Sugary foods laden with calories usually come with warning bells when it comes to weight loss and weight maintenance. But it can be frustrating when you feel deprived, and completely avoiding foods that you love may result in either a one-off binge (not so healthy) or even lead to unravelling the rest of the healthy diet you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
Q: I’m trying to lose weight – can I ever eat chocolate or ice cream again?
A: Yes! The key is moderation and to bear your ultimate goal in mind so that you stay on track.
Remember your portion sizes. Four small pieces of chocolate is one serving. Several small scoops of ice cream are a serving. Looking for a sweet substitute with less fat? Chocolate dairyfood, a trim hot chocolate, shaved ice, fruity iceblocks, your fave flavour of protein shake, or fruit with yoghurt are all good ways to go!
Feeling your dessert looks pitifully small and won’t fill the gap? Get creative and pad it out with something healthy – slice a banana in half, put your small scoops of ice cream in the middle and use a small sprinkling of 100’s and 1000’s to make it pretty for a banana split. Melt your chocolate down with a little milk and use as a dip for fresh fruit.
If you do eat something you ‘weren’t supposed to’, it’s important to shake it off and not feel too guilty about it. Doing this once won’t undo all the healthy lifestyle changes you’ve made, but what will undo it is continuing along this path because you’ve ‘blown the diet anyway’.
Photo / FreeDigitalPhotos.net – Simon Howden
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