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Change your environment—and set yourself up for success. With Halloween here and the holidays around the corner, it’s the perfect time to take charge.
Safehouse
You’ve probably ditched some trigger foods, maybe put your measuring tools in a prominent spot. Now take it further: What about creating a “food-free zone” in an area where you tend to snack mindlessly (like in front of the TV or computer)? Could you set up a mini home gym—with, say, a jump rope and some dumbbells to start—to make it easy to amp up activity during your day?
More ways to make your home plan-friendly:
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Put “green-light” snacks in plain sight. Fresh fruits and veggies should be the first thing you see when you open your fridge. Add healthy snacks like low-fat cheese, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, and hummus. Pre-wash and trim the produce, then portion everything into easy-to-grab single servings. Apply the same strategy to your pantry, with popcorn, rice cakes, and other shelf-stable snacks. Tip: Budget 15 minutes after your grocery store run to get everything squared away.
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Keep treats out of sight or out of the house. Seems like a no-brainer, but this rule can be hard to follow, especially this week! If you absolutely can’t control yourself around certain foods, like cookies or ice cream, you’re better off banning them from the house—even low-fat or reduced-calorie versions, if you’ll overdo the amounts. Otherwise, stash them in out-of-the-way places, like that cabinet over the fridge or the very top shelf of the pantry, so they’re not an in-your-face temptation. Tip: If you hanker for chocolate or ice cream or chips, go for a “second-best” that will (for you) take the edge off without sending you into overdrive (like a chocolate lollipop instead of milk chocolate candies, or pretzels instead of potato chips).
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Toss restaurant leftovers if they’ll just taunt you. Bringing home half of a healthy but oversized meal is one thing. Hanging onto containers of your husband’s pork lo mein or your daughter’s leftover pepperoni pizza is only a good idea if you can resist them, or work them into your daily Points Budget. If not, they’re better off in the trash. Tip: If your leftovers can be frozen, that’s another option—it’s hard to impulse-eat a slice of pizza straight from the freezer!
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Chew gum while you’re prepping meals. All those little bites, licks, and tastes add up. Keep your mouth busy and minty-fresh (trust us, you won’t want to “taste-test” mashed potatoes if you’re chewing wintergreen gum) instead of nibbling. Tip: Not a fan of gum? Brush your teeth right before cooking—same idea.
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Let your kitchen cook you dinner. Well, let it do more of the work, at least. Slow cookers are indispensable for weeknight meals and they’re more versatile than you might think! And they keep you out of the kitchen while they cook. (You can even use them to make a hot breakfast that’s ready as soon as you are in the morning. Look through our WW recipes for ideas.)
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Discuss in your workshop different ways to help skirt potential pitfalls wherever you happen to be.
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