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1. VOLUME. Eat bigger portions of lower calorie foods to ‘trick’ your mind into thinking you’re still eating the same amount of food before the diet started.
This is, hands down, what saves me everytime I put myself into a fat loss phase. Using lower calorie options so I can eat ‘more’ food. Chicken breast instead of chicken thighs or lean beef instead of a more fatty beef, powdered peanut butter, potatoes over rice, vegetables, and lower calories sauces.
2. Make protein the focus for every meal as it is the most satiating macronutrient.
Protein takes the longest amount of time for your body to break down, making it the slowest digesting and most satiating of all three macronutrients. Including a solid amount of it per meal is going to help keep you full for longer.
3. Eat all 3 macros nutrients every meal. Even though protein should be the focus, eating all 3 macronutrients for each meal will help overall mindset and avoid feelings of restriction.
This could be a personal thing, but a meal that only consists of protein or only consists of carbs always leaves me wanting more and, honestly, could you really classify a plate full of one macronutrient as a meal? I always include all 3 macronutrients in every meal, even if it’s only a few grams.
4. Use vegetables to increase volume, satiety, and ensure you’re getting your micronutrients and fiber in.
Vegetables are second to protein on the satiation scale because of the high fiber content. I know we all don’t like vegetables but put a little bit of butter or oil and salt and pepper and it turns any steamed or baked vegetable into a delicacy. Okay, maybe you won’t think it’s ‘that’ good but it’s edible.
5. Meal timing.
Meal timing is important since it makes thinking about your next meal a lot easier. I like eating every 3 hours while dieting if my schedule allows. This way, I have my next meal planned and ready so I’m not hungry and trying to find out when I’ll get food again. If my schedule is busier or doesn’t allow for feeding every 3 hours, I simply make my portions bigger and eat when I have breaks in my schedule.
6. Macro nutrient timing.
We touched on this earlier but I think it’s beneficial to give an alternative option as we’re all a little different and just because I like all my meals to contain all the macros, it might be easier for you to save a certain macro for later in the day. For example, if you’re a person with a sweet tooth, maybe you need to save a little more carbs and fats for the evenings so you can have a cookie or some kettle corn. Whatever is going to make you stick to your numbers easier is the best way to set yourself up.
7. Drink zero calorie drinks and chew gum.
I love a good zero calorie drink. Diet soda is my jam. The carbonation fills me up and I can drink it guilt-free. Also, while we’re on the topic, there is not evidence that artificial sweeteners cause cancer or make you gain weight or any of the other myths behind them. I believe most things are alright in moderation. And chewing gum really just helps with the oral fixation side of eating food plus, they have a lot of great flavors to choose from.
8. Find lower calories alternatives.
It’s 2022 and there's an alternative for everything. Dairy, meat, salad dressings, pasta, pizza crusts, bread, you name it. Search your store for low calorie alternatives of your favorite foods to help with the volume aspect we touched on earlier.
9. Are you hungry or just bored?
This is simple. The busier I am, the less I think about food. The more free time I have, the more I fixate on it.
10. Are you hungry or just thirsty?
This is also simple. Chug a glass of water if you’re hungry. If you’re still hungry, maybe it’s time for your next meal. But keep in mind that some hunger will come with a fat loss diet and discipline is going to be necessary.
I hope this helps, thank you for reading!