Controlled Indulgence

I just read a great Weight Control article  from the NY Times by Jane Brody who has lost weight and is maintaining her new shape by eating what she likes but in controlled quantities. For example, she treats herself to ice cream but only in half cup measures and only once a day. Read the article for a lot of common sense that you rarely find in the dieting world.

Forbidding food you like is really not wise because you always end up craving the food and eating it anyway. What has got to go, if you want to lose weight, is overindulging in the stuff you like, in fact overindulging in anything whether you like it or not!

Eat modest amounts of healthy foods and small amounts of foods which are not that great nutritionally but do you good emotionally. And make sure you enjoy them rather than eating them guiltily - guilt just takes away any pleasure in the moment and is just a waste of good calories!

Comments

[kghare]

I came across this website by chance but wanted to post in the hope I help someone lose weight.

I visited the doctor last year and after a full physical was told my Triglycerides were 230 and my low density cholesterol was high. The doctor said to change my diet and come back in a month, if the results didn't change he would put me on a cholesterol reducing drug. The doctor told me to try to cut out sugar and also fried foods.

Sugar?? good grief, I'm a candy junky, and as for fried foods, my staple is french fries and fried chicken YUMMM!

However, I decided to cut out sugar were I could, and to stop eating fried foods for the month. Instead I began to buy Salmon and also upped my intake of sushi, only going for the fish types that are not great absorbers of mercury, Salmon and tuna for example. I also started taking omega 3 as a suppliment.

I'm also somewhat of a couch potato so I began walking the dog each day. Just a quick stroll around the block.

That's it, thats all the changes I made.

When I say all, it wasn't easy to give up sugar. Good grief but that stuff had a grip on me like I couldn't believe. I had to force myself past the candy rack, I threw out the sugar in the house and bought splenda
to replace it until I could get used to the taste of coffee without sweetener. I still can't believe the sugar craving that lasted about three months.

Anyway I returned to the doctor and was retested, my triglycerides dropped to 117, my cholesterol counts reversed so my high density went high and the low went low. That wasn't all however. I had not planned on losing weight, didn't even have a thought about it, but in the weigh in I had lost just over 20 pounds.

It has been a year since then and while I continue to eat healthy where I can I have the occasional candybar though it often tastes way too sweet and I end up throwing out half of it, better yet, I don't crave candy like I used to. I'll have the occasional fried chicken and fries but consider them a treat and my weight has stayed stable. One more point, I wasn't overweight to begin with so I kind of resented losing the weight but the difference in my energy levels, sleep patterns, overall feeling of well being is worth the change.

Hope this helps anyone. It's not easy to give up sugar and the foods you love, but I'm so glad I stuck with it.

[Janice]

Hi kghare

thank you so much for posting. Sugar can be really addictive and it sets you up for all kinds of cravings as it causes such wild swings in your blood sugar level.

You know I think you have the secret:-

Decide what you want, know what you are going to do about it, stick with it even though it isn't easy and don't revert back once you have accomplished your target result - see it as a lifelong permanent change.

Great stuff

Janice
editor Think Slim