Cheater! What’s Your Weakness?

Posted April 12, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Donnell Peavy

Section: His Health, Lifestyle Health, His Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Diets

We are always told to do the right thing, to be honest, etc. but why is it that it’s all of the bad things that are the most fun? Is it the adrenaline rush? Is it the rebel without a cause in us? Or is it the taste of rich, delectable, sweet, fattening, iced heaven on a plate?

Yes, I am talking about cake…Red velvet. German Chocolate. Either. Both. The company I work for had a bake sale today to raise money for a charity…We have monthly health and fitness contests to keep us motivated to stay fit and then they go and have a bake sale??! Last week, they were selling pizza for this same fundraiser. Of course, the people doing the selling were good friends of mine. Of course, they had to give me their sales pitches repeatedly until I gave in. Of course, I gave in.

But when it comes to diet, cheating really isn’t that bad. Theoretically, healthy living is a way of life. Will you NEVER eat anything unhealthy EVER again? Chances are you will slip up from time to time, especially if it’s a dish that you really love. Don’t sweat it. Obesity doesn’t happen overnight. It happens when the night becomes multiple nights and the multiple nights become weeks, months and so forth.

Keeping Your Calories in Check A recent study conducted at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University has shown that giving in to cravings is not only natural, but it may also help you lose weight. In this study, the participants who demonstrated the greatest percentage of weight loss also craved foods higher in calories than did the group that lost a lower percentage of weight. This suggests that cravings may be calorie based, not necessarily carbohydrate based, as has been previously thought. Among the most commonly craved foods were salty items, like potato chips and French fries, and sugary, fattening foods - like cake. Suddenly, I am looking forward to the next fundraiser.

Research sources and for more information: [news-medical.net]; [picture]