Monday, January 13, 2014

Eat More to Weigh Less?

Sounds too good to be true, right? When you look at food more as fuel, and focus on not just calories, but also the nutrients you're getting from indulging in certain foods, you'll find you can feel fuller, eating more of what's good for you and recognizing many sweets and treats as the empty calories they are.

The holidays have wound down but somehow my sweet tooth is still around! Unfortunately all those holiday Hershey's Chocolate Kisses that seemed like a great idea before our Christmas party are still around, and are a kiss of death for my diet plan.

No joke they're everywhere. They're in the pantry, seemingly the perfect thing to grab when I want something to eat but not too heavy. They're on the kitchen counter, so I can casually eat a few while making dinner... or lunch... or breakfast. Shameless. They're on the table next to the couch in the family room, so I can mindlessly snack as I watch TV.

An easy solution right? Toss them out? Have the husband take them to work with them? Put them in a secret drawer? Problem is, I don't want to admit defeat. Just because it's Hershey's Kisses today, tomorrow it's cookies I made, or a cake my mother-in-law drops off, or something! So my real question is, how do I curb the sweet tooth?

I posed this question to Shape Magazine last week, when they were have a Twitter conversation with Elizabeth Ward, a dietitian and writer for Men's Fitness.


More protein! But that got me thinking about a bigger issue for me, at least, which is eating enough during meals and snacks period. When I "diet," (if you can call any of my couple days' attempts dieting), I jump in with both feet. I find myself attempting extreme diets, limiting my calories and inevitably, failing withing a few days. Something isn't working.

So, it's time to attempt a different diet approach. I'm going to focus more on having a fully defined meal each time. Rather than eating a little yogurt here so I can have an excuse to grab some chips later and maybe some cookies later on, I'm going to take the time to prepare a meal with all of the nutrition and calories I need. Here goes nothing... 

For your viewing pleasure, today's lunch: Tuna sandwich with celery, carrots and Special K Chips







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