It was just a month ago that everyone was talking about the delectable treats they looked forward to eating during the Holidays. Magazines were stuffed with recipes of all sorts. They tempted their readers to eat ingredients that nobody should put into their bodies: But Would. And Did. And now suffer from “Eaters Remorse.”
Now, in January, a mere one month after the holiday magazine articles appeared, magazines are reversing their stance. Instead of encouraging readers with new fattening recipes, they rant on about how to lose the weight THEY helped you put on by encouraging you to prepare those dishes. Most of us gained weight during the holidays and most are anxious: even desperate, to lose it.
Losing weight is the number one subject of magazine articles.
So many weight shedding techniques abound. I even heard of a hypnotist who advertised that in a few sessions he would help you lose weight by convincing your brain to believe that chocolate tastes like tobacco.
Everybody is getting into the act: there is the “This and This Diet,” the “That and That Diet,” and the “Dr. Such and Such Diet.” Diet experts pen articles, write books, appear on TV talk shows and drop from the sky! You know what I mean;
you’ve seen them yourself.
But I have a technique that is different from the others, specially if you are health conscious in any small way.
Suppose you see a beautiful chocolate layer cake topped with a creamy, delicious looking icing. What its your first reaction? Is it “Yum Yum,” or “No No?” Rather than thinking how marvelous the cake would taste, I propose that you think of the ingredients that go into that cake. Consider what you are willing to put into your body. Your poor, hard working, unappreciated body.
Ask yourself “Would I take a whole stick of butter out of the refrigerator, unwrap it, and gobble it down? Would I pour a cup or two of sugar into a large mug and swallow every bit of it? Maybe not, but that’s what you’re doing if you eat that cake. Now when I see a tempting cake I mentally reconstruct its ingredients and think of them one at a time.
Somehow the cake no longer appeals.
The big advantage of my diet is that you don’t feel deprived. That’s because YOU, not somebody else, made the decision to forego the cake. You chose not to eat it because the individual ingredients didn’t appeal to you, even though you know that the final product tastes so good.
If you like my concept for making cake seem to be unappetizing, just wait until you hear my plan for de-appetizing pot roast!
MorristownMemos 
Comments on: "LOSING WEIGHT" (26)
Personally, I like those yo-yo diets. Always lose weight because I hate the taste of yo-yos.
Never thought of it this way, Ronnie. I’m sitting at the Cheesecake Factory right now. Time to test your strategy.
Only comment I can add: many years ago I was a partner in a firm making ’boutique cakes’. It was the only time in my life I can honestly say I never ate cake. Sampled, yes, but never finished. Maybe there’s something in that. I only wish it were equally true of the restaurants I was involved with…
I suppose we are in the minority; most people I know go into raptures over cake.
Now that is a great way to look at a piece of cake.. 🙂 and yes we indulge far too much in the naughty but nice 🙂 ❤ xxx
We cut sugar down several years ago so nothing in our drinks of tea etc. And when I bake, I experimented and us only half of what it ever says in the recipe and it tastes just fine. An alternative I use is Maple Syrup, Or if I sweeten say cereal for our granddaughter I use a little good honey.
I do not use sweeteners either as If you read up on those they will give you nightmares. So I look long and hard on labels.. For what may appear Sugar Free is loaded with sweeteners..
More and more studies describe the negatives of eating too much sugar. How much is too much?
I know… We used to buy a bag of Sugar each time we went to do our main shopping, Now I think I have had two pound of sugar in the pantry for 4 mths and its still only half way down.. I tend to use maple syrup more in baking as I adapt recipes and if sugar is needed I only use half of what is stated and it tastes just fine.. Now we have lost our sweet tooth 😀
Why is it so hard to lose weight, if it was truly easy no one would be over weight
Its a weighty problem!
Thoroughly got wrapped up in your great thinking in this post, great idea for resisting temptation, but that last line lost me, not the Pot Roast, no never please not the Pot Roast and baked potatoes.
Oh, alright; I would never want to traumatize one of my favorite bloggers!
You bring a healthy perspective to the table. I admit, there are some foods/snacks I find irresistible. I tell myself, just one more. But one more is not always enough. Once I was hospitalized for taking just too much, all because we were in celebration mood.
I would ask you what are the foods/snacks you find irresistible, but I’m afraid that you will put unwanted cravings into my mind!
Helpful tip!
I hope thinking that way will help.
Good thinking. Makes great sense to break it down by the ingredient. Our mind is a powerful tool, and if we equate that piece of cake with a stick of butter, we might indeed put down the fork!
It’s worth a try!
But one little piece wouldn’t hurt would it?
Maybe not, if you have the will power to stop there…my husband never liked sweets, so if there’s a cake in our house I manage to finish it all by myself!
the last potroast we had was very tasteful!
wonderful and timely post !
Harvey
Ah, I recognize the longing for another pot roast
The last pot roast we had was very tasty!
great post
harvey
Do you really want that pot roast so much that you’re willing to answer this post twice???
I lost weight once, but it’s okay because I found it again…
‘Glad it’s not missing any more!