Visual Cues: Out of Sight, Out of Mind
By: Sarah Remmer, RD, CDE
It’s finally Spring! Time for a fresh start and to gear up for a great summer! I know that I have a few weddings to attend, a vacation to look forward to and a whole lot of shorts and tank tops to wear, so one of my goals is to shed a few winter pounds and tone up a little. I’m sure that many of you have similar goals, so why not make it easier for yourselves to achieve them?
I’ve been talking to many of my clients about visual tools when it comes to healthy nutrition habits. What I mean is having healthy things within eyesight and having not so healthy things out of eyesight. This sounds so simple, yet that’s what 85% of successful dieters say they do to help them stick with their healthy diet and maintain their weight loss.
Most of my clients know that I use personal examples often. And here’s another one…I have a sweet tooth—there is no doubt about it. My favourites are chocolate and any kind of cookie. Mmmmmmm. Now I know that if chocolate is within my vision when I open the pantry or freezer, I will forget about what I was going for in the first place and reach in and grab a cookie or a piece of chocolate…without even thinking about it! Have you ever been thirsty, gone into the kitchen for a glass of water and left without your water, but with a salty or sweet snack instead? It’s because you know that it is there (it may even be out on the counter), and the simple act of going into the kitchen prompts you to grab a handful of this or that or to peak into the pantry to see what tempting treats you can sample. Ok, so we’re all human and when temptation is there, it’s hard to say no. So why not make it easier on ourselves and remove those temptations? It’s not as hard as you think. Here are some easy tips to get started:
1. Do not keep tempting treats in the house, in your car or at your office. This makes it a lot harder to eat junk food if you have to walk or drive all the way to the store to get it every time you have a craving. Most of the time, it just won’t be worth it.
2. Keep healthier treats in the house that you know you won’t overindulge on. An example is very dark chocolate (70% cocoa or greater). For me, one or two squares of dark chocolate after dinner satisfies my chocolate craving, but I’m not tempted to go back for more.
3. If you have baked goods in the house, keep them in the deep freeze or at the back of your freezer where you can’t see them. Chances are that if you cannot see them, you will forget about them.
4. Keep an attractive water bottle with you at all times. This sounds funny, but really, you will drink more water. Having a nice water bottle that you can easily carry around with you (perhaps has a handle), will remind you to drink every time you look at it.
5. Keep healthier things out on the counter or within eyesight so that you are reminded to eat or drink more of them. Keep a colourful arrangement of fruit in a fruit basket on the counter or table. Keep an assortment of herbal teas out on the counter. Get into the habit or putting out raw veggies and low fat dip before supper so that you are tempted to munch on them.
Let’s face it, most of us like our sweet or salty snacks, and it is ok to indulge every once in a while. But do yourself a favour and remove those temptations all together so that you are not tempted on a daily basis—especially if you have a weight loss goal.
Please let me know if you have any questions/comments about this article. Have a wonderful Spring!
Sarah is a great resource for nutritional guidance and support. She’s great at teaching nutrition in a simple and practical way and is able to tailor her expertise to each client, whether relating to the average person looking to become a healthier weight, the athlete looking for a PB, or the person with medical issues such as iron deficiency, diabetes, or irritable bowel syndrome. Thanks for the great suggestions and resources, and keeping a little chocolate in my daily meal plan : )
Diana
MD