Hagaon Hacham Mordechai Eliyahu z.s.l.

By: Mark Izhak

You think it’s easy to plug a hole in the ocean floor when there are tons of oil gushing out?

How can you stop all that stuff from shooting out? On that note, what about your diet? With your diet, you have to stop all that food from shootingin!

We’ve all been there at some point. You’re trying to diet, cut down a few calories, but you just can’t seem to stop eating. And so, out of desperation, you try some pretty crazy things.

Just look at what they’re trying to do with the oil spill. They tried the top hat, putting a dome over the leak. Have you ever tried covering your mouth with your hand all day? Try explaining that to your neighbors.

Then there’s the junk shot, filling the hole with garbage like tires and golf balls. That’s like using the ice cream diet.

I like the relief well idea. That’s called damage control, similar to exercising earlier in the day to burn off some extra calories that you want to enjoy at a party that night.

Now, we have millions of regular folks that are chiming in with their opinions on how to fix the oil spill. Can you imagine if President Obama just randomly picked one? Seems ridiculous, but that’s just how most people approach their diet.

Cut the Fad Out

Forget all the fad diets out there. If you are constantly eating, then here are three solid tips to curb your bad habits.

1. Keep a snack log: Write down all the foods you eat as snacks. Keep track of the portion size, what you were doing at the time, and how hungry you were.

2. Preplan your snacks: Write down a planned time to snack (only two) and create a list of healthy snack options that you enjoy (100-calorie packed snacks and healthy veggies work great here).

3. Stock up on healthy options: Look for snacks that are low in fat and salt, but high in fiber and protein. They will keep you satisfied longer.

Quick fixes are famously known to end in disappointment… and if your diet fails, you’ll have to do more than just explain it to Congress.