vulnerable

Okay dieters, let's pick our battlefields and go in fully armed! At the supermarket, never, never shop on an empty stomach. At mealtime, preplan. If you planned a healthy salad, you're more likely to follow through. If you didn't make plans, a hamburger will sound great. After a meal, pop a sugar-free mint or butterscotch candy into your mouth; resisting dessert will be easier. At a restaurant, order extra side dishes of rice and steamed vegetables. Eat more of those, less of the meat. At a buffet party, after a few hors d'oeuvres, sneak off into the bathroom and brush your teeth, You'll be less likely to eat more Swedish meatballs if they're going to taste like spearmint. At the office, visit the watercooler often or keep a carafe of water at your desk. Eight glasses of water a day keeps you more satisfied and prevents overeating. A lot of people overeat from thirst, mistaking it for hunger. After dinner, Clean up the kitchen, turn off the lights, and shut the kitchen down for the night so you don't keep going back for snacks. In front of the TV, put a thermos of ice water or hot tea on your TV table. Or lay out a preplanned healthy snack-like a measured amount of low-fat microwave popcorn. On weekends, Make firm plans to eat every four to six hours. If you're running errands and don't eat, the tendency is to get overly hungry and use your free time in a mall to grab high-calorie snacks instead of healthier choices. I knew that. I have even done one or more of those hints in one day. The trick is to do all you can everyday. It's not easy being green (or overweight!)