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TWENTY-FIVE
CHOCOLATES GO HOME WITH THE GUESTS
Keep temptation out of reach
♦
he route to poor food choices is confusion and temptation. When
it comes to temptation, if you don’t plan ahead, usually the food
closest to you is high in fat or sugar, such as chips and chocolate.
Once we start eating those foods, we cannot stop. These are our
trigger foods. We cannot resist them, and we can’t stop eating them.
We can eat them even when we are full. For me, there’s always room
for fries or chocolates, even if I feel stuffed.
When I had my nutrition practices, with every client, the first goal
I gave to each one was to plan to have healthy snacks nearby, like a
yogurt and a piece of fruit, or a slice of bread and peanut butter. I
would often say, “Eat three apples before you eat a cookie.” They
never managed to eat a cookie, because after one apple, they were
full. So that’s a good strategy. Sometimes I will overeat on vegetables
and fruit and gain a little weight, but nothing like I would gain if I’d
binged on junk foods.
After a huge and delicious dinner to celebrate a birthday, the
waiters brought out the desserts for the table, I didn’t hesitate to
indulge.
I happened to be sitting next to a six-foot-four guy. After a while
he said, “You eat more than me.”
I told him I don’t eat that way all the time, but this was worth it.
Those desserts were delicious! Every fiber of my mouth was happy. I
gained three pounds. The next day, I went back to my regular,
healthy style of eating, and it took a week to lose those three pounds.
In my twenties, I could lose that weight in two days. In my seventies,
it takes a week. Sometimes it’s worth it.
If you’re going to indulge, do it because it tastes wonderful, not
because you’ve been triggered by a sad or stressed feeling. I’ve
learned over time not to waste my calories on desserts that aren’t
delicious.
It’s helpful to become fussy. I was at a meeting where there was a
large assortment of cookies. I didn’t want to resist them, so I chose
the most decadent-looking one, with chocolate and nuts. After one
bite, I found it had no flavor. It was very disappointing and just
wasn’t worth eating, so I put it back on my plate and didn’t touch it
again.
If you taste something and it’s not delicious, leave it.
• • •
When people bring me chocolates and treats, they smile so nicely.
But I am horrified. I tell them that they cannot bring me this kind of
food because I will finish it all. They say to just eat one piece every
day, but that is not in my genes. They have to take the treats home,
or I will give them away. Or even throw them away, if I have no one
to give them to. It is just not worth the stress of knowing that this
magnet in my kitchen is attracting me all the time. I cannot keep any
sweet treats in my home, because they are trigger foods. What does
that mean? It means I can’t just taste a small piece of chocolate; it
sets off a trigger reaction. It makes my taste buds tingle, and I want
to polish off the whole chocolate box. For many people it would be
something savory, like chips. For other people, it’s ice cream. The
important thing is to know which foods are your trigger foods. If you
have a trigger food, whatever it is, keep it out of the house and out of
reach.
Avoiding your trigger foods is about weight loss, but it is also
about disappointment and feeling unhappy. It affects your mood. We
don’t want to be unhappy.
• • •
If you do stress eat or overeat, don’t waste more time feeling stressed
about eating. A better strategy is to skip the guilt. Ask yourself, “Did I
enjoy it?” If the answer is yes, don’t berate yourself. Carry on as if
nothing happened. At your next meal, eat fruits and vegetables, lean
protein, whole grains, and beans. The next day, resume your healthy
routine. Meals don’t have to be perfect. And neither do you. One
unhealthy meal does not make or break a healthy lifestyle. If you eat
healthily 80 percent of the time, you will feel fantastic all of the time.
If the answer is no, make a note to remind yourself next time that
unhealthy snacking didn’t even help, so why bother?
Focus on remembering the good feelings that come with sensible
and healthy food choices. If you eat healthy foods, in the right
amounts, you will feel energized and nourished.
• • •
When I’m at home, it’s so much easier to plan good eating. Never
spend your own money on foods that will sabotage your healthy
habits. If you have kids, buy a treat that the kids like, not one you
like. If I wanted to give my grandchildren treats, I let them choose
small ice creams or a single cookie. That way, there wouldn’t be a box
for us to finish.
Know your weaknesses, keep them out of reach, and you’ll feel
better every day.
W
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