Living within your means

Scott Schwab:
Today I wanted to talk about living within your means. What I mean by this is not the means from a financial standpoint; although it does relate to your overall health. I want to talk about the mental means of resisting temptation.
I wonder how many of us gave into the temptations that were all around us yesterday with the Super Bowl? I did and it got me thinking. For me, the more temptation I have around me, the more likely I am to mess up. This may be basic or elementary to some, but for others a new concept. Call it will power or self restraint, but simply our ability to avoid is at times not so resilient.
The best advice that one could get in this situation is simply stay away from the food. If it were that easy though, I think all of us would not be working toward specific health goals. Size is not the object here, because health comes in all sizes. However, the nature of eating sugar or salt, or more appropriately filling our cravings is a battle that is difficult to win.
Having perfect health is not about eating perfectly. Surprisingly our bodies need a little of the good stuff to continue to operate. By good stuff, I simply mean sugars and fats, salts and carbohydrates. The key is to have them in moderation and at the right times.
Eating after our body is getting tired is the worst thing that we can do besides going without food at all. Going without food puts us into a state of starvation and we are more likely to devour food when we see it and the body naturally holds onto the fat in starvation mode. Eating late is troublesome, because the bodies digestive system and metabolism starts slowing down as the body prepares for sleep. By Eating late we are simply storing unused fats and carbohydrates.

Action Plan:.
-Plan meals that work for you and your schedule
-Eliminate the secret stash of the rainy day food fund
-Determine the amount that you will have before you start eating
-Place yourself in situations where you will succeed
-Allow your body to have a little, so you don't break down and have a lot
-Always exercise so the calorie output is in proportion to calorie intake