Anuradha Varanasi
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Written By: Anuradha Varanasi | Updated : November 2, 2016 12:34 PM IST
Regardless of whether you are overweight or not, everyone has their own guilty pleasures when it comes to food. You might either have a major sweet tooth and need to eat a chocolate or a few cookies to get through the day. Or maybe you have a weakness for potato chips and street-side food. Whatever it is, when you're trying to lose weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle, the first thing you are told by everyone including your dietitian is how you need to cut down on your junk food if you want to see any results.
It can be nerve-wracking to count all the calories you are consuming each day. Once you chalk out your weight loss plan which includes exercising for at least an hour a day and having healthier foods, you now have to make the tough decision about how you will restrict your calorie consumption. I have repeatedly seen how my friends decide to let go of their guilty food pleasures with a heavy heart so they can finally achieve flatter abs. When I first started working out, even I decided that I would completely stop eating cheese to avoid any kind of abdominal bloating and also reduce my calorie intake.
I managed to stick to my 'no cheese' diet for an entire week and I was quite proud of how I was resisting temptations. Before my diet, I used to eat a grilled cheese sandwich or pizza once or twice a week. However, I realised that banning cheese from my diet made me think about it obsessively and how much I missed eating it. After a week, I couldn't take it any longer and ended up binge eating on pizza, nachos and pasta. This is why excluding your favourite high-calorie food item from your diet completely will only prove to be counter-productive for you. Here's what your munchies say about you and how to fix it.
Instead of that, just start by eating lesser portions of your favourite junk food. For example, if you love chocolates, have only one small bar every two to three days. While going grocery shopping, buy junk food items but restrict the quantity to only one bar of chocolate and one small packet of chips. While eating it, take it slow and savour each bite you take. This way you will get to enjoy the taste and consume fewer calories as opposed to a complete ban that will result in withdrawal symptoms. These are the ways to outsmart unhealthy food cravings.
Read this in Hindi.
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