How to Lose Weight when you love Sweets: 4-Step Strategy!

Picture the last birthday celebration you witnessed? I’m sure it was fun, filled with happiness, smiles and warmth, right?

All moments of joy, including birthday celebrations have these things in common. With every celebration also comes another commonality, Delicious Food and Sweets! I bet you’re already salivating 😀

Usually, it would be acceptable to have sweets without any rules. But if you’re on a weight loss regime, this maybe a crack in the peel… unless you believe in something like the quote below! 😂

In this article, I am going to help you give you some insights on maintaining your fitness programme while still enjoying sweets. This simple yet effective 4-Step Strategy will also help you be social and enjoy sweets guilt-free!

Why is avoidance the best strategy?

That’s because they are calorie-dense, i.e. too many calories packed in a small serving size.

A simple google search indicates that a 100 gram serving of Gulab Jamun would contain around 300 to 500 KCal. That’s roughly about 20% of the daily calorie requirement of an average Indian! 

How much time would one take to eat 100 grams worth of Gulab Jamun? A few minutes!

Other than the calories, they are hyper-palatable, meaning they are over-consumed effortlessly.

As a general rule, it’s a good idea to stay away from desserts during the weight loss programme. However, there are instances where you can’t just avoid it. 

Read this article to know more about fat loss and calories in detail

Now that we know they are best avoided, let’s look at the 4-Step Strategy on how to consume them and still be losing weight!

How to lose weight when you love Sweets – The 4-Step Strategy

If you’re someone who takes care of their diet generally, drinks enough water, exercises adequately and catches up enough sleep, then my friend, you’ve got some leverage!

Most desserts, Gulab jamun included, won’t ruin your fitness programme if consumed infrequently and in moderation. 

However, most people especially while being on weight loss, do not have a proper mechanism to consume them in moderation. This 4-Step Process is a mechanism that helps you eat in moderation, while still enjoying it guilt-free.

Step 1: The Three Minute Rule

Whenever you see your favourite dessert, don’t turn on your attack mode quickly. Wait for a minimum of three minutes before making an “eating decision”.

If you get into the attack mode immediately, your brain doesn’t get time to analyse the situation. As a result, your “eating decision” will likely be driven by emotion more than logic.

Giving yourself three good minutes gives your brain to make logical “eating decisions”. Once the three minutes fly, congratulations, you may raise the toast!

Step 2: Serve Smartly

Once you’ve decided to eat it, don’t serve as if it’s the last time you’re getting food in life.

Serve a small quantity and commit to yourself that the serving won’t be repeated. Serve only once.

Step 3: Eat Romantically

Don’t rush. No one’s going to judge you. Take small bites, be super-slow. Enjoy every bite and involve all your senses in the process—taste, Sight, Touch Etc.

Eating slowly and mindfully helps you enjoy more while still eating less.

Step 4: Throw it away

Okay, please don’t take me literally. Don’t throw your plate away. As you’re done, put your plate in the sink.

This signals your brain that it’s not supposed to think about food now. Almost immediately, your hunger centre starts to relax and your “crave” starts to go down.

Desserts aren’t bad, essentially.

Desserts aren’t bad; insensible portion sizes are. Being social isn’t bad; being insensitive to our own body’s needs is.

You can have sweets in moderation and still, be enriching your fitness experience.

Try this “amusing-looking” 4-Step Process the next time you are thrown in front of your favourite desserts and see things magically work in your favour! On a side note, whenever you have a choice, choose homemade desserts rather than commercially available ones. They are much better nutritionally and safer.

Congratulations for reading till this point, you have the power now. Go, Enjoy your favourite desserts while still kicking ass with your Weight loss programme.

While choosing foods, always remember – food choices are much beyond weight loss.

How do you handle desserts in get-togethers or parties?

Share in the comments! Happy and Healthy Eating!

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Interested in reading further about weight loss and calorie management? I’d suggest checkout 7 Weight loss tips that actually work. For in-depth information about Fat loss and calories, check out this article.

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