A Tea Party (Not That Kind of Tea Party...)

Come, let us have some tea and continue to talk about happy things.

--Chaim Potok

Just a diet tip, which works very well for me, that I'd like to pass along. Perhaps it will work for you.

I drink decaffeinated flavored hot tea year round, even on hot days. A big mug of hot tea can keep the wolf (true hunger) at bay, at least for a short time. In addition, if I have a craving, often hot tea will stop it or, at the very least, keep me from bingeing on the desired food.

It is true that thirst can often masquerade as hunger, so keeping hydrated can help. However, I find plain water boring and diet soda too bubbly, and I'm not overly fond of iced tea, but I love coffee and hot tea. Sometimes I even combine them.

A caveat: for every day, either use artificial sweetner or nothing; otherwise, you're sabotaging your efforts.

Oh, and if you're an iced tea lover, avoid sweetened commercial iced teas--they tend to be filled with sugar. At the very least, check out the ingredients list.

My dentist told me that McDonald's uses a pound of sugar for each gallon of their sweet tea product.

I don't want to paint sugar as a total bad guy--I like it as much as anyone else--which is why I'll never say that sugar should be forbidden, but a pound of sugar? Definitely too much of a good thing.

Do you have any diet tips that you would like to pass along?

If so, please comment below.