A recent study showed that eating less can improve mood, sleep, and sex drive in healthy people. That means even serious athletes and lifters can benefit from tightening the screws on their diets and cutting out excess meals and snacking. But how do you do that if you’re someone who eats on autopilot or has developed habits that hinder their goals? You hit the reset button and use these tips to regain control:
Keep a Food Journal
Yes, it’s annoying — even if you use an app such as Rise Up, Calorific, or MyFitnessPal — butscience proves it to be an effective way to limit your caloric intake and take inventory of foods you don’t need. A 2008 study involving 1,700 participants found that keeping a food diary could double weight loss efforts.
Ditch Cheat Days
We’re not saying a little indulgence is bad, but instead of allotting an entire day dedicate a pre-planned cheat meal or two throughout the week. This will give you something to look forward to. The trick is that you need to stick to this even at parties or while out with friends. It’s a discipline and if or when you fall off the wagon, don’t be too tough on yourself. Get back on and move forward.
Don’t Eat While Distracted
Eating while distracted — watching TV or talking on the phone, for example — can lead to consuming more calories, according to areport published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A review of 24 studies found that “mindful” eating also lead to less eating later on.
Eat at Home More
Americans nowspend more on eating out than buying groceries. Astudy performed by Public Health Nutrition also found that dining out at restaurants also totaled an extra 200 calories per day in many cases.
Chew More
The slower you eat the fuller you’ll feel, a University of Bristol (United Kingdom)study reports. In fact, the slow eaters in the study reported feeling as though they ate more than they did simply because they felt fuller than when they wolfed down their food.
Reduce Simple Carbs Intake
Slow-burning carbohydrates such as brown rice and quinoa create lasting energy without causing an insulin spike. When it comes crashing back down you’ll get crazy hungry and will be tempted to eat foods that bring it back up. Try veering away from simple carbs such as white bread, sugar, pastries, candy, soda, and artificial syrups. Basically, if you can hunt it, tear it out of the ground, or spot it on a farm, make that the center of your meal plan. If it’s in a box, keep it highly moderated.
Of course, another low-cal way to boost energy is to rely on P4’s workout supplements. Pre Game Formula and Energy Formula were created specifically to give you a lasting energy rush while providing additional benefits:
Pre Game Formula: Featuring beta-alanine, creatine, arginine, these are some of the best workout supplement ingredients that provide energy and a muscle pump while you train.
Energy Formula: The electrolytes, caffeine, taurine, and fast-digesting complex carbs can help keep you sharp mentally and poised for victory.
Lastly, P4 products are NSF Certified for Sport. This serves as proof that our products are label-claim-verified and banned substance free according to the World Anti-doping agency (WADA).
