Get an answer to YOUR #1 Fitness Question (and see some answers)

January 14, 2021 Joey Dussel

👋 Hello and welcome! Thanks for taking the time for today’s post. Today we have a response I created to a follower’s #1 Fitness Question. I think it’s very relevant info that will be useful to many people so I have copied my answer here.

#1 Fitness Question

For years I have offered to “answer your #1 biggest fitness question” and created a simple form for collecting questions. Ask anonymously and I’ll share the response on social media, or include your info and I’ll message you directly.
Here’s the link: https://forms.gle/EzwNosWrLdD9NkGk7

Now, on to the question and response!

Hey great question! First of all kudos for sticking with it over a year!! Slow and steady and stick with it for life!

It's common for people on health & fitness routines to want to snack, particularly if they have recently increased their physical output (activity or exercise). Your body just kicks your appetite up a bit because it senses you're 'spending' a bit more.

At the end of the day, when willpower is spent, it's easy to go off plan.

You can do 'harm mitigation' by making lower-caloric-density snacks more easily accessible. Or, my recommendation, you could plan your snacks out a bit to make it easier to stay on plan on the non-snack nights. I like to have a 1-3 'free' options per week where I have a snack or treat. Knowing I have those special free meals planned helps me stick on the other nights.

This might not be the right approach for everyone (take caution if you have a history of disordered eating), but it works well for me and (full disclosure) I'm a personal trainer who have helped a lot of people with this.

"Free" meals are when we relax our focus on food. For most people, this means larger portions, snacks, or more sweets/treats. These Free Meals are best to do on social events or special occasions because then we can enjoy our foods AND friends. A lot of people get in this bad loop where they have ice cream solo on Wednesday then feeling guilty when having cheesecake on Friday with friends.

Just knowing we have that Friday event to look forward to can help to not go off-plan on Wednesday night. At the start of the week, plan your meals for max enjoyment, and use that to your advantage to stay on your plan.

So use a 4x7 grid to put marks on any of the meals that you know should be Free Meals in the next week. Once you see which meals are your Free Meals then you should make sure that you are going to be able to eat healthy for the other meals. I recommend that you stick to 3 Free Meals or less per week. Three meals equate to about 15% of your meals for the week if you eat three times per day.

For your snacking, you may find success with planning your week in advance; choosing your best, most enjoyable snack nights, and then sticking to it and feeling successful with a sustainable achievable routine.

I personally kind of like that hunger feeling when I know I'm doing the right things (AKA working out and eating right) because I know it's means I'm in that slight caloric deficit I was trying to create. In a sense, the sensation is notifying me I'm hitting my target.

Sometimes that craving gets overwhelming though! I find that if once I 'break the seal' it's hard to stop. That's just me though! Some people can successfully have 1-2 bites of ____ and then stop. Not me! I know myself enough to know I shouldn't even start. So in those moments, I tell myself that I will absolutely have the snack/treat/cheat but not until tomorrow. Usually this mental commitment is enough to tide me over for the night so I don't go off plan; and by the next day I have renewed will power, or I'm one day closer to my next free meal.

See more of my responses to FAQs and submit your own #1 fitness question!