This may sound familiar to you: It’s 3:30 in the afternoon, you’ve been working hard all day long, and suddenly you get a hunger rumble in your stomach. You forgot to pack something for a snack so you decide to walk down to the vending machine and get a Snickers bar- it does say “Hungry? Grab a Snickers” right on the wrapper, so why not? Or maybe you’ve been out running errands all day and notice you’re getting hangry and screaming and yelling at all the other cars. You decide to swing into Chick-fil-A for a “healthy salad” with junk calories in it.
We have all fallen victim to the marketing gimmicks and the devil on our shoulders whispering that it’ll be ok to binge on some bad food this one time. Yet afterward, we feel empty, mad at our lack of discipline, and unsatisfied. This can become a constant cycle. Let’s discuss how we can battle these instances and get ready for a successful summer.
I think the most important way to avoid cravings and bad food choices is to Meal Prep. I know, I know, it sounds like a lot of work, but I have a suggestion that will hopefully make it less of a chore: Break your meal prep up into two days a week and consider these two days your “recovery days”. Instead of lifting, running, or doing any other physical activity, take, for example, Wednesday and Sunday to shop for what you wish to eat and plan for just a few meals. My next suggestion is this: Think about what the most difficult meal for you is each day. Say it’s breakfast- so start by going shopping on Sunday and picking out what you wish to eat for breakfast for the next three days. My favorite is homemade bacon, egg, and spinach egg muffins. Super easy to make, and I can make a dozen muffins and freeze them into individual serving sizes. Pop them in the microwave in the morning, and boom! I’ve hit about 15 grams of protein and fat and I’m off!
To increase your chances of success even more, plan your daily snacks as well! You’ll want to choose snacks that give you some satisfaction and fill you up- think cottage cheese, beef jerky/beef sticks, a salad with oil-based dressing and some nuts, a fruit of your choice, a protein shake, greek yogurt with granola or chia seeds, peanut butter and jelly sandwich… the list can go on!
I’ll finish today with this final thought: It is okay to have a slice of pizza, a beer, a piece of candy, or any other “guilty pleasure food”. It is not okay to punish yourself for having said foods, or restrict your diet to the point where you feel the need to binge on junk foods. If you put a meal plan together each week and at a minimum have an idea of how many macronutrients (carbs, fat, protein) you’re consuming, it will significantly limit the number of excessive calories you’ll consume and keep you moving towards your body composition goals.
Stay strong and steadfast in your pursuit of perfection,
Nick and Tom
