When You’re the Only One on a Diet

Dieting is tough enough. But when you’re the only one at home cutting back on calories, you might face temptation every time you open the fridge.

Try these diet strategies designed to satisfy everyone at the table.

Talk to your family about your goals and ask for their support so that their habits don’t trigger the urge to eat for you. Make it a rule that all snacks are to be eaten in the kitchen — no more munching mindlessly throughout the house. Be sure you have a healthy snack to eat when they have theirs.

On the other hand, you don’t have to announce that meals are now low-calorie. Freshly prepared food tastes better, so they may not even notice that favorite dishes have been streamlined. Even if your spouse and kids don’t need to lose weight and eat larger portions than you do, they’ll benefit from healthier foods that are higher in nutrients.

Also, when you make meals with more fruits and vegetables and less saturated fat, you’re modeling smart lifestyle habits — important for your children to take into adulthood, according to the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

Do ask loved ones to store their treats in a cabinet or area of the kitchen that’s out of sight. If you’re doing the shopping, buy them items that you don’t crave. Resist asking them to go cold turkey on snacks and other indulgences.

Even if everyone in the household needs to eat better, small changes, done gradually, are the easiest to make permanent. Remember that diet success still lies with you.

And remind yourself of why you want to lose weight, and that bag of chips squirreled away in the cabinet won’t seem so tempting.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has smart meal planning tips that will benefit all family members — both those at a healthy weight and those looking to lose weight.

Source: HealthDay