Home
>
Weight Loss
>
Ghost of Binge Past

Ghost of Binge Past

Holidays and special events should be a time of great joy, but dieters customarily imagine these occasions with dread and horror. Why? Because celebrations are not celebrations without lots of high-calorie, tempting foods. Does this suggest that you have to become a social-scrooge to duck temptation? No. The "secret" is to create a survival "plan" ahead of time and stick to it throughout this holiday season.

"If you fail to plan, you can plan to fail" is a time worn and clich?d statement. But it's still wonderful success advice. Not only do most people fail to plan, they consciously plan to fail over the holidays.

Most people expect to "blow" their diet and miss workouts during the holidays. They expect to eat more, exercise less and gain weight. Instead of putting forth the effort by taking control, they resign themselves to maintenance at best or back-sliding at worst.

This negative expectancy leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy. By the first week of January, they're in the worst shape they've been in for a year and they frantically make New Year's resolutions to shed the excess fat they've gained. Is that your approach? Or, are you going to be strong and really make it all the way to the New Year without gaining weight?

Let's revisit October with the ghost of binge past. Oktoberfest plus Halloween equaled a huge junk food binge for some of us. Oktoberfest and Halloween are over and done. Does that mean you are going to let the ghost of binge past turn you into a food scrooge? Are you going to pass up seasonal celebrations to avoid the fattening feasts?

Ho, Hum! How do you avoid turning into a miserable ol' food scrooge?

First, get the Halloween candy out of your house. Take it far away. Okay, there are hungry children in third world countries, but you cannot lend a hand by eating everything in sight! Plus, feeding our sweet tooth is like watering a plant. It only makes the thing bigger, needing more the next time. Ho, Hum!

Wait! Look into your secret stashes and throw them in the trash with old coffee grounds and banana peel (so they won't find their way back out again). Yes, get rid of the sweets in your desk.

If you empty out all the candy, and find that your house echoes because there's nothing left in it, swap them with snacks such as unsalted nuts, fruits and vegetables.

Second, plan to tell friends and family to forego food gifts. If you still get them, thank the person, but later give the food away to someone else. This way, you won't hurt the giver's feelings and you will eliminate your temptation.

Third, manage your time. With hectic schedules, there never seems to be enough time to plan, eat, exercise, clean, shop, cook, and decorate. Sit down and write out daily schedules for the weeks before your events. Determine what you can reasonable do in specific time frames and then plan to do it. Manage to have a meal replacement when you are on the go. They are far more nutritious than a fast food meal and more convenient.

Fourth, plan to modify your recipes. You don't have to give up traditional favorites ? just modify them. For instance, make turkey stuffing low fat by saut?ing onions and celery in broth in place of butter. Use sugar-free gelatin to slice calories in gelatin molds. Take a look at your recipes to see if you can eliminate or decrease some ingredients or use lower calorie substitutes.

Fifth, plan to leave the leftovers. Too often leftover food goes into your mouth instead of the storage container, even if you're already stuffed. Give leftovers away, make packages for your guests to take with them, take food into work, or divide leftovers into portions to use with your diet plan.

Sixth, control your eating. The moment you arrive to a holiday gathering, check out the food and pick out a few "healthy" foods to eat and skip all the others. Eat slowly and savor every bite. So you don't overeat, eating a meal replacement beforehand can help fill you up before you reach the holiday party table loaded with "once a year, you have to eat me treats."

Seventh, meal replacement are your answer if you're like most people, and don't' have several hours a day to prepare healthy and nutritious meals. Study shows that people who replace several meals a week with portion-controlled foods, like liquid shakes or snack bars, lose significantly more weight in three months than folks who simple try to cut calories. What's the secret of meal replacements? Meal replacements keep it simple. Forget counting carbs or calories!

So you see, you don't have to fail to plan. You really can make it to New Years without gaining an ounce by including meal replacements in your diet. And, when you make it to New Years Day (and you have not gained weight), you will be free to avoid the parade of New Years dieters. Everyone else will be starting the latest fad, but you will be living your new lifestyle without deprivation dieting. Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

For more information on how to lose weight and get lean using meal replacements visit http://www.waistline-management.com or call Dolletta Mitchell at 888-325-3062.

Dolletta Mitchell is a Health Advisor with Take Shape For Life, a subsidiary of Medifast, Inc. Dolletta provides weight loss and disease prevention management solutions that have been recommended by over 15,000 physicians nationwide and used by more than 750,000 overweight customers. Dolletta caring and positive, encouraging attitude and knowledge about wellness issues is a part of why her program has been successful to so many. She will educate, support, and assist you in attaining a healthier lifestyle. photo link: http://www.waistline-management.com

disinfecting cleaning services Bannockburn ...

In The News:

Homeowners association meeting minutes and membership lists can expose names, addresses and emails that scammers use to craft convincing phishing scams.

Lima, Ohio, has installed 3,120 floating solar panels on its Twin Lakes Reservoir, projecting nearly $10 million in electricity cost savings.

Amazon's Alexa for Shopping now lets customers verify suspicious emails, texts and phone calls against the company's own communication records.

Lindsey Brooke Isaacs spent 13 days in jail after a Flock camera flagged her Dodge Durango near a fatal Florida crash that killed three people.

AI-powered smart grocery carts are linked to 32% higher spending, according to new research, as Instacart Caper Carts expand across U.S. stores.

A VPN encrypts your connection on hotel, airport and café Wi-Fi abroad, but streaming catalogs and live sports access still depend on provider rules.

Gmail's Verified Sender Program launches September 8, 2026, giving U.S. political committees a more reliable path to your personal email inbox.

Elroy Air's Chaparral can carry over 500 pounds and fly 450 miles without a runway, and the FAA just tested it under a new federal program.

Bedrock Robotics says its autonomous excavators are doing paid earthwork on active job sites in Texas and Nevada with no operator in the cab.

A dedicated banking computer isolates your financial accounts from malware and phishing, but passwords, SIM swapping and outdated software remain risks.

The OlloNi SS1 AI robot pet uses a 4K camera and facial recognition to learn your family, but its removable Red Heart memory module raises questions.

Nine identity theft warning signs range from unfamiliar credit inquiries to SIM swap attacks that can quietly drain your bank account funds.

Robot.com's R-dog uses articulated legs and wheels to climb stairs and deliver packages, while its built-in screens display paid ads along the route.

MyChart phishing emails mimic real patient portal alerts with fake lab results and malware tricks that target Windows users across the country.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Google's Motion Assist places animated dots on Pixel screens to combat motion sickness in vehicles, but the Android 17 rollout remains limited.

Moving to a 55+ community can quickly expose your data to scammers and data brokers before you even unpack, putting your whole family at risk.

Amazon Prime Air drone delivery plans to reach nearly 500 U.S. cities by the end of 2026, but your yard and ZIP code may determine eligibility.

The FBI reports nearly $21 billion in cybercrime losses for 2025, up 26%, as AI scams make fake voices and identities more convincing than ever.

Uber teen accounts now feature live video streaming from the driver's camera, but encrypted recordings stay on Uber's servers for up to 14 days.

Router firewalls and software firewalls serve different roles in protecting your home Wi-Fi from unwanted traffic and suspicious connections.

A Chrome extension with 70,000 users and a 4.7-star rating began injecting fake update warnings after a threat actor acquired and weaponized it.

Amazon's Alexa+ rolls out free to Fire TV devices across the U.S., but hands-free microphones and stored voice data raise key privacy questions.

Meta's new teen accounts settlement sets a default two-hour daily limit on Instagram and Facebook, plus night mode and school mode restrictions.

The CareCloud data breach exposed Social Security numbers, banking information and medical records belonging to more than 3.75 million people.

Ghost of Binge Past

Weight Loss