For your nutritional life-style to work, you need to practice three basic habits.  All of which overlap and strengthen one another.

    1. Consistency.  The individuals we see who have been successful at dropping body fat are very consistent in their approach to eating.  Ninety percent of the time, these people will eat the right foods, in the right manner, to maintain a lean body.  When combined with a regular exercise program this consistency helps establish "metabolic momentum", a process in which the body trains itself to be lean.  Tapping into body fat storage for energy, and not storing calories as fat.  In fact, your body will be more able to resist putting back on the lost body fat.  In our experience, most individuals will reach this stage after three-four months of consistent healthy fat eating and exercising.

    Does this mean such individuals do not stray for nutritional nirvana?  Of course not!  What they won't do is to allow their dietary indiscretions to sidetrack them long term.  Let's say your going out with friends for dinner Saturday night.  Good people of course, but not such a good influence food wise.  You are probably going to eat something you think you shouldn't.  What to do?  Suppose it is Wednesday you have almost four full days to eat very well.  Saturday comes, you go out, you enjoy yourself, no harm no foul!  The next morning you are right back on track, eating correctly.  The night before was only a blip on your path, and will not side track you.  In a sense, you are planning your "nutritional time-outs”.

    Far less successful at losing body fat are those individuals who "pick" at food, or snack, all day long.  Many times these people are unaware of all the extra calories they consume.  In general, they might eat quite well, but a chip here, a cookie there, a bite of the kids macaroni and cheese and the calories mount.  Many times it will add up enough to derail any chance of losing fat!

    2. Control. No matter how well thought out a nutrition plan is, or how good the foods invovled are, there will always be some need at some point for self-control.  It can be as obvious as saying no to the two cookies you normally would eat after dinner, or it might be more a matter of portion control.  Remember, even the most nutritious low fat foods contain calories, and too many calories from anything can end up as body fat.  Diet book that proclaim "eat all you want of          , and grow thin" are just not true!  They never have been, they never will be.

    Why have a whole cup of rice when you might be perfectly happy with only half of a cup?  Do you really need the extra bagel with lunch?  Take some time to read the nutritional analysis of the packaged foods you eat.  If you look at the calories per portion size, and then compare that to what you are actually eating, you can see how most people probably take in more calories than they might think.

    Self-control is, and always will be, the hardest part of any nutritional plan.  It is a discipline that you must constantly be building and nurturing, one small step at a time.

    Often times we attach emotions to the foods we eat.  We eat particular items when we are happy, others when we are sad or depressed.  Sometimes we just eat when we are bored.  Let me give you thought that may help you guide you in all this.

    "Think of food as tools, by thesleves not good or bad, but as a means by which to create a leaner and healthier person."

    With that said, remember you are still human, and will stray from the "golden" path occasionally.  What is important is for you to get immediately back on track. Don't dwell on the momentary detour, and above all don't get down on yourself.

    The last element of control we need to talk about is in regards to your nutritional surrounding and food choices.  Try not to allow yourself to be put into a situation where your nutrition in compromised, and if you can't avoid it, then be prepared!  This is where you need to practice the last of our three habits.

    3. Planning.  Every individual who has succeeded in their quest for leanness and optimal health through nutrition is a planner.  Like it or not, eating right takes some thinking ahead.  Anticipate what adverse conditions you are going to be put in and prepare accordingly.  So you think you are going to be stuck at the office tomorrow with no chance to run out for something? (Except the chance that everybody else will order in pizza.)  Bring some prepared foods from home.  Perhaps you will be in your car all day long for sales calls, put some food in a cooler and take them with you.

    This isn’t as easy as running out of the house at the last minute empty handed, but now you are in control of what you eat and how it is prepared.  We tell many of our clients to take an hour, twice a week, and prepare foods that can be taken with them or served when time is short.

    Many of the dishes in this book lend themselves well to this approach.  Put them in Tupperware or plastic bags and you are all set.  Think of this as building your nutritional survival kit.

    There will be times when you are in a situation where you just can't make good food choices, there aren't any!  Parties, weddings, and business meetings come to mind.  What to do?  The old standby is to eat something before you go so you will be less hungry, and therefore less tempted by your appetite.  If all else fails, eat as little as you can politely get away with, and at first chance run for something healthy!

    Another trick is to eat slowly, so that your body will register a sense of fullness before you consume too many calories.  Eating in a slow and controlled manner is a trait commonly observed with individuals who are successful at maintaining their desired body weight.

    Have you ever gone to the grocery store with the intention of not buying anything?  Take some time, at least once, to go there and just explore.  Read labels, make comparisons, and find out just what healthy fat and nutritious foods are available.  It may surprise you to learn that the same food item, with the same serving size, but packaged by two different companies, can vary greatly in caloric content.  Often it is a case of what has been added to the food in the form of extra sugars or fats that makes up the difference.  If nothing else, you will be a better informed consumer.

These ideas are from the Good Bodies Cookbook by Renee and Jack Mougin.