Is it possible to: Make dieting satisfying?

Maybe that swimsuit you want to wear is imploring you to diet. Or maybe your doctor has been encouraging you to "eat healthy." But while the nutritious diet is wonderfully beneficial to your body and ultimately your mental health, being happy with a salad when you're craving fries isn't easy. Ultimately that sense of "deprivation" can derail the best intentions.

I use "deprivation" in quotes because the thought that healthy eating deprives you is irrational. Unless you're not eating enough calories, eating healthy actually provides your body more of the things it needs and less of what it doesn't. But if you are saying to yourself you are deprived, you will feel unhappy and resentful about dieting, setting yourself up for failure.

How do you make yourself reach for the kale chips instead of the potato chips?

While healthy eating is more physically satisfying, we fail at it because we don't make it more psychologically satisfying.

1. Satisfy your eyes. A chef once told me, "we eat with our eyes first." Take the time to add color to your salads, to arrange everything attractively on a plate, to set the dinner table. Avoiding monochromatic meals (mashed potato, creamy gravy and fried chicken aren't good for you anyway) helps you think in terms of the variety of vegetables that will give your body a wealth of antioxidants. While you're at it, make sure you don't start eating until everything is on your plate. Nibbling half of your dinner before you even get to the table makes for sad-looking portions!
2. Stop and give thanks. I love the ritual of the prayer before a meal. Stop and thank God for the abundance that you have. If you are a nonbeliever, stop and thank the chef, the gardener, or the thousands of people along the supply chain of our food. Take a second to be amazed at the different foods in front of you, and speculate about where they might all have come from. We are really so blessed to have such an abundance and variety of food available to us!
   
3. Savor every bite. Really taste what you are eating. Get all your senses involved - don't just smell and taste your food but notice textures, colors, even the crunchy sound of those fresh sugar snap peas.
4. Practice mindful eating . At a hospital where I worked, we successfully used the technique of distraction with anorexic patients at mealtimes. That's because distraction gets one to eat more without even realizing it! So, when dieting, turn off the TV. Put down your electronic devices. You can only savor every bite if you're not doing four other things at once.
5. Remind yourself of the benefits . Think about the fact that what you are eating is satisfying your whole body instead of just your taste buds. Imagine how avocado is providing your brain with healthy fat/fuel, how the proteins in your chicken are building muscle made sore by yesterday's workout, how the vitamin C in those peppers is going to boost your immunity so you don't get the cold everyone else is suffering.

Try these 5 tips for just 3 days, and see how it changes your mealtimes. I'm betting you'll be eating less while enjoying food more!

Feel free to add in the comments section any thoughts or techniques that have helped you stay on track with your diet. I'd love to hear from you!