When you're working on losing body fat and eating in a calorie deficit....
The truth is, you're going to feel some level of hunger at some point of your fat loss phase.
Especially if you're in a deficit for an extended period of time.
(Like 3+ months)
Enduring some mild or moderate feelings of hunger is totally normal.
And if you've got an effective & clear plan with your nutrition, it should be very manageable.
But if you find yourself snacking every day (outside of what you've planned for the day),
Or binging without any control every week or so...It's a sign that something needs to adjusted.
So, here are 3 steps you can take to limit snacking in a fat loss phase...
1. Bulk up your meals.
If a client tells me they are snacking frequently, the first thing I do is look at is their meals.
And after 9 years of coaching people, I can confidently say that 95% of the time someone is snacking a lot...
there's usually 1 or more meals that aren't keeping them full enough.
So, add in an extra serving of protein, another cup of vegetables, or even another serving of carbs.
Many people are hesitant to do this in a fat loss phase...because the thought of eating MORE to lose fat, can be hard to wrap your head around.
But adding an extra 200-400 calories in your main meals,
often prevents snacking on 750-1,000 calories of nuts, m & m's or chips later on.
2. Replace Calorie Dense Snacks w/ Lower Calorie Alternatives.
These days there's "healthier" or lower calorie alternatives for almost anything.
Find a good food that satisfies the cravings you're having but has a fraction of the calories.
Here are some examples....
Ice Cream ---> Halotop or low calorie Ben & Jerry's
Donuts / baked goods ----> Doughbar Doughnuts
Chips -----> Quest Protein Chips
Popcorn ----> Smart Pop
Ice Cream / Milkshakes ----- Jesse's Famous Chocolate, PB, Banana, Protein Shake. (email me for the recipe)
These lower calorie alternatives are easier to fit into your daily calories and can satisfy the same cravings.
3. Don't Keep Junk in the House.
Guess what?
If there's Reese's Cups in the house, I'm 100% going to eat them.
Not just 1 or 2. . . All of them.
And I fully expect you to do the same.
If you buy Candy, Cookies, Soda, etc.....You've already committed to eating it.
So my best advice is,
just don't have anything in the house that you know is bad for you and will make reaching your fitness goals harder.
That doesn't mean you can't have it ever again.
But make it a special occasion when you do or pick 1-2 specific days a month to have it.
PS - that doesn't mean all your other meals have to suck.
You can eat delicious foods when in a fat loss phase and enjoy the process.
Hope this was helpful.
And if you need a clear and sustainable nutrition strategy to hit your goals that doesn't suck,
Feel free to email me and I'll see if I can point you in the right direction.
Email: Info@RoseFitnessNY.com
-- Jesse
CPT | Online Fitness Coach
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