What tends to be the most difficult part of keeping the tushy tight is the dieting. It’s easier to diet and eat all the right things when you see a finish line for the clean eating. As if having a finite time frame makes it easier to wrap your mind around not cheating and eating the food you’re supposed to in order to keep the tight summer body you’ve worked really hard for. The workouts that are done in the gym is usually the easier aspect of keeping and maintaining the physique that you want.
I’ve heard a saying that goes, ‘Dieting is easy. Dieting is like riding a bike. Except the ground is on fire…and the bike is on fire. Because I am in hell.’ This act of refraining from eating the cheat foods leads me to binge eat. By binge eat, I don’t mean on fried foods or sweets, sometimes it’s just WAY larger portions of the good foods than my small size needs. And I won’t lie, sometimes the pizza, ice cream and cookies work their way into my plate too. Some people can diet like rock stars and not even bat an eye. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people. Here are a few tricks I’ve picked up along the way to curb my fat kid ways and keep a fat loss diet going…
Have a Shake Before Meals
One of my biggest problems with a cutting diet is the smaller portions. I really got into a hangry bad mood when it was my last meal of the day, I’d have my prepared food for dinner and I’d still feel like I was ready to eat my left arm off after I had finished. It was usually at that point I’d find myself wandering into the kitchen to pick at some apple slices or have extra sweet potato or scavenge on some almonds. I’d literally find anything to pick out of the pantry or out of the refrigerator that was easy to pop into my mouth quickly, help me feel fuller and not too difficult to forget I ate. If I don’t remember doing it, then it didn’t happen, right? WRONG! I’d manage to shove an extra three hundred to five hundred calories in my mouth, which makes a big difference when trying to keep myself on a caloric deficit.
To avoid my night time stroll into the kitchen to attack the refrigerator, I’d plan a thick protein shake into my diet. BEFORE I ate my last meal, I would prepare and have the thick shake in a bowl. Using unsweetened almond milk, Splenda or Stevia, ice, casein protein and xanthan gum would really help the consistency and taste to become more like ice cream or frozen yogurt. Xanthan gum is a sugar free thickener that made all the difference in smoothie consistency by only using a small amount in the shake – like a half a teaspoon or so. Using casein protein will help feel fuller longer as it is a slower digesting protein. Eating that last meal after the protein smoothie would make me feel very full and my nighttime scamper in the kitchen stopped happening. Plus, it’s like having dessert before dinner!
Eat with Someone – Make it Social!
I find that when I have someone witness me failing to adhere to my diet, I feel a hell of a lot guiltier than if I do the dirty deed in private. Making the meal social keeps you accountable and helps you adhere to the diet that you’ve set for yourself. Another positive aspect is that your sole focus isn’t on food. When you are eating with someone else, it becomes a time to chat and catch up on the details of each other’s lives. The less focus you keep on the small amount of food in your plate, the better. While you’re talking, the timer your brain has to release hormones to make your stomach feel full keeps running down. Not only that, the slower you eat from talking means you’re eating less food without noticing. Chat away and stick to the program!
Cheat Out of the House
It may not seem obvious but keep the junk food completely out of the house. Do not keep any in the pantry and do not take-home doggie bags from eating cheat meals at restaurants. If that crap food is in the house, it might get eaten during a moment of weakness or hanger. It is a lot easier to open a refrigerator and take out a container than it is to get in the car and drive somewhere to get the food that isn’t on your diet. Do not set yourself up for failure, keep only the foods on diet in the home to prepare for meals.
Another effective way to cheat meal, is to cheat meal socially too! Just because it’s time to indulge does not mean that you need to eat badly AND consume mass quantity in one seating at your favorite burger joint. Talk to your boyfriend, husband, girlfriend or bestie while consuming your indulgence. Take your time and savor each bite, don’t make it a race to be a clean plater. Take advantage of talking while eating. This will make you eat slower, enjoy what you’re eating and simply eat less of what you’re craving.
Allow yourself to eat what you’re craving and find healthy ways to satisfy cravings too. The trick is to find ways that fit into the diet you intend on keeping. Staying lean can be challenging but use some of these tips to make it less torturous. Find balance in the way that you are dieting to remain a happy person and not a hangry dieter. Staying on point with your diet does not have to be completely miserable when you have ways to satisfy yourself and keep the bikini ready body that you want.
Written by: Samantha Meinrod
IG: @sammiegirl_fitness
Email: sammiemeinrod@gmail.com