Summer’s easier pace and family focus offer the perfect opportunity to help the whole clan develop some healthier habits. How?

• Be a healthy role model. Children mimic what they see.
• Keep a discreet eye on eating and activity patterns. Mentally note any unhealthy trends.
• Offer healthy family meals, enjoyed together.
• Don’t nag, lecture or emphasize appearance.
• Schedule bicycling, swimming and other fun family activities.
• If you have questions about your child’s health or weight, see your pediatrician.

So you’re minding your own business when a thought tickles you: I’m hungry. No, not hungry, exactly. This feels different, it’s more like this: Chocolate NOW! Chocolate NOW!

And almost before you know it, you’re halfway through that candy bar you swore off just yesterday. That’s the power of a craving.

What inspires a food desire so intense that it wobbles the will of the most committed dieters and healthiest eaters? The dictionary calls a craving “an intense, urgent or abnormal desire or longing,” but weight-loss experts will tell you that cravings are hardly abnormal.

The Roots of Desire

Where do cravings come from? While hormonal and nutritional fluctuations can influence eating habits, most unhealthy cravings probably stem more from emotion and past behavior, experts say.

If you’re used to grabbing a doughnut on the way to a long morning meeting, the doughnut may quickly become a morning fixture - whether or not there’s a meeting. Worse, every time you give in to the craving, you cement the pattern, ensuring future cravings.

How Can You Break The Cycle?

Step 1: Anticipate
Most cravings are predictable. They’re usually triggered by fatigue, exposure to favorite foods, certain moods and situations.

In any case, the next time a craving strikes, WRITE DOWN everyting you can about it. Chances are, you’ll soon detect a pattern to the timing, setting, food choices or feelings. Once you’ve identified your triggers, you can begin to prepare.

Step 2: Prepare
Plan for your cravings! Don’t get too hungry.

Never promise yourself that you’ll go for hours without eating. You won’t make it, and it’s NOT good for you or your weight management plan. If you need snacks during the day, make them healthy, have them ready, and trim your meals to compensate for the calories. If you’re on the go, take along goodies that are high in protein, like a nutrition bar or other high protein diet snack.

Step 3: Manage
Even the best plans won’t head off all cravings. But when they arise, you can manage them.

1. Surf it. Don’t panic. Distract yourself for 5 or 10 minutes. Experts say most cravings pass quickly if you can resist your initial thought.
2. Answer it. If you can’t shake the craving, have a concise, high protein, low fat 100 calories of something to quell it: for example, a chocolate or vanilla pudding or shake. Then move on. Show yourself that you can eat good food in controlled amounts.

Each craving you control will empower you to handle the next one. Applaud your victories. Beating your cravings will boost your confidence - and your weight-loss success!

• How can you get your weight loss efforts off to a great start? Raid your refrigerator and your cupboards! Make the commitment to yourself that you won’t be over-indulging this time. Instead you’ll be clearing the shelves of unhealthy, fattening “diet-killing” culprits like ice cream, whole milk, cookies and potato chips. The goal: to make your kitchen a safe haven for healthy eating.
• Two of the healthiest ways to cook vegetables include microwaving and stir-frying because both methods enable vegetables to retain more vitamins.
• Momma knew what she was talking about when she used to say, “Eat your lima beans!” As a good source of folic acid, potassium, iron and magnesium, lima beans can be added to soups, stews and hot or cold salads.
• In a hurry? Stock up on tasty diet beverages, snacks and nutrition bars so you’ll always have convenient access to a healthy weight loss snack.

Got water? Drink up! Water is our most important nutrient, and most of us don’t drink near the recommended six to eight glasses a day. Yet, this free, zero-calorie pick-me-up can be your diet’s best friend.  Water:

• Fills you up, especially before a meal.
• Gives you energy (dehydration causes fatigue).
• Can reduce your calorie intake (many people confuse hunger with thirst).
• Keeps all of your systems - from brain to digestion - functioning smoothly.
• Quenches your thirst (unlinke sugary drinks and soda).
• Reduces bloat due to water retention.

 Hot weather and exercise increase your need for water. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty. Head off heat illness and exhaustion by sipping water throughout the day. Cold tap water is all you need to keep your H2O-so-cool!

Summer is officially here, and here are some tips to help you stay slim this summer.

• Swim to success - if you have access to a pool, use it. Swimming and water workouts are easy on the joints and allow you to remain refreshed during the workout.
• Keep disposable cups/containers and plastic utensils in your desk at work - so you’ll always have containers ready to use (and you’ll eliminate an excuse for not following your meal plan).
• Reap the bounty of summer fruits and vegetables - enjoy the seasons best. Even better, get some added exercide and try growing your own!
• Enjoy easy-to-prepare cool treats - Freeze your Fruit Drink protein supplements in ice pop molds for a great “Popsicle”. Craving a frozen Three Musketeers Bar? Freeze a Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough or Cookies & Cream Protein Nutrition Bar instead.
• Grill, Grill, Grill! - Make the most of the opportunity to grill your meats, vegetables and seafood, and for added zest, try sprinkling them with a salt-free seasoning blend to add extra zip. (One important fact not to forget - you still need to weigh and measure your portions!)
• Feel better and look better in summertiime fashions - buy a new outfit in a smaller size at the start of your diet plan or program, and set a goal of fitting into it by the end of the summer.
• Your shakes can be extra refreshing on a hot day - blend a high protein diet shake, then pour over crushed ice and sip with a straw!
• It’s easier to avoid summer party pitfalls - Summertime holiday BBQ’s usually include healthier choices compared to winter holidays - veggies and dip, grilled chicken, corn on the cob and garden salads are common fare. You can eat wisely and stay on plan with choices like these. By taking along your own fat-free salad dressing and avoiding mayonnaise-based salads and chips, you can enjoy the party without feeling deprived.
• Vacations - just think, no work and plenty of time to enjoy physical activity!