weight loss and "dessert"

First off, I want to thank Sean M for his comment about the cost savings involved with weight loss efforts...on the immediate basis, buying less food down the "junkfood" aisles will save $$$, but of course, the long term has a higher cost savings impact..medications that can be stopped, less time missed at work etc.

Okay...today's issue: "Dessert"....whenever you go out to a restaurant, the wait staff will always ask: "Did you save room for dessert?" Often, they actually come with a tray displaying these tasty looking dishes....from the double chocolate cake to the apple pie with vanilla ice gream to the Cream Brulee....all of them look incredibly tasty.

But the question is: After a meal, does anyone actually feel hungry? Our eyes and brain tell us that these would taste great but in reality, we do not even remotely feel the sense of hunger. We will often "share" one dessert with our partner, but even then, do we still feel hungry for even 1/2 the high caloric dessert? The answer is of course "NO!" Ask yourself how much treadmill or spinning class time will be necessary to burn off that dessert. Is it really worth it to eat that item that you have no hunger for?

Try as best as possible to respond to hunger signals as opposed to learned behavior signals. If you do, you will most certainly say "no" to that dessert.