Showing posts with label Junk food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Junk food. Show all posts

Monday, February 23, 2009

8 Easy Tips To Making Your Life Fat-Loss Friendly

A typical American snack vending machineImage via Wikipedia

Fat traps are everywhere! This makes sticking to a food plan difficult. The key is learning to make your life fat-loss friendly.

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons that most people fail at any weight loss program or plan is a lack of will power. Now do not take that wrong because I mean this in the nicest way possible. It takes a lot of will power to pass up your favorite foods and snacks.

This is especially true when they are readily available, even as close as your own kitchen. So what can you do, how can you increase your will power, or more importantly, what can be done to make your home a more friendly place for anyone looking to lose the fat.

Actually there are several things that you need to know about. Check out the list below:

1) Snack promotion is everywhere
2) Buying in bulk can lead to overeating
3) Fat-free does not mean low calorie
4) Variety is not always a good thing
5) Junk food should be avoided - always
6) Free refills are not so free when they show up as fat
7) Calories on the weekends and holidays do count
8) Restaurants with great atmospheres can lead to overeating


From the gas stations to TV commercials you will see promotions for snack foods that are not conducive to fat loss. Tip; pay at the pump and keep a low-fat alternative snack available.

Although buying in bulk can save money it can also result in us eating more. We simply see that there is plenty available and we consume more. Tip; divide the bulk goods when you get home with them. Then hide whatever is not needed right away.

Food labels can be misleading. Be sure to read the complete label, low fat foods are sometimes very high in calorie content. And when you buy a package of cookies, candy bars or other food items that offer a variety you may be doing yourself more harm than good. It is human nature to want to sample each of the varieties.

Junk food is junk food, whether it is from a vending machine or from a candy jar on a desk of a co-worker. Avoid all junk food. Many restaurants now offer free refills on drinks. Although this is a nice gesture, those free refills can add lots of calories. Tip, drink water or unsweetened tea.

Calories count even if they are consumed during a holiday or a weekend. I am all for taking a break from a routine but use caution and do not go overboard. And when you eat out consider the atmosphere of the restaurant you choose. Those with relaxing and soothing atmospheres tend to entice us to hang around longer, which means we are more likely to eat dessert. Those same restaurants also have wonderful names for their foods which make them sound even better than what they are. Use caution.

By making a few small changes to your life you will decrease the temptations and make it more likely that you will succeed in your weight loss attempts. Planning is everything! That is one reason that a Food or Weight Loss Journal is so effective. By planning ahead and tracking what you do eat you can easily see where you need to make changes.

Make healthy choices and use a holistic approach to losing weight - not only will those pounds disappear but you will feel better too!




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Sunday, January 18, 2009

Five Fat Traps That Can Be Avoided: They Are Everywhere!

Losing weight can be difficult even in under the best circumstances. But it seems that no matter where you are there are traps waiting for you, fat traps that is. Learn how to avoid them; this article will help!

It is difficult to make it through a day without being overwhelmed in one way or another by fatty, sweet and salty foods. They seem to be everywhere we look, from grocery stores to gas stations we stop at, to the restaurants we visit, and even the department stores that we shop at. It really is hard to avoid the fat traps when everywhere you go and everywhere you look they seem to jump out at you.

Here are fat traps that you can avoid:

1) Free refills
2) Varieties
3) Junk food
4) Bulk buying
5) Nice, romantic restaurants

A free refill is a wonderful concept except that it can add to the calories you are consuming which is not so wonderful. Water or unsweetened tea is always a good choice.

When you have a lot of variety to choose from you are more likely to be tempted to try a little of all options available. This is true whether you are at a buffet table or eating candy. So limit your options. If you eat at a buffet style restaurant try to keep your main entre a low calorie dish, or even a salad, and then add two, three or four side dishes.

Junk food is my weakness and I think a lot of people deal with this as well. My first suggestion is simply to not buy junk food. If it is in my house I will eat it! The same thing is true for the junk food you find at work. If you keep a bowl or jar of candy on your desk you are likely to dip into from time to time. If you know junk food is available in a particular area at your place of employment then avoid that area.

With the economy being what it is many of us have resorted to buying in bulk in order to save money. The problem that is happening is people are eating more. I believe this is psychological. We see that there is plenty available so we feel it is okay to eat as much as we want. So to change that way of thinking you should divide those large packages up into smaller ones as soon as you get home with them. Store the excess someplace where it will not be in plain view.

Okay, some people will not like this but it is true. If you eat in a nice restaurant where the atmosphere is relaxing, soothing and unhurried you are likely to eat more. Additionally, restaurants like that usually have spectacular names for their dishes, especially their desserts, which make them sound too good to resist. So either avoid this type of restaurant or at least be aware of these facts when you eat at such places.

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