When it comes to weight loss, watching what you eat is just as important as your workouts, if not more. It’s not just about eating less, but eating smart. Progress often stalls when you don’t eat smart. One of the key impediments to healthy eating is overeating. But it can be overcome with the right strategies that help you. From cutting back on reckless habits like drinking alcohol to reducing late-night cravings with simple strategies, it’s all about making small, sustainable changes.
Fitness coach Dan Go, who regularly shares fitness tricks and hacks on his Instagram, posted a video on June 18, breaking down 7 simple eating hacks that can help facilitate fat loss, reduce cravings, and make healthy eating feel a lot more doable.
Here are the seven eating hacks he shared:
1. Say no to alcohol
Even if the post-dinner alcoholic drink may feel tempting, it’s seriously sabotaging your fitness goals. From throwing metabolism off balance to poor sleep, alcohol puts your health at risk.
Dan said, “Avoid drinking alcohol, it is literally negative calories. It ruins your sleep and makes you hungrier while lowering your energy and focus for the next day. Trying to lose fat while drinking alcohol is like trying to play a video game on extreme hard mode.” Moreover, with alcohol, junk food is often paired, causing you to overeat.
2. Hara hachi bu
The fitness coach shared a Japanese secret that is rooted in the concept of mindful eating. The practice involves eating only till 80% instead of completely aiming to feel full.
He explained, “There is a Japanese secret of getting lean, which is called ‘hara hachi bu’, which is eating only eight out of ten. So this means you are not going to be eating till you are stuffed. You are going to be checking in with yourself and making sure you are only eating to about 80% fullness. This helps to digest your food better, also helps for better energy, and it also helps you to unconsciously reduce the amount of calories going into your body.”
3. Brush immediately after dinner
If the temptation of late-night cravings is strong enough to make you forget your fitness goals and stick your head inside the fridge after dinner, it turns out brushing your teeth is one of the best defences against mindless snacking. Dan said, “If you have a problem with overeating at night, make sure you are brushing and flossing your teeth after dinner. This is one of the best ways to signal to your body and brain that you are done eating, and also, you are going to make it harder for yourself to put food in your mouth.”
4. Start the day with high high-protein meal to avoid late-night snacking
Another hack for avoiding late-night snacking may lie in how you start your day. As the saying goes, what starts well ends well, and the same applies here. A good breakfast can help curb those late-night cravings. He elaborated, “If you have a problem with snacking at night, it is probably because you didn’t get enough nutrition during the day. This is why one of my best recommendations is to start your day off with a high-protein, single-ingredient, nutrient-dense meal. This will regulate satiety and also your hunger at the end of the day.”
5. Have potatoes when craving carbs
While carbs are often cut back when you’re on a diet, potato is one kind that has earned a pass. The fitness coach added, “When you’re trying to lean out, use potatoes as your carb source. Potatoes are high on the glycemic index, and they are one of the best cutting foods, especially if you are craving carbs.”
6. Be a high-volume eater
It is presumed that when on a diet for weight loss, you eat less, but no, it’s all about eating right. Dan added, “This means volumising your foods with vegetables and fibre as much as possible. This is going to help you feel fuller after each and every meal.”
7. Drink soup or broth before meals
This hack is for managing the portions, and turns out soup or broth helps in achieving portion control. Dan said, “It’s low-key to drink a soup or a broth before your meals. Research actually shows that drinking a low-calorie, nutrient-dense soup at the beginning of a meal can reduce calorie intake by as much as 20%.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
