1. Don’t Rely Upon “Eying” Food
It is a f act most people don’t measure the amount of food that they serve themselves, but you would be surprised how many servings you are actually consuming when you don’t pre-measure your food. In a recent survey when people did not use measuring cups or scales to measure their food, they ate enough food to serve 4-5 people! Even when you dine out in a restaurant and order from the “lighter side of menu” you are still being served enough food for 3 people on average!
What to Do: Make your measuring cups, measuring spoons & food scales your best friend. If you don’t have these, you can use visuals such as a deck of cards to represent a portion of protein, a pair of dice is a serving of healthy fat and tennis ball is a serving of a healthy carb!
2. Don’t Eat Off Other Peoples’ Plates
This is a habit that many people struggle with. Picking from people’s plate can nickel and dime you into “weight loss debt.” A few extra bites off of someone else’s weight can increase your caloric intake anywhere from 300-500 calories a day!
What to Do: Instead wrap up those leftovers and put in the fridge. Out of sight, out of mind!
3. Don’t Attend Work Related/ Office Events or Parties on an Empty Stomach
There’s no way around it; there will always be work-related & networking events and if you are a busy professional, sometimes they are more than once a week. With all the complimentary alcohol and passed hors d’oeuvres, attending these parties unprepared can potentially sabotage any diet program. Make sure to eat before going to these events and steer clear of alcohol which will only lessen your inhibitions causing you to eat things that you would not normally eat with a rational mind. Plus, alcohol leaves you feeling tired and bloated the following day.
What to Do: Make sure to eat before attending events. You will be in control and better able to focus on the real reason you are there!
4. Don’t Seek Comfort in Food
How many times have you found yourself reaching for that instant heated blanket of macaroni and cheese or a piece of chocolate cake to soothe your frustrations? You must understand that seeking comfort in food when emotionally distraught does not help the situation, it only hurts it! When we truly grasp the notion and truth that eating does not help our life’s problems we gain that control back.
What to Do: Achieve emotional mastery by writing in your journal, taking daily time out to reflect and mediate and whenever you are emotional triggered to eat to soothe your feelings, take 10 seconds to deep breathe and ask yourself “Am I eating out of emotions or out of true hunger? “Simply be honest with yourself and the truth will come out!
5. Don’t Go to All You Can Eat Restaurants
It’s not rocket science that you are setting yourself for diet disaster by going to an all you can eat buffet! You subconsciously want to eat more to feel that you are getting your “money’s worth”- For $7.95 you feel almost victorious by having 3 trips to the buffet along with a heaping plate of assorted desserts! There is no willpower there! You can easily walk away from an all you can eat buffet with eating over 5,000 calories or more!
What to Do: Choose a healthy restaurant where you can ask the waiter to have the cook prepare the food to your liking- ex: you can ask for grilled chicken breast with no grease with steamed vegetables, brown rice.