In the over 40 years I have been helping people control weight, I do not believe a patient has ever heard me state: “YOU CANNOT EAT______”. The “blank” is obviously filled in by the foods and drinks that tend to derail weight control efforts. A partial list of these consumables would include:
- Chocolate
- Cookies
- Cakes
- Wine
- Beer
- Chips
- Potatoes
- Pasta
And the list would go on and on and on.
During a long-term weight control journey, it is not realistic, feasible or an expectation that people can NEVER eat/drink any of their favorite items. However, the key issue is to LIMIT the amounts of these items that were previously being consumed. If someone is drinking 5 beers or glasses of wine per week, this can be curtailed by 50-75%. Similarly, if ice cream is being consumed every night, limiting this to 2-3 times a week AND cutting portions would be helpful for weight control.
What we do know is this: If a person is looking to shed weight, he/she cannot keep following the same dietary approach. Things need to be changed and those “things” are the foods/drinks that are not compatible with weight control. This does NOT mean that you “CAN’T” every eat/drink these things ever again. Rather, the amounts need to be reduced.
Life is a balance on many levels. We are not placed on earth to count every calorie entering our mouths. We need to enjoy life and do the things we construe as fun. However, by reaching the correct balance, we will live a longer, healthier life with more time to enjoy our loved ones.
One of the things in life we CAN’T do is help falling in love. Elvis taught us that.
