For me, this time of day is the evening.  I rarely, if ever have a problem sticking to healthy eating in the mornings and throughout the day.  If there were no such thing as evenings, I would have reached my goal weight long ago! I often get cravings 1-2 hours after dinner.  Sometimes they get so intense that I lose all interest in my weight loss goals. I literally only care about satisfying my craving – that’s how powerful food cravings can be.  Of course, if I do indulge, the next morning I feel like crap. Not just physically from the junk food, but mentally as well. I get angry with myself for not being strong enough.

There are a number of things you can do to reduce cravings, or to increase your willpower to overcome them. For me, a short 20-minute run or other workout usually does the trick. It gets me in a better state of mind and helps me to feel better about myself which boosts my motivation to stay on the right track.  Of course, you have to have the willpower to actually do a quick workout, which I find that I often don’t.  It can be a vicious cycle sometimes.  If you find yourself getting very intense cravings and you feel like you really want to give in, just try doing some exercise for a bit and see how you feel after.  You might be surprised how much it helps.

Here is an article with some unique tips to help you beat cravings: 8 Out of the Ordinary Approaches to Defeating Your Food Cravings

And another good page that has some good info on what you can eat when craving certain types of foods: How to Stop Cravings for Carbs, Fats and Sugars

• 1 cup uncooked whole grain oats
• 4 whole eggs (or if you prefer egg whites only, use 6)
• 1 cup fat free cottage cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 packages or 2 teaspoons of sugar substitute

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender until you have a nice smooth batter (approximately 1 minute).  You will need a fairly powerful blender and you might have to stir a few times to get everything to mix.  Cook them just like normal pancakes.

I like to serve them with some blueberries on top and 2 tablespoons of E.D. Smith no sugar added syrup.

3 medium sized pancakes (about 150 grams) is only 262 calories with 9g fat, 24g carb, 21g protein.

If you haven’t tried these before you might be turned off by the idea of making pancakes out of cottage cheese and oats but trust me, they are really good.  My kids like them as much as regular pancakes!

None of these ingredients or amounts are set in stone, so feel free to adjust as necessary.

• 2 lbs of lean ground turkey (or chicken)
• 900ml (one container) of low sodium chicken broth
• 540ml black beans (not drained)
• 540ml chickpeas
• approx 700g of mixed frozen vegetables (peas, corn, green beans, carrots)
• chipotle powder to taste

This is super easy to make.  I cook up the turkey in a big pot, then add the broth and throw all the other ingredients in and let it simmer for an hour or so.  Once everything is in, I add enough water so that the ingredients are all covered. I often substitute lentils for chickpeas, in which case you may need to let it simmer longer so the lentils are soft.

The chipotle powder gives the soup a kind of smoky flavor, and if you like spicy foods, a can of chipotle peppers is even better than just adding the powder.

A big hearty bowl of this will be approximately 300 calories, with 29g of protein, 32g of carbs, 7g fat.  This will vary slightly, of course, depending on how much of what ingredients you add.  No matter what the exact numbers are, it is a great low-fat, high protein, high fiber meal.

When it comes to weight loss, the rules are really simple. Eat right and exercise. It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? I think the thing that the majority of people struggle with is motivation.

I too have had, and continue to have, occasional struggles with motivation. Sometimes it’s just for a day or two, other times it could last months. I’d like to share some of the things that I have found to help when I am finding it hard to stay focused on exercising and eating properly.

If you find that you are having trouble staying consistent with exercising:

Find someone to work out with. Whether you are going to the gym with them, or going for runs or walks together, it really helps to have someone to go with. When you make a plan to meet them every other day at a certain time, you are much less likely to skip out on your workout. It really helps to be accountable to someone. I started working out with a friend at the gym and the first couple of days, I REALLY didn’t feel like exercising. I had so many other things to do, but I didn’t want to let them down. Now I really look forward to working out with them.

If you are struggling with eating healthy:

Exercise regularly! I know for myself, if I work out in the morning I am much less likely to cheat during the day. I can’t stand the thought of undoing that hard work that I did by eating junk.

Plan a cheat day once per week. “Once per week” is not written in stone, but I certainly wouldn’t do it more frequently than that. Sometimes I will go 2 weeks without a cheat day. Sometimes I’ll just have a cheat meal instead of a whole day. When I get a craving during the week for pizza or a donut or something, just knowing that I can have a treat on Saturday helps me to stay on the right track. As long as you keep it reasonable, it doesn’t hurt to treat yourself once per week, but it’s important not to go overboard and just pig out all day.

The last two tips apply to both eating right and exercising. Sign up for an event. Whether it’s a 5k, half marathon, or a triathlon, sign up for something that is within your capability, but that you will still have to work to achieve. Last summer, I signed up for and completed my first olympic distance triathlon. I have never been so consistent with exercising and eating right as I was for the 6 months leading up to that event. I also got down to my lowest weight in 10 years, and I was feeling great. This summer I have signed up for a couple of 10K’s, a half marathon, and I’m looking to do another triathlon. I find that these things really help me to stay focused.  They give me a reason to be consistent. When you have a goal to work toward, it is much easier to stick to your weight loss plan.

Track your progress. Nothing is more motivating than seeing results. Measure your progress often enough that it keeps you motivated, but not so often that you get discouraged. For example, I find that weekly measurements work well for me. Daily, on the other hand, would be counter productive because you are very unlikely to see any progress from one day to the next.