Tuesday's Health Tip

3 MENTAL TRICKS THAT SHED POUNDS

It's a Special Occasion
THE LOGIC: It's okay to indulge at restaurants and parties as long as you eat healthfully at home.
Special occasions feel like a time to relax the rules and enjoy yourself. The problem is, when you've got an "occasion" every other day -- whether it's a birthday party, working lunch, family event, happy hour, or restaurant outing -- they can't all be considered "special" anymore. If, like most Americans, you eat out a few days a week, the calories can really add up: Just one piece of bread with butter tacks on more than 100 calories per slice.

Change your mind: Approach each day, whether you're dining in or out, with the same nutrition goals. A study of members of the National Weight Control Registry revealed that people with this mind-set were one and a half times more likely to maintain their weight. The trick is to remember that it's never your last chance to indulge -- delicious food will still be available tomorrow and the day after that. Order the must-have appetizer this time and the fabulous dessert next time.

Just can't resist ordering all your favorites every time? Take a look at your regular diet: If all you eat is lackluster food (like frozen dinners, energy bars, and garden salads), no wonder you go nuts every time you go out. Replace some or all of your "diet" meals with real food -- take a healthy-cooking class, buy a new cookbook, or make a trip to a gourmet shop. Just including one nutritious but full-flavored item at each meal, like artisanal cheese or dark chocolate, can make you feel less compelled to "get it while you can" at restaurants and parties, says Stokes.



I Deserve It
THE LOGIC: With the day I've had, the world owes me a hot fudge sundae.
"Food provides a very basic, easily obtainable way to nurture and reward yourself, and delaying this gratification isn't easy," says Rick Temple, PhD, a psychologist who treats eating disorders at the University of South Florida Counseling Center in Tampa. The trouble is, we rarely nurture ourselves with broccoli: A classic study found that when an eating bout is triggered by emotions rather than by seeing or smelling food, you're less likely to take nutritional value into consideration.

Change your mind: Acknowledge all of your needs, not just the ones for instant gratification: "Yes, it's true, I deserve a sundae. But do I also deserve fat thighs and high cholesterol?" Next, grab a pencil and paper and list 10 inedible things that make you feel rewarded, or comforted, or indulgent or pampered, and pick one, suggests Gidus. Call your best friend, cuddle with a pet, or seduce your husband -- that's one thing we guarantee will be more satisfying than food.



It's No Fun Without Food
THE LOGIC: Movies just aren't the same without a family-size box of Sno-Caps.
It's amazing how many activities are paired with food -- candy at the movies, margaritas on date night, coffee and doughnuts while reading the Sunday paper. It becomes a classic Pavlovian response. "When you combine a certain pastime over and over with eating, you eventually stop listening to hunger or fullness cues and just eat on autopilot whenever you engage in that activity," says Tara Gidus, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association in Orlando, Florida.

Change your mind: Disentangle food/fun associations by altering your routine, says Gidus. If your evening ritual is a bag of chips in front of the TV, relax instead with a book on the patio. "Just switching rooms or chairs can help break the pattern," says Gidus. Rather than dinner dates, plan active outings. And as for the movies, think about how much money you'll save just by avoiding the inflated concession-stand prices.