|
Admit it. How many times have you been to a dinner party, reception or family gathering when eating seemed to be the only way to get through the event? I recall one such dinner, where I sat between someone who was quite deaf and someone else who insisted on telling me, in excruciating detail, all about his back surgery. Even though the food was quite unappetizing, I ate it all so that I would not have to participate in the conversation. Eating also comes in handy when no one is interested in talking with you at a stand-up reception; going to the buffet table gives you something to do, and maybe you can start up a conversation about the potato salad. Eating often prevents you from saying something you will regret later on at a family gathering or when your least favorite relative starts asking you why you are not married yet. The problem, of course, is that you are probably not putting ice cubes in your mouth but rather food with unnecessary calories. Few of us can afford to consume several hundred extra calories so we won’t be rude or fall asleep at a dinner party. (Although I do remember one such party when the after- dinner speaker was so tedious that a guest fell asleep and actually slid off his chair. It was the most exciting thing that happened that evening.) Preventing yourself from overeating is not difficult; it simply requires that you recognize that boredom, frustration or even anger (that pesky relative) is making you eat more than you planned. Try these strategies: 1. Leave the scene. Excuse yourself to go to the rest room, make an “urgent” phone call, help the hostess clear the table or talk to someone across the room. Decide if you want to stay or, if the party/reception /dinner looks totally hopeless, leave and go home. You are a guest, not a prisoner. 2. Make sure you have water or a non-caloric beverage to drink. Sipping water is a good way to stop boredom eating. (Don’t, however, try this with alcohol.) 3. Play with your food. Rolls are particularly good for this. Making crumbs keeps your fingers busy as you hear an endless story. 4. Don’t let a waitperson put a dessert in front of you if you are dieting or watching your weight. If it is in front of you, you will certainly start to eat it as you grow more and more bored with the evening. 5. Seek out low-calorie food such as shrimp, turkey, lean roast beef, and of course, vegetables. Avoid popping those high-calorie appetizers in your mouth so you won’t have to make conversation. 6. And when all else fails, daydream about how great you are going to look when you have lost all your extra weight. | permalink | related link |   ( 3 / 18 )The holiday season tests our frustration level. With too little time to accomplish all that has to get done, few people take kindly to long lines, incompetent cashiers, or the inability to find the perfect blouse in Aunt Mary’s size. A few days ago I overheard two women talking behind me as I waited in line at an urban department store. “ I am so frustrated, “ said one of them. “ I managed to buy only one of the 10 items on my list.” “All I got was a pair of panty hose. ” said the other. “Why don’t we just give up for now and go get something good to eat?” There is nothing like food to take away frustration… or is there? Certainly sitting down with a friend for a nice meal is more satisfying than pawing through shelves of uninteresting gift items. The problem comes when eating is the only way you get relief from the endless obligations that characterize this season. It is so easy to reach for food when unable to solve a gift, relative or travel problem that you rarely try to get relief by doing something with no caloric cost. And unfortunately the consequences are all too apparent when the scale is hauled out from under the bed on January 2. The two women going off to eat up their frustration were a good example. Instead of filling up with calories, they could have sat down in a nearby church to listen to the free noontime organ concert, strolled around several art galleries, ducked into the nearby library to see a cartoon exhibit or browsed through books in the bookstore they were passing. Obviously, one doesn’t usually have so many options when frustrated by an unhelpful airline agent, demanding relative or extremely long lines in the supermarket. Yet doing something as simple as sitting in a comfortable chair with your cat on your lap, reading a chapter in a book or just finding a quiet spot for five minutes can relieve frustration. If you are shopping, wander through the makeup department and spray yourself with various scents, sniff aromatic candles, or admire the selection of Christmas ornaments on display. I find that looking at humorous birthday cards usually melts my frustration in about a minute (and we all need to buy birthday cards). So the next time you are tempted to pop a Christmas cookie or chocolate in your mouth when your patience has just vanished, think of some other pleasurable things to do that will last longer than a swallow. | permalink | related link |  ( 2.6 / 14 )So many of our readers and clients are working moms juggling a full-time job, kids, households, the family's social life, pets, etc. And then on top of it you want to add losing weight to that "to do" list? Well, we hear from working moms that on The Serotonin Power Diet, they're more energetic, in a better mood, sleeping better, and finding their pants looser. Quite a boost to help moms with all they have to do. Here's another way besides those serotonin-boosting snacks to help out busy working moms: find a way to keep your work top-quality and top-pay job but with flexible hours. Can you do a job share? Can you work from home? Can you take less pay for fewer hours? If you've been out of the workforce and want to get back, there are firms that can help you find work without requiring you to spend excessive amounts of time away from your family. One such company is Mom Corps with offices in Boston, Charlotte, Washington, New York, Chicago, and Atlanta. It's a win-win situation for corporations and moms to employ top quality professionals whose lives are balanced and meaningful. "Having it all" means having what you choose to have in your life; if that means a fulfilling professional life, a quality family life, personal time, and, yes, weight loss, there are many ways to put it all together if you're creative and resourceful about it. | permalink | related link | ( 2.8 / 21 )Guiltless Gourmet Dessert Bowls: Black Velvet Cake with Caramel Sauce by Charles Stuart Platkin The Why: It’s low in calories, and will satisfy your sweet tooth. Consumers have flocked to Betty Crocker Warm Delights dessert bowls, but their ingredients include artificial preservatives, flavorings and colors. Also, Betty Crocker’s Molten Caramel Cake contains 360 calories and 10 grams of fat, not to mention 2 grams of trans fat. If only there were a scrumptious, healthier indulgence that was equally quick and easy. Well, there is. You simply put the mix in the provided bowl; add water and microwave. Drizzle with the oozy topping, and you have a hot brownie-esque dessert. The Health Bonus: In addition to being low in calories, it contains no artificial sweeteners, flavorings, preservatives or colors. What We Liked Best: It tastes good, and you can easily satisfy your cake or brownie cravings. Plus it has 3 grams of dietary fiber. What We Liked Least: Sugar is the first ingredient, but to be fair, this is a dessert. What It Replaces: A hot fudge brownie or any other warm, cake-like dessert. The Price: $2.49 per bowl. Other Offerings: Bananas Foster Cake; Hot Fudge Chocolate Brownie. Web Site: http://guiltlessgourmet.com. Where to Buy: Find a supermarket near you at http://guiltlessgourmet.com. Nutritional Information: Black Velvet Cake with Caramel Sauce, one bowl (58g) 200 calories, 2.5g fat, 42g carbs, 3g fiber, 4g protein, 190mg sodium. NOTE FROM JUDY/NINA: The calories, carbs, and protein are a slightly high for a snack, but for a once-in-a-while indulgence to satisfy your sweet tooth, this is fine. Ingredients: Evaporated cane juice crystals, wheat flour, cocoa powder (processed with alkali), nonfat yogurt powder (cultured nonfat milk), palm oil, eggs, kosher salt, baking soda (leavening), natural flavor. Caramel Sauce: evaporated cane juice syrup, evaporated cane juice crystals, water, nonfat dry milk, waxy rice starch, natural flavor, caramel color, kosher salt. | permalink | related link | ( 2.6 / 31 )Holiday time is when everyone accumulates things: gifts received, gifts to give, festive decorations, clothes to wear for the holidays, and, yes, usually extra food and weight. I really do believe that clearing clutter in your life, including the things in your home and obligations & people you can live without, can clear the way for weight loss. Try it. What can you clear from your life so that you are more free to lose weight? Note: This topic is on my mind as I just bagged toys the kids no longer play with except to scatter over the floor - and you can guess who winds up cleaning them up. And the kids clothes drawers were getting too full what with the more bulky fall/winter clothes filling them up. It's not like they're folding them and putting them away after they pick up a few things from the drawer trying to decide what to wear. Again, guess who's doing the folding? Check out "Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui", one of my favorite books- it's a great, great read with lots of useful tips I still use. It might even make you chuckle - another great plus. | permalink | related link | ( 2.7 / 14 )Back Next |
|
|
Categories
