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Four ways to control cravings

By The Refresh You Staff Category: Gallery, Weight

We’ve all been there. It starts out small. “Ooh, this cookie looks good,” you think. Then, a little while later, after thinking about it non-stop, you have not one, but fourteen cookies.

The culprit? Cravings, with a capital C.

Don’t beat yourself up. Heck, sometimes it’s good to give in to your cravings – in moderation. Here are a few tips to help keep cravings at bay when they come knocking again.

1. Play the waiting game. Since most cravings disappear within 10-15 minutes, try to find an activity to forget your fattening friend. If you find something to occupy your time, chances are you’ll forget about the craving altogether. Clean out your shoe closet (to make room for more, of course), call a friend, take a quick walk, read a good book – you get the idea.

2. Don’t skip meals. Oftentimes, uncontrollable cravings are the result of real hunger. When your body goes for long periods of time without fuel, it’s more difficult to make good eating decisions. That’s when you cave. Instead of choosing a sensible salad for lunch, you’ve binged on vending machine food because you just couldn’t take the hunger for one more second. When you eat three meals a day and drink plenty of water, your cravings will be less likely to surface.

3. Stop dieting. Yep, you just read that. Willpower will only take you so far. Eating mostly nourishing and healthy foods, controlling your portions and doing some real sweat-inducing exercise is the path to lasting weight loss. You don’t have to be 100% perfect all the time. Your goal should be a healthy trend, not adherence to overly strict, no-exception rules. That’s why it’s A-OK to treat yourself once in a while. You deserve it!

4. No more eating in front of the TV. Sometimes it’s hard to stop and have a meal at the table, but if you eat in front of the television, chances are you’ll get so caught up in the next catfight, sports highlight or news story that you’ll lose track of how much food you’ve actually consumed. Make your eating mindful and pleasurable, not a background activity.

The bottom line? Cravings will never disappear, but with these tips you can keep them manageable.

Three words of advice for this weekend’s cookout.

By The Refresh You Staff Category: Gallery, Weight

Hold. The. Mayo.

Nothing beats the traditional summer weekend cookout, especially here in Madison when summer seems to fly by so quickly.

So the grills heat up, and the delectable dining takes over. Of course, there are lots of special little extras — condiments — that can add up pretty quick.

Let’s take a look at how just two tablespoons of various condiments add up:

Ketchup: 30

Yellow mustard: 0

Dijon mustard: 28

Honey mustard: 20

Sweet pickle relish: 39

Mayo: 180

Hot sauce (like Frank’s or Tobasco): 0

Fresh salsa: 20

Sauerkraut: 5

One slice of American cheese: 94

Did the mayo jump out at you? It should. At a whopping 180 calories, ask yourself if it’s really worth it. (Hey, sometimes it is. We’ve all been there.)

Instead, opt for mustards, fresh produce like tomatoes and dark green lettuce, and almost any kind of hot sauce or salsa.

This weekend, enjoy the wonderful foods of the season and be sure to include lots of fruits and veggies. But be careful with needless extra calories. Just remember those three little words: Hold the mayo.

The Dean Comprehensive Weight Management Program is chock-full of great tips like this. Whether you’re looking to lose 20 pounds or 200, there’s a path for you. There’s also an incredible staff, tons of support, great information and everything you need to make a healthy, long-lasting change for the better. Check out the Dean Comprehensive Weight Management Program here.

In 30 seconds, you can become a free Refresh You member. If you do, we’ll donate $1 to an amazingly great place.

By The Refresh You Staff Category: Gallery

Here’s a compelling reason to become a free Refresh You member: We’ll donate $1 to the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence for each new membership.

The stresses of tough economic times have taken their toll on many families, and this outstanding organization helps so many people (especially women and kids) in critical situations. It’s local, too, so their important work has immediate, visible impact.

Take 30 seconds and become a Refresh You member, OK? And if you’re already a member, get a friend to sign up, too.

Refresh You members also get access to special discounts, coupons, contests and events. We never spam you and your information is never sold or released.

It doesn’t show signs of stoppin’: The annual barrage of popcorn tins.

By The Refresh You Staff Category: Gallery, Weight

Fair warning, people: It’s just a matter days before one of those shiny metal popcorn tins finds its way into your life. You’ll find them mysteriously appearing at work, in conference rooms, on kitchen counters and coffee tables.

This hallmark of the holidays is designed to tempt you with equal parts cheese, caramel and butter. And like a powerful black hole, it sucks us in with a 100% success rate. But hey, popcorn’s healthy, right? Right?

Obviously, this presents an important question: Of the three scrumptious flavors, which one is most likely to keep your diet intact?

Dietary guidelines say a serving of popcorn is about two cups, so we’ll use that for all of the flavors. Here are the numbers:

Cheese popcorn: 170 calories, 13 grams of fat, 210 milligrams of sodium, 11 grams of total carbs.
Butter popcorn: 160 calories, 12 grams of fat, 160 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of total carbs.
Caramel popcorn: 100 calories, 2 grams of fat, 135 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of total carbs.

Bottom line: In total calories, surprisingly, the caramel corn comes out on top. If carbs are a concern, then the cheese or buttered options get the nod. Oh yeah… those are conservative numbers up there, and super-gourmet brands typically add more of their delicious toppings, so keep that in mind.

We soooooooo wish this had a happier ending, but the truth is that none are particularly good, and moderation is still the best option regardless of your choice.

Actually, there’s much more satisfying option: Pick up a calorie-free Dean Martin album, make the popcorn yourself, go very light on the butter and salt, and save at least 50 calories per serving.