The main reason people carry too much weight is that they eat too many treats. Treats are part of a healthy lifestyle but clients who eat them every day with reckless disregard for portion control will never lose weight.
I don’t enjoy talking to people about Treat Control, it’s not a discussion anybody wants to have! I think the reason people are reluctant to provide a food diary is the fear of being asked to make changes that exclude them from things other people are doing. Nobody wants to draw attention to themselves for something as negative as being "on a diet". It’s important to be able to find a balance between discipline and indulgence. Having two days a week off food diary-ing works well for most people.
We can define a treat as any food high in salt, sugar or fat that is not high in nutrients. This includes alcohol, baking, lollies, crisps, chips, anything pastry-based or fried. Any sauces that are cream, butter or nut-based are treats. Many crackers, muesli bars, cereals and yoghurts are treats in clever disguise. The only way to be sure is to read the label. Ideally we’d only eat fresh produce and high quality protein, and we’d hydrate with water. Anything beyond this is somewhere on the treat continuum. The thing to remember about treats is that you don’t need one at every meal. Your general diet should be for fuel, treats should be saved for special times with friends and family.
When clients start recording their food they are often shocked at the calorie content of foods they regularly eat. "I don’t even like those muesli bars all that much!" they will say. So some treats can be eliminated instantly from the diet with no tears. Others are harder to part with, even if only till the weekend.
Treat Control is an ongoing challenge for most people. But there’s no need to become a social pariah about it – if you can identify what a treat is and how much is appropriate you have the building blocks for sensible sustainable weight loss without having to sell your soul to achieve it.
I don’t enjoy talking to people about Treat Control, it’s not a discussion anybody wants to have! I think the reason people are reluctant to provide a food diary is the fear of being asked to make changes that exclude them from things other people are doing. Nobody wants to draw attention to themselves for something as negative as being "on a diet". It’s important to be able to find a balance between discipline and indulgence. Having two days a week off food diary-ing works well for most people.
We can define a treat as any food high in salt, sugar or fat that is not high in nutrients. This includes alcohol, baking, lollies, crisps, chips, anything pastry-based or fried. Any sauces that are cream, butter or nut-based are treats. Many crackers, muesli bars, cereals and yoghurts are treats in clever disguise. The only way to be sure is to read the label. Ideally we’d only eat fresh produce and high quality protein, and we’d hydrate with water. Anything beyond this is somewhere on the treat continuum. The thing to remember about treats is that you don’t need one at every meal. Your general diet should be for fuel, treats should be saved for special times with friends and family.
When clients start recording their food they are often shocked at the calorie content of foods they regularly eat. "I don’t even like those muesli bars all that much!" they will say. So some treats can be eliminated instantly from the diet with no tears. Others are harder to part with, even if only till the weekend.
Treat Control is an ongoing challenge for most people. But there’s no need to become a social pariah about it – if you can identify what a treat is and how much is appropriate you have the building blocks for sensible sustainable weight loss without having to sell your soul to achieve it.
