Eat your cake and get fit,too
/ways to include not-so-healthy foods into your fitness and diet plans.
Whether we are on a stricter diet or are just learning to improve our food choices and behaviors, there is always a time and place to include our favorite treats and meals into our day.
Here are some interesting strategies to include those foods in your diet and still lose weight/fat, get fit, and stay in shape forever.
#CHEAT MEALS.
HOW TO: Eat anything you want for one or two meals per week, while keeping the rest of the meals lower in volume/calories and of the highest quality possible.
WATCH OUT FOR: Turning one cheat meal into a cheat day. The amount of food can be a problem too, causing GI disruptions and fat loss setbacks. While any types and quantities of food is okay to consume here, it has become a common practice to stuff yourself past the comfortable point of satiety. Slow down and really savor what you are treating yourself to.
If cheat meals turn into binging, check if you are dropping calories too low during the week, and whether you are getting enough of fats, proteins, and carbs.
BEST FOR: Experienced dieters that have already establish basic eating behaviors and can effortlessly maintain lower food consumption throughout the week. Beginners would benefit from other strategies.
#PORTION CONTROL:
HOW TO: Allowing yourself to eat anything you want but only until 80% full.
That means stopping to eat when you don't feel hunger any longer, yet comfortable and not quite full. This can break down into either having a high quality meal and adding only a touch of what you crave, or making one whole meal per day be what you want it to be but controlling the amount consumed.
WATCH OUT FOR: Choosing meals of lower nutritional value all the time. The goal is still to add as much quality as possible and allow small quantities of foods you crave to avoid feeling deprived.
BEST FOR: beginners. In the beginning, our goal is to get introduced to as many healthier habits as possible. Keeping some of our favorite foods makes us feel comfortable and won't send us into the dieting mindset, while still allowing changes to occur.
#MEAL TIMING
HOW TO: consume meals higher in calories, carbs and naughty factors after workouts. Better yet, after strength training or high-intensity cardio sessions. In this case, the majority of consumed calories will go directly into refueling your energy tank and not into fat storage. Keep portion control in mind though.
WATCH OUT FOR: using exercise as an excuse to make poor food choices. You can't out-train a bad diet. Make sure that 80% of energy consumed comes from high-quality nutritional food. Let 20% be anything you want it to be.
BEST FOR: trainees involved in high-intensity resistance training. This strategy won't work after low-intensity activities like walking or casual exercising.
#IF IT FITS YOUR MACROS.
HOW TO: Calculate the number of calories, carbs, fats, and proteins (aka macronutrients or macros) you will be consuming a day for your goal. Track it in a diary or in an app. Eat anything as long as it fits your macros.
WATCH OUT FOR: Only making poor nutritional choices. The 80/20 rule applies here, too. Let only 20% come from play foods and load up on the goodies.
If you can scan the package for "exact" calorie break down, it's probably not a real food.
BEST FOR: Expert level strategy. Tracking requires a lot of nutritional knowledge, will-power and a healthy relationship with food.
#INTERMITTENT FASTING.
HOW TO: There are many protocols for fasting, with 16:8 being the most popular one. That is 16 hours of fasting, and eating only within an 8 hour window. It sounds scary, but 16 hours include your sleep, so this will translate into skipping breakfast and stopping to eat a few hours before bed.
WATCH OUT FOR: poor quality of food, again. This method allows for your favorite food add ons but, please, stay within your caloric goal needs.
BEST FOR: any level. Intermittent fasting is an awesome strategy for those special occasion dinners, parties, and nights out. For example, you can skip breakfast and wait to eat till 1pm on saturday. Have traditional meals, and your dinner out on town at 8pm. No more food after 9pm that evening.
