Food as Reward

One of the things most of us associate with dieting is the elimination of desserts. If during the course of your diet, you have to attend a wedding or a banquet and you overindulge in rich food, what next? Do you totally abandon your good eating habits because you "fell off the wagon", you feel you failed and now you need comfort food?

Or do you go straight back to your healthy eating plan as though nothing had happened? How you answer that question may be the difference, in some cases, whether or not you have a persistent lifelong problem with weight.

A lot of people associate desserts,with rewards for good behavior, such as, good grades.In some cases, this is reinforced by doting grandparents and well meaning teachers.The association of food as a reward or punishment is not healthy. If you withhold ice cream from your child as a punishment, the child is going to feel bad about him/herself and "crave" the ice cream even more. But underlying the desire for the ice cream is a need for positive reinforcement that he/she is loved.Hence you've established a need for "comfort" food. You really have to be careful about what messages you're giving a child, about food.

You should be able to maintain your weight by eating whatever you want, eating more often,eating smaller portions and keeping moderately active. Being consistent in your eating and exercise habit allows your body to run efficiently and adapt to occasional lapses without much problem except maybe an upset stomach to remind you to get back to your routine.