How to Deal With Holiday Food Pushers and Food Cops

From Hanukkah gelt to peppermint bark to reindeer cookies; you can't toss a Santa hat three feet without it landing in a mountain of sweet, sugary treats this time of year.

The holidays also bring out two characters extremely challenging to dieters attempting to stay the course through the most difficult time of year. So, in the interest of peaceful family get-togethers and company parties, I provide advice on how to deal with the ever-present "Food Police" and "Food Pushers."

One can tell when the former is within earshot because you'll hear: "Is that on your diet?" or "Should you be eating that?" Unfortunately, no matter how carefully worded and lovingly delivered, it always comes across as (delivered in the tone of a schoolyard taunt), "Neener-neener-neener! I caught you cheating!" First tip: Override the initial reaction to share what you are eating rather forcefully by shoving it in his face. The sad truth is that will not make the situation better; worse yet, your next meal might be served through bars.

On the other extreme is the "Food Pusher," who sings a different carol, attempting to stuff you with all manner of delights. One recognizes her by the guilt-inducing expressions, "I made it just for you" or "One bite won't hurt."

Although these personality types appear opposites - one attempts to keep you from what you want and the other is forcing on you what you don't - they are actually related. Each person's is really trying to help you be happier. The "cop" does this by attempting to keep you on the straight and narrow, while the other provides "permission" to relax and cut loose.

Once we understand that motivation, we can handle them - without violence - by utilizing the "3 Rs."

Step 1: Recognize the intent of the person, not the action.

There is an old proverb, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Assuming the person offering the unwanted solicitation is someone with whom you can usually get along, job one is to slow down your reaction long enough to understand that he or she just wants to make sure you're successful on your diet (from the view of the "cop"), or that you're having a good time (from the view of the "pusher.")

If we focus on those intentions, rather than the words or actions, we're half way there. Therefore we could now respond with something such as, "Thank you for the suggestion" (to the "Cop"), or "That's very nice of you to make this for me" (to the "pusher"). This alerts them that you appreciate their helpfulness.

Step 2: Reflect how you feel.

Next, we must - gently - school them so they comprehend how you feel about what the action so they don't do it again. For example: (cop) "However, when you watch over me, I get defensive," or (pusher) "I'm proud of my weight loss. When you offer me those cookies, I'm afraid I'll go off track and I don't want that to happen." We don't blame; we just state our feelings.

Step 3: Redirect the behavior.

Finally, since they are trying to help, let's give them a constructive assignment. We do this by redirecting them; satisfying their good intentions. Again, an illustration might be, (cop) "What would really help me is if you'd go for a walk with me later." To the "pusher" we might explain, "If you could cut up some fruit for me next time, that would be a treat I'd like."

To stay successful this holiday season, without being a hermit, utilize the "Three Rs:" Recognize. Reflect. Redirect. It won't always work. But when it does, it's worth the minor effort it takes. Plus, it reduces family and workplace drama, and that's a great gift all to its own.

Scott "Q" Marcus is a motivational weight loss expert who specializes on helping baby boomers live happier, healthier lives. He is a professional speaker, Syndicated Columnist, and the CRP (Chief Recovering Perfectionist) of ThisTimeIMeanIt.com, a site for people who are tired of making promises to themselves but are willing to do what it takes to actually makes changes. In addition, he conducts speeches, workshops, and presentations throughout the country on how to achieve goals, improve attitude, and enjoy the process.

What Are The Best Carbohydrates To Eat For Weight Loss

Many people fail with their weight loss goals because they don't properly integrate the right changes into their lifestyle. If you want to shed excess fat and get fitter you're going to need a diet plan to lose weight. If you are up to speed on the latest diet plans you have probably heard all about carbohydrates. One moment we should be staying away from them and then the next moment we should be eating more. So what is the truth about carbohydrates and weight loss?

Understanding Carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates provide your body with its preferred source of energy. If you don't eat any carbs your body can get energy from dietary fats or protein. However, carbohydrates are much easier to break down into energy so if they are available your body uses them first. Your body needs energy to go about your daily activities and to exercise so you need to include natural carbohydrates in your diet plan to lose weight.

For example, a banana contains natural carbohydrates and is a healthier choice than a bar of chocolate which also contains carbohydrates. The key difference between the two is that chocolate bars are highly processed whilst bananas are all natural.

What Are The Best Carbohydrates To Eat?

Natural carbohydrates found in fruits and vegetables are typically far lower in calories than processed carbs. Plus, they contain lots of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients which are often removed from processed carbs. Here are 3 tips on your daily intake of carbs that will help you with your diet plan to lose weight.

1) Have At Least One Piece Of Fruit Or Veg With Every Meal.

Include one piece of fruit or some vegetables with every meal. By way of example, have some fruit with your breakfast, a salad or some steamed vegetables with your lunch and vegetables with your dinner. Doing this will supply your body with a healthy supply of natural carbohydrates throughout the day.

2) Each Day Substitute An Unnatural Carbohydrate For A Natural Carbohydrate.

If you eat a bag of crisps and a bar chocolate each day, replace one with an apple or an orange. This will cut some calories out of your day increase your intake of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

3) Find Fruits And Vegetables That You Like.

A lot of people say that they do not like any fruits and vegetables. But they probably have just not tried enough different types. There are thousands of different fruits and vegetables out there so the chances are that you will find at least one which you like. Once you have found some fruits and vegetables that you like follow the two steps above so that you are giving your body a regular supply of natural carbohydrates.

4 Great Superfoods for Weight Loss

You must have heard of those so-called "superfoods" for weight loss by now. Nutritionally-packed ingredients (normally fresh fruit and vegetables) that can boost the nutrient intake for your body, and bring with them a whole host of health benefits, one of which just so happens to be weight loss.

Are you intrigued? We bet you are! Take a look at some of this information that we have unearthed...

1 - Black Beans

These understated beans contain an astonishing amount of protein; almost as much as 15 grams per cup. There's no bad stuff either - no saturated fat for example, making it a perfect substitute for meat in foods like chilli con carne, and other mince-meat based dishes. Plus, that one cup only contains about 200 calories - less than what the same amount of meat would probably have.

Just adding beans to your diet won't help you to lose weight. The trick is to substitute one of the "bad" foods for the black beans in a bid to help you ingest fewer calories as well as increasing the amount of iron and antioxidants which means not only will these beans help you to lose weight, but you'll also be fighting back against the risks of certain conditions like heart disease and certain type of cancer.

2 - Oats

Another of the great superfood for weight loss, oats are perfect for someone who is feeling a little sluggish and this could be because they are holding onto too much waste product in their bowels. Did you know that you could be carrying upwards of ten pounds worth of actual junk in your body, and by eating more fibre, you are giving your digestive system a little helping hand, giving you more opportunity to lose weight than just exercise and changes to your diet alone. What's the point in making all those change if you aren't going to get rid of the excess waste first? You don't need to resort to drastic measures like colonic irrigation; there are foods (especially those high in fibre) that will help things along quite nicely.

Oats are the perfect way to start your day because not only will they help your digestive system, they contain a healthy starch called Resistant Starch which helps to burn off the fat content but speeding up the metabolism. There's a reason people have been eating oats for years!

3 - Avocados

A lot of people shy away from things like avocado because of the high fat content but the thing you need to know about this humble superfood is that it contains lots of HEALTHY fats; not the unhealthy stuff. Monounsaturated fats, for example, have been shown in studies to actually suppress hunger pangs, and there's lots of protein and fibre in there too so you're killing a whole bunch of birds with just one stone.

Plus it's super easy to whack a bit of avocado in a smoothie and even if you're not that keen on the taste, you won't know it's there.

4 - Salmon

Aside from being completely delicious, salmon is one of the greatest superfoods for weight loss that you can get your hands on. The lean source of protein that salmon offers you is the kinda that makes you full after you eat it, and keep you feeling that full feeling for longer. This means that you are less likely to snack throughout the day because you're not experiencing those hunger pangs, plus a recent study showed that dieters that ate more salmon had faster and bigger weight loss.

There are quite a few superfoods for weight loss; more so than many people initially think. Blueberries are great for their anti-aging properties as well as being very low in calories, and broccoli (both cooked and raw) is perfect for the cancer-busting qualities plus being low in calories and high in fibre. There's also brown rice, pears and even wine... in moderation, of course!

Is it about time that you re-evaluated your diet? Think about it - all the exercise in the world won't make that much of a difference if you're still ingesting more calories than you burn off!