The number one concern that we have heard from people during this time is that they find themselves snacking all day long. Does this sound like you? I know it sounded like me at the start of this process too! So how do we fix it?
SET GOALS
Do you want to lose weight? Gain strength? Feel better? Have more energy? Lower your blood pressure? Decrease body fat? Train for an endurance race? No matter what goal you have, fueling your body properly is going to be important to your success. Fueling properly involves choosing healthy, well balanced snacks that support what you want to do. The first step to knowing how to do that though is to set your goal! Before you read any further, choose one goal that you would like to reach in the next 8 weeks!
SCHEDULE YOUR DAY
If your house is anything like mine, it revolves around schedules just to function. Without the schedule, events would get missed, we would overbook ourselves, and work would probably not get done to the same level of productivity. Our nutrition is the same way. Schedule your meals and snacks to stay on track with how many of each you are eating. Without a set schedule, its easy to miss meals or add an extra snack or two into the day!
PORTION OUT YOUR SNACKS
Have you ever sat down with a bag of chips and realized an hour later that you ate the entire bag? Create portion sized bags of your snacks to keep in the pantry and refrigerator for snack time so that you eat the right amount!
DRINK ENOUGH WATER
Grab a reusable water bottle from the store and refill it as many times as needed to drink 1/2 to 1 oz of water per pound of body weight each day. So for example if you weight 150 lbs., you should drink 75-150 oz. of water. This helps your body stay hydrated and function properly. When you find yourself wandering around the kitchen aimlessly, grab your water bottle and take a few drinks of it to help with the boredom. Fun tip: use fruit, cucumbers, or mint and ginger to flavor the water.
PRACTICE MINDFUL EATING
Ask yourself, “Why am I reaching for this?” or “Am I bored? Do I just need to get up and walk around some?” A lot of time we reach for food when we are bored because it temporarily gives us something to do with our time. However, it is counterproductive towards most of our goals. Make sure that you are eating when you are hungry or during your scheduled time to properly fuel your body with what it needs.
HIRE A NUTRITION COACH
For many of us, we might know what to eat and have great intentions when we start the day out, but by mid afternoon our plans have derailed and we find ourselves eating unhealthy snacks or too large of portion sizes. By working with a nutrition coach, we identify the issues behind our unhealthy eating patterns, create a plan for how to make changes moving forward, and keep you accountable to those changes. If you find yourself constantly saying, “I’ll just start tomorrow,” then its time to hire someone who can help make that tomorrow a reality. Schedule a free consultation with one of our coaches at https://13stripesfitness.uplaunch.com/join/3694 and we will get you started on your path to success.