GETTY IMAGES/CHRISTINE FRAPECH
You’re trying to lose weight, perfecting your portion sizes, tracking everything that goes in your stomach, and doing your best to make healthy food choices.
But that damn pint of ice cream just keeps staring you in the face. Should you dig in?
For Reddit weight-loss warrior, sgdbdjos, the answer is simple. She even made her own handy-dandy flow chart to help her decide. (We’ve created our own version of the flow-chart above!)
“It upset me when I ate something high in calories, and when I put it in My Fitness Pal, it was that thing that made me go over my budget. And the worst: sometimes, it was not that good,” sgdbdjos writes. (Honestly, is there anything worse than going for the ice cream to decide, half-way through the pint, that you should have gone with another flavor?)
“So basically, I ate something that did not worth it AND it stopped my progression. I decided that should stop, and if I eat something, it has to be good AND in my budget,” she continues. “So now, this is how I react in front of a snack/cake/guilty pleasure. And it’s working. I keep control of my pleasure [which is an important part of a successful weight loss journey].” (To be clear, we aren’t big fans of labeling foods as “guilty” or “bad,” but you get the point.)
Here’s how it works: When you see a food, ask yourself, “will this food put me over my caloric budget?” If so, don’t eat it! If not, the next question is, “will it tickle my taste buds the way I want?” If so, dive in! Like sgdbdjos says, it’s important to keep pleasure, not just calories, in mind when trying to lose weight. After all, food is meant to be enjoyed.
The simple strategy has helped sgdbdjos lose more than 40 pounds and keep them off. And, yes, even if you don’t track calories, following the flow-chart can work for you. Healthy food choices, made simple.