Here is another Blog post from our Head Coach Ian D’Andrade.
Working as a trainer for the past years this behaviour is more common than not.
We have all been there… Ate perfect all week and the weekend come next thing we know we’re on a food bender with no end in sight.
The guilt and regret slowly kicks in and we lean towards extreme diet behaviours to counter act the damage
We have a whole section in our SHRED eating plan which covers sticking to a plan.
Well until I create a human shock collar that zaps people when they go for that tasty treat I will continue to steer people in the direction of these strategies. Most people aren't wired for temptation around food, most likely if you have naughty food lying around the house they WILL get eaten.. even if you do indecisive laps around your place before you finally cave... If you're the type of person who I put on a diet and the Cadbury stocks crash this post may be for you!
TIP 1: Treats Outside The House!
Like I said spare yourself the temptation, If you have worked hard, eaten well and feel like your favourite ice cream by all means go for it. I think socialisation is a positive behavior for our health. Spending time with loved ones and getting some ice cream is not the same as eating a whole tub of Ben and Jerry's at 4am watching cat videos on youtube. Use social events to enjoy food, not alone in your bed.
TIP 2: Know Your Taste Buds!
Find similar tastes to what you crave in healthy options! Whether that's sweet, crunchy, savoury, salty etc. My weakness is salt and vinegar chips (My mouth is watering just thinking about them) I now resort to kale chips as my salty/crunchy vice... Now before you throw your arms up in disbelief, kale and beetroot chips relieve my craving. Remember taste buds are adaptive! Usually the more rubbish food you eat the more you want.
My favourite treat snacks:
- Homemade baked sweet potato fries
- Baked Kale chips
- Beetroot chips
- Celery + Almond butter
- Green apple + Organic peanut butter
- My Protein pudding mix
- Watermelon flavoured BCAAS + Sparkling mineral water for a soda taste
- Protein muffins
- Quest Bars
If your nutrition log looks like a dessert menu with the word healthy in front of it, think of me shaking my head in disappointment ... I know I will get questions about flexible dieting or IIFYM lol. I’m totally cool if you’re tracking calories and fit some treats in your required Calorie intake. That being said we here at NQ always teach food quality first before weighing and measuring
TIP 3: Eat Slowly
If you inhale your food at the rate you breathe you are affecting digestion, absorption of nutrients and satiety. Eating an entire serving of food in 3 minutes will leave you wanting more food and usually overeating.
Here's some simple tips to eat slower, absorb your food better and stay full:
- Drink a big glass of cold water before and after your meal
- Take some deep breathes before you eat, this allows your body to enter the "Rest and Digest" part of the nervous system. Don't rush, chew your food and enjoy the meal, thank me later for the better toilet trips.
- Brush your teeth after you eat, If you do struggle with overeating brush your teeth right after, this will usually stop the black hole from sucking anything else in.
BONUS:
If you get full very easily and are hungry 20 minutes later this is a sign of low HCL. It's common for my stressed corporate clients to have low stomach acid. Reach out if you have questions about testing HCL levels.
More Tips:
Include a warm drink. This is has been part of long living cultures for thousands of years. teas, soups and warm beverages all help with digestion. I'm not sure if there's any directly related research but hey there's no double blind placebo study that kick to the groin hurts, BUT I know I'll pass on that one.
Many studies have shown that emotional eating plays a central role in affecting our health and fitness. Although I am not specialised in this field, it is extremely important to respect ourselves and respect all the physical aspects of our lifestyle, including our diet. However we also need to learn to be kind to ourselves and press pause in life as stress and anxiety is one of the main causes for emotional eating.
Your Coach,
Ian
Extra Bonus!
Cravings are actually often caused by mineral deficiencies, for example low zinc often leads to sugar cravings! Why? Low zinc affects dopamine production in the brain and your ability to regulate blood sugar. Time and time again people who eat grains get these cravings, I don't want to get long winded but grains affect your stomachs ability to absorb zinc which in turn affects intestinal absorption of many fat soluble vitamins. Here's a link with scientific references and more geeky info so you know I'm not telling a fable.
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