Originally Posted by
Phil_gretz
Alcohol and carbohydrates are the elephants in the room here. My suggestion would be draconian...allow your tastes to be subjuct to your will, not the other way 'round. Stop at the pub? Drink tea or water. Don't purchase unhealthy snack foods or alcohol for [consumption] at home. Holidays come? Shrink portions of sugars and carbs. Make sure to maintain aerobic fitness during Winter. Sugars...no. Alcohol...no. Snack foods...no. Carb rich foods...no. Inactivity...no.
+1
I was just discussing this yesterday. In the end the only thing that works is to balance calories in and calories out. Past fifty the only way to do that for me was cut out alcohol, sugars and empty carbs. It is just a matter of priorities.
The key for me was finding suitable alternatives. I like crunchy snacks (and I work at home, big problem!). I know have lots of carrots and cucumbers with some wicked hummus from Trader Joe's. I can eat a lot of that with very few calories. I also sometimes snack on Cherrios (regular, not honey). They have the added benefit of actually helping -- a little -- with cholesterol.
Bottom line, alcohol just makes it so much harder to keep the weight off. At a certain point, it is just a math exercise.