Attack Of The Killer Carbs
By Rosie PetersPicture this. You have had a good weight control diet day. Eaten 1500 calories of top quality food; boiled eggs and toast for breakky, salad and cheese for lunch, snacks of apples and nuts, chicken breast and steamed veges for dinner, some low fat yoghurt and berries for desert. Perfect. You have spent 40 minutes at the gym today doing a whole body workout to tone your muscles. You have prepared your lunch and walking gear for your cardio day tomorrow.
Now for a little sit down in front of the TV to unwind over a mindless movie.
A cup of tea would be nice - no make it hot chocolate, with say half a marshmallow. Oh, go ahead, put the whole thing in, it can't hurt that much - it's more air than anything else. A bit peckish. Perhaps just one thin jamdrop cookie to go with the hot drink. Can't have one without the other. Hey, these jamdrops are tiny! One more can't be more than, oh 50, no 30 calories tops. Go on, have another....
Hang on a minute. What's going on here?
You are under attack from killer carbohydrates. You need to view Attack of the Killer Carbs much more seriously than, say "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes". It's definitely more creepy than "Alien" and nowhere near as funny as "Shaun of the Dead". What's more, you are playing a major role as a zombie in this particular production. Mindless feeding in danger of increasing to a full blown frenzy.
At night, it tends to stem from comforting habit. You have created a pattern of consuming a little pre-bedtime snack and you are going to have to work consciously to break it. Recognise the symptoms as they come on and either resist them or change what you are doing at that time to sever the connection. Cravings last for about 20 minutes, so if you can distract yourself for that long, you'll be OK.
Afternoon snacking is often a way of raising your energy levels because your body has simply run out of fuel. This is usually because you have not eaten a nutritious breakfast, mid morning snack and lunch. Perhaps you have not eaten ANY breakfast and therefore broken the first rule of weight control. Maybe you have pushed yourself a bit hard with your exercise routine and need an energy boost.
While a carb attack is the accepted mainstream method of dealing with the afternoon doldrums, you have to go for a healthier option. A protein shake or bar, piece of fruit or handful of raw nuts is going to be much better for you. Any of these options will increase your energy and boost your metabolism and that can only be a good thing.
Your tastebuds will learn to love these quality nutritious treats if you don't back down. The just need a little time to adapt. After a week or two, your tastebuds will be content with the choice on offer.
Survive the Attack of the Killer Carbs and be your own zombie conquering hero.
Rosie Peters gives common sense advice, encouragement and tips for weight loss, sensible diet and lifelong fitness. Sometimes it's not what you want to hear, but what you need to know. Visit Rosie at weight-control-diet-advice.com.
Rosie's e-Book Weight Loss is Simple may be what you're after. Check it out & get a FREE copy of her popular e-Book Fat No More, while you're there.