Food is a complex beast which can have a huge hold over us every day. Knowledge is power, read on to find out what type of eater you are and what you can do to use this to your fat loss advantage………
Do you crave certain foods?
People that have food cravings find it very difficult to resist certain types of food. Usually high in sugar, refined carbohydrates or greasy saturated fat foods. Unfortunately, none of these foods lend themselves well to fat loss and often the craving result in a massive binge making the craver feel emotionally low.
How can the craver lose body fat?
The first step is to recognise the craving. Become comfortable with the craving and you will learn to control it. Ask yourself, “Do I need this food? How am I going to feel after I eat it? How will eating this affect my goals?” You will not be able to avoid the foods you crave forever so become comfortable around the foods. Spend time in the bakery isle but don’t buy anything. Drive past the golden arches often. Make it natural for you to be around these food stuffs and not give in to them.
Emotional eater?
As children if we feel poorly or we hurt ourselves we are usually given sweet food to make us feel better. What gets wired together gets fired together. When we grow into adults this sweet food for bad times link sticks with us so if we have a bad day we turn to the junk!
How can the emotional eater lose body fat?
Learn to recognise your triggers. Next time you demolish tons of junk food because of how you are feeling, write down what caused the feeling. This will allow you to learn what areas of your life need addressing to avoid the emotional binge.
The night time snacker
Busy schedules do not lend themselves to regular healthy eating but the hunger remains when you finally relax in the evening. This can lead to disastrous binges late at night.
How can the night time snacker lose body fat?
This one is down to self control and intermittent fasting. Set yourself a time scale for eating. For example, you might say “I am going to eat between 10:00 and 18:30 each day”. You may not feel hungry during these times but keep going, we are creatures of habit and your body will eventually fall in line. Stick to this and night time snacking will be a thing of the past.
The TV grazer
This person is likely to always have a full biscuit tin and ‘share bags’ of crisps ready for an evening in front of the tele.
How can the TV grazer lose body fat
The obvious solution is to just not have those snacks in the house, replace them with healthier alternatives perhaps. This style of snacking is generally not down to hunger but is a habit. If you do not have the willpower to stop this, why not write down what you snack on each day for 2-4 weeks. After this period is up, have a look through and I imagine you will be in for a shock! Think of the money and calories saved if you didn’t do this. Remind yourself of your goals and ask if this style of living supports them. The answer is likely to be no, then it is down to you to decide which you want more, your ideal body or your TV snacks?