Highly Desired Foods

 

Desired foods

There are traditionally two approaches you can take when eating highly desired foods. Firstly you may have said to yourself in the past that you will never have that food again and try to avoid that food forever. Unfortunately you may not be able to avoid such foods forever. Also, the more you tell yourself you can’t have something, the more you want it. This strategy usually ends up in you encountering the food and engaging in eating large uncontrolled amounts of it. This will probably lead to feelings of guilt, further eating and ultimately weight gain.

Alternatively you may decide to have your highly desired food whenever you want, in whatever amount you like as your efforts in avoiding it didn’t work. Rather than taking the all or nothing approach, you need to look for the middle ground. You need to learn to have these foods in a controlled manner. Hence enhancing your enjoyment of the food and preventing weight gain.  Having highly desired foods in a controlled fashion is something that can be learned. The following steps will help to make this easier for you.

 

Planning

Schedule the desired food into your daily calorie and fat intake. Plan ahead of time to make it stress and guilt free. If you already know that your total intake for the day won’t be any higher than usual your enjoyment will be much greater.

Where?

Eat the food in public with family and friends present. Until you are used to having these foods in smaller amounts you need to have it in an environment where you will be unlikely to keep eating. Also you should accept that you do not need to hide when you are eating these foods. It is the amount of the food that is the problem, not the type of food.

How much?

Aim to have 100 to 200 calories of your chosen food. Only purchase the amount you intend to eat. Don’t buy larger amounts and expect to be able to leave it behind. This goes for any high fat, high calorie food, at any time in your life. Don’t buy extra if these foods are on special.  Your health and happiness are worth more than a few dollars saved!

How quickly?

Eat slowly and pace your eating. You should take at least 5-10 minutes to eat your highly desired food. You should wait until your mouth is completely empty before taking the next mouthful. Focus on enjoying the current mouthful, rather than pre-empting the next one.

Afterwards

Expect yourself to want more of this food now that you have started eating. So don’t have your highly desired food when you have nothing to do afterwards. While you are retraining yourself to be satisfied with smaller amounts of these foods, you should be completely occupied for the next few hours afterwards. Planning ahead and evaluating what has happened is your key to success. Good Luck!

For more information

Wesley Corporate Health

Level 2, 46 Edward Street

Brisbane QLD 4000

Phone: 07 3234 2600

Email: info@weshealth.com.au

Disclaimer

This Fact Sheet is provided for your information only and does not replace qualified medical advice. The information provided may not apply to every person or all situations. A medical practitioner should be consulted for all treatment and medication.