Often times the hardest foods for dieters to give up are sweets-so much so that many of us end up compromising our new healthy habits. "Just this once," we say, dreamily gazing into the baker's case. And sure, if it was in fact just that once it might not throw a wrench into your whole routine. But if you take a moment to be really honest with yourself, has it ever just been that one time?

There's no reason to feel ashamed if you have a difficult time ditching dessert. As children most of us were rewarded by cookies and ice cream, so it's natural that we still feel a bit euphoric when we eat these things. Unfortunately, eating food high in sugar only makes you crave more. If you are serious about getting in shape and boosting you metabolism you must, must, must find a way to curb your cravings.

Ultimately we all possess the glorious power to say no. Though it may not seem like it, every time we give in to temptation we are condoning and encouraging our undesirable habits. Really understanding the threat guilty goodies pose to your body is the first step to saying no, so here's a brief rundown. Sweets are sweet because they're packed with sugars, fats, and even lard in some cases. Furthermore it's not uncommon for them to be topped with even more sugar in the form of whipped cream, syrup, or frosting. Refined sugars are fiendish because they directly contribute to obesity. When you consume large amounts of them they get stored in your liver as glycogen, which can then easily be forced back into your circulatory system as the liver becomes overloaded. When reintroduced to your bloodstream that glycogen becomes fatty acid, which, as you may guess, makes you fat.

Sweets have very little nutrition-what we would call empty calories. They might energize you for a brief period of time, but much like caffeine, that effect crashes quickly, leaving you feeling worn out. Still, very few of us look to brownies and candy for nourishment. We eat them at parties, fairs, the movies-events where we are distracted by other activities. When we eat mindlessly, we often overeat and are rarely satiated.

Cutting down on empty calories will lead you to take more pleasure in more nutritious fare. It means really enjoying your meal instead of rushing through it to peruse the dessert menu. A diet built around calorie shifting gives you a chance to enjoy a variety of foods that satisfy your taste buds as well as your body. By truly nourishing yourself you won't have that nagging urge to overindulge. Developing a balanced meal plan will give you a sense of control over your diet, and it is that kind of awareness that leads to healthy living (and if you work at it, maybe the ability to say just this once and mean it).

By Benjamin Chin Comments(0) 2008-07-01 14:00:02