasonable number of calories. Grill some nice chicken but keep the barbecue sauce to a minimum. The sugar is a hidden calorie waster. Use hot sauces instead.
Grill veggies too. All that zucchini that’s now coming out of home gardens is a great side. Corn on the cob is an easy grill item. Trim off the silk and then soak it water before putting it on the grill for about 10 minutes. It gets smokey and steamed in the husk.
Skip the potato salad! Coleslaw or tomato & cucumber salad is really great with an easy low cal / low carb dressing of mayo and the juice from no sugar “bread & butter” sweet pickles.
Have fruit as dessert. Strawberries and blueberries will keep the theme. Use Splenda as a sweetener. Since that doesn’t make the usual sugar syrup you’ll need to add some liquid. Water will do, or try a little orange juice.
TODAY: Enjoy the picnic, just do it in moderation or your waistline will explode.
If you have a stash of snacks in bags left in the house, get rid of them. You’ve got to change your habits and if you leave those temptations within reach you will no doubt give in to them in a moment of weakness or more likely laziness. It’s just handy to grab one of those bags and munch away. Lay’s even names the snack size bag the “Big Grab”. They ought to call them the “Big Flab”.
You can still snack in moderation when you’re hungry. Just make the snack protein filled. Eat hard cheese, meats, jerky, salami, sardines or the high protein nuts like macadamia and almonds. If you absolutely need a bag of stuff to munch get fried pork rinds. Drink lots of water too. It will help you feel more full while also giving you hydration and flush your system of the extra protein you’re now eating.
TODAY: CLEAN OUT THE PANTRY. GIVE UNOPENED BAGS OF SNACKS TO A SHELTER.
I’ve found that by planning my meals the day before gives me a chance to really enjoy them more. And research has shown that enjoying food makes it more filling and satisfying. I’ve been on the Atkins diet and I have an egg breakfast every day. By planning how to prepare those eggs, what meat to have (like leftovers from dinner) and even what condiments to use makes that breakfast an event. It’s like setting a goal and reaching it. So I start the day with a diet victory. As a bonus, I often get to try new things. Have you ever tried a barbecue omelet?
Dieting is a life extending change. So plan your diet menu for tomorrow today and you’ll have more today’s to plan too.
TODAY: PLAN YOUR MEALS FOR TOMORROW. THINK ABOUT THEM WHILE YOU’RE WALKING.
Daily Nag, Healthy Recipes | Diet Nag | 
August 25, 2010 6:05 am | 
Comments (0) 
Subscribe