As humans, we’re creatures of habits, yet we’re often unaware of them. I reckon that if we’re a little more aware of them, many of our problems would be resolved.
Eating habits are one of them, whether that’s what we eat, when we eat, how much, and where we eat. There are so many triggers that can set us off, it’s unreal.
Let’s use myself as an example:
- I’m not hungry in the mornings.
- Finishing workouts sets off my hunger.
- My biggest meal is usually in the evenings.
- Whenever I head to my mother’s, I want snacks (if you didn’t immediately think about that ‘snacks’ meme, we can’t be friends).
- The weekends are usually when I don’t eat the greatest or I eat considerably more than usual.
To be fair, there are a few in there that you probably think, ‘That’s me,’ and that’s because most people have similar eating habits, eating more in the evenings and on weekends.
This is where this little trick comes into play.
With my clients, I usually say we consume our calories like we spend our money, with different amounts spent each day, more on some days and a lot more on others, and spent at different times throughout the day.
Now, we can’t 100% do that because calories aren’t money, but they’re fuel for our everyday activities and workouts, and we need to make sure we’re fueling and reserving from them. However, we can take note of our spending habits and make a plan.
So, let’s say you naturally follow this habit where you eat more in the evenings and on weekends. In that case, we can save up calories for those moments/days. Let’s say you eat 2000 per day, 7x 2000 for the week = 14000 calories, no calculation needed. Now, we would probably split them evenly, and there’s still nothing wrong with that, as I still do that and it works for me. But if it comes to the weekends and you eat 3000/4000 on Saturday (which can easily happen), it would mean that by the time it’s Monday, you’ve only got 6000 calories till Friday again (1200 per day), which doesn’t sound fun. Now, if you would take into consideration that and allow yourself 2500 calories on the weekend, that would leave you with 9000 calories (1800 per day), which seems a lot better, doesn’t it?
Do you see what I’m trying to say? Allowing yourself wiggle room with your calories can allow you to enjoy yourself and still stay on your goals.
Regarding daily distributions, if you’re not a big breakfast eater, then don’t have a big breakfast unless you’re training in the morning. Push back your breakfast and have more calories later within the day. Then, you can enjoy a bigger meal in the evening, which is always better.
A bonus tip for you guys, and it’s more of a task: Grab a piece of paper and write down your eating habits. Look at your food diary and start taking note of what times you’re eating and how much you’re eating. Then, take note of when you get hungry after you eat certain foods, after certain activities, and what sets it off, whether that’s location, a certain food, or an emotion (the last one is a big one). Lastly, add how full you felt throughout the day. If you do this, you’re one step closer to becoming a master of your eating habits.
