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Have you ever gotten great results with a diet and workout program then, all of a sudden, you just didn’t have the willpower to continue? It’s not just you. We’ve all been there.
Overtime at work, long commutes, telling your friends you can’t hang out because you have to write a report, etc. all drain willpower. The issue is, we tend to think of these stresses as individual instances rather than events that continuously add on top of each other.
In reality, all these things pull from the same well of willpower. Sooner or later, the well will run dry and you’re going to quit on whatever it is that’s requiring your willpower at the time. When you think about it this way, it’s no wonder why you gave up on your last attempt at dieting. After all, completing that project at work on time is way more urgent than dieting.
I understand what you’re going through. Rather than trying to convince you of the importance of improving your diet so that you’ll try harder, I’m going to help you improve your diet by making it easier and less draining on your willpower. Simply follow these strategies:
Batch cook your meals.
Prepare your lunches for work before the week begins! This is the absolute easiest way to make sure you don't choose to eat a 1,500 Calorie combo meal at your nearest fast food joint. You're probably cooking dinner most nights anyway. It's just as easy to go ahead and cook enough food to last for a few days' lunch as it is to cook for just dinner.
Take an extra 10 minutes to portion out meals into individual containers to take to work or school and you're golden. You probably spend over 10 minutes scrolling on social media anyway.
If you like to snack during the day, no problem. Make sure you have low Calorie snacks on hand. Throw some carrots or a mini bag of light butter popcorn in your lunch box as you leave the house.
Log meals ahead of time.
This goes hand-in-hand with the first tip. If you’re eating the same thing for lunch tomorrow as you had today, go ahead and log it in your Calorie tracking app of choice. If you have a meal ready for you in your lunch box and it’s already logged into your app, it will greatly decrease the odds of you going off the plan and eating fast food.
Keep temptations out of sight.
I’m a big advocate of moderation. You shouldn’t deprive yourself of foods you like while on a diet. That would be a drain on your willpower. However, if you don’t do well with moderation, don’t keep junk food in the house. It’s hard to be tempted by something that isn’t there.
Make veggie prep easy.
Do you have a hard time finding the time and energy to prep and cook fresh vegetables? If this is you, opt for more convenient options such as canned or frozen instead. If you're concerned about the micronutrient profiles of your foods, don't worry. Studies have actually found that frozen and canned veggies have similar micronutrient densities overall. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Use the slow Cooker
If you don’t have time to stand over the stove and keep an eye on the food that’s cooking. Use a slow cooker. Throw your ingredients in the pot and let it sit. If you're looking for a great slow cooker recipe to start with, I LOVE Santa Fe soup.
Takeaway
These strategies will make life easier and save you time, reducing the strain on your willpower reserves. Is there a strategy you like to use to make life easier when dieting? Let me know in the comments!
Thank you so much for reading! If you found this information helpful and want to help the Treadaway Training blogcast grow, simply share this post with a friend. If you like what I have to say, sign up below to become a Treadaway Training insider or check out my YouTube channel. I will be back here Saturday with another body transformation topic. As always, God bless you AND your family and I'll see you Saturday.
