Introduction
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably struggled with eating reasonably in the past. Whether that’s not eating the right foods, eating too many unhealthy foods, or simply bingeing, I’d say most of us have been there.
Thankfully, it’s never too late to start eating better. In this post, I’m showing you my favorite strategies I’ve used to stay on the healthy food bandwagon in the past. I’ll also be giving a few tips that are more personal to serve as an extra boost of motivation!
My Top 3 Eating Strategies
Method 1: Intermittent Fasting
If you’ve never tried intermittent fasting, it may be your new favorite way of dieting. Not only is it very flexible, but It’s arguably the most simple way of cutting back on calories.
The idea is to have a regular time window each day to eat your meals. Outside of that window, you wouldn’t consume anything that has calories. You can still drink things like water, plain coffee/tea, etc, but food should be off the table (pun intended).
An example would be only eating between 11 in the morning to 7 at night. By maintaining this eating schedule, your body can adapt to a more consistent and reasonable way of eating. The actual window can be larger or smaller, and the time window can be whatever works for you. All that matters is you pick something that works, and stick to it.
I’ve used intermittent fasting in the past, and I quite like the idea. However, for those without a consistent schedule, it may not be the best solution. My schedule can be unpredictable, so it’s not my most-used method, but it’s definitely been effective in the past.
Keep in mind that the method only works if you aren’t using the “meal time” to gorge yourself. You’ll still need to eat reasonably, but minimizing your time to splurge should make that much easier. If you’re not allowed that late-night snack, and you consistently resist that half-eaten bag of chips at midnight, you’ll be well on your way to your weight loss goals.
Method 2: Counting Calories
This method is probably the most popular and well-known, and for good reason. Counting calories is the most concrete way of losing weight you could ask for. Simply eat fewer calories than you burn, and you’ll see steady, noticeable results (outside of very specific health conditions.)
The two parts you need for counting calories are figuring out your total daily energy expenditure (or TDEE,) and finding a program or app to track your calorie intake.
Figuring out your TDEE is very simple, and can be done in less than 5 minutes. Simply visit a website with a TDEE calculator (such as https://tdeecalculator.net/), plug in your stats, and they’ll give you an estimate.
Keep in mind that it’s an estimate, and nothing definitive. While you’ll probably see results by following the estimate, an addition of regular exercise will basically guarantee results – and faster, too. Additionally, regular exercise (even something as simple as walking) will make you healthier in the long-run (pun unintended. Promise.)
The trickier part of calorie counting is finding the right program for the job. Many people use sites/apps like myfitnesspal, which have a large database of foods with calories and other nutrition information already provided.
Most apps of this nature also allow you to create custom foods. Want to have homemade chili for dinner, but don’t know the calories? Simply add the ingredients in the app, then make a custom food like “Family’s Favorite Chili”.
I recommend cross-referencing at least some of the ingredients you find on the site with things from your cabinet or the store. For example, if you search “can of black beans” on the app, check the calories on the beans in your cupboard. That way you won’t be adding something that’s far fewer (or worse, far more) calories than what you thought.
This may sound like a lot of work, and to some extent it is. However, the more you do it the easier and faster it gets. Once you’ve added grandma’s banana bread to the app, you’ll never have to add it again.
You’ll also become more familiar with how many calories various foods have, which can be a great (if less tangible) aspect of calorie counting. This is definitely the method I use the most, and is the most effective for me.
If you’re wanting to control your calories and are willing to put in the effort, counting them is the method I recommend most. While it’s the most work out of all three methods, it’s likely the most effective for consistent, noticeable weight loss.
Method 3: The Thirty Minute Rule
This method is probably the least common of the trio listed here. In fact, if you just search for “the thirty minute rule,” you’ll likely find dozens, if not hundreds of different things.
Here, what I’m talking about is this: when you notice you’re hungry, wait thirty minutes. Bonus points for drinking a glass of water before waiting.
If you find you’re just as hungry after waiting, go ahead and eat. What you eat and how much doesn’t matter as much as using the trick consistently.
The idea is to help identify when you’re actually hungry. There have been numerous times where I’m certain my hunger is genuine, but waiting often relieves the feeling. Even if you are hungry, waiting can help keep your food intake under control.
The biggest hurdle for this method is not eating too many high-calorie foods. Reason being, it’s possible to only eat when you’re legitimately hungry and still consume too many calories.
If you often eat calorie-dense foods like peanut butter, bacon, cheese, etc., you’ll probably want to cut back somewhere. It would also help to eat low-calorie foods more often, as well as satiating foods, like whole grains.
This method is the least concrete, and is largely about recognizing legitimate hunger while tackling it in a balanced and mindful way.
It’s arguably the least reliable method, and is best used in conjunction with some other tactics. That said, it’s a good tool to keep in mind when you’re trying to be more mindful of your eating habits.
Additional Tips for Weight Loss and Wellness
Now that I’ve ran you through my favorite eating strategies, I wanted to give a few, smaller tips to help you stay on track. These tips aren’t as extreme as the above methods, but they’re all things I do to stay healthy and motivated.
Don’t Drink Your Calories
If you often find yourself unfulfilled because you had too many beers or put too much creamer in your coffee, this trick is for you. Just like it sounds, this trick is about not getting your calories from drinks.
Drinks are, in general, less satiating and satisfying than food. There’s also no shortage of calorie-dense drinks in the world. Between soda, juice, alcohol, milkshakes and more, it’s far too easy to tap out on calories before you’ve realized it.
There’s something to be said about meal replacement drinks, and no-calorie drinks are still a fine option. However, cutting out (or way back) on calorie-heavy drinks is a very easy way to maximize fulfillment from the food.
Find Lower-calorie Options for Your Favorite Foods
Whether it’s powdered peanut butter, artificial sweeteners, or using veggies instead of meat, there are plenty of ways to reduce calories.
You can use ricotta on sandwiches instead of sliced cheese, or buy a low-calorie loaf of bread. Use whipped cream cheese for bagels instead of traditional, or make a low-calorie mocktail instead of your usual cocktail.
Those are just some of the many, many ways you can reduce your overall calorie intake. While many of the changes are small, they definitely add up – especially if you’re on a tight calorie budget.
Graze Throughout the Day Instead of Having Set Meals
If you find it difficult to not eat between meals, you may try “grazing”. No, not the cow-and-grass variety, but rather eating small amounts of food steadily throughout the day.
Not only is this a great trick for keeping more severe hunger at bay, but it’s great for adding variety. Eating a smaller amount of different foods is a lot more interesting than eggs for breakfast, spaghetti for dinner, etc.
This trick isn’t for everyone, and “feeling full” is difficult unless you’re eating lots of low-calorie foods. However, it’s something to keep in mind if the standard three-meals-a-day has never worked for you.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
With this post, I’ve shown you three great methods for keeping your health goals on track. I’ve also shared three simple tricks to help you reach your goals and stay motivated.
Hopefully this post has informed you, motivated you, or entertained you in some way. While I don’t have a recipe to share, I’d really appreciate you following me on WordPress or Pinterest.
Following me will also alert you to my future posts. My next post will be recipes for 3 different breakfast toasts that are hearty, healthy and satisfying. If you don’t want to miss it, be sure to follow 🙂
That’s all I have for you today, but I hope you enjoyed your time here.
Thanks for reading.
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