Everywhere you
go, it seems, there’s pressure to eat. Here’s how to push back.
For most of us,
the last thing we need is the pressure to eat more. But it happens
all the time. A few years back, one of the fast food chains began a push to add a whole extra meal to your day – “the meal
between dinner and breakfast”. I do understand the desire for
an occasional midnight snack – sometimes you eat dinner early, you stay up late
and you get hungry. But once that midnight snack morphs into “the fourth meal”,
it starts to sound more like an everyday need – which just makes
it easier to justify why we cave into the pressure to eat it.
This pressure
to eat faces us everywhere we go, and it seems as if we’ve come to expect it –
and accept it, too. I’m no longer surprised when I see free donuts at the dry
cleaners, or a plate of cookies at the bank. When I go to a restaurant, I expect that
the server will offer to “start me off” with some deep-fried something or
other, or ask me if I’ve “saved room for dessert”. You’ve probably
experienced the occasional pressure to eat from friends, family or co-workers.
Even when you shop for groceries, there’s pressure to buy more (“buy two, get
one free!”), which just means more food in the house – and increased pressure
to eat it.
With this
constant pressure to eat, it means that we have to spend a lot of time trying
to stop ourselves from giving in. And that isn’t easy to do, since it’s almost
expected that we should be eating more, not less. (When was the
last time a server in a restaurant tried to discourage you from
ordering appetizers or dessert?)
But you can push
back. Here’s how.
Push back when there’s food where you least expect it.
Like the donuts
at the dry cleaners or cookies at the bank, you can probably think of dozens of
unlikely places where you’ve encountered food. This situation is probably
the easiest one to deal with, since you really weren’t expecting the food to be
there in the first place. Ask yourself: “am I hungry?”, “is
this something I want?” and “would I walk across the street right now to get
this?” Pay attention to your answers, which are most likely some
combination of “no”, “not really” and “probably not”.
Push back when you’re grocery shopping.
Grocery
shopping is a minefield of temptations – there are literally thousands of items
there to entice you. This is why making a list – and sticking to it – is so important, since it will curb your impulse buying.
When you’re faced with ‘value pricing’ – which encourages you to buy more than
you need – consider how you’ll deal with the extra. If it can be stored
out of sight, or repackaged into smaller containers, that’s fine. But if
having more around means you’re likely to eat more, that’s a bargain you don’t
need.
Push back when restaurants offer you more than you want.
Just like value
pricing at the supermarket, restaurants like to offer you value, too.
Free bread or chips doesn’t cost them much, but the cost to you could
be a few extra inches on your belly and hips. Instead of those “deep fried
something or others” as a starter, just ask for some water with lemon to sip on
while you look over the menu. Turn down the offer of an extra ‘side’ for
just pennies more – unless it’s an extra side of veggies. And when the
dessert menu comes around, don’t even open it. If others at your table
are indulging, have order some coffee or tea to sip on while they eat.
Push back when family, friends or coworkers put the pressure
on.
You’d think it
would be easy to be straightforward with the ones you know best, but eating
with those you’re close to is often emotionally charged. There’s the
family member who prepared something nice and high calorie “just for you” –
and, since you don’t want to offend them, you feel pressured to eat it. If
you just can’t bring yourself to say no, then ask for a small piece and take
just a bite or two…because if you finish it, there’s a good chance you’ll be
offered another helping, and you’ll just have to start the process all over
again. And when you’re out with friends or coworkers and you feel the
pressure to have something “just this once” or because “everyone else is having
some” keep this in mind – being sociable doesn’t require that you have a drink
in one hand and an tempting morsel in the other.
Cranberry Tuna Salad
Here's what you need...
- 2 cans wild caught Albacore Tuna, packed in water
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons low fat mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
- Drain and flake tuna in a medium bowl.
- Add all of the ingredients and mix until well combined.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 195 calories, 9.6g fat, 273mg
sodium, 9 carbohydrate, 1g fiber, and 17g protein.
(219)-548-3480
Pumpstrainigandpilates@gmail.com
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