Weight Loss Tip #4 - Count the Once-in-a-While's

I was 25 pounds over my comfortable weight and had been trying to lose for many months. I was very conscious of what I was eating, but did not want to suffer on a restrictive diet. So, I was letting myself have special treats "once in a while". My attempts at losing weight just were not making the scale budge at all. What was the deal?

What I later realized was that the 'once-in-a-while's add up quickly! I knew that I rarely ate 'junk food' like candy bars or cakes, donuts or desserts. So I figured having them once in a while wouldn't do much harm. I had an almond joy one day in January because I knew it had been at least six months since I did anything like that. I had a piece of birthday cake at an office party later that week because I almost never ate cake at home. I had dessert out at a restaurant that Friday night because it was extremely rare that we would order anything after dinner. I had french fries on the side when we ate out on the weekend because I knew it was so seldom I ate them. But in doing so, I neglected to realize I had added another third of a pound to my body weight over just that week!

My warped sense of 'dieting' went on through the months; observing what I ate, observing the scale not budging. "I can drive through McDonald's today on my way to the library because I haven't eaten here in at least two weeks". "We can order chinese food tonight because it's been three weeks since we did that". "Ordering a pizza sounds convenient for dinner, and I know we haven't had pizza for almost two weeks". "Donuts? I almost never eat them--I'll just have a little treat today". Another pound not lost that week.

Think about how many times you are eating a food that you know is too high in calories to allow you to proceed with your weight loss regimen. Most of the clients I meet with have the same story as I did: Shaking their head, they tell me "I rarely eat fast food, pizza, desserts, cookies, chips--Maybe just once in a while". Chances are, you may be eating a "once-in-a-while" food once a month, and you may have 30 of these foods on your list. That means every day you are eating one of these foods you know are not a good idea to eat. Every day you are adding 300 or 400 calories to your dietary intake. That means if you stop having these calorie-dense foods, you can lose three or four pounds this month! Not by dieting, not by starving, not by adhering to a strict regimen. Just by thinking about these splurges and going one more day without them.

My suggestion is to have a 'once-in-a-while' day' once a week. Choose a day you'd like--let's say Sunday. Your plan is, Monday through Saturday you watch what you eat, make healthy choices, have plenty of fruits, vegetables, water, lean meats, low fat dairy products, whole grain breads and cereals, and very low calorie desserts like diet jello or a 100 calorie package of cookies if you get a sweet tooth. Sunday you can have your 'once-in-a-while' treat: order a pizza, go to a chinese restaurant (I did not say buffets, there!), enjoy a piece of homemade pie or cake at a family get together, go out for breakfast, or go to your favorite fast food place and enjoy one of their meals (not super-sized, of course). Choose ONE of these treats and relish the taste, knowing you were not ingesting all this fat and salt during the week, and knowing that truly having this food you like just once in a while is not unreasonable and will not make you fat.

Then go back to your well-balanced healthy eating habits on Monday, knowing you satisfied your craving and you can enjoy another treat next weekend. It's not about deprivation, it's about moderation!

Write to me and let me know how you're doing! Laurie Beebe is a registered dietitian certified in adult weight management. Laurie has transitioned into diet coaching which helps dramatically by allowing people to set their own goals and design their own action plans to start their path to success. Please visit Laurie's website, "Shaping Your Future" at http://www.mycoachlaurie.com for diet tips, links to great books and websites, to sign up for a free monthly newsletter, or for more information on coaching.