Losing Weight and Eating Chocolate - Part II
Everyone has certain foods that they crave. For some its cookies, other its ice cream. My weakness is chocolate.
There are two types of foods that can wreck a diet. One is foods that you will eat if they are around. These are called "trigger" foods and the only way to deal with them is to keep them out of the house (and the office).
For example, a carton of Ben & Jerry’s never lasts in my freezer. So, I don’t buy it. If it’s not there, I won’t eat it. Another example is an open bag of chips - always dangerous.
The other is crave foods. These are foods that if you get a little taste, you can be satisfied for the rest of the day. Not getting a daily taste, however, can lead to big quantities later. These are often foods and drinks that can be weaned off with a little bit of self-control.
Chocolate is a good example. A small piece of chocolate satisfies my craving for the day. It is often enough to keep me from having a bigger piece of chocolate later or, more importantly, something higher in calories such as a chocolate chip cookie.
I will eat two or three Hershey’s dark chocolate kisses a day. The calorie penalty is only about 60 calories, which is low enough to compensate for with other dietary choices. The upside is that I satisfy my craving without reaching for something that is higher calorie.
Trigger and crave foods are different for everyone. If you have a hard time parting with a certain food, start by eating less of it. For example, order a small size of fries. Alternatively, have a few bites and then throw the rest in the trash. Often just throwing a portion of the food into the trash or a container is enough to keep you eating less.
The point is cutback on calories without feeling like you are sacrifices. Most diets don’t work because they are too restrictive to adhere too. Allowing a little slack for crave foods, however, increases the odds of long-term success.
It’s worked for me.
Read part one about losing weight
posted by Netsweat.com @ 4/12/2008
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10 Comments:
Many individuals make the mistake of thinking they can't eat anything that's considered not healthy. It is about balancing your day and making sure you don't go overboard with the bad calories. There is nothin
Excellent, sensible advice! I do a similar thing when I am in weight losing mode. Even though it goes against what "diets" say - it really aids in staying with a healthy program in the long run. After all, who is going to give up chocolate for the rest of their lives?
Lori B.
http://UnityHomeFitness.com/blog
Sometimes success comes down to choices. Like deciding what you are really trying to accomplish and why. If you can attain the level of fitness you are happy with and still each chocolate, kudos to you.
-David Berman, MS, PT, COMT, CSCS
http://warp-speed-fat-loss.blogspot.com/
Reading about chocolate always makes me smile. It's great to know that my favorite treat is ok to eat in small amounts:)
I'm with you...2-4 dark Hershey kisses everyday keeps the chocolate beast at bay (at least most days). My husband taught me to keep them in the fridge...it takes longer for them to melt in your mouth.
According to the explanation that these folks have http://www.avig.com/nutrition/fat-burning-foods/ you method should not work. Now I`m confused.
in the summer i'm obsessed with 3 things: pizza, chips and fries. all i want is salt (duh, you sweat a lot). i rotate those three and sometimes eat them all in one day (those days i take 2 runs)
in the winter i like sweets and it's the only time i actually like ice cream. yeah- hate me- i don't like ice cream.
Wow! What a great read man... Diet is so important.
Cookies are defiantly my down fall! :(
It is important to not deprive yourself of the things you like. It is just very important to keep everything in moderation. It is wise to keep the things that are the biggest temptations out of sight.
Hi, Eating what is you crave for in small portions does help in losing interest on them at some point of time.But,may be we do go back to them once we start thinking of them again.
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