If you’re the type of person that starts out all gung-hoe and quickly loses steam after a few months in; you should follow these simple tips for dieting as well as overall motivation no matter what your end goal is. Consistency and hard work do pay off and it’s important to make that as easy as possible in your quest to getting the shredded physique you desire!
Staying on task
If you aren’t keeping track then you will likely lose sight of your calorie intake, muscles trained, or even the motivation to still go to the gym. There are countless resources out there today that can help you keep track of your workout, caloric needs and goals. Most are even free so there is really no excuse! Download an app on your phone, grab that old notebook out of your drawer, or join a website or forum with a strong motivating and knowledgeable community. Seeing the information logged in front of you helps to track progress and limit the amount of guessing that you are probably guilty of doing now.
Guilty Pleasures
It’s important to reward your hard work with the occasional cheat meal. We even recommend that you have a scheduled cheat meal once a week as long as it’s nothing over the top like 3,000 calories of cheese cake. By depriving yourself of all the foods you love, it will only make you want them more. Portion out ahead of time certain foods that you can’t live without and allow yourself that guilty pleasure. Healthy fats are your friends and by limiting all fats you are risking becoming lethargic, and other health detriments from doing so.
Pass the Enriched
An old saying goes, the darker the color the better it is for you. And that holds true for breads, vegetables and pasta. Next time you are at your local supermarket picking out things for the week, choose whole wheat pasta instead of refined or white. This includes bread as well. 100% whole wheat is going to be very close in calories to white bread but with much more fiber. The fiber is going to keep you fuller longer, often resulting in becoming full on a smaller portion size. Give wheat a try because whatever misconceptions you may have heard, it’s very similar in taste as well! Not feeling starved all the time is sure to increase your motivation to sticking with your routine.
Support, Support, Support
Sometimes being your own source of support and motivation just isn’t enough. Engage in a forum; get your significant other to join with you, an office buddy or even someone you just met at the gym. If you constantly feel like skipping your workouts, a gym partner is the perfect solution to get you back on track by asking you, “how bad do you want it!”
