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Having trouble sticking to your wedding diet or worried that you will struggle with it around the holidays? Don’t! Today I’m sharing 3 tips for how to stick to that nutritional plan you’ve set in preparation for your wedding day. Before jumping into the tips, I would like to note that diets should always be healthy and should ultimately help you have a better lifestyle in terms of nutrition. After your diet is over, you need to focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle or you might just slip back to old habits!
1. Choose a Sustainable Diet and Plan Your Meals
In the past, I’ve tried a couple of different diets that were so restrictive that once I lost weight, I began eating like crazy and gained all or most of the weight back. Since June, I’ve been in a basic calorie deficit diet. That’s it. No keto (too hard as a vegetarian), no low carb, just low calorie.
If you’re wondering how to set a healthy calorie deficit goal, there are many online resources that can help you calculate this. They aren’t always 100% accurate, so I personally found it more helpful to visit my local Body Fat Test to have my body fat tested and be provided with a calorie goal. They are all over the country and will really help you get the results you’re looking for.
The way that I keep my hunger under control in a calorie deficit is by eating high protein foods that will hold me over until my next meal. Because I know that I need all the fuel I can get from my food, I make better food choices rather than binging on bread that’ll make me hungry after two hours. That, to me, is sustainable. I also make sure to somewhat plan my meals. Always keep healthy, low-calorie snacks around the house for when things get busy and you find yourself starving. My go-to is the light, chocolate Muscle Milk non-dairy protein drink.
2. Manage Your Sweet Tooth
Anyone who knows me knows that I love sugar. Seriously, it’s a problem. That’s part of why I’ve been eating less and eating healthier since June. Ensuring that my diet is sustainable, I love to include some sugar in my diet. Otherwise, I’d be miserable and would not have had the patience to stay on this deficit for so many months.
How do I manage my sweet tooth? Two words: Halo Top. If you haven’t heard of Halo Top, it is a low calorie ice cream that tastes delicious. HT comes in so many flavors that you can find at most grocery stores, including Amazon Fresh. I try to save up enough calories to eat 1-2 servings of Halo Top a couple of nights per week. My favorite flavors are chocolate chip cookie dough and oatmeal cookie. They are to die for and really help me feed my sugar cravings with a better alternative sweet.
Not a fan of ice cream? Find a low calorie treat that isn’t devoid of protein and at least has some sort of nutritional value to it.
3. Have a Cheat Meal
Notice I said “meal” and not “day?” Having a whole cheat day would destroy that calorie deficit you worked so hard to achieve.
My nutritional coach over at Body Fat Test San Diego says that one cheat meal per week will still allow you to remain in a deficit. He did stress that you shouldn’t take home leftovers. Go to town on that cheat meal and leave it there!
