Temptation is all around you when you’re the only one on a diet, even in your own home. These rules for how to stay on a diet will help keep you going.
You’re on a diet. . . but no one else is. Everyone around you: your family, friends, co-workers, everyone in the restaurant, people at the party, are packing away food as if there were no such thing as a calorie. And you’re wondering how to stay on a diet when you seem to be the only one.
Everywhere you look you see forbidden goodies. You’re surrounded by temptation. How can you possibly stay on your diet without locking yourself in your bedroom?
Two simple rules will help you to stick with your diet and lose weight, in the midst of your world of non-dieters: know your calories and plan ahead.
Knowing your calories is simple. Buy a good calorie counter. You can pick one up at most bookstores. When you realize that 125g (4oz) of grilled fish contains 800 calories and 125g (4oz) of grilled lean steak contains 1360, you’re on your way to making intelligent choices.
Knowing your calories will help you to plan ahead, and planning ahead will help you resist temptation in whatever situation you find yourself. Plan for what you can have. There are goodies the dieter can enjoy. Know what they are and indulge in them.
What are some of the situations you’ll probably encounter during the week?
Many dieting women face the problem of being the only one in the family on a diet. Tackle it by enlisting the family’s aid. Suggest that if they must snack on sweets and junk foods, they do it out of the house and out of your sight.
Promise them interesting, tasty, nourishing meals while you’re dieting. Start now to cook thin. Get rid of all the high-calorie, highly-processed mixes and extenders on your shelves, and banish flour, sugar, cornflour and other such thickeners from your cooking. Saute, cook in bouillon or tomato juice.
Use pan spray or lined pans rather than cooking with butter, margarine or shortening. Remove fats from meats and skin from poultry. Grill meats instead of frying. Serve more fish, poultry and veal, less pork, ham and beef.
Try flavouring vegetables with herbs and spices rather than with butter or cream sauces. Remove your own portion from the family salad bowl before adding their dressing, and toss yours with diet dressing.
Another trick is to make an extra portion when cooking a low-calorie dish. Freeze it and heat it up for yourself when your husband and kids are sure they can’t live another day without pasta.
If dining out with friends during the week, suggest a seafood restaurant. Choose grilled fish or grilled scallops. Order your salad dry and sprinkle with a wedge of lemon. Pass up the chocolate mousse and cheesecake and have the fruit for dessert.
The cocktail party doesn’t have to be your downfall. Nibble those lovely pink prawns (with lemon juice, please, not sauce) and turn your back on the chips and dips. Have a good conversation with someone you love to talk with – far away from the buffet table.
Yes, you can sip a glass of white wine (half a cup of chablis is about 360 calories, depending on the brand) or iced mineral water with a twist of lemon, a very “in” drink with no calories.
While you’re sipping, look around you. Is anyone checking up on what you’re eating and drinking? Does anyone even know you’re on a diet? Not unless you tell them. Dieters who constantly talk of their diets are a bore. Enjoy the conversation . . . about something else.
If it’s your turn to have friends over for dinner, arm yourself with your trusty calorie counter. You can plan ahead and serve such a delicious meal, no one will ever know it’s planned around your diet.