Eating less garbage and moving your body more often is the universal law of losing weight. It’s not that complicated.
EXCEPT for when it comes to….
➡ temptations,
➡ bad habits,
➡ routines,
➡ childhood influences,
➡ TV commercials,
➡ grocery store product placement,
➡ cravings,
➡ sugar addictions,
➡ food allergies,
➡ motivation,
➡ busy schedules,
… and sometimes just a simple case of the “F#ck it’s!” settles in and you don’t care anymore! It happens.
The key is you need to forgive yourself and realize how many external and internal distractions are in your way on a day-to-day basis.
The positive thing to remember though is the same way you obtained those bad habits, you can replace them with good habits. But it is not easy!
I think it’s 10x harder to keep a good habit than it is to keep a bad habit.
(^not a real stat, but my 2 cents)
With all of the reasons above hopefully you realize why it’s so hard, and why falling off track is so easy.
So how to do you reverse these habits?
Nutritionally, just making a few simple tweaks and using the hacks below can be all the difference between success and a diet disaster.
Shake it up –
It might be a boring first hack, but drinking a protein shake before going to any party, social event, cheat meal or time of temptation is an awesome idea! Not only will it stabilize your blood sugar and keep away hunger, but you’re also less likely to overeat if you do slip up!
Spoil your appetite –
An hour before dinner, try snacking on some healthier things like veggies w/ hummus, an apple w/ almond butter, celery w/ peanut butter, lunch meat in lettuce roll-ups, or even strawberries w/ chocolate hummus (so good).
The fibrous foods combined with a little bit of fat will stop you from making bad choices as you start getting hungrier while preparing dinner.
Fruits –
BEFORE getting hungry and activity, fruit is awesome at giving you energy and keeping you full. But if you are already hungry, fruit is NOT going to fill you up. So make sure anytime you notice yourself getting a little sleepy or wanting a coffee, try grabbing an apple and a bottle of water. Again it might sound silly, but have you tried it?
Veggies –
Veggies are your janitors. They scrub your digestive tract and keep you regular. Vegetables also have lots of nutritious fiber that helps to keep you full. Try ending your meal with a salad if you notice yourself always getting hungry an hour after dinner. Add in seeds, sliced nuts and a variety of vegetables to satisfy your crunchy cravings and hold off hunger.
Finish meat and veggies first –
If you get into a situation where you know that you are going to eat unhealthy or excessive amounts of something, try finishing your protein and vegetables on your plate first before digging into those carbs.
You can even order a protein appetizer and a salad if you know the main course is really unhealthy. An example would be meatballs and a balsamic tomato salad before lasagna, or naked chicken wings and celery before beers and fries.
Get up and go –
The temptation after we eat is to sit. That’s not good. This is a perfect time to take the dog for a walk, or start getting everything you need for the next day ready: meals, clothes, kids stuff, etc…
Stay active to avoid temptation to hunger. That way by the time you are done with everything you need to get ready, your dinner has settled and you’re no longer hungry. Then after everything is done, sit and chill!
So as much as we want to pretend that eating less garbage and moving your body more should be easy, it’s not.
By using these hacks above you can be proactive to avoid temptation instead of being reactive afterwards by feeling guilty (and bloated).
None of these hacks are difficult to do, but to develop the good habits to overcome the bad habits you need to work at this.
Screenshot the 6 tips above and save them to your phone’s gallery to refer back to anytime you’re facing a diet disaster!
Committed to your fitness success,
Derek Kuryliw, your fitness Yoda 🙂
