Don’t Be Tempted by Fast Food: Easy Tips to Keep Eating Healthily

It’s a common scenario. A woman goes to the gym and does her full body workout religiously. When she can’t get to her gym, she bikes or walks. In the exercise arena, she’s doing everything right. There’s just one thing getting in the way of her weight loss success: junk food.

Fast food, processed snacks, sweets—they can all derail even the best laid weight loss plans.

Research shows, a healthy eating plan is as or more important than regular exercise as part of a comprehensive weight loss plan for women. In order to achieve your goals, you must get both parts right. Not only does a healthy diet keep you on track with your weight loss goals, it will also give you the energy to help you sustain workout routine. ¹ The best way to control yourself with these foods is to avoid giving into the cravings that spark us to go out and buy them in the first place. Instead, stock your environment with tasty, healthy snacks. ²

Here are some tips:

Get ready to eat clean.

If you’ve been eating a lot of fast foods and other unhealthy items, your body is used to them. Research shows, you will have to go through a sort of detox process to switch to a healthy eating plan. All the more proof of how toxic and addictive these foods really are. Keep this in mind as motivation as you eliminate junk foods and replace them with healthy snacks and meals. ³

Stop equating a diet plan with deprivation.

Trying to lose weight doesn’t mean you have to stay hungry, and healthful foods can taste great. Problem is, a lot of us have trained our palates to get used to the sugar and fat in fast and processed foods. After you detox yourself, you will start to realize how delicious fresh, healthy foods can be. Strawberries, raspberries, almonds, dark chocolate (yes, a little is good for you!)—these are healthy snacks that taste really good and serve fewer calories than the chips, cookies, or crackers you might eat instead. ⁴

Trounce on triggers.

Some women turn to processed and fast foods in the face of stress; others eat it during certain occasions or times of the day. And sometimes, a food aroma or ad on TV can spark cravings for a food that is less than a good part of a weight loss eating routine. Do what you can to avoid the triggers for your cravings, and you’ll be one step closer to making them completely go away. ⁵

Try mind over matter.

In a 2013 study, researchers found people wanted the food they craved less when they thought of that food in a negative light. Some of the tactics included looking at the food and thinking that they felt really full, picturing someone sneezing on the food, and contemplating having a stomachache after eating the food. ⁶

Plan meals ahead of time to simplify a healthy eating plan.

With all the shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables, chopping, and dicing, healthy meal plans for women can be intimidating. But with a little planning, you can get into a rhythm that will make it a snap.  Here are some tips:

• Make a specific list of your meals for the week, with ingredients. For example, Monday is stir fry with broccoli, snow peas, tofu, and carrots, Tuesday is tacos with ground turkey, tomatoes, lettuce, and brown rice, etc.
• Choose simple recipes. Try to choose meals that are simple to make and easy to store and reheat. Vegetable chili, veggie and chicken kabobs, and whole wheat lasagna with ground turkey are a few good examples.
• Double up. As you make up your healthy eating plan, try to use ingredients you can use more than once. Make a roasted chicken one night, then use the leftovers for chicken burritos or noodle soup the next.
• Set aside time for food prep. Maybe it’s two hours on Sunday afternoon, or early Monday morning to get you going for the week. Schedule time to chop vegetables, separate lean meat into portions or burgers, and pack healthy snacks. Put on music or a favorite TV show to make it more fun.
• Double or triple your recipes. You’re already in the chopping mode, so why not make extra? Freeze meals if you don’t want to eat the same thing too many nights in a row.
• Invest in a crock pot. There are lots of healthful soups, stews, and recipes you can make in a crock pot as part of a diet plan for women. Throw the ingredients in in the morning, turn it on, and come home to dinner! ⁷

Stock up on healthy foods.

The more healthy snacks and meal ingredients you have lying around the house, the less likely you will be to root through the pantry for those stale potato chips. Cut up a watermelon and leave it in the fridge for easy snacking. Keep baby carrots and hummus on hand. Spinach, raw nuts, cooked brown rice—there are endless tasty options as you follow a weight loss plan for women. ⁷

Count on Curves.

If you are a member of Curves Nutrition Program, you will get a personalized weight loss meal plan just for you that goes hand-in-hand with your strength-training and cardio workout routine. The healthy eating plan is easy to follow, flexible, and satisfying. Plus, your Curves Coach will be there, in-club or online, to help hold you accountable to the goals you set. During your weekly virtual group coaching sessions, you will have your Curves Coach to keep you on track and the support of women from all across the globe cheering you on!

Sources:

1. Study: exercise is more critical than diet to maintain weight loss
2. Dopamine D2 receptors in addiction-like reward dysfunction and compulsive easting in obese rate
3. Development of the Highly Processed Food Withdrawal Scale
4. Trying to lose weight? 20 delicious (and healthy) foods and drinks to fill you up
5. 3 Tips for Resisting Unhealthy Cravings
6. Piece of cake. Cognitive reappraisal of food craving
7. Advanced Meal Prep Tips and Tricks