The Wrong Mindset. Dieting is all in your mind. Humans can survive for weeks at a time with little to no food. So why can’t we go a day without blowing it?It's all about our emotions, our relationship to food and the labels (thoughts) we associate with what we eat.In my experience most women are so hard on themselves that even if they are successful it's a miserable experience. Is that you?
No Hunger Management. The most common diet advice is to eat less or reduce portion sizes after all eating chicken and broccoli is how you win fitness shows and I heard women In France only eat tiny portions. However the leaner you get the hungrier you get. Eventually hunger wins over your desire to be lean and you start eating anything in your path. Any diet that starts with you eating less volume of food will fail. Eating more volume of food and managing your hunger is actually the key to success. In answer to the question that instantly formed in your mind: Yes,
YOU can eat more food and lose body fat.
Satiety (feeling full) is key. You have a hidden brain inside your gut telling your system when you have had enough to eat. Neurons and receptors give feedback to your brain. The more that your stomach expands the more satiated (full) you feel. That’s why liquid calories are a bad idea on a program for weight loss, they put calories in your body without making you full. To stop yourself from feeling hungry you need to expand your stomach maximally. Over the long term you won’t do that drinking juice or having shakesYes, wine is liquid calories.
Stop Depriving Yourself. Why? It’s all psychological: The forbidden fruit effect. “Don’t eat the cookie, don’t eat the cookie""You're not the boss of me""I forbid you from eating the cookie”…… “Ooops I ate all the cookies, i’ll just get started again on Monday”Instead of deprivation Imagine what you can eat, rather than what you can’t eat. Your mindset can also effect your physiological response to food. How we are feeling about our food also completely changes our experience of it. Try this. Take one square of your favourite chocolate. Close your eyes, put it on your tongue and let it melt. Swirl it around your mouth and really taste it.See how different that experience of eating chocolate is to just smashing half a block. Our experience of food takes place in our mind.
You're Not Tracking What You Eat. The number one dietary intervention is a food diaryMake sure you are accurate because most people underestimate how much they eat. In studies people under-report what they eat by 30% and women are much more likely than men to underestimate the amount they are eating. On the other hand, most people overestimate the calorie burnt from exercise by 40%
Your Not Aware Of The Energy And Health Content. Health content and energy content are two different things. Today heaps of food products are using health washing to make you think that they are good choice. For people example underestimate the caloric intake of their food by up to 40% if it’s labelled organic.
You Don't Make A Plan. Hunger + Decision fatigue = Diet failure Don’t shop hungry, don’t cook hungry and don’t order hungryPre-plan what you think you will eat tomorrow. Don’t worry if it changes but a least you know where your meals are coming from and you won’t be making food decisions hungry.
We are just lazy apes. Keep food away. Keep it out of sight and out of reach. Out of reach is way more important than out of sight. If its hard to get too you won’t eat it. I never really cook or order myself pasta but if my boyfriend does and it’s there on the table I will definitely eat it. So don’t buy chips and chocolate etc and leave them in the house. If it’s around you will eat it. It’s not because you failed it’s just because we are all lazy apes.
So in summary stop denying yourself food, track what you eat,
make sure you are full and start planning what you eat.
That’s what I teach all of my girls in the Sports Model Project.
They develop confidence and great relationship with food.
It’s also how they get elite body composition and love the process.
So to help you, we developed the ultimate macro plan. It's a great starting point to figure out what you should be eating, and how much. You can download the macro plan HERE.
