Make your first your last
There’s no better time to think about controlling cravings for the ‘bad stuff’ than right now. Your own personal vice over the holidays might be anything from Christmas cake to fizzy drinks. Dieting at this time of year is virtually a sugar and fat minefield, everywhere you turn there will be someone offering you a mince pie and cream. And if you do manage to escape this tempting trap, the slice of yule log mightn’t have such a lucky fate. The pitfalls are immense and the last thing you want to do is gain back all the weight you have already lost. Is the only answer to keep your doors closed to generous visitors and ban all of the food that Santa would eat?
The moment most of us are told not to eat something, is when we will crave it more than ever. It’s an obstinate trait the majority of us mere mortals are afflicted by. So, I’m not going to tell you to throw the Christmas pudding in the bin and of course you can have a mince pie. You can even enjoy a tipple of mulled wine at the Christmas party. I only have one piece of advice for you this Christmas and that is to ‘make your first your last’. If you want a mince pie have it, but just don’t have another one an hour later. If you are craving a class of coke with your Christmas dinner, just have one, but only one! In other words your first treat of the day is your last treat of the day!
Often the first tasting of a food is the one your body craves most, so just time your treat carefully and have it when you need it most.
A few years ago a lady came to me with an addiction to caffeine, from black coffee to diet coke she spent years addicted to the substance. She could never quite kick the habit. I asked her when she felt she needed the drink most and she told me that 11 am was when the craving really hit. I advised her to continue to have her can of diet coke, but to just have one per day. She still has to have her little caffeine hit, but rather than having 10 cups of coffee and a litre of diet coke, she only has 1 glass of diet coke now. This may seem like less than orthodox advice to come from a nutritionist, but it works.
You don’t have to live on lettuce leaves and fruit to achieve a weight you're happy with. Christmas needn’t be a time of either denial or gorging, there is a middle ground that can be found as long as you remember to 'make your first your last’. Cliché, sure, but true nonetheless 'moderation' is key. One treat every now and again won’t hurt you, in fact it may help you to stay on track this Christmas!
Happy Christmas!!!
Catherine Matthews
Nutritionist
http://www.facebook.com/healthyeatingforlife
Thank you, Catherine, that is good advice. I do try to practice this once or twice a week and it does seem to work. My only problem is not to feel too bad after I've given into a craving, even if it is one small glass of Coke with dinner or once small piece of chocolate. Thanks for the advice, I will keep it in mind as the days move closer to Christmas! Merry Christmas! Teresa
Comment by TLBOREGAN -
Excellent advice, I have tried many other diets before this but no others have helped me lose weight. Before beginning this diet I felt that it was impossible to lose weight, now I feel much more confident. Thanks for all the help and advice :) Merry Christmas!
Comment by KAWSHER123 -
Excellent advice. Thanks and a merry christmas to all those enroute to healthy eating, excercise and great life...happy 2012! x
Comment by DEEPAHARISH -
Very Good advice thank you Happy Christmas to everyone who reads this message, and i hope we all continue to loose weight at a healthy pace, that will be the greatest gift we can give ourselves this christmas x
Comment by SHELLEYBOW -
Good advice - having previously been an 'all or nothing' girl it has been a revelation to me that i can just have a taste of the naughty stuff and stop there - nibble on a bit of the cake at the party but not finish it and FEEL GOOD!
Comment by MILOSEVIC -
Hi Pianoteacher, that's exactly it. Without a sensible approach to healthy eating, it would be impossible to stick to it. Feeling deprived when you are trying to lose weight will just increase your cravings for snacks and extra calories.
Comment by CATHERINEMATTHEWS -
Brilliant advice Catherine, I totally agree! I have been fighting the flab for four years now and realise that healthy eating is for life! If I hadn't had my odd little treats over the years I think I would have gone completely off the rails. Thanks for the motivation and happy Christmas, Hugs, Chris.
Comment by PIANOTEACHER -
What great advice!
Comment by SUSIECURTIS1 -