Indulging without Bulging

"The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a new star."
— Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, French culinary philosopher,1825

You know people who agree with Brillat-Savarin. Perhaps you're one of them. Here are some of their traits:

• discovering a new restaurant is a major event;
• trying new recipes is a favorite recreational activity;
• sampling different cuisines is a travel highlight;
• talking about food "find's" is a favorite topic; and
• shopping for food is like going on a treasure hunt!

While some people eat to live, they're the people who live to eat!

Unfortunately, with food, you can get too much of a good thing. Add pleasure, not pounds by following these seven guidelines for "indulging without bulging."

Guideline 1:
PUT LESS ON YOUR PLATE
"Less" can mean smaller amounts. "Less" also can mean fewer foods. The latter is sometimes a more successful strategy.
For example, if you make only two dips for a party, you'll probably do less sampling during preparation and at the party. At a restaurant, if you order just the entree without the rolls, salad, etc., there will be fewer foods to "just taste." And if you bake holiday cookies, the more types you bake, the more cookies you'll likely eat!

Guideline 2:
TAKE A BITE - COUNT TO 8
It takes about 20 minutes after food enters your mouth before the brain starts perceiving that you're filling up. Slow down to slim down.
"Count to 8" is no special number -- it just rhymes with Guideline 1, Put Less on Your Plate. It does stress, however, that you allow time to savor the flavor of foods. At least wait until you've swallowed one bite before you take the next one!

Guideline 3:
DIVIDE WITH YOUR MATE
Or friend, or family member, etc. Great-tasting foods sometimes come in large-size servings. Consider making that "death-by-chocolate" dessert a group project!

Guideline 4:
DON'T EAT IT ALL — WAIT
When dining out, divide large servings in half BEFORE you take a bite. Take half of the meal home to eat later. Rather than picked-over leftovers, this gives you two terrific-tasting meals at half the calories and half the price! For food safety's sake, refrigerate leftovers within two hours of being served. Then eat your leftovers within 48 hours.

Guideline 5:
INCREASE YOUR EXERCISE RATE
This guideline helps improve your nutrition two ways:
1. Exercise helps protect you from the effects of OVER-eating by helping burn excess calories.
2. Exercise also may help protect you from the effects of UNDER-eating.
How is this?
The fewer calories you consume, the less likely you are to obtain recommended levels of nutrients from your diet. Provided your overall diet is fairly healthy, you'll take in more nutrients by being able to eat more food.

Guideline 6:
CHANGE YOUR CALORIE FATE
As you add exercise to your lifestyle, also include some weight-lifting. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat. Turn your body into a better calorie-burner by increasing your amount of muscle mass.
Simply toning your muscles will help burn calories. You don't have to develop bulging biceps. Plus, you'll find your body just seems to "hang" better on your bones when it's firm rather than flabby.

Guideline 7:
START NOW - DON'T HESITATE!
It's much more fun to put on the pounds than to take them off! Develop healthy habits that let you enjoy food without paying a price that registers on the bathroom scale. Start now!