Many of us cannot stick to a diet because there are way too many restrictions, too many distractions and too many factors that are not accounted for. You pick the most effective method but yet it becomes ineffective because of your lifestyle. That is why is blog is about how to be flexible with food. Flexibility helps you expand the way you view your food in a way that it can be fun and exciting.
The problem with having too many restrictions when it comes to eating is that we have to use a lot of willpower to avoid foods
that we like and also use it to eat the foods that we don’t like. The honest truth is that you only have so much will power in the day. So once that will power runs out and temptation kicks in, you are screwed.
You must learn how to be flexible because the whole point is to get you to keep going until you reach your goal. It doesn’t matter how you get there as long as you get there. Even if you have the most optimal method to reach your goal and get the best results possible, you won’t be able to keep them if you quit.
This is why most people fail because they only have a one way of thinking. It’s either that way or the highway. But once you change the way you think and how you view food you will be able to change your life and have no more restrictions when you’re eating. You won’t be afraid of eating food or feel guilty for eating the foods you like but if you keep thinking the way you’re thinking where eating healthy foods is the only way and other foods must be eliminated then you will keep getting the same results you’ll get. Either you keep them and then you lose them or you don’t get there at all because it’s too hard. I know you are ready to change and be better so here they are......
1. Adequate amount of protein
This is one of main reasons why even though we eat a lot or snack all day we still feel hungry. It is because we haven’t eaten enough protein throughout the day. Protein not only helps us build muscle and heat up our body but it also helps keep us satiated, it lowers our appetite. So make sure you have some sort of protein a source in every meal you have. Whether it’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is a great habit to have, to be conscious of how much protein you consume. You will know that you have eaten enough protein when your hunger goes down and your craving are slowly going away.
2. Veggies with every meal This is another great way to keep your hunger down. Vegetables are a great source of fibre. Fibre also helps to keep you satiated like protein does. The whole point is keep us full with low calorie foods. You can see a pattern here don’t you? You want to be eating food sources that are high in nutrients. This is because our bodies aren’t actually craving donuts or junk food but are craving nutrients which are found in vegetables. The reason why we opt in to fast food is because we don’t have to cook it and there is no work needed. It’s already done and all we have to do is eat. However if you eat enough vegetables throughout the day you will notice that your cravings will go down and you will feel less hungry. Plus veggies are high in volume so you feel like you have a lot on your plate which tricks your mind that you’re eating more.
3. 80/20 Add in feel good foods
Here is the bad thing when it comes to pushing away your cravings, the more you push them away or avoid them
the bigger they get. This is why diets don’t work long term. They restrict you from eating the food that you love. But if you follow the 80/20 rule you’ll feel less cravings because you satisfied your cravings in a way where it doesn’t sabotage your fitness goals. What is rule? The 80/20 rule is when 80% of what you eat are whole foods, foods nature provided that are good for your body, and 20% will be foods that are great for your soul. Think of it like your week where you work five days and you take two days of rest. If you don’t rest you burnt out and when you burn out then you may quit and give up altogether. Yes you can make your cake and eat it too.
4. Reward your good habits
Do you ever wonder why slot machines are so addictive? Casinos know that behaviours that are rewarded immediately are repeated. A better example could be social media or getting text messages. When you hear your phone ring or you see that you have one unread text message you immediately want to open it. The behaviour is opening the message and the reward is the actual message which makes us want more. This is how the human psyche works. When our behaviours are rewarded we want to repeat them. This is good to know because you can use the same technique with things that you want to achieve like your fitness goals. So the next time you workout, eat mostly healthy foods in the week or you went to bed on time make sure you reward yourself with things that won’t set you back. Things like a new pair of shoe or watching a movie. The is key here is that you want to feel rewarded so can keep going until you’ve reached your destination.
And there you have it, these are 4 tips to be flexible with your food so you can reach your goal. Now this may seem overwhelming so please check out this other blog on How to cope with feeling overwhelmed.
If you’ve been reading our other blogs then you know that reading and thinking will only get you so far. Only action will get you to where you want to be. I know you are an action taker so here’s a gift from us if you don’t know which action steps to take. Click on this link and start our 5 Minute Formula. This will help you get started on where you need to go to create my momentum towards the best you. Remember, no amount of thinking will move you. Taking Action will do that.