8 Diet Downfalls and Solutions

8 Diet Downfalls and Solutions


PROBLEM: I like a big bowl of cereal in the morning.
SOLUTION: Your first course of action is to make sure you're eating a low-glycemic load (GL) cereal, such as Raisin Bran, All-Bran, or Bran Flakes, or at least a medium-glycemic load type like Kellogg's Special K. The glycemic load accounts for how fast the sugar in a food is converted to blood sugar and the dose of sugar in the food.

If you're not used to these cereals, mix them with a bit of your usual cereal at first to make the transition easier. Second, pour less into the bowl and add something else to fill it up. You can top your cereal with fresh fruit, like chopped apples, strawberries, or blueberries. Adding a tablespoon of chopped nuts is an excellent strategy because nuts add protein and "good" fat, both of which help stabilize your blood sugar and keep you feeling full.


PROBLEM: I don't eat breakfast until I get to work, and then there's not much to choose from except bagels or muffins.
SOLUTION: Pack your breakfast in an insulated lunch bag the night before so you can grab it on the way out of the house. A fine breakfast is a piece of fruit, a plastic bag with a small handful of nuts, and 8 ounces (250 ml) of low-fat yogurt. Or make a batch of healthy bran muffins over the weekend and grab one along with an orange. Another option: Keep a box of high-fiber, low-GL breakfast cereal (along with plastic spoons and bowls) at your desk, and bring the milk (in a Thermos), fruit, and nuts with you.


PROBLEM: I like sweet drinks, not water.
SOLUTION: That's okay. But think of these drinks, whether they're soft drinks, sweetened iced tea, or sugary fruit drinks, as a treat, like dessert. You wouldn't eat dessert more than once a day, so don't indulge in these drinks more often than that either. Wait until the afternoon and then get the smallest size you can find. In the meantime, cultivate another habit -- sipping sparkling water. Some flavored varieties have few or no calories, and a good squeeze of lemon or lime juice makes plain sparkling water much more interesting and palatable. Buy seltzer or mineral water in bulk and make sure there's plenty at home and at the office. Changing this one habit can be a really effective way of improving your diet and even losing weight.



PROBLEM: There's no place to get a healthy lunch near my office.
SOLUTION: One strategy is to think through what changes would make it easier for you to bring lunch from home. If you're lucky, your office has a refrigerator, a microwave, or even a toaster oven. If so, get into the habit of making more of whatever you're having for dinner, then pack up the leftovers for lunch the next day. If there's no fridge, pack your lunch in a small insulated lunch bag with an ice pack. It will stay cold through lunchtime.


PROBLEM: I like pizza. Is that so bad?
SOLUTION: The devil is in the details. The thicker the crust -- especially Sicilian -- the higher the GL of the meal. If you add pepperoni, you really sabotage yourself with extra calories and saturated fat, which contributes to insulin resistance. So think healthier pizza: thin crust with veggies on top. Go for whole wheat crust if it's available. Stick with one or two slices. Add a salad with vinaigrette dressing so you get enough food to feel full; the vinegar in the dressing will also help lower the GL of the meal. And make the soft drink a small one or, better yet, have sparkling water.



PROBLEM: When I get salad from the salad bar, I usually load it with cheese, croutons, and creamy dressing. Is it still good for me?
SOLUTION: You might as well eat a hamburger with a side of lettuce. Full-fat cheeses and creamy dressings are high in saturated fat, which is bad for insulin sensitivity. They and the croutons (which are fried) are also loaded with calories. Don't abandon salads, just look for ways to keep them interesting and healthy. Add toasted sunflower seeds for crunch (and healthy fat) or a few black olives for richness (and again, "good" fat). Add hot peppers, if you like them, for kick. Throw on some chickpeas for additional texture. Top it all off with a vinegar-based dressing; experiment to find a tasty one you like, such as mustard vinaigrette for extra flavor.


PROBLEM: I am starving at about 3:00 in the afternoon, and I eat whatever junk food is in sight.
SOLUTION: If you eat foods for better blood sugar for breakfast and lunch, this won't happen. And that's good, because research shows that when they're really hungry, people can eat as much as twice as much food as they normally would. Snacking itself isn't bad at all, though, so keep healthy snacks on hand (think carrot sticks, apples, low-fat yogurt, a few whole grain crackers and peanut butter, or a handful of peanuts or almonds) to keep the sailing smooth between lunch and dinner.



PROBLEM: I eat carbs when I'm stressed or anxious.
SOLUTION: A lot of people reach for carbs when they're stressed. (The scientific jury is out as to whether carbs actually help calm you down. The effect may simply be due to a sense of comfort from a familiar food.) There's no quick solution here. The key is to figure out ways to cope other than eating. Practice deep breathing or give yourself a "timeout" by taking a 10-minute stroll, after which the craving should have passed. One of the best ways to deal with anxiety in general is to exercise; even a brisk 20-minute walk can lift your mood and calm you down. Studies show that people who exercise regularly have lower responses to stress than people who don't. You can also practice prevention at the supermarket: Avoid buying simple carbohydrates so they aren't within reach when you want them.

What's the secret to losing Weight and keeping it off

I lose weight, then gain it back. Then I gain even more.
By Martica Heaner, Ph.D., M.A., M.Ed., for MSN Health & Fitness

Q. I've been trying to lose weight for three years. The first year, I went on a low-carb diet and lost around 20 pounds. But I gained back over 40 pounds. I've lost and gained several times since. Now, I'm swimming every day and eating more healthfully. I've managed to drop 10 pounds, but it feels hopeless since I have so much more to lose. Can you please give me advice on how to lose weight and keep it off?

A. As you’ve experienced, it’s not that hard to lose weight if you choose a diet and follow it. The tricky part is to avoid regaining weight once you go off the diet, and for some people, to prevent gaining more weight than you lost.

People respond differently to dieting and exercise, as well as to losing and gaining weight. To figure out your particular patterns, take a detailed look at your history of eating, dieting, exercise and body weight. It might be worth investing in a personalized assessment by a qualified nutritionist or registered dietitian.


“ It’s not fair, but it might be a struggle to lose weight and to keep it off. ”

You’ll want to explore how much and what you ate and drank each time you lost weight, how fast you lost it, as well as how much and what kind of physical activity you did (or didn’t do). It would be helpful to identify what factors you think affected your weight regain. (Did you go off the diet and start overeating more than you had before the diet? Did you become more sedentary because you took on a new desk job?) Your weight history and food and exercise habits before you started to diet three years ago may shed light on what weight-loss methods work best for you.

What jumps out about your situation is that you have experienced a roller coaster of weight loss and gain. If this is a tendency that could be triggered every time you go on and off a diet—making you fatter and fatter over time, it might be important for you to focus on long-term lifestyle changes.

How much weight you lose depends on many factors, including how many calories you cut from your diet and how many you burn through extra physical activity. The more calories you burn this way, generally, the more weight or fat you lose.

Genetic factors play a role, too. Controlled experiments have shown that twins tend to lose or gain similar amounts of weight when their calorie intake and/or energy expenditure is manipulated.

In an elegant 2007 essay in the International Journal of Obesity, Dr. Claude Bouchard of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., points out a number of factors that are related to weight gain, including:

The social environment

We eat even when we are not hungry, and this may be due to aspects of everyday life. For example, food advertising on TV depicts gooey cheese and succulent desserts or fast food—keeping it on your mind. Social outings often revolve around eating and drinking (pub crawls, fattening appetizers when out with friends, pizza parties, etc.).

The built environment

Before electrification, people had to move to get just about anything done (cooking, cleaning, washing, farming, travelling, etc.). The modern environment has engineered much activity out of most people’s lives. Sometimes, it’s not easy to be active if your neighborhood feels unsafe, or there are no sidewalks or parks nearby. Much entertainment involves sitting and staring—at the computer or TV—for hours.

Modern life is a recipe for fatness. Some people don’t get fat, especially if they exercise more and watch what they eat. But two-thirds of the U.S. population is overweight, with more than one-third obese. In previous generations, there were overweight people, but obesity was not on such a massive scale.

Some people, probably because of genetic influences, might be especially affected. A genetically vulnerable person might gain lots of weight. And if they lose some, they might gain even more when they start living a normal, modern life again.

It’s not fair, but it might be a struggle to lose weight and to keep it off.
Greater amounts of monitoring and discipline may be required from those who gain weight easily.

Keeping weight off

You can choose almost any plan to lose weight. Your focus should be on adopting long-term changes. You are on the right track—you exercise and eat healthful foods—so work on being patient. The weight might not come off as quickly as you’d like, but if you stick to it, you will be in better shape for the rest of your life.

For specific diet advice, consult a nutritionist (find one here). Make sure that anyone who gives you specific advice has at least a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from a recognized, accredited university.

Do you have a fitness or weight-loss question for Martica? Send e-mail to experts@microsoft.com. Please include Ask Martica in the subject line. Each of our experts responds to one question each week and the responses are posted on Mondays on MSN Health. We regret that we cannot provide a personalized response to every submission.











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Lose Weight Like a Man

Lose Weight Like a Guy
By Denise Foley, PreventionFind more

One of the most frustrating things your husband can say to you: "I need to lose 5 pounds—I'll cut out the beer."

That's because you could forgo beer forever and still never get close to squeezing into your skinny jeans from high school. It's not fair, but men are natural losers. We women may think we know every weight-loss trick in the book, but men have some distinct physiological advantages.

For one, men's bigger muscle mass helps them burn 30 percent more calories than we do, says nutritionist Cynthia Sass, R.D., co-author of Your Diet Is Driving Me Crazy. Women generally have more body fat and are biologically more inclined to store it; men also get a free pass from the monthly hormone peaks and valleys that leave us grumpy, bloated, and craving anything chocolate. Finally, in the gym, men flock to the weight racks and do routines that pack on metabolism-boosting muscle, while women miss out on those benefits when they're tied to the treadmill.

Start your engines: Burn more fat with this metabolism-boosting routine.

But all is not, ahem, lost. If there's no way to beat men at the dieting game, women might as well join them. Here are seen guy habits that can help you slim down, get strong, and be healthier too.

1. He doesn't crave sweets

Both men and women have cravings—but his work to his advantage.

While your comfort food is more likely to be sour gummy bears or double-chocolate chip bars, his is a thick, juicy steak. A Cornell University study found that women seek out sweets to ward off the blues but men turn to meat when they want to indulge. Why this gives him a weight loss advantage: He's eating protein, which will help fill him up (and curb overeating later) far better than your coffee cake will.

If cravings for desserts and candy are your diet downfall, try protein first. Have low-fat string cheese, a low-fat turkey and cheese roll-up, or fat-free cottage cheese mixed with some cut-up fruit. If you can't skip a sweet, combine them: a small handful of chocolate chips and almonds, for example.

Muscle builders: Feed your body by adding some protein to your diet.

2. He doesn't get upset when he screws up

OK, you blew it. A ridiculous project lands on your desk at 4 p.m., and the vending machine beckons ...

What do you do next? If you're a woman, you throw up your hands, tell yourself what a bad person you are, and reach for your quarters. Then you wallow in self-loathing for days. And what does a guy do? "He feels OK, maybe even good, and really enjoys that snack," says emotional-eating expert Edward Abramson, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of psychology at California State University and author of Body Intelligence. The guy also climbs right back on the weight-loss wagon—no harm, no foul.

To avoid this diet-busting mentality, apply the 80 percent rule. "Most guys avoid anything that even smacks of perfectionism," and that applies to dieting, too, says Prevention adviser Pamela Peeke, M.D., an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "When women start a diet, they go from zero to 100—they become 'perfect' overnight, which is a hallmark of failure. That's why I developed the 80 percent rule: Hit your weight loss goals 80 percent every single day you can. One day, it'll be 120 percent because it happens to be a great day. Other days, you'll hit 50 percent or even 20 percent when you're dealing with PMS. Just make sure it averages out to 80 percent."

3. He lifts heavy weights

Women are catching on to strength-training, but some experts think women ought to approach weights more like men do.

"When a guy goes to the gym, he'll usually pick an exercise that allows him to use the most impressive-looking weights," says Lou Schuler, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and author of The New Rules of Lifting. The result: muscle building in less time, and working a range of muscles at once instead of one in isolation. "A woman, on the other hand, will go for light dumbbells and do an exercise that allows her to use perfect form but will do the least amount of good." To wit: The laborious but ineffective 12 triceps exercises women do to try to rid themselves of underarm dangle, says Schuler.

So drop the "Barbie" weights. If you're doing two sets of 12 or 15 reps, your weights are probably too light, says Schuler. Move toward higher poundage that makes you strain to do 8 to 10, says Schuler. Once your body is used to 10, then increase the weight until you're only able to do 3 reps. "At sports medicine conferences, I've seen scans of women's upper arms before and after this kind of training program, and the girth of their upper arms hasn't changed, but you can see the fat tissue is reduced and how much more muscle there is."

Bring out the big guns: Tone your arms in just 10 minutes a day with this upper-arm workout.

4. He doesn't use food as a therapist

Women are twice as likely as men to binge because they're depressed, found a University of Minnesota study.

Women are also twice as likely as men to be depressed, which makes for a lot of eat-a-thons. Worse, after a binge, a woman is likely to feel guilty, feel even more down, and soothe herself with more food. But guys don't think they can boost their mood by mainlining frozen dairy products. You shouldn't either.

Break the habit by identifying what's behind your need to feed. Rank your desire to eat on a scale of 1 to 10, recommends Santa Barbara, Calif., psychotherapist Gloria Arenson, author of Five Simple Steps to Emotional Healing. "If it's an 8, then look at what in your life was an 8 that day. Your boss yelled at you? Your dog ran away? Your kid got into trouble at school?" By matching your numbers—the craving and an equivalent stressor—you'll soon learn how to determine whether you're hungry or medicating a bad mood. With practice, most people who use the rating system stop themselves before taking the first bite, says Arenson.

Emotional eating: Turn that comfort food healthy with these recipes.

5. He acts out his anger

Here's another reason why men's emotions don't drive them to the fridge.

Guys are more likely to do something physical to dissipate their negative emotions, like go for an extra-grueling run or pound nails in the garage. Women on the other hand, tend to swallow their feelings—sometimes with an entire row of Oreos. So when you get mad, get moving. Take a Spin class, say, or go for a head-clearing walk.

6. He makes time for himself

Women are less likely to declare, "I need to take the day off and get pampered." "For many women, their only source of gratification and reward is food," says Sass. Starting today, snag an hour just for you. And give yourself something inedible to look forward to, whether it's a Saturday morning at the outlets or a monthly girls' night out for pedicures at a spa.

7. He doesn't give up favorite foods

When women diet, we deprive ourselves of all those luscious "forbidden foods" until we can't stand it any longer.

Then we fall like starved dogs on year-old Halloween candy stuck to the back of the freezer. Austrian researchers, looking at gender differences in eating and dieting, found that "men's approach toward nutrition is uncomplicated and pleasure-oriented." They'll still eat Doritos and guacamole while watching the Super Bowl, but they'll have a third less then they usually do. Studies by University of Toronto obesity researcher Janet Polivy, Ph.D., found that restrained eaters—that's the average female dieter—are more likely to not only overeat after dieting but also to gorge themselves if they just think they're going to go on a diet. Scientists call it "the last supper effect."

Import ban? 7 Foods you shouldn't ditch when you diet.

So don't ban your favorite food—nothing can scuttle your good intentions like feeling deprived. "I order my clients to have something they love every day—a portion of ice cream, a small cupcake," says Arenson.

And choose something fun to distract you when cravings strike. "So many times women are told, 'If you feel like you're going to overeat, distract yourself by cleaning the house,'" says Sass. "That's like torturing yourself." No man in his right mind is going to do chores to keep himself from overeating. A guy will find a more hedonistic distraction, like shooting hoops in the driveway or playing his guitar. Take a cue from him and look for something enjoyable that engages your hands and mind.

Bottom line: Weight loss is as much about attitude as it is about aptitude. Adopting a male mind-set, at least in this arena, can make you a leaner, more in-control woman.

Eat More for Energy

Eat More for Energy
by Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief

Most of us want to feel clearheaded and on our game from morning ‘til night. The happy truth is, you can find more pep even if, like me, you can’t always find more pillow time. The amazing energy enhancer I’m referring to? Healthy, delicious food! Specifically, lean protein, complex carbs, foods high in vitamin C and high-fiber fruits and veggies.

As anyone who has ever experienced a sugar crash knows, the bites you nibble have the power to make you feel spunky or completely spent. Make tiny tweaks to what you put in your mouth—say, by having an egg sandwich instead of a roll with jam for breakfast—and you’ll enjoy the invigorating effects all day. Keep your motor revved with these mojo-lending strategies.

Energy enhancer: Pack your breakfast with protein.
Less is more may apply to some things in life, but not breakfast. Rather than skimp on your premiere meal of the day breakfast (or worse, skip it entirely), aim for a bite that boasts at least 5 grams of protein—it spurs the production of norepinephrine, a neurochemical that increases your heart rate and makes you feel more alert. Eggs are always a good bet. Because protein digests slowly, your blood sugar and energy levels stay constant. Adios, doughnut daze!

Energy enhancer: Squeeze in more vitamin C.
You know that too few zzz's lead to wooziness, but you may not realize that a shortage of C can have the same fatiguing effect. About 30 percent of women don't get enough vitamin C—that’s a lot of yawning! Vitamin C produces carnitine, a molecule that transfers fatty acids to cells where they're converted into energy. Too little carnitine compels your body to use carbs or protein for energy instead, which spurs lactic acid to accumulate in tissue and fatigue muscles. Get 75 milligrams of C daily by munching an orange or a kiwifruit (about 70 mg per fruit), steaming a cup of broccoli (74 mg) or savoring a cup of strawberries (89 mg).

Energy enhancer: Crunch and munch 'round the clock.
Spacing out your meals more than three or four hours apart may make you feel, well, spacey. Going a whole afternoon without a nibble causes your blood sugar to plummet, which makes your body think it's starving and often triggers a binge (cue the carb coma). A better stay-svelte strategy: Aim to eat every three to four hours by having five mini-meals of about 350 calories each, along with two 100-calorie snacks. Click here for 30 slimming snacks you'll love.

Energy enhancer: Be an iron woman. (Not to be confused with the triathlon goal!)
Iron is essential, and many women are walking around borderline anemic without knowing it. This mineral delivers oxygen to your muscles, increasing energy levels. Aim to get about 18 milligrams of iron daily—the amount in a cup of MultiGrain Cheerios—to stay pumped. Bring the Os in a baggie to fend off an afternoon slump. Spinach, pumpkin seeds and kidney beans are also rich in iron—toss ‘em in your salad to savor the bennies! Popeye would be proud.

Diet changes improve older's cholesterol too

Diet changes improve older adults' cholesterol too By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older adults can cut their cholesterol levels by revamping their dietary fat intake, even if they are already on cholesterol-lowering statins, a new study finds.

Conventional wisdom holds that people should follow a healthful diet and get regular exercise to help control their cholesterol and triglycerides (another type of blood fat). But there has actually been little research into how well older adults' cholesterol and triglyceride levels respond to diet changes.

In the new study, researchers looked at the effects of dietary-fat changes among 900 Australian adults age 49 and older who were followed for 10 years. At the outset, 5 percent were taking a cholesterol medication, usually a statin; a decade later, one-quarter were using drugs to control their cholesterol.

Overall, the study found, people who managed to cut down on butter, and saturated fats in general, showed subsequent dips in their total cholesterol levels -- regardless of whether they were on a statin.

At the same time, "good" HDL cholesterol levels inched upward when study participants started eating more fish and omega-3 fatty acids -- healthy, unsaturated fats found mainly in oily fish like salmon and mackerel. People who boosted their omega-3 from food also showed declining triglyceride levels.

The findings imply that older adults can make a difference in their heart health by choosing good dietary fats, according to lead researcher Anette E. Buyken of the Research Institute of Child Nutrition in Dortmund, Germany.

Importantly, she told Reuters Health in an email, it also appears that the "benefits of reducing saturated fat and increasing omega-3 fat are the same for those on statins and those who are not."

Individually, the cholesterol and triglyceride improvements attributed to each diet change were less than dramatic.

For example, for every 1 percent increase in omega-3 intake, "good" HDL levels rose by about 2.5 mg/dL; HDL levels lower than 40 mg/dL are considered a risk factor for heart disease, while levels of 60 mg/dL or higher are thought to be optimal.

However, Buyken noted, the modest effects of individual diet changes can add up -- if, for instance, a person cuts down on butter and swaps red meat, a source of saturated fat, for omega-3-rich fish.

Then there is the fact that healthful foods have benefits that go beyond a person's cholesterol levels, Buyken pointed out. Omega-3 fats, for instance, have been linked to lower risks of age-related vision loss and dementia among older adults.

The American Heart Association recommends that adults limit their saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of their daily calories and strive to eat two fish meals per week, preferably omega-3-rich fatty fish.

SOURCE: Journal of Nutrition, January 2010.

Outsmart Stress Eating

Outsmart Stress Eating

By Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief

Blame the tough economic climate, the ongoing financial uncertainties or just the general sped-up, stressed-out pace of life these days, but I know a lot of us are feeling pushed beyond our limits at work and at home. And being anxious can be as detrimental to your body as it is to your mind—especially when you attempt to make yourself feel better with unhealthy food such as "comfort" food, as nearly 50 percent of people say they do, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association in Washington, D.C.
For me, it's easy to undo a day of eating salads and going to Spin class with a pint of rocky road. If you tend to inhale a big plate of pasta and at least one glass of wine after a doozy of a day, or simply beeline it to the couch for some good old-fashioned ice-cream-and-TV therapy, you've come to the right place.
Use these secrets to prevent a case of stressful stomach from making you self-medicate with carbs. You'll be on your way to overcoming emotional eating for good.1) Stock your cupboards rightIf you have a huge, career-making presentation or some other anxiety-producing event that you know is apt to send you looking in your pantry or fridge for comfort, ensure the foods you find there are relatively healthy. Put fruits, veggies, hummus and soups front and center—seeing a healthy option will remind you of your eat-well goals when the pressure is on. Need more? Try making a trail mix with almonds, seeds, dried fruit and walnuts, which have been shown to lower blood pressure and improve mood, thanks to their omega-3 fatty acids.
Click here for a list of stress-busting (and slimming) superfoods to stock up on. 2) Do the write thingDo you tend to head for the vending machine when you come to a thorny part of an assignment at work? Many of us instinctually reach for food as a distraction when we hit a rough patch, but the tension—and the calories—remain long after we've finished the bag of chips or or chocolate bar. Rather than eat when you're not hungry, reach for a pen or a computer screen and jot down your emotions and a plan to remedy the situation. Or send an old friend a warm email to reconnect. You'll feel better for zero calories!
More tips to help you wean yourself off the machine.3) Post happy picsInstead of looking in the fridge for comfort, look at pictures of happy times. In your office and at home, display photos of three special days you can glance at when you're feeling stressed. "Just 10 seconds of concentrating on the images is enough to reduce muscle tension and stabilize your heartbeat," says Frederic Luskin, Ph.D., author of Stress Free for Good.
4) Try a smart swapCan't resist eating under stress? Nibble pistachios if you're craving crunch—they help lower blood pressure and reduce the workload on the heart during emotional or physical stress, researchers at Pennsylvania State University in State College found. If you tend to seek carb-heavy comfort foods (mac 'n' cheese, bread and pancakes, mmm), opt for low-cal but equally satisfying bean soup or oatmeal, says Leslie Bonci, R.D., director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh. Prefer chomping on crunchy foods, like chips? Try green peppers or carrots instead. If you tend to hanker for sweets when you're sad (common because they boost serotonin, a natural antidepressant), try an orange or tangerine—its sweetness will satisfy you, and the process of peeling is pleasantly meditative. Work in one of these 5 stress-fighting superfoods for bonus benefits.
5) Order rightFor those zany nights when you get home late, want to put your feet up and can't even contemplate cooking, go ahead and order takeout (hey, I live in New York City and know my delivery guys by first name). But do it smartly! Order dishes with complex carbs (which elevate serotonin), soluble fiber (to steady blood sugar) and a small amount of healthy fat (to fill you up) to improve your mood and keep you slim, suggests SELF contributor Joy Bauer, R.D. Ordering Mexican? Go for a burrito with black beans and spinach; skip the sour cream. Chinese? Get shrimp or chicken in garlic sauce with brown rice and a side of steamed veggies. Relax and dig in!
Is your stress induced by financial fears? See if an attitude adjustment could solve some of your money woes.

Healthy Living and Your Weight by Margaret Furtado, M.S., R.D.

I teach a 6-month class for my clients who are working toward having bariatric/weight-loss surgery. One of the topics I love to teach is how to tell the difference between physical hunger and psychological hunger, or cravings.I'm sure all of you can list some signs of genuine physical hunger, including a rumbling stomach, irritability, headache, dizziness, and difficulty concentrating. Our bodies are begging us to give them food (and, often, liquids) and yet we sometimes ignore the clues. Physical hunger, however, is definitely not something you want to ignore because, among other things, it could cause your blood sugar to plummet dangerously. And if you're working on weight loss, going without food for too long could diminish your impulse control. In other words, if your desk starts looking tasty, it's going to be harder to control what you eat and how fast you eat it! Many times, if you wait until you're ravenous, you'll eat unhealthy foods just because they happen to be fast or right there in front of you.Cravings or psychological hunger don't carry the telltale signs above; cravings can even go away if you suddenly get a call that distracts you or if you find something exciting to do. When you're having a craving, it could be the result of stress, lack of sleep, grief, boredom, or maybe something as straightforward as watching a brownie that's gushing chocolate being pulled apart on your TV screen. So how do you to tell the difference between cravings and hunger if you're not sure? Try the "apple test." Would an apple satisfy your hunger or must you have the gooey brownie you just saw on TV? If your hunger is truly physical, chances are you'll go with the apple. If you suspect your "hunger" is really just a craving, make a list of 5 things that you love to do with your hands or that can keep you engaged and distracted:
Play computer games
Use your Wii Fit®
Give yourself a manicure/pedicure
Knit or sew
.
Jump rope
Read a good book or magazine
Play with your children
Walk/play with your pet
Go outside for a walk/run/jog/skip
Grab your iPod and listen to music
Insert your favorite activity here!

Next, choose one of these activities and tell yourself that you must continue doing it for 30 minutes before you can satisfy your craving. (Except maybe for jumping rope!) Thirty minutes later, chances are your cravings will have petered out. Keep this list handy and continue to add new suggestions to it