You don’t just need the right diet to lose weight and build lean muscle; you also need to guard your wellbeing against a few ‘Make or Break’ moments that every dieter faces. It’s not the lack of knowledge that hampers your weight loss wellness; it’s life’s little distractions that get in the way of your motivation to reach your goals. The best way to reduce risk of temptation is to pin point and identify these moments that can make or break your diet and be prepared to handle them diligently:
1. The Moment When You Wake Up Hungry: If you wake up hungry, you might be tempted to fill that void quickly by eating biscuits or other readily-available snacks, instead of delaying gratification. However, if you drink a large glass of water as soon as you wake up, this will suppress your hunger long enough for you to either make a big omelette loaded with veggies or some oatmeal. A nutritious, healthy breakfast is absolutely vital if you want to avoid those mid-morning junk food cravings. Plus, eating right sets your brain up for the day, and helps you stay fuelled for your morning tasks.
2. That Moment Half an Hour before the Gym: More often than not, you forget to eat before the gym, which leads to a poor workout that leaves you completely knackered. Your muscles breakdown more than they should, and experience extra wear and tear. Therefore, you should eat a snack half an hour before you workout so that you have the energy you need to succeed. Set your clock to remind you, and make sure your snack is high in slow digesting proteins and simple carbohydrate. A whole grain toast with low fat cheese, banana with peanut butter or a protein shake/bar are all great options.
3. That Moment after Your Workout: After an intense gym session, all you want to do is go home and crash. However, it’s essential that you refuel your body with amino acids to repair your muscles, and also provide them with glycogen. Again, you need a snack or meal that is high in protein and carbohydrate. Protein powders and snacks containing carbs are easy to put in your gym bag, or you can wait until you get home as long as you make sure you get it on time.
4. That Moment When You’re Stressed at Work: When you’re stressed, your body releases a hormone known as cortisol, which deludes you into thinking you need a sugary snack. In actual fact, all you really need to do is let off steam. If you’re the kind of person who keeps emergency chocolate in their desk, you’re just inviting temptation into your diet the minute you have a bad meeting or tight deadline. Instead, only keep healthy snacks around the office and, when stress strikes, go for a walk around the block. This will give you a chance to get some fresh air and clear your head, and exercise is well-known to help keep cortisol in check. If you still need a pick-me-up when you get back, go for some fruit or a handful of baby carrots.
5. That Moment When You Enter the Supermarket: Under no circumstance should you ever go food shopping on an empty stomach. When you’re hungry, you’re more drawn towards packaged snacks and ready-to-eat meals, rather than the lovely, healthy foods that make up your nutritional weight loss plans. Eating a good snack before you go to the supermarket can help you to better adhere to the list of healthy food items you want to re-stock or try out, and stick to only those.
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