Hi. I’m Fitness Dame. You may or may not have noticed that I’m Astone Fitness’ main blogger. I’m the one who has been giving you all the yummy tidbits on fitness and nutrition. Nice to meet you! I have had a few people approach me and ask for some tips on how to stick to a diet. So I thought that the info I gave them might be fun to share with you too.
You got to think of your brain and your body as two separate entities. Your brain is like an over protective mother over your body. Sometimes it’s right. But if you listen to every single worry your mom has you’d never even cross the street! Am I right?! Ok, so with that in mind, your brain is a creature of habit. It doesn’t necessarily do what’s right. It does what it’s used to.
IT TAKES THE AVERAGE PERSON 21 DAYS STRAIGHT OF STICKING TO SOMETHING TO SUCCESSFULLY CHANGE A HABIT.
With that in mind, just because your brain is telling you you’re hungry, doesn’t necessarily mean that you are. It’s your brain saying: “Hello! You usually feed me more calories than this! Where’s the food, buddy?” So the first thing you can do is: Tell your brain to zip it. Circle 21 days off on your calendar, and cross one off one day at a time. When you get that “OMG I’m starving feeling.” Tell yourself: “Only 10 days left…” I KNOW IT’S EASIER SAID THEN DONE. Sometimes you want to scratch your eyes out for how hungry you feel; it can seriously feel like you are trying to wean off drugs; and in some ways you are. But I promise you if you stick to it, it will get easier.
FITNESS DAME’S TRICKS TO GETTING THROUGH IT
- When you’re hungry drink water. Lots of it! If water bores you add fruit to a jug in your fridge to give it flavor. (Try cucumbers, strawberries, oranges, limes, lemons or mint leaves)
- I try to limit my drinks to water, tea and the occasional coffee. ABSOLUTELY NO SODAS!
- Vegetables are your friends. Eat as many as you want. I usually munch on carrot sticks. Watery veggies like celery and cucumbers are even better. For a treat, have celery with almond butter (just don’t over do it) REMEMBER I SAID VEGETABLES NOT FRUIT. Fruit has a lot more sugar. Low sodium V-8 is sometimes a great alternative.
- A glass of 2% milk will coat your stomach, and make you feel full. Sometimes I love this option!
Dessert
If I crave dessert, sometimes I just have a yogurt and that works. There are so many yummy flavs. And the pro-biotics are great for us gals! In case of emergency: If you really can’t stand it and need a fix, have it. But a tiny bit of it. For example: I’m a chocolate and red wine freak. I cannot go more than a few days without it. When I want it. I have it. Chocolate: I usually LOVE milk chocolate but I go for 70% + cocoa dark chocolate. It’s soooo much better for you, and because it’s richer I am okay with just a couple of squares. Wine: I’ll have an ounce to half a glass instead of a whole one. I limit myself to one “emergency” half-glass a week.
Dining Out
Lots of people have told me that they are fine until they have to eat out.
“How can I eat a salad when the people at my table are eating pasta?”
Firstly, willpower has a lot to do with it. I know it’s tough, but when you talk about your table-mates eating pasta and hamburgers and its hard, well, its willpower. Take it like you have a one up on them. You have a powerful secret. You know better. For me it even helps to think I’m better than them. When they order that pasta dish and look at you with your salad and say: “I don’t know how you do it.” Take pride in knowing that you are one up-ing them. Then when they come to you and say: “Wow! You look great. How did you do it?” You can say: “Remember when you laughed at me for ordering a salad?” People by nature are negative creatures.
EVERY TIME I go on a diet EVERYONE rolls their eyes and say “Oh! You look great just the way you are!” Or they try and convince me that I’m being silly for not having a piece of cake. People don’t like it when others don’t follow the crowd. They make it a point to point you out and make you feel like your nuts. It’s up to you and ONLY YOU to know that they are on their way to heart disease, and you are on the way to a sexier, more confident better you!
Now that being said, just like with the wine and chocolate, there is always a way to cheat it. If you got to have a hamburger put less condiments on it and eat only one of the breads. Or even just the meat with the toppings on it. Order a salad instead of fries. Most restaurants will even do half salad/half fries if you ask for it. Order a side salad with your pasta and/or add on a sliced chicken breast on top. At least that way you are getting your protein and veggies, and it will help you eat less of the pasta.
Never eat the whole portion in a restaurant. It’s way too huge. Order a doggy bag right from the beginning. Better yet, get the waiter to bring half your plate in a doggie bag right from the start. That way you don’t even have to look at it, and if your friends say anything about not eating all of it, you can just say you’re not that hungry and avoid the whole diet talk all together.
Now I have to mention that these are tips that work for ME. They have been passed down to me throughout the years from personal trainers, nutritionists and fitness gurus. That being said, they may work for you, they may not. It’s just a little more arsenal to use in defeating the muffin top demon.
Do you have tricks that work for you? Share in the comments. The more we know, the more we can succeed.
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