In an earlier post, I talked about why I liked Weight Watchers -- because you don't have to "cut" any foods, you can just learn to eat healthier options. That being said, it can be very easy to fool yourself into thinking you are eating healthy. These days, we are inundated with "low-cal", "fat-free", and "light" products in the grocery aisles. But many people make the same mistake that I did. That is, we think that just because something is low-cal or low-fat must mean it is good for us!
This, of course, is so not true and for many reasons. One thing I discovered just recently (yes, some may call me naive) is that a lot of low-cal foods(like rice cakes, microwave popcorn, and canned soups) have a ton of sodium in them! Sodium, obviously, is not only unhealthy for us but it makes you retain water which greatly can affect the number on the scale! I now try to eat these snacks in moderation. That being said, I am well aware that a bowl of popcorn or mini rice cakes is far more healthy than a big bay of Lays chips which is what I used to eat. At first, when I started my weight loss, I ate things like rice cakes, baked chips, adn 100-cal snacks all the time. Now, I try to see these things as treats - meaning only 2-3times a week at most.
Another area in which I fooled myself was at Subway. Subway is a fantastic restaurant with a ton of healthy options for people who are trying to eat healthy. But don't get fooled. When I was my biggest (close to 200 lbs.) I used to go there on a regular basis and order a 6-inch roasted chicken sub on whole wheat, with cheese, green peppers, onions, lettuce, pickles, and MAYO. I'd also add on a Diet Coke and TWO M&M cookies. Now, I'm not stupid. I likely knew that the cookies were a bad option. But cookies are one of my ultimate weaknesses and as we all know I gave in to my weaknesses regularly back then! But I thought I was eating healthy because I was choosing whole-wheat bread and chicken. But what about all that cheese and full-fat mayo?! Now, when I order the roasted chicken sub (which is rare), I make sure to ask for no cheese, lots of vegggies, and LIGHT mayo (only one strip!) Most of the time now though, I order a 6-in. turkey sub on whole wheat with no cheese, lettuce, green peppers, onions, a FEW pickles, and honey mustard dressing. For awhile (when I was first adjusting to changing my eating habits), I'd replace the two cookies with Baked Lays chips. Now, I even skip the chips. Most of the time, the sub and a Diet Coke is enough for me. As a treat, I will sometimes still get the Baked Chips and once in a blue moon I will treat myself to a Subway cookie (always making sure to count the points and to give the second cookie away!)
Another common mistake that people losing weight make, is eating too much sugar. I admit, sugar is still a weakness for me. I hear of people who cut sugar entirely (or almost entirely) out of their diet and I have no idea how they do it! But I am able to cut back on sugar. For instance, a bowl of Fruit Loops only has about 100-cal (not bad at all!) but they have a lot more sugar than the cereal I've switched to (Special K Vanilla Almond). Even worse, was those 100-cal bags of chips and mini chocolate bars. When those first came out, I thought my diet woes were solved! I'd stock up on 100-cal Aero and Kit Kat bars (sometimes as many as 4 boxes of them in my fridge at once), low-cal chocolate pudding, 100-cal bags of Bits and Bites, Doritos, etc. I thought that since all of these snacks were only 100 calories, that I could still eat them and lose weight! Well this is true in a sense, the weight didn't come off as easily as I liked. That's because eating all that sugar (and salt) just made me want to eat more (as well all know sugar highs don't last very long!) Now, I realize that snacks that are filled with nutrients and protein are a much better option. I will grab things like low-fat yogurt, almonds, watermelon, or carrot sticks. Of course, I do still induldge in sugary treats now and then. My favourites are: frozen yogurt, various types of cereals, and some low-cal granola bars. I hardly ever buy the 100-cal chocolate bars anymore (although they are excellcent for people who crave chocolate, or for those who are used to eating regular sized chocolate bars and are trying to cut back!) I also don't buy 100-cal chips anymore (I learned that one of those tiny bags were never enough, I'd end up eating 2 or 3 of them anyway!) There are a lot of snacks out there that you can find satisfying and delicious. A great website for healthy snack ideas is www.hungrygirl.com. Good luck!
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