Prevention Power to Lose Weight

When I lived in Norway we almost never ate fast food. When we moved back to the U.S  I was thrilled to discover the dollar menu at fast food restaurants. Fast, cheap, and easy! I ordered the chicken sandwich for the girls and for me…we were good to go.

One year later my weight was up by 15 lbs. During a nutrition class I discovered that my healthy chicken sandwich contained 376 calories. I am not proud to say I could eat one is about three bites.

I realized that I most often made poor eating choices because I wasn’t prepared. When I was hungry I‘d eat whatever was quick and cheap and there is an abundance of fast, unhealthy and cheap food around.  One quick run through a drive through can ruin a day of healthy eating. Our moods can also cause us to make poor eating choices. How often have found comfort in food when you’ve been stressed, frustrated, or bored.

So here is it. The best way to avoid bad eating is having good, healthy food at your fingertips. In other words, be prepared.

Keep high protein bars in your car but be sure to check the labels. Some protein bars are just candy bars in disguise. Look for high protein about 10 grams, and high fiber about 4 to 5 grams for around 200 calories.  Keep apples and carrots at work. Make them easy and ready to grab at home, at work, and in the car.

Count to ten, eat an apple and sip some water before you get into the fast food line. It is easy to mistake thirst for hunger. All of this gives you a moment to slow down and think. We don’t think as well when we are hungry or thirsty.

Eating something every two to three hours during the day has to benefit. First, you never get really hungry. Second, eating frequently keeps your metabolism charged up.

Ok, even with the best made plans there will be times you have to eat out or eat fast food.  But here it comes again….be prepared. Get familiarize yourself with the menus at fast food places so the best choices are at the tip of your tongue. When eating in a restaurant get the grilled meat option. Ask for a sweet potato over a baked potato (hold the butter and brown sugar), ask for low calorie salad dressing …on the side. Clear soups over cream soups, don’t let the waitress leave the bread basket. Choose fish as often as you can.

If you’ve armed yourself with healthy options before hunger hits you’ll most likely make better choices when you stomach starts growling!

Use the power of preparedness to keep your day of eating healthy. A pound of prevention is worth an ounce of cure.

Amy!