No more white rice! No eating after 7:30! Basta, pasta! In an effort to lose weight, we've all made declarations about what we won't eat--and then beaten ourselves up after falling off the wagon a couple days (or hours) later. (For me, the temptress is chocolate...always!) That's because when you deprive yourself of a food you love, you keep craving it. And once you cave, you're likely to feel guilty about blowing it and devour a whole sleeve of cookies instead of stopping at a couple. Sound familiar?
I've been there, too, and I've learned this: To slim down steadily, not to mention scrumptiously, the carrot works far better than the stick. In other words, if you relish, rather than regret, regular splurges, find new ways to enjoy nutritious and delicious foods and treat yourself kindly, you'll stay on the road to Slim City. Best of all, you'll enjoy the journey and not just the destination! So toss your list of blacklisted bites and try these tactics to peel off pounds while feeling pampered, not punished.
Be a bit self-centered
Rather than roll out of bed and head straight for the scale, linger for a minute in front of the mirror and give yourself some props. Appreciate the strong curves of your calf muscles or your broad shoulders. When you feel proud of your body, you're more likely to feed it well, like reaching for the oatmeal for breakfast rather than the tricked-out bagel and cream cheese. Try your own moment of reflection tomorrow morning to start your day on a body-positive note. Need inspiration? Learn how other women came to embrace their shape.
Eat like a lady who lunches
In other words, leisurely, even if that little inconvenience called work beckons. Believe me, the memo will still get written if you savor a sandwich for an extra five minutes. Studies show that nibbling dainty forkfuls and chewing them slowly are simple ways to lose weight, so instead of Hoovering that salad, enjoy it. Also consider swapping your paper napkin for a pretty fabric one and arranging your food on a platter, even if your nosh is nothing fancy. By turning your meal into an experience, you'll be more likely to relish its flavors and less apt to scarf down something else afterward. Stretch out your mealtimes to slim down your bod--that's the long and short of it. Check out 20 superfoods that help you lose weight!
Break out the Ben & Jerry's
Just don't polish off the whole pint! Enjoying a scoop of Coffee Heath Bar Crunch or another indulgence of your choosing can actually help you eat smart the other 23 hours and 50 minutes of the day. That's because when you feel satisfied, you're more likely to make healthy selections than when you're wild-eyed and deprived (Need. Double cheeseburger and large fries. Nooow!) Just make sure your treat tops out at no more than 10 percent of your daily calorie goal so you can savor it without backsliding. I have a sane serving of something rich and delicious, like chocolate angle food cake (see the recipe for it) almost every single day!
Sleep your way slim
I'm the first one to stay up (usually reading), then set the alarm for a predawn workout. Bad idea, especially if you're trying to avoid that afternoon snack attack. Skimp on sleep and your body produces more ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger, and less leptin, a hormone that quells your appetite. So in addition to being foggy-brained, you're more likely to forage for junk food (um, yes...that happens to me!). In fact, adults who slept five hours a night were 60 percent more inclined to be obese than those who dozed for seven hours.
At the end of a jam-packed day, it's tricky to transition into sleep mode, especially if night time is your only window of me-time. I tend to want to cram "just one more thing" into the postdinner hours, but now I try to close my computer and turn off the TV a half hour before lights out--the bright screen can make it tough to turn in. I climb in bed with my book or manuscripts, and a page or two later, my eyelids begin to flutter. Get with zzz program and sleep your way slim. Now, that's dreamy!
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Discover how busy, treat-loving women like you stay sleek without depriving themselves--click to the Healthy Bites blog on Self.com.
