Your assignment for today...

Your assignment for today is to practice "environmental control" rather than "self-control" ensuring that you always have the proper fuel. Willpower alone is not an effective weight management strategy. Count on eating whatever is in your immediate environment.

Subtractive environment control:
Remove from your environment any food that is ineffective for your weight management and fueling your body. It is not about "good" food or "bad" food... you are not a better person because you have made "good" food choices today. You are not a "bad" person because of the foods you eat. You are simply either making effective or ineffective choices regarding your "fuel". I don't keep chocolate or peanut butter in my house because if you knew me, you know it wouldn't last 10 minutes :) If it is in your environment, at work, at home, at friend's houses... the possibility exists that you will eat all of it.

Additive environmental control:
What do you need to add to your environment to support your successful weight management? Do you have fruits and vegetables in your house? At work? Do you keep canned fruits and veggies at your desk or in your car? Fill up on fruits and vegetables before you eat anything else and your calories will automatically decrease while still filling you up with volume.

If you are not accustomed to eating fruits and veggies, I would start by buying frozen and canned fruits and veggies while you are learning what you like and how you like them prepared. That way, you don't waste money or food as you start incorporating these things into your diet. Libby's now has canned fruit sweetened with Splenda, but for other fruits, look for them sweetened in fruit juice. Many veggies are great steamed right in the bag in which you buy them. Incorporating as many fruits and veggies (prepared in a low fat manner) as you can into each day, increases your chances for managing your weight on a long term basis. You can do this! :)