Obviously, by the looks of my golfing photo I have a lot to work on. But I have noticed a few things that help curb my appetite.
First and foremost, Water. It's the healthiest drink in the world! And if you have an urge to eat something try drinking water first and see if you are still hungry. In the book French Women Don't Get Fat she suggest drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning and right before bed, in addition to all the glasses during the day. It works (except when you're prego....makes you pee even more)!
The foods pictured are my favorite "healthy" snacks. Yes, I know you see the m&m's and those are certainly not healthy. But when I sit in long stretches in front of a computer at work (or surfing the web) I need to snack to keep my energy level high. So I bring a small bag of almonds and m&m's. The almonds provide protein which create energy. I seriously don't feel full by dinner time after I eat a handful of almonds over the course of a few hours. The m&m's are for my sugar craving.
Vitamin water doesn't have that fake sugar taste and is filling.
Another snack I love is yogurt. Not the Yoplait kind full of sugar and other additives. I like the Mountain Dairy brand that does not have any unnatural sugar added. I add honey or applesauce to sweeten the plain kind. My kids love it too! Or for breakfast I add frozen fruit and granola! Yum yum!
I also eat licorice. Lo-cal, lo-fat. They do have corn syrup (not high) and are healthier than chocolate bars....now that I am writing this I don't know that my sugar treats are helping my health....
I hate the word diet though. I refuse to diet. The two times that I have tried it I always end up gaining the weight back and then some. In the book mentioned earlier, she suggests saving room for dessert after dinner. And the French know how to make dessert, believe me! When I lived over there it was hard passing the pastry shops and not indulge myself in one each time. But the point is not to deprive yourself otherwise you may binge later on.
I found an article here that suggests eating an apple instead of cheese and crackers to delete 100 calories. When you are in a salty mood add popcorn kernels (about 1/4 up) into a lunch sack. Pop like normal microwave popcorn but don't add too much butter and salt. It tastes light and airy but healthy and yummy!
I hope these suggestions help! If you are an anti-sugar person check out this blog. Oh, and here is a great article about the health benefits of almonds.
Please, comment or blog about your own healthy indulgences!
