Spring Celebration Eating

A new season often brings new foods that we need to know how to mange for continued weight loss success. We talked about that at this week's meeting.

Those challenging times can include:

Graduation parties

Easter

Passover

Cinco de Mayo

Mother's Day

Weddings

Picnics

Memorial Day

The list can go on.

What are your springtime challenges? What are the foods associated with them?

We talked about how we can lighten them up by making a few changes to our ingredients but still keep the flavor.

3 Basic “weighs” are to use less sugar, use less fat and eat smaller portions.

Other tips are to use whole wheat flour over white flour, cut sugar by using splenda, use egg substitutes or more egg whites, use fat-free/low-fat, leave out high point extras or use only half (example chocolate chips and frosting) use fat free sour cream, go baked not fried, go with lean meats.

Book 7 has some wonderful tips for getting the family involved and even includes ways to make a more filling macaroni and cheese.The Momentum Cookbook has many traditional favorites that have been lightened up. Dust off your Weight Watcher book and see what you can find. Don't forget http://www.weightwatchers.com/ too!

We also went over the Mental Rehearsing Tool for Living sheet.

Picture everything around your challenging event:

Which foods will you eat first?

Are you eating slowly and savoring every bite?

How small or big will your portions be?

You may even want to imagine which pair of tight fitting pants you are wearing that will help you realize it is time to stop and you are satisfied.

Your rehearsing should end with a feeling of success and motivation. You have it in you to succeed no matter what the event!!

“Peak performers develop powerful mental images of the behavior that will lead to the desired results. They see in their mind’s eye the result they want, and the actions leading to it.”
~ Charles Garfield