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They Dined with Their Boots On
How dressing for meals boosts diet motivation and self-esteem!
Have you ever dressed up and had someone ask, "Who died?" We've become so accustomed to jeans, sweats and house dresses that the only time anyone seems to dress up anymore is for weddings and funerals. Remember the olden days when women donned velvet gowns and men, white shirts that were blown out at the sleeves? Elegant, wasn't it?
What about Halloween? These days the adults seem more gung-ho to dress up than the kids do. In fact, it's a good idea to supervise your child at your local Supermart during this festive season. There's nothing that will spoil this scary holiday faster than a grown man fighting with your child over the last Darth Vader costume.
Just because you're on a diet doesn't mean you can't have fun at mealtime. In fact, this is the time to surrender to the Martha Stewart in you! (no pun intended) Get out those fancy boots and snazzy tie; you know the one – with the glittery guitar on the front. Now find those silver candlesticks, the ones that you use once a year when Aunt Loma flies in from New Zealand for Christmas Dinner. Put on some music; crooning music seems to set the mood the best. Oh yeah! Now we're ready for some serious dining…
Other than the fun aspect, dressing up for dinner has several other positive effects on your diet.
It creates a more civilized atmosphere than sitting in front of the tube with a pack of hot dogs, a six-pack of beer and a jumbo bag of sodium packed nacho-cheese chips. It's hard to cram down massive amounts of food to the tune of Bing Crosby baying over the CD player. The added benefit is that you won't end the evening with orange fingers.
Dressing for dinner also creates a calming effect, therefore decreasing stress which can at times trigger overeating. The flickering glow from the candles deepens the calming effect.
If it's a family affair, you'll be giving your children some very good basics to build on. However, they may not enjoy dressing for dinner as much as you. If necessary, compromise and allow them to wear last year's Halloween costume to the table. However, do not relent and allow your spouse to don the Darth Vader outfit. There must be established limits.
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You'll also concentrate more on dressing and setting up the elegant table than you will over what you will consume. Many times we obsess over what we anticipate eating and when mealtime arrives we eat without tasting or chewing our food. It's like eating your meal with a big straw. When the 'diet allotment' is finished, one can still be gripped with hunger and the potential to binge can surface.
When you dress for dinner you'll also feel good about how you look. Just because someone is overweight doesn't mean they are unattractive! Whatever one weighs - they should be proud because there is no one else like them.
Now for the grand finale'. What is on the menu? Here's just one low calorie recipe suggestion:
Roasted Cornish Hen (rosemary, lemon or tarragon really adds zip without the calories)
Baked Potato (top with no-calorie butter spray, light sour cream and chives)
Green Beans with Slivered Almonds
Bread with a tiny container of warm no calorie refrigerated butter spray to one side (dip, dip, dip!)
Tea with Lemon (unsweetened or sweetened with no-calorie sweetener)
Fat-free Cheesecake Topped with Fresh Strawberries
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