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Thousands of people each day read Internet articles on stress and anxiety. In some of my articles I write about ways to get workplace stress relief. Some of these tips are probably self-evident but if you avoid these workplace stress traps, you can reduce your stress levels and increase your job satisfaction. I have more tips on stress on another blog so click here for more detail.

#1 Mind Your Own Business

Keep your nose out of other people’s business. Stay focused on your own work.

#2 Don’t Be the Office Gossip

Are you office gossip? I hope not. Office gossip circulates at a very rapid rate. And usually lands back on your doorstep with unpleasant consequences.

#3 Get to Work on Time

Don’t stress yourself out by rushing to work and arriving late. Get up 15 minutes earlier – it’s not that painful or hard.

#4 Be Fresh, Alert and NOT Hungover

Have you seen the movie The Hangover (it grossed US$33million this weekend). Interesting! Your boss should not have to pay for your hangovers or your tiredness or your unfitness. Ensure when you go to work that you are fresh, alert, and ready to contribute when you arrive at work – and you should stay that way all day.

#5 Prepare Well for Your Work Responsibilities

Unfortunately, some people coast on their jobs and add to their stress and everyone else’s stress. You were hired because of your talent, competence, and energy. Don’t let yourself down. Be prepared. Do good work.

#6 Space Work Time with Short Breaks

Stress builds up in your mind and your body when you are working hard – especially if you work for long hours without a break. Try to build in something different – physically and cognitively – every 25-30 minutes. Walk around, stretch, do a simple job to reduce stress.

#7 Planning Your Day and Your Workload Reduces Stress

Poor planning, unexpected visitors, trying to catch up – are all stressors. Lack of planning increases stress and is a workplace stress trap. Plan your day well. Don’t be rigid but set goals to achieve each day. Don’t take on more work than you can handle but ensure you carry your load.

There are many simple ways to reduce stress. People often think that they need therapy or time off to reduce stress when the reality is that simple strategies and thoughtful planning can do a great deal to circumvent, not only relieve, stress.

Why let work stress cause domestic stress? When tired from work, we too often express our irritability at home – to the detriment of our relationships. For great products and advice check out my stress website: www.stressrelief-drjeffbailey.com.

Best wishes

Dr Jeff

For The Team at Mighty Digital Downloads.com

‘Transforming Lives One Person at a Time’

Contact: theteam@mightydigitaldownloads.com

Dr. Jeff, a psychologist, writes about personal and workplace stress, and how to manage and reduce stress. He works hard to make his advice practical and helpful and his articles are based on sound research evidence and extensive clinical experience. Dr. Jeff would be very happy to have you join his growing list of newsletter subscribers. Please enter your name and email in our sign-up section on the left of this blog:FREE Health and Happiness Mag. For a free report on managing stress, please go to www.drjeffbailey.com

Why Alaska?

Alaska is a beautiful, unique place that amongst many other spectacles, offers extensive mountains of glaciers and icebergs. It is also a place where whales and bears live and flourish and it offers breathtaking scenery reflecting the unadulterated beauty of Mother Nature. It is also a unique location for cruises offering the best of both worlds, from the naturalistic to the urbane.

What Surprises can Alaskan Cruisers Expect?

Many cruisers who have enjoyed the splendor of Alaskan cruising often describe their vacation there as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Many are ‘hooked’ and return for more of these Alaskan surprises.

The mountains are towering high. The animals that call Alaska home are a wonder to behold. Many of these are animals easily seen in Alaska are not found in other places.

In summer Alaska is transformed from white to green as it spouts a wide collection of nibbling grass and brings on a mystical color. We often imagine Alaska as an ice covered white blanketed land so these summer grasses come as a surprise.

The coastline gives an outstanding view of sparkling ice formation. The regular water flows from melting ice create an emerging deep blue color. The sky is illuminated by the warm sun during extended hours of sunlight and the fields of flowers and wild grass are stunning.

Why Cruising in Alaska?

Alaskan Cruising is not the only way to enjoy a visit to this unique part of the world. Cruising along the coastal areas of Alaska however, provides views not seen from any other route. On a cruise you will have the chance to witness the action of the massive collection of glaciers as they meet the ocean.

Cruisers can also observe the different lifestyle of the people in Alaska in destination stops that are part of their cruise and they can also enjoy up close experiences of wildlife like different kinds of whales as they play along in their natural habitat.

When is Alaskan Cruising more than Just Cruising?

Cruise ships included stops at picturesque locations along the Marine Inland Passage like, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan where tourist guides explore the local area and traditions with cruise passengers. Others make their way to places like the island of Sitka, where influence of the Russian Orthodox Church still remains.

Most Alaskan cruises offer inland pleasure trips into Alaska’s national parks. In places like well known Denali National Park and Mt McKinnley, passengers have the chance to explore the inner beauties of Alaska’s mainland through magnificent tours there. Alaska from a cruise ship is spectacular and there’s even more to see as you travel inland.

Warm regards

Rowena French

For theteam@MightyDigitalDownloads.com

Rowena French has enjoyed a life-time love affair with Alaska, returning often, ‘just once more’, to experience another aspect of this spectacular part of the world. Want to go Alaskan cruising and stay within your budget? Read about ‘How to Save on the Best Alaskan Cruising Deals’ on my website www.alaskacruisetravel4U.com

My wife thinks I am a Type A driven personality overloaded with stress. I insist I am not driven, over-competitive, time obsessed, unable to relax, and stressed. But what about you? Are you caught in the stress trap of perfectionism, over-achievement, inability to relax, over-committed, seem to have no time to yourself?

The dangers of this type of driven behavior are ruined relationships, constant dissatisfaction, potential cardiac disease, and excessive levels of stress. Sure, many Type A people are highly successful in their careers and achieve many of their material and career goals. But at what cost?

How To Beat the Stress Trap of Type A Behavior

Simple:

1. Work out what it is you want to achieve in your life.

2. Set time aside for relaxation and pleasure.

3. Maintain a healthy life-work balance.

4. Enjoy your family and loved ones.

You can have a rich and successful life without high stress and you can avoid the workplace stress trap of being a driven Type A person.

Best wishes

Dr Jeff

For The Team at Mighty Digital Downloads.com

‘Transforming Lives One Person at a Time’

Contact: theteam@mightydigitaldownloads.com

Dr. Jeff, a psychologist, writes about personal and workplace stress, and how to manage and reduce stress. He works hard to make his advice practical and helpful and his articles are based on sound research evidence and extensive clinical experience. Dr. Jeff would be very happy to have you join his growing list of newsletter subscribers. Please enter your name and email in our sign-up section on the left of this blog: FREE Health and Happiness Mag. For a free report on managing stress, please go to www.drjeffbailey.com For a laugh, look at my Youtube video below.

Cruise destinations around the world include the Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, the Bahamas, and the Panama Canal. These offer quite different vacations for cruise ships’ passengers, especially for the first timers. An Alaskan cruise can appeal to these cruise travelers as well as more experienced ‘cruisers’ because its itinerary offers an element of uniqueness and excitement not present in other cruises.

What uniqueness and what excitement? On an Alaskan cruise you can expect a spectacularly different landscape, different people and different wildlife. These will provide unique experiences and remain with you forever. So if you are looking for a cruise unlike any other, then a trip to Alaska to experience its rivers of ice, fjords with granite walls, mountain peaks, and majestic waterfalls may be a once-in-a-lifetime vacation option for you. But how is this so?

Alaska is an enormous pristine environment. It has the largest land area of any state in the United States (570,374 square miles), the equivalent of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, and Colorado all combined. Despite this, it is one of the most largely unpopulated areas in the world, with a greater population of wildlife than its human population.

The largest attraction in Alaska is its ice glaciers, which makes it a perfect destination for cruising. Sailing along its lengthy coastline allows you to observe these incredible sights. If you take a cruise that will bring you into Glacier Bay, you can witness glaciers calving as the edge of the ice cliffs there break into the sea. This can happen several times an hour and is a breathtaking moment on an Alaskan cruise.

You can enjoy unique ‘up close and personal’ experiences on your cruise as some cruise lines provide helicopter rides and hiking and these allow you to step on one of these ice glaciers. This is something cruise lines cannot offer you to any other cruise destinations in the world.

An Alaskan cruise is available from May through September and will generally take you to one of two parts of Alaska. An Inside Passage cruise generally runs for about a week and includes itinerary stops at Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau. You can expect different sights and side trips when you take this cruise. A Gulf of Alaska cruise also known as the Glacier Route Cruise travels to Glacier Bay and possibly the Hubbard Glacier.

Cruise lines will provide a wide range of options from sightseeing to fine cuisine and entertainment. If you are a more adventurous cruise traveler smaller (more expensive) cruise vessels carry an average of 150 passengers and enable you to take an even closer look at a glacier than a larger cruise liner. Whatever cruise travel you decide upon you can always expect the unexpected in Alaska.

Cruising is a perfect way to experience this breathtaking part of the world. So, consider it, arrange it and then enjoy it. You’ll return home with memories to last you a lifetime.

Take a look at this Inside Passage cruise option.  It is one of many available for interested first time cruisers or those who just can’t stay away and keep returning for more.

Rowena French

For TheTeam@MightyDigitalDownloads.com

Rowena French has enjoyed a life-time love affair with Alaska, returning often, ‘just once more’, to experience another aspect of this spectacular part of the world. Want to take an Alaskan cruise to the ‘Land of the Midnight Sun’ and not sure how? Hooked like me and want to take another cruise? Stay updated through my blog posts here and go to my website www.alaskacruisetravel4U.com

I wonder if your cooking and food tastes have changed or ‘matured’ as mine have over the years?

I used to salt my vegetables way more than I would ever consider doing today. I used to eat more meat than I do after reading Michael Pallan’s ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemna’. Now meat is more the side-dish that my vegetables and salad once were. I drink milk and eat yogurt for all the benefits they provide my body but only the low-fat and unflavored variety.

In general I think my cooking and food tastes reflect a simpler, less rich diet. Not because just I know that this is better for me but after years of reduced fat, less meat and less salt, I prefer the taste of food prepared in this way.

I have however, one eating ‘Achilles heel’ for which I can thank my dear mother. My sweet tooth developed as a result of her passion for the sweet things in life, especially on the dinner table. I grew up surrounded by puddings with ice cream or lashings of cream. Cakes and cookies were always part of our morning coffee. My cereal was always buried under a mountain of sugar and I was a mature adult before I experienced a real cup of tea, undiluted by milk or flavored with sugar.

This sweet ‘addiction’ has been difficult to control across the years. When I gain a few pounds, it’s generally because my sweet food intake has risen. As I shed this unwanted weight, I still crave something sweet, long before a baked potato!

How do I manage this life-long ‘sweet tooth’? I’ve reduced but not eliminated processed sugar from my daily menu. I never eat sweet foods when I am hungry. These are always an ‘added extra’ to the protein, fiber and grains that I eat. Generally, I take care to only to eat a small portion of sweet foods that won’t impact on my overall weight.

I maintain regular sugar intake from fruit but I sometimes indulge in cooking with processed sugar. I eat this food in moderation and I don’t starve my family of cake from time to time or the occasional rich dessert.

So how does this differ from my mother and grandmother’s cooking and food choices? I serve smaller portions of cakes or desserts less frequently as well as undisguised tea and oatmeal that can always be sweetened with a spoonful of honey.

Try my easy Orange and Poppy Seed recipe for your next morning tea!

Orange and Poppy Seed Cake

a peeled orange (without the pith)

3 eggs

60z butter

1 cup sugar

Blend briefly in blender

Stir in:

1 and a half cups self rising flour

2 and a half tablespoons of poppy seed

Cook for 50 minutes in a moderate oven (350F/180C).

Melt 1/4 cup caster sugar and 1/4 cup orange juice slowly in a saucepan.  Pour over cake as it cools.

This has a delightful citrus flavor that detracts from its sweetness but remember to serve in small portions!

Warm Regards

Rowena French

For The Team @MightyDigitalDownloads.com

Rowena French says that cooking and food can interest those who want to maintain a healthy body shape or even lose weight. Food is not meant to be dull and boring! The more we know about cooking and food the better we are able to nourish our bodies and still enjoy small portions of less healthy foods. For ideas to make cooking interesting, nutritious and sometimes just a bit naughty, stay updated through my blog posts or check out my website at www.mightydigitaldownloads.com

If you’ve ever wondered how to prepare meals that will help you lose weight and include some of the unhealthy foods that you crave, we can help. Weight loss and an occasional treat do belong in portion control eating and the healthy meals at the heart of your eating plan are easy to prepare, nutritious and very satisfying.

Fresh foods are always the healthiest to include in your menu. By providing a variety of different flavors and textures they make eating interesting. Herbs like parsley, some rosemary, oregano or basil add special tastes to a wide range of meals. They can be grown in the smallest apartments and easily included in menus. Investing the time to grow or buy ingredients like these will help you vary your meals and is well worth the effort.

Some ideas below are based upon foods from each of the main food groups. No foods types are omitted. Even those that don’t fit the ‘healthy food’ category should feature from time to time. You enjoy these foods and you should eat them occasionally in small portions. In this way portion control eating makes losing weight possible without feeling as if you are ‘going on another diet’.

To lose weight on a regular basis you need to eat foods we call ‘slimming sensations’. These foods are low in processed sugar and fat and provide your body with the necessary nutrients. As you continue to lose weight, feel confident enough to include an occasional (small) slice of your favorite cake or share dessert with a friend. Your weight loss will continue even with a small portion of something you love.

The way to include all foods in your menu as you lose weight is to make sure that you limit the amount you eat of these and the frequency of this. A small potion eaten infrequently is the answer! This is the key to making portion control eating an enjoyable eating experience instead of a boring diet. Make sure that most food you eat is healthy and filled with the necessary vitamins, minerals and fiber your body needs and low in sugar, salt and fat. Doing this will allow you the capacity to enjoy a small treat containing more salt, fat or processed sugar than you generally allow from time to time.

Portion control is not about ongoing deprivation that makes you crave the wrong foods more than you should. A small serve of something you really enjoy, as a special treat will not counter balance the value of all the vegetables, lean meat, fruits and cereals that you include in your menu. You’ll still come out ahead and feel better for it, more determined to work towards your weight loss goals.

The following suggestions are healthy food choices for a meal comprising food from each of the main food groups. A meal plan like this can be prepared quickly and easily at home or ordered when you dine out. You can even prepare or order a healthy meal like this and add a special treat without compromising your intake of important nutrients.

Appetizers

Fresh, steamed seafood such as shrimp cocktail

Eggs

Never fried, poached or boiled

Salads

Salads with low-cal dressing, lemon juice, vinegar, or vinaigrette

Breads

Crackers or whole grain rolls

Potatoes and Substitutes

Noodles – preferably whole wheat noodles

Fats

Olive oil, low-calorie salad dressing

Vegetables

Boiled, steamed or raw

Fish, Poultry, Meat

Broiled, grilled, roasted, baked, never fried poultry, fish, or seafood

Desserts

One scoop or ½ cup of ice cream or sorbet

Flavored coffee

Beverages

Seltzer water, low-fat milk, sugar free drinks

Coffee, tea

Planning a portion control meal like this revolves around a balanced proportion of foods from each food group. Your meal plan should include 50% vegetables and fruit, 25% grains and 25% proteins. To make healthy eating a part of your life forever while you still lose weight or maintain your weight loss, always include those less-than-healthy-foods that you really love, in small portions now and then.

Warm Regards

Rowena French

For The Team @MightyDigitalDownloads.com

Rowena French uses responsible portion control to successfully manage her own weight and her family’s health. Tired of dieting without success? Sign up to my free magazine to learn more about how to use portion control for healthy, permanent weight loss. If you haven’t already subscribed to my free product sample, watch my preview video for more information about the whole portion control package.

The rest of the song is – ‘I’m in a terrible fix. I always say come on let’s go, just when I should say nix.’ While the original song from Richard Rogers’ Oklahoma was about a girl who enjoyed saying yes to men, in this article I am talking about guys and gals who can’t say no at work.

For a series of articles on Workplace Stress Traps go to my Ezine home page (http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Dr_Jeff_Bailey ) or my website (www.drjeffbailey.com ). There are many workplace traps that cause us to feel stress at work and we have to develop strategies to deal with the traps AND the stress.

One of the 10 traps I am writing about is NOT BEING ABLE TO SAY NO at work. Saying YES is not necessarily bad; in fact, willingness to step up to the plate is admirable. But there are problems with being too willing to say no – you will get into some ‘turrible fixes’.

If you do say yes, you are indicating that you are socially responsive, respect the needs of the organization, are willing to go the extra mile, are committed to the organization’s goals, and are sufficiently flexible and energetic to help out when things get tough.

You do have to think about the negative side of saying YES all the time. Perhaps you already have a full plate, you would be squeezing corners to do the extra work, the quality of your work will drop, your colleagues might not be impressed with your zeal, and your loved ones might get tired of waiting for you to spend time with them.

I often write about work-life balance; keeping the two parts of your life in harmony so that neither the workplace nor your family and loved ones miss out. If you are unable to manage workplace stress traps and workplace stress there will be a negative effect on those you most care about. They will feel left out, ignored, second class citizens. You have to learn how to manage your stress, keep workplace stress and personal stress under control, so that you have time to enjoy your life. So, go ahead, say ‘No’ occasionally – it might be liberating.
Warm regards

For the team at Mighty Digital Downloads

Dr Jeff, a psychologist, writes about workplace stress, personal stress, interpersonal stress, and how to manage stress. On his blog,http://www.drjeffbailey.com, he answers questions from readers. He works hard to make his articles practical and helpful and all of his articles are based on sound research evidence and extensive clinical experience. Please go to his Dr Jeff blog to get your free report on stress.

The answer is ‘Yes’ because eating at home or eating out, the guidelines are the same. You can continue to follow a portion control eating plan when you dine out because the choices you make about what you eat and how much you consume should remain the same. A balanced healthy meal is available to you when you dine out, provided you ask for it!

The obvious up side about eating in restaurants is that there is a wide selection of dishes available to you and some one else prepares your meal and even clears away dirty dishes! There are however some downsides for those managing their food portions. Restaurants often serve meals that are way too large. All-you-can-eat buffets are disastrous if you are unable to control and manage the portions you eat. Avoid this type of restaurant, at least in the beginning of your journey towards controlled eating.

Even if dining out provides some challenges to those just beginning to enjoy the benefits of portion control eating, restaurants do expect special requests from patrons with special dietary needs. You have these, so make sure you ask that they be accommodated. Ask your server to hold the sauce, substitute a salad for fries, or hold the bread. Some restaurants will allow you to order from the lunch or children’s menu, so don’t hesitate to ask.

When it comes to dessert, you have options that will see you keeping the integrity of your healthy eating without appearing that you are going without. Fresh fruit is a healthy alternative to a very rich caloric dessert so order this or just ask for a coffee.. If you crave a sweeter dessert make sure you eat only a small amount or share it with you partner or a friend.

As you dine out, consider these tips so that you can continue to lose weight:

• Only eat a main course
• Don’t fill your self with bread before the meal begins, one slice only
• Drink water before your meal and while you eat
• Restrict your alcohol, one glass can go a long way
• Make sure that you food is cooked healthily; baked, broiled, steamed or baked
• Skip fried foods, a couple of French fries only if you weaken
• Ask that sauces, sour cream or butter be served ‘on the side’ and use only a little
• Select food portion just as you do at home
• Request that no food is sautéed for you
• Fresh fruit for dessert
• Avoid any large meal regardless of the ‘value’
• Ask for the kid’s menu for adequate sized portions

Regardless of where you eat, take time to savor the flavors, textures, and aroma of your food. Enjoy eating this and allow sufficient time for your stomach to learn (from your brain) that you have eaten enough. Resist eating until you have over eaten because the damage will already have been done. As you begin to feel full, reduce your eating and then stop and push your plate to one side. This is an important step in the process of potion controlled eating and can be taken either privately at home or publicly in a restaurant.

Warm Regards

Rowena French

For The Team @MightyDigitalDownloads.com

Rowena French uses responsible portion control to successfully manage her own weight and her family’s health. Tired of dieting without success? Sign up to my free magazine to learn more about how to use portion control for healthy, permanent weight loss. If you haven’t already subscribed to my free product sample, watch my preview video for more information about the whole portion control package.

Conversation between husband and wife: “It is time for a holiday darling. We must get away. All we do is work, work, work. I am stressed out and you seem tense all the time. Our relationship is suffering and there is almost no romance in our lives. It is time to go to Honolulu to recharge our batteries, reduce our stress, and get our life and relationship back on track. It is three years since we have had a decent holiday.” 

Reply: “You know we don’t have time to do this. We don’t have enough money. We both have too much on our plates at work to stop and smell the roses. Our work is far too important at present. You know there is a big promotion coming up. I think our relationship is OK – it’s not like we are newlyweds. We’ve been married 12 years now – you can’t expect us to feel the same excitement. Besides, we both agreed work and our careers are very important right now. No, let’s wait another year.” 

Three months later – Judge Jacobs: “Mr. and Mrs. Jones, in the matter of your joint application for a legal separation, I hereby grant and approve that legal status. As your attorney has advised, in the state of Colorado, six months from today’s filing, either party may seek a final dissolution of the marriage. In preparation for that possible filing, I advise you to amicably determine a property settlement and agree to thoughtful custody arrangements for your two children so their lives are not damaged by this divorce. Thank you. Court adjourned.” 

OK so I am being melodramatic but there is a message there. One study I read demonstrated that a vacation did not moderate the effects of workplace stress and domestic stress. The vacation showed that people had fewer physical complaints post-vacation, and they ‘recuperated’ (recharged their physical and emotional batteries) but there was no long lasting positive effect. Getting away from your problems is not always a solution to these problems. 

If work stress is high, deal with that stress.  Re-arrange your job description. Say ‘NO’. Work smarter not harder or longer. Prioritize. In your personal relationship, do two things. Communicate clearly and effectively with your partner to reduce domestic stress. Explain, set priorities, re-ignite the passion. Secondly, look to yourself to see how healthy and complete you are. Your complaints about your partner might be concerns about yourself. Perhaps you need fixing. Perhaps you need to reshape your values. Perhaps you are too mean-spirited and self-focused. Remember, it takes two whole people to make a successful marriage partnership – not two halves. 

Anyway, back to the vacation. If entered into with the right spirit, vacations can be marvelous stress buffers. I love vacations. I love the freedom. I like the frenzy of getting as much of my work finished as I can and then leaving all (most) of my work behind. I like spending time alone with my wife. I like the notion that I can lie in bed late or lie on the beach and do nothing. I like the lack of purpose and pressure. I enjoy recharging my Vitamin D levels. I pay back my sleep bank depleted by long hours of work (for details of the sleep bank see my Ezine article http://ezinearticles.com/?Job-Worries,-Sleeplessness,-and-Work-Stress&id=2004284). 

I reconstruct my life goals – or do what Kubler-Ross called (in another context – death) a life review. For me, vacations are an opportunity to manage and reduce my stress levels dramatically. They should be for you. Don’t end up like the couple above because you fail to take time out to reduce stress and build your relationship. Stop, smell the roses and go online to find a vacation special. After all, haven’t you both worked hard and earned a restful break?

Warm regards

Dr Jeff

For the team at Mighty Digital Downloads

Dr Jeff, a psychologist, writes about workplace stress, personal stress, interpersonal stress, and how to manage stress. On his blog,http://www.drjeffbailey.com, he answers questions from readers. He works hard to make his articles practical and helpful and all of his articles are based on sound research evidence and extensive clinical experience. Please go to his Dr Jeff blog to get your free report on stress.

Thankfully portion control eating does not include depriving yourself of everything you enjoy eating! Overall you do need to consider what type of food you eat and how much of this is right for you in this eating plan. Regularly depriving yourself of foods you really enjoy will not help you to healthily reduce and manage your weight. In fact it is likely to undermine your efforts in the long run. So, this is how portion control can help you successfully lose weight and still eat chocolate!

Chocolate bars have expanded in size more than 10 times since they first became available. This reflects our increasing taste for chocolate and our increasing consumption of it. The implication of this for consumers of chocolate today is the need to decide how much of a chocolate bar is good to eat, instead of assuming that the entire bar is up for grabs! You can eat chocolate but in moderation. It’s not hard to determine a moderate serve of chocolate, so you can get a taste of something so rich and decadent!

Foods that fit into the same category and are rich in sugar include donuts, ice cream, cookies, desserts, creamy toppings. An occasional indulgence in these special treats is OK as long as it only happens occasionally and involves small sizes. A small piece of banana cake now and then or a small cone of honeycomb ice cream will not see your weight balloon or your health diminish. You can avoid by including ‘unhealthy’ food in a healthy way - in small portions and only sometimes.

You probably won’t lose weight after small treats like these but you probably wont gain any either. By restraining from overindulgence, and controlling the size of your food portions you will be able to maintain a healthy weight and eat most things you enjoy.

Eating these foods too frequently and in large servings is what leads to weight gain and health problems but eating them in moderation is acceptable. If you have a craving for a small muffin, then have one!

The secret is the number of muffins you eat. One is fine more than one slowly and insidiously becomes a problem. Don’t eat cookies or donuts from a package until there are none left. Avoid eating packaged foods like cookies or muffins if you are really hungry as you will always eat more than one.

One muffin won’t make you gain weight, but many muffins will do just that and you are certain to feel worse for it! An additional warning about eating packaged cookies and treats is that they generally contain the unhealthy transfats and saturated fats in the oils used to cook them. You need to steer very clear of these.

Sometimes chocolate may be the only food that will satisfy your ‘sweet craving’ but other treats can do the same thing. Consider sometimes fresh fruit or low-fat yogurt as an alternative as these are sweet without a high concentration of complex sugars. But when chocolate is the only food you really desire, then eat it, in small portions only. In this way, portion control eating accommodates an occasional treat as you keep focused on your healthy weight loss and weight management goals over the long term!

Warm regards

Rowena French

For the Team @MightyDigitalDownloads.com

Rowena French uses responsible portion control to successfully manage her own weight and her family’s health. Tired of dieting without success? Sign up to my free magazine to learn more about how to use portion control for healthy, permanent weight loss. If you haven’t already subscribed to my free product sample, watch my preview video for more information about the whole portion control package.