Justifying What You're Eating

Do you find yourself justifying what you're eating? For example:

• I've had a hard day at work
• I deserve a treat now and then
• I didn't eat any breakfast
• I must have burned loads of calories when I was at the gym

It could be that you're giving yourself an excuse to eat unhealthy food.

Is it an excuse or a reason?

Children And Food

The authoritative Cancer Project says: "Avoid using food as a reward. Offering food as a reward encourages children to disregard their hunger cues—leading to overeating later in life. Celebrate good behavior with a fun outdoor activity or in some other non-food way.

Live Long, Live Well

In a study presented at the International Congress on Obesity in Stockholm 2010, researchers tracked more than 5,000 military conscripts starting at the age of 20 until up to the age of 80.

They found that at any given age, an obese man was twice as likely to die as a man who was not obese and that obesity at age 20 years had a constant effect on death up to 60 years later.


If you're a young man, you may not be that worried now about what happens to you when you're 60, but along with the obesity goes increased chances of some cancers, breathing problems, back problems, diabetes, arthritis, depression and much more. You could be obese and be perfectly health and then one day drop dead, but it's not that likely. You are much more likely to suffer ill health and restrictions in your pleasure in life long before you reach 60.

Feeding Your Heart

Karen Knowler, the Raw Food Coach, says: “When the heart is hungry the hand tends to reach out, and down the chute goes the ‘love’. For real and long lasting weight loss, all areas of life need to be looked at. How happy are you at home, in your relationship, in your work, in your everyday life? How emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically fulfilled are you? As long as you feel empty inside you will likely have a tendency to fill it up with something, anything, and that, more often than not, will be food.”

Lose Weight With A Food Diary

A food diary can help you eat better. Often writing down everything you eat means you end up eating less. Several studies have confirmed that keeping a food diary helps you lose weight. A study from Kaiser Permanente’s The Center for Health Research (USA) shows how important this is.

“The more food records people kept, the more weight they lost,” says Jack Hollis PhD, a researcher at KPCHR and lead author of the study published in the August 2009 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. “Those who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records. It seems that the simple act of writing down what you eat encourages people to consume fewer calories.”

Dealing With Cravings

Duke University Diet & Fitness Newsletter says: “Try thinking of cravings as ocean waves. Just as a wave recedes after it peaks, a craving will recede if you do not feed it with your thoughts or actions. Instead of giving in to a craving right away, give it some time to pass. Distract yourself for a few minutes by reading or writing in your journal, taking deep breaths, going for a walk, talking about how you feel, or using such positive self-talk as "This urge won't last forever, and I am in control. I am feeling uncomfortable, but I can wait this out." Remember, bingeing might make you feel better for a short while, but you will feel better in the long run if you find a healthier outlet instead.”

Maintaining Weight Loss

The US government Centers For Disease Control says:

“To maintain your weight: Work your way up to 150 minutes of moderate‐intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous‐intensity aerobic activity, or an equivalent mix of the two each week. Strong scientific evidence shows that physical activity can help you maintain your weight over time. However, the exact amount of physical activity needed to do this is not clear since it varies greatly from person to person. It's possible that you may need to do more than the equivalent of 150 minutes of moderate‐intensity activity a week to maintain your weight.”