“Diet” Ugh. I shudder at the thought. Food is one of my favorite parts of life! Unfortunately, I tend towards greasy, carby, cheesy foods filled with calories and yumminess which does not bode well for the waistline. I’ve spent years watching my super skinny friends turning down food without batting an eyelash and frequently, I wonder if it’s as easy for them as it seems.
When someone rolls out a cart of cheesecakes and cherry pies, even if my stomach is bloated and my jeans are a bit snug, my mouth starts watering and it takes God-like willpower for me to say, “No thanks.”
But like the rest of the world, I’d like to drop a few (or 40) pounds. Thus, the dieting begins. If you are anything like me, you know the second day of your diet is always the easiest. Because by then, you’ve given up and gone back to your old ways. And if your anything like me, then it’s no wonder.
NO ONE has enough will power to turn down something they love repeatedly for the rest of their lives. Yes, I know it’s an unhealthy addiction. But smokers know that cigarettes are an unhealthy addiction, too. When you look at other addictions, like smoking, drinking, and drugs, people often get help to quit. Professionals suggest staying away from bars and parties that would make it too easy to give in.
But when it comes to a food addiction, staying away isn’t an option. We MUST eat. And when you struggle with moderation and healthy choices, the last thing you need is some tiny waisted nutritionist telling you to “Ask yourself – Why do I want to eat right now.” UGH.
What you NEED is a solution. So let me lay it out there for you.
The number 1 mistake people make while on a diet is AVOIDING FOOD.
It may seem counter-intuitive but if you have failed at dieting, again and again, I’m right there with you. But even when I managed to lose 10, 20, or 30 pounds, eventually it would all come back. Why? Because I hadn’t learned to FOCUS.
Your most important job, while on a diet, is to slow down and focus on your food, don’t try to avoid it. If you’ve got a hankering for a slice (or a whole box) of pizza, then get yourself pizza. But focus on finding a way to eat that pizza without going over your allowed calorie intake for the day.
There are 3 different ways to do this.
1. Make a trade off
You could choose to skip lunch for a pizza dinner or just eat super low calorie meals for the rest of the day, at dinner time, chow down on a piece or two of pizza.
3.Earn more Calories
If you’re not willing to make a trade-off then you may have to burn off A LOT of calories on the treadmill (or machine of your choice). But fair warning, an average person would have to walk 3 miles to burn off the calories in just one slice. Yikes
3. Find a Low-Calorie Substitute
This is my favorite choice because It has become a challenge for me to find, or create a delicious solution that will curb my cravings! I personally LOVE making my pizza in a skillet. It allows me to skip the crust all together and have all cheesy goodness and flavoring of a pizza WITHOUT unnecessary carbs and calories. And it doesn’t stop there. I’ve got so many LOW AND NO CALORIE snack options these days that I could munch ALL DAY LONG if I really wanted too!
