Ironic that I would create a post about this on Thanksgiving of all days, isn't it?
But I find it a germane topic in light of the fact that many of us won't be happy when we step on the scale tomorrow morning. In fact, studies show that many people decide to go on diets the day after Thanksgiving as a way of mitigating the damage. Whether they keep the diet when Christmas and New Year's come rolling around is a different story.
Here's my trick to losing weight:
The best way to exercise self-control is to ask yourself how many calories eating that scrumptious slice of pizza would set you back. The key is to mull this over before you even put the food on your plate. If you do it the other way around, you'll feel as though you've committed to eating it ("it's on my plate already -- might as well eat it) and will feel bad putting the slice back in the box.
Now, that doesn't mean you can never "cheat" once in a while. After all, experts say it's good to shock your body every once in a while by eating something different (and larger portions of it) than the more healthful stuff you've grown accustomed to while dieting. In other words, a burger or bowl of ice cream, say, once a month, won't kill you.
But this should be done only in moderation. Once you start consuming one too many chocolates, you'll find yourself packing the pounds again in no time.
Just remember to always keep your eyes on the prize: the number of pounds you ultimately wish to weigh. Eat healthily, put in at least a couple of hours of exercise each week, and limit your consumption of alcohol and soft drinks.
If you want to pig out tonight, go nuts! It's one of the few days of the year where eating a lot should be, well, permissible.
But if you wake up tomorrow and decide you want to shed a few pounds, be sure to keep these tips in mind. Losing weight is more mental than anything else!
But I find it a germane topic in light of the fact that many of us won't be happy when we step on the scale tomorrow morning. In fact, studies show that many people decide to go on diets the day after Thanksgiving as a way of mitigating the damage. Whether they keep the diet when Christmas and New Year's come rolling around is a different story.
Here's my trick to losing weight:
The best way to exercise self-control is to ask yourself how many calories eating that scrumptious slice of pizza would set you back. The key is to mull this over before you even put the food on your plate. If you do it the other way around, you'll feel as though you've committed to eating it ("it's on my plate already -- might as well eat it) and will feel bad putting the slice back in the box.
Now, that doesn't mean you can never "cheat" once in a while. After all, experts say it's good to shock your body every once in a while by eating something different (and larger portions of it) than the more healthful stuff you've grown accustomed to while dieting. In other words, a burger or bowl of ice cream, say, once a month, won't kill you.
But this should be done only in moderation. Once you start consuming one too many chocolates, you'll find yourself packing the pounds again in no time.
Just remember to always keep your eyes on the prize: the number of pounds you ultimately wish to weigh. Eat healthily, put in at least a couple of hours of exercise each week, and limit your consumption of alcohol and soft drinks.
If you want to pig out tonight, go nuts! It's one of the few days of the year where eating a lot should be, well, permissible.
But if you wake up tomorrow and decide you want to shed a few pounds, be sure to keep these tips in mind. Losing weight is more mental than anything else!
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