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How many calories does it take to gain a pound?

One of the biggest reasons moderation always wins out over the all-or-nothing mentality is because of the way people gain weight. To gain a pound of body weight, you need to eat 3,500 calories more than the amount of calories needed to maintain your weight. It's highly unlikely that you'll consume that much in one day of overindulging. However, if you throw caution to the wind and eat an extra 500 calories for every day of your week-long vacation, you'll gain weight. Here's the math: 500 extra calories × 7 days = 3,500 calories, or 1 pound of body fat.

No, 1 pound isn't the end of the world, but for many people it's a major setback. After you abandon your healthy guidelines for a week, it takes a while to get back on track. "A while" can easily turn into another couple weeks and subsequent pounds. If you tend to gain and lose 5 to 10 pounds regularly, this may be why.

Here's a step-by-step breakdown of how to find moderation with your meals on special occasions (for more-general moderation guidelines, head to Chapter 9):

1. Scan the area and make a note of all the available high-glycemic, high-calorie foods you love.

2. Pick your top three most-loved foods from that list.

Whatever you do, don't skip this step! Often when you give yourself the okay to eat everything in sight, you wind up overindulging on items you may not even like that much. I've been known to try something like an almond cookie even though it isn't really anything I love and I know I could do without it easily. Pick your favorites instead of trying a little of everything.

3. Only eat the high-glycemic, high-calorie foods that made your top-three list.

As you try to focus on eating your top-three foods, you may discover that you love lots of different foods that aren't so good for you. Remember: This party/holiday gathering/vacation isn't the last time you can have these foods. You're living a low-glycemic lifestyle, not following a strict diet, so you aren't going to be deprived of all of these foods. You can have them at a later date — and should in moderation, of course. For now, either encourage yourself to stick to your top-three foods and eat smaller portions of these or get your very top favorite so you can eat a little more of this food.

4. Now scan the area for your favorite low-glycemic, low-calorie foods.

Maybe you really love a tossed greens salad, but you have a mental block against eating it at a party or ordering it on vacation. I once had a client who loved yogurt but tended to associate it with "diet food" after eating it while she was on one diet after another. She now eats yogurt less often, not because she doesn't enjoy it but because it's a mental block to restrictive diets of the past. To conquer a mental block of your own, simply ask yourself one question: Do you really enjoy this particular low-glycemic, low-calorie food? If so, you'll likely enjoy it just as much as your higher-glycemic picks.

5. Slow down and enjoy your food.

The faster you eat, the less satisfied you'll be — and the more you'll want. I promise you'll feel more satisfied if you slow down your eating and really take the time to enjoy your food.

By following these five steps, you can still indulge in all of your favorite foods on special occasions — without wasting calories and increasing your blood sugar over foods you don't really love. Think of it as retraining your brain to eat what you love instead of munching on something because it's there.

Creating balance for the day

Creating balance simply means taking into account all of your various food and lifestyle choices for the day. It goes hand in hand with moderation and is a good habit to get into. Balancing your food choices and physical activity also helps you steer clear of the all-or-nothing mentality (described earlier in this chapter) so you can feel okay rather than guilty when you overindulge a little here and there.

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