Making decisions a bit easier

I’ve noticed something with myself and with clients that seems pretty straightforward but I thought I’d make mention of it here as this is something that can go overlooked, even though most of you will be nodding as you read this as if it’s nothing new and insightful.

When I have an excess of junk food in my home, especially in my immediate environment, my calorie consumption goes up.
When I have pre-made foods that are less calorie dense and/or highly satiating, such as grilled chicken, steamed vegetables, boiled potatoes, fresh or frozen fruit, my calorie intake goes down.

This all sounds pretty reasonable, right? I mean, if you’re surrounded by Halloween candy and cakes and brownies you’re much more likely to eat them. Conversely, if you’ve got some lower calorie, filling options readily available and they are convenient, you’re probably going to reach for those options especially if the alternative is to get in your car and drive to Five Guys to get your burger on.

Recognizing this (and doing something about it) is huge. It’s HUGE.

The nice part is, most of you can control your food environment to at least SOME degree.
Here are some things I find very important for most people:

1) Grocery shop on a regular basis. Twice per week is usually about right for most people but the bottom line is this – the first step to providing yourself with a food environment conducive to success is to make sure you have the available foods to do so. If you fail at this step, you are potentially making it harder to make good food choices.

2) To the best of your ability, make sure that hyper palatable, energy-dense food items (things we typically refer to as junk food) are less convenient and less visible in your environment. Don’t leave the chips out on the counter. Stick them in a cupboard that you don’t frequent often, or for some people it may be better to leave them at the grocery store.

3) To the best of your ability, make sure that satiating, lower-calorie food items are more convenient and more visible in your environment. For example, keep a fruit bowl on the counter that you can see when you walk into the kitchen.

4) Dedicate an hour twice per week for food prep. Prepare foods in bulk and portion them out so that you have foods that meet your calorie needs (diet friendly for lack of a better term) at the ready.

This is far from a complete list as there are plenty of other tactics you can use, but I find the above to be substantially important, and these are things that have a big payoff for minimal up-front work.

Often times your choices are heavily influenced by your surroundings. Take advantage of this and you might find yourself having a slightly easier time making decisions that align with your goals.