The Weight Loss Cafe - Tips & Tricks: Food—Both Important and Unimportant

The day is filled with questions! Shall we have lunch at that snazzy new restaurant? What’s your secret for that delectable salmon on the grill? Who made that wonderful carrot cake? Do you think I can I get the recipe?

Just picture it—succulent crab cakes, fresh asparagus with hollandaise and a piece of fabulous cheesecake for dessert. Food is so wonderful! In our society, it’s the king of entertaining, celebrating and connecting. It gives you a way to display your fabulous kitchen or to show off your culinary skills.

But what about your diet? Somehow, you need a way to enjoy and appreciate food without sabotaging your weight or your health. And you can, by simply putting food in its proper place.

From now on, set a goal that you will eat for only two reasons:

Measure all of your food intake against these two guidelines. If you put something in your mouth and it doesn’t match either of these, you’re probably eating to appease your boredom, stress or some other emotional need.

Over time, you can learn lots of sneaky ways to appreciate flavors without adding lots of calories. But for right now, focus on making your fuel needs a priority.

Just as your car needs gas, your body needs fuel to keep it moving efficiently. To get the best mileage, you need to fill your tank at intervals, stop when it’s full and use high-quality fuel.

Unless you’re a Nascar driver, you probably don’t fuss about what fuel you put in your car. You just pick the octane level that matches your vehicle and fill ‘er up. Practice treating food the same way. Plan for a minimum of three fuel stops a day, plus a couple of mini-stops in between.

You don’t need to eat a lot at each fueling. In fact, you may want to spread out your fuel by eating five or six small meals each day. Just be sure you always stop what you’re doing and take care of your fuel needs when your body asks for it.

Let food be unimportant

When you get into your car, you don’t expect every trip to be inspiring or memorable. Sometimes you just need to go to the store or visit your mother. In the same way, eating doesn’t always have to be fun or exciting. Lots of times, food will be quite mundane, but since it’s providing fuel, you eat it anyway. Instead of fretting about boring food, just label it as “unimportant.”

Now picture a vacation where you catch a phenomenal sunset or discover a new road with beautiful mountain scenery. On this kind of trip, your drive takes on more status and importance. In the same way, a surprise birthday party or an exotic new restaurant can suddenly change your view of food. When this happens, you simply choose to let food be important.

Just like the drive where you slow down and appreciate the scenery, you can do the same thing with food. Go ahead and give it your full attention and allow yourself to enjoy it. Appreciate the taste, delight in the eating experience and ask for the recipe.

But since you can’t make food special all the time, be selective when you designate it as important. During these times, think carefully about your goal. Are you enjoying the exquisite creations of a new chef? Or are you hoping to connect and communicate better with someone you love? In this case, focus on the conversation, and ask questions about life, work, kids, hobbies and personal interests.

Even when you’re entertaining or attending a party, you can still choose to let food be unimportant. Focus instead on giving love and attention to those around you. In your daily life, rather than making food the center of your plans, decide when you want to make it important and when to let it be routine.

©2007 Weight Loss for Life, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Reprinted with permission from Linda Spangle, RN, MA, Weight Loss for Life.
http://www.WeightLossJoy.com/
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