|
|
 |
| Can you believe that a fresh bagel can have more than 400 calories? |
|
| 5-in-1 Fitness Calculator |
|
 |
Calculate your BMI (body mass index), Body Fat Percentage, Optimal Weight Range, and Target Heart Rate and Overall Health Risk all in one simple calculation.
|
 |
|
|
|
Emotional Eating
My husband and I are very social and are often invited to friends’ homes for dinner. Since our hosts are trying to please us with something “fancy,” they often serve food that is fattening--and I eat it! Because I’m trying hard to lose weight, I always feel mad at myself on the way home, and I’m thinking about bringing along a salad next time. Is that unbelievably rude?
--Ivan15
Caring for your health and wanting to stay true to the commitment you’ve made to yourself is not rude, but may I suggest some alternatives? • First, when you know you are going to a friend’s home for dinner, do your utmost to eat lightly during the day, and have a small snack right before you go. • If the friends are close, here is another strategy: Be honest. Tell them that you are committed to losing weight and that, while you don’t want to disrupt their menu, could you bring something—say, some low-calorie vegetable side dishes or a fruit dessert—that can be an adjunct to the meal so you have a low-calorie option? • Finally, remember two things: One, resolve to have small portions of the caloric food, and, two, if you do end up indulging, keep in mind it’s not the end of the world. Get back on track by eating wisely the next day.
top
I’ve been trying to lose weight for a long time. Each time, I drop five or ten pounds, then my husband brings home pizza for dinner or insists we go out for burgers and fries. He wants to have junk food around the house, and sometimes if I’m feeling low I indulge myself or I join him in a bowl of chips or ice cream after dinner. Then I gain back whatever I lost and the whole cycle begins again. I’m sick of it. Help!
-- Wttswf
I hear this pattern quite often. On the surface it would seem that the logical solution to your dilemma would be for your husband to adopt healthier eating habits. Then your challenge would be over, or would it? Usually when people say they want to lose weight but continually undermine their own efforts by overeating, eating improperly or not exercising, there is more to it than just the fact that "the wrong food is around." It is possible that if your husband didn't give you the excuse, someone or something else would--the holidays, your schedule or a hundred other excuses.
Why we undermine our own efforts can be a complex issue. I recommend that you first understand yourself a little better. In other words, try to figure out your motivations—what makes you diet, what makes you falter. Ask yourself if there are other reasons (stress, emotions) that cause you to go off your healthy program. Do you have a need to please other people at your own expense? Sometimes the answers to these and other self-scrutinizing questions can tell you if you really want to do what is necessary to permanently lose the weight. Knowing yourself better often leads to self-acceptance, which in turn helps to motivate you each day.
top
E-mail me with all your questions and concerns at writeme@getwiththeprogram.org
I receive a lot of questions, many of which are duplicates. I will answer as many of your letters as I can, but may select certain ones that best reflect the concerns of the majority of my clients.
top
|
|
Get With the Software!
Easily manage your exercise, nutrition and overall health! |
|
 |
| • Learn what activities work best to meet your goals |
| • Nutrition information from popular restaurant menus |
| • Track calories, carbs, protein, fiber, and fats for over 5,000 foods |
|
|
|
 |
