6 Practical (and FREE) Diet Tips to Help You CRUSH Your Fat Loss Goals this Winter!
When it comes to your fitness goals, consistency is the name of the game, not perfection.
To expect ourselves to be perfect means we’re setting ourselves up for disappointment and failure down the line, especially when we know that progress is not linear.
When it comes to our diet, keeping these tips in mind may help you to manage your expectations and help you stay on track for the long term.
1. Set intentions for every single week
Always know tomorrow's meals! This entails mapping out your week as far as grocery shopping goes and time spent to cook. You should be considering the time needed to get these tasks done.
Having the intention to eat well is not enough. There needs to be tangible planning in place so you allocate the time needed to make it happen.
2. Counting calories or macronutrients? Stick to ranges, not exact targets
We can drive ourselves crazy trying to be perfect or we can focus on small attainable progress everyday. Staying close to hitting macro targets daily is the name of the day. The difference between 150 and 160g of protein is not worth your stress or energy.
3. If it triggers you, remove it
Don’t have things in the house you know you have a difficult time resisting. Seriously, just don’t buy them. This doesn’t make you weak- it makes you intelligent.
4. Eat out less
I know, not very fun but the reality is home cooked meals are healthier and easier to track which will eventually lead to your long term success. We don’t know for sure what restaurants are cooking with, how much butter, oil and salt they use. The more you can eat at home,, the better.
5. Limit alcohol
I’d say to just once a week at most. Trust me on this one. I know it’s a big sacrifice but I’ve been coaching long enough to see my clients who chose to sacrifice alcohol versus those who don’t- anyone that chooses to limit it always sees accelerated fat loss- period.
6. Sleep more
Being sleep deprived leads to mood swings, less motivation, lower energy expenditure, dysfunctional hormones, poor health, increased disease risk, increased cravings, etc. When we’re sleep deprived we eat about 300 more calories a day on average. Make sure you’re sleeping 7-9 hours a night.
7. Get more daily steps in
There is such a benefit of walking for our physical body but walking is also fantastic for our mental state of mind. Ideally you want to try to get outside in the fresh air to get your steps in to reap the most benefits but if you’re confined to cold states, walking on a treadmill is also acceptable. I recommend getting at least 8K steps in a day to make a big impact on your health.
8. Manage your stress
Meditate, journal, read or practice some deep belly breathing. Slowing the mind and body down to REST is part of the process and something that is often overlooked. Make sure you give yourself permission to take at least 30 minutes every day to relax, decompress, and connect to your body.
Keep in mind stress is cumulative and builds up in the body if we don’t find a way to release it.
9. Hiring a coach to help with your nutrition AND your lifestyle is always the best bet
Which, of course, is what I’m here for. Click here for more details about my one on one coaching program which I’m taking on new clients for NOW.
If you’re ready to make a change and get serious about reaching your fitness goals, fill out this form and I’ll get back to you shortly!