Day 26: Tricks & treats
Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet and Snacking
Today in 31 Days to a Better Diet I have a guest post from Shauna Reid of The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl.
Shauna’s wise words are about a different approach to the tricky subject of treat foods.
There was once a time when the right time for a treat was any time and the right treat was any treat. That was one of the reasons why I wound up with 80 excess kilograms on my body.
I’ve always believed that a life without chocolate is not a life worth living, but in order to shed that weight and maintain my loss I had to reinvent the way I treated my treats. Here’s how I did it.
1. I identified what really tickles my taste buds
I used to reach for the communal cookies at work just because they were there. I felt compelled to eat the last piece of cake so it didn’t feel lonely. Seconds later I’d be full of remorse and thinking, “I really didn’t enjoy that”.
So I sat down and made a list of my favourite foods – all the things that filled my senses and left me truly satisfied. Instead of just writing “chocolate”, I specified particular brands or recipes. It sounds like a dorky thing to do, but it’s helped me to make more mindful choices. I remind myself that there’s a big difference between my grandmother’s homemade caramel slice and the cheap supermarket one that tastes like sand. I can now look objectively at a buffet spread and ask, “Is that what I really want? Is that crappy Snickers bar going to hit the spot?” Most times the answer is no.
2. I miniaturised my treats
Once I’d defined what was worth the calories I started shrinking the portions.
Instead of buying a litre of my favourite ice cream I now buy a single serve tub. Even when the 100g block of Green & Blacks chocolate is on sale I still buy a modest 35g bar. It’s been challenging to undo my mother’s conditioning – she always stocked up the pantry when things were On Special! But it’s hardly economical for the wallet or the waistline to buy more than you need. If there’s half a tub of ice cream left in the freezer I’m just going to pine for it all day long, so I find it easier to stick to individual portions.
3. I dealt with my danger zones
I figured out that my weakest time is the wilderness hours between my afternoon snack and dinner. I try to fill that space with exercise, but sometimes I’m stuck at work or waiting around for a train. That’s when I’m most likely to be dazzled by the snack display at the newsagent. To counter that I always carry an Emergency Handbag Ration – usually a healthy cereal or fruit bar like Fruitus or Nakd. At first I tried to be noble and take an apple or banana, but the sight of a battered piece of fruit at 5PM just made me more likely to surrender to the junk. The fruit bars are wholesome but sweet enough to satisfy until I get home.
4. I learned to savour every bite
I used to eat a bag of chips at my desk or mindlessly munch M&Ms at the movies. I’d end up looking down at an empty packet and wondering, “Where did they go!?” But now that my treats are small and less frequent, I make sure I treasure them. I really pay attention to the moment. Friday night is my favourite treat time, because the working week is behind me and there’s nothing else I should be thinking about. I chill out on the couch and relish my wee bar of chocolate, one square at a time. Then the next morning I can wake up and think fondly, How about that great chocolate I ate last night?
How are you going to change your approach to treats today?
Shauna Reid is the author of The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl, out now from Corgi Books. She’s been blogging since 2001 at www.dietgirl.org.
Scales photograph by Benjamin Earwacker cream egg photograph by Sam Veres.
26 August, 2008
Comments
Shauna – thanks so much for your excellent, excellent guest post. I’m always telling clients to ignore the value packs and special offers, and spend that same amount of money on a smaller version.
But I really like your idea of making a list – what is worth it. I’m going to write my own today and I’ll report back.
I’m making my own list right now! Shauna…80 kilos…marvellous. Really, really marvellous!
My favourite post so far, this.
thanks for the heads up you were guest blogging here!
Id never thought about the list making either.
the DEEEEETAILED list. the oreos doublestuff and not just ME LIKE COOKIES list.
great suggestion.
Great post! I also buy individual portions to control going crazy. Mango flavoured frozen yoghurt bars are a fav in our house.
I also shop online and get groceries delivered to avoid end of aisle sales or BOGOF (Buy 1 get 1 free). Making a list each week and sticking to it, which Kathryn has mentioned previously, actually helps you eat healthier, eat less and most importantly waste less.
I love the savoury more than the sweet! I rarely eat chocolate or have dessert but I love salt and vinegar chips yum! An chips are one of the worst things you can eat :(
I have also been making popcorn alot recently and I know that that is an ok snack for you but I do like to put salt on mine so that could be a problem as well.
Maybe I could share my chips and try to limit them to a weekend food (and buy the smallest bag) and if I make make popcorn, I could use the smallest saucepan so then I can only cook a small amount and eat a small bowl rather than a large bowl!
This is all great advice, but I agree with the others about the list. I’m definitely doing that today! :) Up until now it’s just been sort of an on-the-spot “Is that worth the calories?” decision, when I’m at my weakest, no less. So I think a more systematic approach is in order. :) Because if you don’t LOVE it, it’s possible to resist it.
Thanks!
bc
this is all so, so true. i am another office-biscuit-eater, just because they’re there (or because someone else is having one). it’s so silly because they are just plain old Arnott’s – nothing exciting whatsoever!
i also concur on the chocolate thing – a little bit of good quality chocolate is so much more satisfying that chowing down a block of Cadbury’s.
thanks for the great article, Shauna!
great positive post about how to have our treats and enjoy them too – this should be simple but is so easy to fall into bad habits – love these ideas
ARGH! I was reminded by reading this post that I had bought myself little treats from the Italian bakery on the weekend and had not eaten it yet. Erm. Until just then.
At least they were little?? My favourite thing in the word – custard fruit tarts. The Italian patessiere down in Five Dock makes the best and only tiny mouthful versions of all their pastries. Yummy.
Great idea re list. We were trained as kids not to eat treats. It would drive friends crazy to return to our house to see the Easter eggs still there in October. I don’t know how my mother did it. We still had treats but it was more of an occasion to have it not just because it was there.
Great post, Shauna! I knew you’d be listing Green & Blacks on your treat list. It is so divine.
Thanks for this great advice, I’d never thought of making a list either. I love Shauna’s writing, her blog is well worth a read for both inspiration and reality!
I’ve been putting some thought into this and here’s my list of what’s really worth it.
I think that’s it.
This hits the nail on the head – so many dieting pitfalls have been covered in this post alone. Well done: great advice! Downsizing treats and understanding which ones are the real favourites is the trick to not going overboard.
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