Battle the Dingle Hopper

No, unlike Ariel, the majority of us do not use a fork to brush our hair. We use it to eat. My issue particularly is during the week while at work when I have easy access to a lot of different foods.

For example, every other Tuesday is a town hall meeting where different subcontractors come and bring us donuts or bagels for breakfast. Thursdays are bagel days, and every Friday one of our sales guys brings in delicious donuts from a local bakery. With all these temptations how do I find the strength to say no?

I feel that it is easier for me to say no to donuts and bagels than it is to say no to go out to eat. Being in the heart of Detroit, I have so many restaurants and café’s at my disposal, if I ever do not like what I packed for lunch, no problem! I can run downstairs to Potbelly’s or across the street to Jimmy John’s.

Here are some tricks I have come across to save your waist line and your wallet.

1)      Bring a variety of snacks – I will bring oranges, bananas, and my favorite, ants on the log, on a regular basis to work. This allows me to HAVE to eat them over the donuts or bagels because they will go bad sooner rather than later. It also is a great way to ensure I balance my diet appropriately

2)      Limit yourself – I typically like to limit myself to eating out one day a week. If there is one thing I have learned from my Panera days it’s that there are so many hidden calories/sodium/fat in restaurant food. If it is low calorie, it is loaded with sodium, if it is low fat, its sugar. It is a lot easier to do since it is so cold and I don’t feel like going outside. This isn’t Frozen, the cold DOES bother me.

3)      Chew mint flavored gum – Who wants to eat something or drink something right after chewing mint gum? The flavor is way to strong and anything else tastes funny.

4)      Have a candy stash – Yup. You read that right. I always have something sweet at my desk for when I know I am going to crave it. Dieting is not about depriving yourself, it’s learning how to make healthier decisions. I would much rather see myself eat a small square of dark chocolate over going to a bakery and getting a cookie, or a chocolate shake from Potbelly’s.

Like I said before, these are just little tricks that I have learned over the course of the last few months. They may not work for everyone but they have helped me gain a better understanding of what all I was and do put into my body.