Welcome to the latest edition of Flashback Friday when I dig deep in the archives to pull out some blog posts from the past that you may have missed the first time they were published.
If you have goals to improve your health, lose weight, or eat to maximize your running performance, the first step to set up your environment for dieting success.
When you load your pantry, cabinets, and refrigerator with tempting foods that don't support your goals, your willpower muscle may eventually get worn out. I don't know about you, but if there is a bag of chips on my counter, I'll grab two or three of them every time I pass through, but if they are not there, I don't even think about them. I do better to leave them on the shelf at the store.
Prepare your environment, start with your kitchen, to set yourself up for success. If junk food is not at arm's length, you're less likely to reach for it. If you don't see it, you're less likely to eat it. The idea is to make the foods you want to reduce or avoid inconvenient to eat and make the foods that support your goals readily available. In other words, use your laziness to your advantage.
I don't often recommend that my clients be lazy, but you can use laziness to help you reach your goals. If I am craving a sugary snack at 8 PM, I am less likely to put on pants, shoes, and a jacket, to drive to the store if it's not already in the house.
My laziness works in my favor. It's more hassle than it's worth, and when I know it's not the best choice for me, it gives me time to talk myself out of it. Sometimes we know better, but we take action before we think it through. Make the foods you want to reduce or eliminate as inconvenient as possible.
STEP 1: PANTRY CLEAN UP CHALLENGE
Let's start setting your environment up for success with the foods in your pantry. In this blog post, I help you go through your pantry to reduce or eliminate the foods that don't support your goals.
I know everyone can't afford to throw away all their food, so I don't suggest you get rid of every bite of unhealthy foods in your pantry. I am a proponent of moderation, so there may be foods that aren't the beacon of health, but you still enjoy them and want to eat them occasionally, that's ok!
It's a sensible way to clean out your pantry to reduce some of the foods that don't support your goals.
WHAT ABOUT MY FAMILY?
I understand that many people have other members in their household that insist on buying the types of foods that you want to reduce or avoid to meet your goals. You can't control what other adults do and buy, so my suggestion is to ask them to keep it out of sight as much as possible.
CAN I EAT UNHEALTHY FOOD TO GET RID OF IT?
My husband would say, I'll eat all this unhealthy food today to get rid of it, and start tomorrow. But the "I'll start tomorrow" mentality can hinder you from reaching your goals because there is always a tomorrow, forever another day to put it off. It is what you do today that matters, not what you plan to do tomorrow.
If you want to make changes, you must start today, even if it is just in one small way. When you train your brain to start now, you stop making excuses to procrastinate. It's a skill that, once developed, will reap benefits in all areas of your life.
When you stop putting uncomfortable tasks off to tomorrow, you suddenly get a lot done.
STEP 2: GROCERY SHOPPING
Now that you've cleaned out your pantry, you want to be sure you are mindful of what you buy and bring into your house. When you go grocery shopping, it can be easy to get sucked in by the marketing labels on foods, which are often intentionally deceiving.
This blog post can help you make sure you are buying foods that are part of a healthy diet, and not foods that are attempting to mislead you. Sometimes junk foods have labels that boast that they are natural, organic, fat-free, low-carbohydrate, sugar-free, non-GMO, healthy, or clean when they are, in fact, processed junk foods.
Learn to read the nutrition label and ingredient lists on packaged foods, so you make the best choices to support your goals.
If you want to go on a diet, go on the Don't Buy It Diet. Leave the junk food behind on the store shelf, especially the junk food that is masquerading as health food.
STEP 3: MEAL PREP
Now that your pantry is cleaned out and you have fresh, healthy food in the house, the third step in setting up your environment for success is to prep your food so that healthy foods are convenient and available when you're busy, late, or frazzled.
The drive-through or delivery food is less tempting when you have a healthy meal that can be thrown together in a couple of minutes because you did the prep work upfront.
I used to think that meal prep was complicated because I spent too much time reading Pinterest posts with elaborate recipes. Sure, you can prepare all your meals for the next seven days and divide them into 21 individual Tupperware containers, but it doesn't need to be that precise or tedious! Meal prep can be easy.
If you're overwhelmed by the idea of meal-prep, start by cooking your protein in bulk. I boil and shred two pounds of chicken in about 30 minutes on Sunday. Then I have cooked chicken that I can throw in salads or wraps during the week. I cook grounded turkey for tacos, salads, or burgers and buy frozen vegetables to steam in the microwave for an easy and healthy meal.
When the base of the meal, the protein, is cooked and available, it's a bit easier to plan a healthy meal around it in a few minutes. I offer more easy-to-prepare ideas in these blog posts on meal-prep, even if you don't cook.
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Questions? I’d love to help.
