We all know that setting clear goals is an important part of reaching your fat loss goals but it’s not enough. You need a clear process for setting goals and you need to define the actions & procedures that will get you from point A to point B. We have to narrow our focus and harness our energy towards the achievement of ONE impactful goal.
The Problem: We are spreading ourselves too thin by setting too many goals. We try to tackle multiple goals at once and we don’t have enough energy to invest in the pursuit of the one that matters most. Beyond that, we don’t define a realistic, effective process for making progress towards our goals and overcoming obstacles.
The Solution: Get smart and focused about your goals. Decide that you’ll only work on ONE change at a time. Choose to focus your energy on tackling one goal at a time but you have to do more than just defining the goal. You need to establish what it will take to achieve the goal and then create a process that, when followed consistently, will take the guess work out of achieving your goals.
Practical Implementation:
Define the outcome you’re seeking
Name the performance required to achieve that outcome
Select one performance and define a process that will lead you to that performance
Being hungry sucks. Most times, in the face of hunger, my primary concern is FOOD, not quality of food. Hunger comes out to play and “willpower” goes out the window. Plus, my dieting history had me believing for a long time that losing weight meant being hungry all the time and constantly thinking about food. What a terrible way to go through each day! Fortunately, as I stopped dieting and lost 100+ lbs in a healthy, sustainable, anti-diet kind of way, I learned to control my hunger. I can honestly say that I never white-knuckle my way through hunger. Remember that hunger is a hormonal signal and we should aim to eat meals and snacks that keep hunger at bay. I don’t know about you, but I’m a much nicer person when I’m not hungry! It is TOTALLY possible to lose fat without being hungry all the time! Today I want to share with you 12 steps to reduce hunger. As always, keep in mind that you don’t need to implement all of these strategies at the same time! Pick one or two and try them out. Monitor how they work for you. If you find one that works, practice establishing at as a habit. Work on it every day. Once it feels effortless, then you can move on to tackling another fat loss strategy. Alright. Enough of the set up. Let’s dive into the 13 ways to curb hunger:
Eat more cruciferous veggies
I’ve written in detail about cruciferous veggies here and they are incredibly effective for reducing hunger and keeping it at bay. They are rich in both water and fiber so they quite literally fill up your stomach and in the process, they reduce production of the hormone ghrelin. Ghrelin is responsible for triggering feelings of hunger so when we decrease ghrelin, we keep hunger at bay. Veggies to focus on include brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage & cauliflower. One recipe I’m totally in love with right now is Nom Nom Paleo’s red cabbage slaw with carrot/ginger dressing. I’ll make a batch or two at the beginning of the week and grab a couple cups to eat with lunch and dinner and it keeps me full for hours!
Eat more fat
I know this recommendation can make people nervous. They think of dietary fat and shudder because it is “high calorie”. Keep in mind, however, that calories are a measure of the energy potential of a given food. So, the fact that fat has twice as many calories per gram as protein or carbs means that fat has twice the energy potential! Fat is a very energy dense, slow burning fuel source that can really help to keep you satisfied. When my coaching clients are struggling with hunger the first thing I’ll look to see is if they are eating those cruciferous veggies and then I make sure they’re getting enough fat. Easy ways to incorporate fat include adding egg yolks, avocado, grass fed butter, extra virgin olive oil, fatty fish like salmon or sea bass or high fat nuts like almonds or macadamias.
Include protein at most or all of your meals & snacks Protein is an incredibly satisfying macronutrient. Though it is less energy dense than fat, it doesn’t metabolize near as quickly as carbohydrates do. This slower metabolic process helps to really curb your hunger. Think about it: could you sit down and eat 5 chicken breasts? Doubt it! Could you eat 5 cupcakes? (Am I the only one nodding…?) If you have a big salad with lots of greens, cucumbers, tomatoes & avocado, don’t be surprised if you’re hungry shortly after. Similarly, if you have a blueberry muffin, you can expect to be hungry before you’ve swallowed that last bite! Include protein. This could include eggs at breakfast, beef jerky for a snack, or fish, chicken or beef at lunch or dinner. (Need specific meal ideas? Check out this podcast episode where I go through allllll my meal & snack ideas!)
Eat fewer carbs A while back I explained here how carbohydrates trigger hunger and cravings. They are a rapid-burning fuel source which can be great for fast energy but terrible for hunger and cravings. Ever had the experience of eating a big bowl of cereal (or two) for breakfast and feeling hungry almost immediately afterwards? That is an incredibly common response to carbohydrates but it can pull us into a vicious cycle. We eat carbs, we get hungry shortly afterwards, we eat more carbs, we get hungry again – over and over and over. In reality, we’re over-fueling but we’re never really satisfied. We can break free from this cycle and make a major impact on our hunger if we cut back on the grains, wheat, processed foods and even fruit and focus on those cruciferous veggies, fats and proteins. For more info on specific carbohydrate strategies for fat loss, hunger & cravings, check out the e-course here.
Backload your carbs Minimizing hunger and achieving fat loss does not mean going low carb or no carb. It also doesn’t mean mo’ carb, either!!! I don’t want anyone to read step #4 and think they need to go all ketogenic on me to burn fat. It’s just not true. There are, however, some smart strategies for carbs and fat loss. One of the most impactful ones is to backload your carbohydrates into the end of the day. Specifically, limit your consumption of carbs to your dinner time meal. If you’re going to have potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, fruit – pick one and eat it for dinner. In fact, I have 4 golden rules for carbs and fat loss. You can read all 4 here!
Eat more slowly Most of us don’t chew enough. We wolf down our meal and then think, “Aw man, it’s gone already? How’d that happen?” Slow down. Put your fork down between bites. Chew twice as much as you’re chewing now. It sounds silly but it works. And hey, it’s worth trying, right? Slooooooow down.
Get more sleep Just one night of poor quality sleep throws off our sensitivity to the hormone insulin. Just one night. Now imagine the impact of weeks, months or years of poor quality sleep. Insulin is the master fat loss hormone and has a huge impact on both hunger & cravings. Don’t fight the urge to sleep so you can stay up and watch a show. It isn’t worth it. Don’t schedule meetings or events that will keep you out late unless you have to. One of my coaching clients shared a quote the other day that I totally love: Consider it a luxury to go to sleep when you feel tired. So many of us fight the urge when we don’t have to for stupid things like browsing facebook or watching TV. Get to sleep. And if you can’t increase the quantity of your sleep, increase the quality. Here’s a comprehensive podcast episode all about specific strategies for improving the QUALITY of your sleep when you can’t change the quantity.
Stop the chronic cardio Traditional cardio workouts (jogging, aerobics classes – think moderate-high intensity workouts that are 30+ minutes in duration) elicit a hormonal response that can trigger hunger. They can also inhibit fat burning and and trigger cravings, but that’s a whole other conversation. If you are really struggling with hunger, I’d urge you to reconsider your workouts. Strength training and high intensity interval workouts do not create the same hormonal response and therefore most often do not lead to excessive hunger. If you want to understand how this works on a more detailed level, check out this podcast interview I did with trainer and author Shawn Stevenson. We talked about the types of workouts that don’t work (and why) as well as what is best for fat loss and hormonal responses like hunger and cravings.
Go for walks Leisure walking is such a great activity and one that most of us really under-estimate. I mean, really, just walking? That’s it? No huffing and puffing? No sweating? No hating my life while I cycle my heart out? Nope. Just a slow, leisurely walk. There are a million reasons it’s great for fat loss but most of the benefits come from the hormonal benefits it delivers. Leisure walking decreases cortisol, one of our stress hormones. We all live with stress, right? Work stress, financial stress, emotional stress…you name it, we’ve got it. When we manage our stress response, even with something as simple as leisure walking, it can have a major impact on our ability to burn fat and our hunger. Remember that hunger is a hormonal signal so when we balance our hormones, we manage our hunger. Go for a walk. 🙂
Watch out for artificial sweeteners While I’ll maintain that artificial sweeteners are not a big rock for fat loss (for most people) I’ll also argue that some people struggle with them more than others. If you find that you’re struggling with hunger and can’t really reel it in, check for artificial sweeteners. In some people they can really influence both hunger and cravings. This includes the more “natural” artificial sweeteners like stevia.
Eat mindfully This is very much tied to #6. Satisfying hunger is both mental and physical. Sure, you might have filled your stomach but have you satisfied your mental/emotional need to eat? If you’re eating while you watch TV, surf the web or work, you’re missing out on the mental and emotional satisfaction. This can lead to searching the pantry or fridge after a meal, even when you aren’t hungry, because you just need something more. Be really mindful. Be present while you eat. Pay attention to how the food tastes. This really does go a long way.
Skip processed foods I’m not trying to be a hater on the food industry but the reality is this: they pay a lot of money to food scientists whose job it is to make you want to eat more. These foods are designed to dissolve quickly in your mouth, metabolize quickly in your body and not trigger any satiety (fullness) signals. Seriously. I am not exaggerating. Millions of dollars are spent on making these foods both addictive and minimally satisfying. Why? So you eat more. So you buy more. It’s not you and your lack of willpower. It is food science and it is very real. If you find that you just can’t stop after 1 cookie or you’re hungry even after eating that handful of potato chips: let it go. Choose whole foods. These processed foods will work against you no matter how strong your will is!
There we have it! Plenty of strategies for you to choose from to help you curb your hunger! What do you think? Which one are you going to start with? Let me know which one you’re going to target and then check back and let me know how it’s going!
In this episode I’m answering the question “what do you eat for fat loss” and identifying the best foods for fat loss. We talk about meal ideas, recipes and how to adjust your meals to combat hunger, cravings and low energy. However, it is important to emphasize that the best foods for fat loss are fat loss friendly foods that YOU love. My favorite fat loss foods are irrelevant if you don’t love them. So while we’re talking about my favorite fat loss foods, this is only meant to be a starting point for you to cultivate your own list of fat loss foods so you can identify your unique best foods for fat loss.
Coconut milk (I used the boxed stuff, not the canned)
Salt
Chicken thighs (you can use breasts but thighs are more moist)
Chilis in adobo (canned)
Green chilis (canned)
Red onion
Garlic (fresh)
Cumin
Extra virgin olive oil
The first thing you need to do is marinate your chicken. I marinated mine for about 6 hours but nex time I’ll do it overnight for even more intense flavor. So, minimum: 6 hours. Maximum: overnight.
To create your marinade: Put the following ingredients in your food processor or high powered blender:
1 can of chilis in adobo
1 small can of green chilis
1/2 red onion (I sliced it a few times before adding it in)
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
Blend well. Once it is blended, add to the mixture 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil and blend again.
Place your chicken in a baking dish (or you can use a gallon size ziploc bag) and add the marinade. Let sit for AT LEAST 6 hours while refrigerated.
Alright – before chow time you need to make your cauliflower rice. Add your cauliflower florets to a food processor and pulse until it is shredded and a small, rice-like size.
In a large saute pan, add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. When the oil is melted and the pan is hot, add your riced cauliflower. Let that sit over medium heat, stirring occassionally for about 3-5 minutes. Then add:
The juice of 1/2 a lime
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup coconut milk
Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occassionally.
While your cauliflower rice is cooking, remove your chicken from the marinate and chop it into bite-sized pieces. Heat 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan and add the chicken, cooking thoroughly.
Top the cauliflower rice with your chicken, some of the sauce from the pan and garnish with avocado or guacamole! Enjoy the heck out of it! I certainly did!
PaleoIceCream– This one is so good I reserve it for once every couple of months
1 can of full fat coconut milk
5 pitted dates
1.5 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 vanilla bean (slice in half and scrape out the insides. Discard the pod)
1/4 cup enjoy life chocolate chips (or fruit/topping of your choice)
Place coconut milk, dates, almond milk and vanilla bean seeds into a high powered blender until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Place mixture in refrigerator for a couple hours. Once it’s cold, add it to an icecream maker and follow machine instructions. (I usually let it churn for 20 minutes). You can do this without an icecream maker by putting it in the freezer and stirring a couple times an hour, it just won’t be as creamy. It will still be delish!
Chocolate Avocado Mousse – I enjoy this a few nights every week!
1 ripe avocado (peeled and pitted)
2 teaspoons cacao powder (unsweetened cocoa powder is fine, too)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon stevia extract
1/4 cup fresh raspberries
Using an immersion blender, blend the avocado, cacao, vanilla & stevia. Top with raspberries. Feel free to add stevia or cacao until it meets your tastes. Some people prefer it richer/sweeter – these measurements are what works for me.
Baked Apple with Pecans – I enjoy this several nights each week!
1 large apple
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp stevia
1 tbsp butter
1 once pecans
Chop your apple into bite size pieces. Toss with cinnamon, vanilla & stevia. Put in small baking ramekin. Top with butter and pecans. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
Chocolate/Nut/Banana Chia Pudding – This could be breakfast or dessert, depending on what you add. If you do it for breakfast, omit any fruit if you’re looking for maximum fat loss.
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup almond or coconut milk (unsweetened)
1 tsp cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
1/2 ripe banana
1 tbsp almond or cashew butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Add all ingredients to a blender and mix well. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate overnight or for at least several hours. Don’t skip this step! The chia seeds need time to absorb the liquid.
(You could make this a mocha breakfast treat by skipping the banana and doing 1/2 cup coffee and 1/2 cup almond milk instead of the full cup of almond milk).
In this episode we’re talking about what omega 3 fatty acids are, which types of omega 3 improve our health and which ones don’t really move the needle. We go into the right and wrong types of foods for omega 3s and practical implementation strategies for really getting the true benefits from these powerful fatty acids! It is important to understand the truth about omega 3s, especially the fact that vegetarian sources of omega 3 do not deliver the health benefits we need. So many myths, so little time! Have questions about supplements? We’re talking about those, too! I’ll give you specific things to look for when buying an omega 3 supplement. Things you need to know! Hit “Play”!
The Problem: Generally speaking, we are wildly deficient in omega 3 fatty acids and consuming far too many omega 6 fatty acids. Why? Because we over-consume processed foods, wheat and grains which are rich in pro-inflammatory omega 6 fatty acids and we under-consume good sources of omega 3 fatty acids like fatty fish and grass fed meat. Plus, people get really confused about omega 3s. They are not all created equal. Vegetarian sources of omega 3s don’t contain the super healthy omega 3s – EPA and DHA. We need to target the EPA & DHA. Along the same lines, not all dietary supplements are created equal and just because you’re supplementing doesn’t mean you’re getting what your body really needs. Deficiency is linked to nearly all inflammatory diseases, ADD, ADHD, infertility, depression, vascular disease, hormonal imbalance and much more.
The Solution: We need to focus on increasing our consumption of particular omega 3s known to deliver powerful health benefits (EPA & DHA) while also decreasing our consumption of omega 6s. One without the other is not enough!
Practical Implementation:
Reduce consumption of processed foods
Reduce consumption of sugar and starch
Eat wild-caught fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring
Choose grass fed meats
Supplement intelligently, looking for supplements that emphasize EPA & DHA
The winner will be selected and announced on Friday April 10th via the Primal Potential Fat Loss FB Page. Sizzlefish will send you your fish the week of April 13th!
