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Do you ever go to a buffet and find that the salad choices are amazing? The lettuce is crisp and the variety of vegetables is simply staggering? To make it even better, there are so many options for toppings. Cottage cheese, slices of lean ham or beef, and a variety of low-fat and regular dressings.

Before you know it, you've had two or maybe even three helpings and there is still the main courses to go yet. An abundance of fatty meat, gravies and rich sauces coating the pasta dishes. mashed potatoes, thick soups and butter-coated vegetables round out the main meal.

Unfortunately, or more to the point, perhaps fortunately, you are unable to get very far into the main courses because you over-did it on the salads.

Congratulations! You have taken the first step towards filling up without filling out!

I had a coach once who said the secret to a really healthy training diet was eating BIG salads with quality fresh ingredients and top-notch oil like virgin olive oil. Add to that some red-wine vinegar, and you have a perfect healthy salad and a dressing that's not laden with sugar and poor quality fat.

It was healthy, and at the same time made it less likely that one would over-eat on the rest of the meal. Granted my training meals were normally brown rice or pasta, but it's possible to even go overboard on foods that are good for you.

I have heard some people say in the past that drinking lots of water with your meals means you will eat less. However the timing is not great. Drinking water should actually be done an hour before or after you eat. Drinking while you eat disrupts the ability of your digestive system to work properly.

That being the case, I wonder how it is that so many people drink water with their meals, or why it is served at pretty well every eatery, the moment you sit down. To make matters even worse, it's ice water normally, that's even worse for you.

The real secret to filling up and not out is to choose wholesome, filling foods.

That doesn't mean having 6 rolls at dinner to fill yourself up. But a whole wheat roll with a large, fresh salad would be great.

Snacks have to be well thought-out as well. You can fill up on butter-soaked popcorn while watching t.v. or you can fill up on plain popcorn.

One will fill you up and out and the other will fill you up.

It's not really rocket science.

Often for a night-time snack I will have a cereal with skim milk. A cereal like puffed wheat, or shredded wheat that contains no additives. Just really good for you whole grain.

Fruit is always good as well, but keep in mind that fruit does have quite a high sugar content and some choices are better than others.

One of the top fruits available is actually blueberries when they are in season.

Bananas are also a better choice over too many oranges and apples.

There are many ways to fill up and not out. Often, it's just a matter of experimenting a lot mixed in with a little imagination.

Learn more about this author, Ray Fauteux.
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