4 Diet Pitfalls and How to
Avoid Them By Shaun T, creator of Hip Hop Abs,
Insanity and Asylum
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Oh sure, everyone always says to me, "Shaun,
I swear, I eat very healthy. I have a clean diet." But when people are
experiencing "stubborn pounds" that won't budge off their bodies, I see
uncertainty and fear in their eyes when I say, "I bet it's a common eating
habit that is undermining your hard work."
 Oh yeah. It's natural for us to be less than honest
with ourselves about where we're cheating on our nutritional plans. We work out
and have the best of intentions for our daily menus, but we end up falling
short of our goals for a balanced nutrition for various reasons. Some of the
most common pitfalls can be avoided simply by being aware of them.
- Stress eating
Hey, I readily admit that food is
comforting—especially comfort food. You know, the mac and cheese; the
meatloaf and buttery mashed potatoes; an entire pint of butter pecan ice cream
. . . enough said. But there are so many better ways to beat stress than by
eating yourself into a stupor.
 Do this instead: My favorite thing
to do is to get out and just take a walk. Focus on your body and forget the
snacks, and get some air deep into your lungs, clear your head, feel your blood
pumping, and stretch your legs out. It won't take but a few minutes for you to
reap big benefits from a brisk walk . . . away from the vending machine. Or if
it's raining, put on some great music and dancethat works too! You can get
plenty of this done with Hip Hop
Abs®.
- Uninhibited
Grazing Many people have a complete lack of structure
to their daily meals—they actually never stop nibbling all day long. From
bits of bagels and a bite of donut in the morning all the way through to chips
in front of the TV for late-night channel surfing. Grazers have absolutely no
set meal times, and end up shutting down their body's natural calorie-burning
cycle through the constant onslaught of fat and calories.
 Do this instead: Of course, avoid the bad stuff. Instead
of vending-machine junk and food with low nutritional value, pack healthy
snacks for nibbling. And make time for balanced meals that will satisfy your
appetite so you won't be reaching for whatever's near. See the action plan for
#3.
- Unconscious
eating Eating without paying attention to what you're
doing, or without even realizing that you're consuming
calories.
 Do this
instead: Keeping a food journal is the best way I know to determine
whether you have unconscious-eating tendencies. One of my clients confessed
that while keeping her journal, she would catch herself working at her desk and
suddenly realize that she needed to jot down the cookie she'd just eaten at a
coworker's desk. They'd offered her a homemade cookie and she'd eaten it
without even thinking about itmuch less factoring it into her daily planned
food intake. Cha-CHING! Those 200 sweet calories needed to be added to her
daily tally in her food journal to get an accurate picture of what she was
eating.
- Double
portionsIt's not just restaurants that are offering us
bigger portions to show us the value of their meals; it's loved ones and
friends and ourselves who proudly serve up much more than our bodies need for
fuel at meals—on a regular basis. It's because we think we're showing
love, or are being shown love, through food. We'd also feel stingy if the plate
were to be served with less on it. The sad fact is that "normal" portions in
the U.S. aren't just a fraction more food than needed for a balanced
meal—they're like double, which is in excess of what your body requires,
and WAY more than you can burn in your daily workout!
 Do this instead: Ask yourself: do 20 bites of a huge
sandwich really taste that much better than 10? How do those 10 extra bites
taste when you know you can't burn them off that day and at least half that
sandwich is going to turn into those "stubborn" pounds? Stick with sane
portions; listen to your body.
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Yes, these are four common pitfalls. They're
all too common—but that doesn't make them any less devastating to our
fitness results and our ultimate health goals (and don't forget that it can
also be discouraging to the mental image you have of where you want to be). Be
aware of where you might be defeating yourself and take some time to form a
personal plan to help you avoid these pitfalls on a daily basis.
Peace Out.
Shaun T |
