We have a wonderful tendency to attribute moral values to the food we eat. This isn’t helped by the barrage of messages we get from social media etc. If we want to find a sustainable way to maintain or lose weight then we really need to try to get away from this sort of thinking. All it does is create an unhealthy relationship with food, causes unnecessary stress and unhappiness. Often these food labels are arbitrary anyway.
Here’s a classic example of that. If you grabbed a couple of slices of Margherita Pizza for lunch you might well think you’d been ‘bad’ and perhaps feel guilty. This may in turn influence how you approach the rest of the day – you might think f*ck it and just overeat for the rest of the day. But why? Pizza is essentially just bread, tomato and cheese. If you had instead had all of those items in the form of a sandwich you wouldn’t feel guilty would you? There is nothing wrong with a couple of slices of pizza or a cheese and tomato sandwich for lunch. Both have carbs, fat, some protein and a variety of micronutrients. Neither is inherently good or bad – they’re just foods. Now perhaps if you ate an entire pizza that may not be ideal if you were trying to stick to a certain calorie target and if you only ate Pizza and not much else then that wouldn’t be ideal in terms of a balanced diet, but that doesn’t make the Pizza itself bad! All foods are ‘good’ – it’s just about how much you have.
Having a sweet tooth is normal, but if it’s getting in the way of your results, it’s vital to address it if it means you’re overeating sweet things and going over your calories. There’s nothing inherently wrong with sugar but excessive intake has been linked to various health issues like obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and tooth decay.
The rollercoaster of sugar highs and crashes can negatively impact your energy levels and overall well-being.
Here are some ways to tackle these cravings.
# Mindful Eating: Pause, ponder, and choose wisely.
Before reaching for that sugary treat, pause and assess your hunger level. Are you genuinely hungry, or is it a craving? By being more aware of your body’s signals, you can choose healthier options and avoid unnecessary calories.
# Balanced Meals: Build balanced meals that satisfy your nutritional needs and taste buds. Include carbs, protein, healthy fats, and fibre in your diet to stabilise blood sugar levels and keep you feeling full for longer.
# Swaps: it won’t always cut it but swapping to sweet fruits like berries, grapes, pine ale etc can help. Another good tip is to bulk out sweet snacks with things like raspberries and strawberries. Then you can still have some chocolate or whatever you fancy but the berries will help bulk it out and give that sweet hit with minimal extra calories. You’ll satisfy your sweet tooth but also provide essential nutrients for your body.
# Plan Your Treats: Plan in some sweet treats. By savouring your favourites mindfully, you’ll conquer those cravings without derailing your journey, rather than feeling deprived.
# Address Underlying Causes:
Sometimes, sweet cravings may be a result of emotional eating or stress. Addressing the underlying causes of your cravings is essential. Find alternative ways to cope with emotions, such as going for a walk, meditation or doing something fun.
It can be hard to accept that all foods can fit into a healthy diet, especially in this heavily influenced diet-culture world full of social media ‘experts’. Every week you’ll see very convincing social media / news posts cherry picking bits of research to suggest certain foods or types of food should be avoided. In fact if you listened to all of them you probably wouldn’t eat anything at all! Usually they’re linked to someone selling a product or book of some sort so there’s often an ulterior motive too. You really don’t need and shouldn’t be avoiding any foods. It is possible to find a balance between nourishing and fuelling our bodies and enjoying and celebrating all foods.
The only reasons to avoid certain foods are as follows:
medical reasons – if a Dr (an actual medical Dr who has examined you, not someone who’s book you’re reading/instagram page you’re following has told you to e.g. reducing saturated fats for heart issues, or reducing added sugar for diabetes etc.
Moral/ethical/religious reasons – if you’re vegetarian/ vegan or have ethical reasons for not eating certain foods ,or if you’re religion has food related rules you follow.
Allergies – if you have a genuine medical allergy (not an ‘intolerance’ – as discussed recently).
Dislike the taste – if you honestly don’t like the taste of a food.
Following a supervised elimination diet – if you’re under the care of a registered dietician and following a strict elimination diet.
Otherwise, there is absolutely no need to deprive yourself of your favourite foods just because someone told you to avoid it. Stop fearing foods and placing bad labels on tasty foods that can fit into a healthy, balanced diet.
The weekends can be tough for a lot of us, so if you struggle, you’re definitely not alone. Sometimes they’re difficult because we’re trying to be too perfect /restrictive during the week, meaning we swing in the opposite direction once Friday night hits.
Or it’s the change in routine, the lack of structure and freedom that can pull us off track at the weekend.
However, you absolutely do have the power to be more consistent over the weekends, and a lot of it comes down to doing just a little bit more planning, changing your mindset, and working on a few habits.
Here are a few tips:
# Do a mini food prep
It’s common to do the main food prep and planning on a Sunday which means but Thursday you’re out of food. Try a mini prep on a weds – just something quick – to tide you over until Saturday, or plan a few meals in for the weekend that are easy and won’t require too much extra thought or prep. A rotisserie chicken, microwavable rice, and steamable veggies go a long way for example.
# Add a little structure
Add just a little bit more structure to the weekends. A lot of folks use the weekends to de-stress and de-compress, as you should. But a lot of the free time we have can pull us off track. So, write out a loose schedule for yourself to follow. Figure out when you’ll workout if you’re doing to, go on walks/activities, do any chores or errands, or spend time with friends or family members.
# Plan something for Sunday morning
If you struggle with moderating alcohol or staying on top of your diet on a Saturday night then plan a something for Sunday morning – a workout, a walk, meeting friends etc. Nobody wants to go on any sort of adventure hungover or not feeling they’re best.
# Moderate your alcohol
If you are going to drink then alternate between an alcoholic beverage and a water. You could try going for one very nice nice (more expensive) drink and savour it a bit more rather than going for the cheapest option too. Use low or alcohol free options too. Plan ahead and decide in advance how many drinks you are going to have and track them in advance.
# Choose one..
Choose one meal or part of a meal to enjoy/indulge in rather than the entire weekend e.g. brunch with friends might be one you decide to allocate more calories to, or if you’re out for dinner go for a starter or a dessert or 2 drinks – not all of it.
# Plan snacks
Try to plan your snacks so the weekend doesn’t become one long grazing session – especially if you’ve had late nights/are hungover. Plan in some nice, but slightly lower calorie options e.g. light popcorn with a film etc
# Don’t punish yourself
If you do end up overeating or drinking you can’t go back and change it but that doesn’t mean all is lost. Nip that ‘all or nothing” mindset in the bud and remind yourself that even a little better is better.
Accept, acknowledge, adjust, and move forward. Make sure you reflect and ask yourself what you can change and do differently next weekend. Then, get back to your typical routine as soon as you can.
How many of us do this? You start a new ‘diet’ or decide today’s the day you’re going to be so ‘good’ so maybe you skip breakfast and just have an americano, have a light salad for lunch, an apple for a snack and then a dinner of a piece of protein and some veg…. And then…. after dinner the flood gates open and you scoff biscuits, a brownie, sweets, chocolate etc.
For some reason we often equate losing weight/being on a ‘diet’ to restricting foods and eating like a rabbit! By skipping meals, cutting carbs and basically all foods you actually enjoy all you do is set yourself up for failure. Not only will you be starving but you’ll be feeling deprived which means once you get to the evening you’re likely to binge on all the things you think you shouldn’t have. Then you’ll feel guilty and ashamed no doubt and start it all over again tomorrow…
Instead give yourself permission to enjoy ALL foods when you’re trying to lose weight – just adjust the quantities. Have a proper breakfast, a lunch with some carbs in it (you need them for energy and brain function), a snack you enjoy and can fit into your calories and a proper dinner. You may find you then don’t feel the need to eat the world afterwards! You’ll probably also be eating fewer calories than the restrict:binge approach and it’s a far healthier and sustainable way to approach diet and weight loss.
Every Step Fitness 