Being careful about what we eat and looking after our weight is often a challenge. You need to think about a personal mantra to say whenever you are tempted to eat something you don’t need. (When you are offered a chocolate or some cake, say your mantra to yourself). It will help you have self control and it will also give you a good feeling rather than feeling deprived or sad:
‘Nothing Tastes as Good as Being Slim Feels’
or ‘I Only Eat Healthy Food’ or ‘I Only Eat When I Feel Hungry’ or ‘I Can Say No to Food’ or ‘A Moment on the Lips Means a Lifetime on the Hips’
You don’t have to say it out loud. Just say it to yourself. It will give you the confidence to say NO to food you don’t need.
I find that saying a mantra when I say no to a chocolate or biscuit makes me feel good rather than deprived. Lots of people find chocolate addictive. If you have one, you want more, and it is very difficult to stop at one. Eating chocolate can be bad for your skin and bad for your teeth. Remember — the thought of having a chocolate is often better than actually eating one! So just enjoy watching everyone else eating them.
Weight Watch Eating Out
When going out for dinner, it is never polite to say to your hostess, who has been slaving all day — ‘Just salad for me, I’m dieting’ — plan ahead if you are going out to eat. And that applies to eating out in a restaurant as well. Make allowances for the extra calories you are going to eat, and that way you will avoid feelings of guilt over breaking your careful plans for losing weight. Have a normal breakfast, salad lunch, fruit in the afternoon and then go out to dinner and enjoy!
Recipe of the Week
Fresh Asparagus & Lime Dill Salmon Salad
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 kg fresh (or tinned) asparagus, tough ends trimmed
100 g watercress, washed and drained
250 g can corn kernels, drained
300 g smoked salmon, boned and flaked
70 ml low fat mayonnaise
Juice of one lime
9 sprigs fresh dill, snipped
Method
Place asparagus in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover pan and steam 4-5 minutes or until bright green and just tender. Remove steamer basket and rinse asparagus under cold running water. Drain well. Arrange watercress and corn around the edge of individual salad plates. Lay asparagus spears in centre of plate. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with smoked salmon. Combine mayonnaise, lime juice, and dill in a bowl. Drizzle over salad.
Exercise Tip
Prevent Derrières From Going South
Believe it or not, but even our bottoms need regular exercise if we want to keep a youthful appearance. So here’s what to do. Clench your buttocks; hold for a count of 8 and release. Do this 50 times a day for perfect toning. Of course just exercising one part of the body isn’t the complete answer and for a free copy of my Mini-Morning Workout, you can email to [email protected].
Ask Alva
Could you be so kind as to answer a question for me please? Are there any benefits in cooking with olive oil? Can one describe its as fat-free cooking? Curious, Al Khobar
Thank you for your question. Olive oil is cultivated for its exquisite flavour and also for its health benefits. The oil is rich in vitamin E and is extracted from the juices of ground and pressed olives. In the past, it has been used to heal wounds, moisturise hair and skin and strengthen fingernails. Research has also shown that olive oil promotes digestion, stimulates metabolism, and lowers cholesterol levels. It also relieves stomach disorders such as flatulence and constipation. So basically it is much better than animal fat and is good for the body – but use it sparingly as it contains about 45 calories per teaspoon! Put only a teaspoon in salad and use as little as possible in cooking. Alva