Do you feel like you are too busy to eat "good" or "healthy"? Do you feel like you always end up eating some random unhealthy sh*t because you are on the run, late or simply don't have time?
In this blog post I want to show you how you can make the best out of the limited time you have, and how you can improve your diet even if you are not at home to cook 95% of the time.
I will give you five tips, two mindset tips and three practical tips.
The mindset is the foundation for success with fitness and dieting, that's why we will start with that:
Tip #1 - It doesnt have to be perfect to be good. Perfect is the enemy of good.
So important: You are on your way once you make an intentional decision towards something that is better - just 1% better than what you ate yesterday. And the moment you make a better decision, you are on the way.
It doesn't have to be the best healthy meal or salad ever. It doesn't have to be AMAZING to be good - or to be better than yesterday.
The only goal for your nutrition in the long run: keep moving towards the better direction, and not towards the worse. Thats's it. it doesnt have to be perfect, just a little bit better than before, that is enough.
This is so important for busy people.
When you are running around all day, stressed out, you feel like you do not have time to work on your diet or your health and fitness.
But you do. This is what I am trying to explain here.
What you think is: "I have to eat 3 healthy meals containing veggies and chicken breast, and no more carbs after 6pm, or it is not healthy."
Wrong. That is black or white thinking and perfectionism. It can be good, even if it is not perfect.
Maybe yesterday morning you ate two bowls of cinnamon toast crunch for breakfast because you were in a hurry - yes, that is not perfect. But if you had two bowls of cinnamon toast crunch and today you only had one, then that is actually good - it is a small improvement!
Once you make an intentional decision for the better (doesn't matter how small), realize it as such and celebrate it. Im not saying throw a party because you ate an apple this morning, but be aware that this it what it is about. Be happy about the progress, even if ist small. You are on your way now.
An example: If you and your colleges always order pizza, and for some reason that is your only choice you have for lunch break, then think about how you can make a better decision: If you always order that big cheese pizza, could you go for the small one? That would be an improvement already.
Or go through the menu, see if they have one with some veggies on there, maybe some tuna, or a special low carb pizza. Just do something to improve a little bit. If you normally drink soda, drink a goddamn light soda.
Ask yourself:
What tiny thing could I change now that would make the decision a little bit better?
Even if you have very little time, this strategy helps you make continuous progress and it is do-able. And that is the most important thing.
Alright so now we know that shit doesn't have to be perfect, and that we just have to make an intentional decision towards the better direction to be on our way.
Tip #2 - Big success and long-term changes in your body-composition and lifestyle are made up of a lot of small changes over time.
I will repeat it, it is that important for fitness: Big success and long-term changes in your bodycomposition and lifestyle are made up of a lot of small changes over time.
You want a sixpack from now on for the rest of your life? Start with one tiny improvement every day. This is the only way to create results that last.
Every diet program that claims to give you a beach body in 6 weeks is lying to you, it might work for the short-term BUT NEVER in the long run.
There is no way around this method.
There are no shortcuts to a healthy lifestyle and a lean and powerful physique.
So many people say that they want to eat better but don't know how, or have no time. This is how. Make these tiny tiny improvements over time and keep going.
What I am trying to do here is motivating you to be patient. If you are a busy person, I assume you are ambitious. You have goals. That means you are patient. Apply that patience to fitness.
So keep doing what we talked about in tip number one. Make one better decision every day, and it doesn't have to be perfect.
Eat a banana instead of a chocolate bar. Eat one cookie less. Order a regular coffee with milk instead of a triple pumpkin spice peanutbutter latte with fucking double caramel topping. Just examples.
Realize that you are already on your journey. Even if these are small steps. Celebrate the small improvements, because they are part of the journey.
Keep going, just a small thing every day, and watch the small changes add up to big results over time.
Alright these were the mindset tips - now we move to the practical tips, covering what foods to eat, why protein matters, and what places you should eat at and why.
But to be honest, this was the most important part. Believe it or not, the mindset you have is way more important than the actual information about something.
If just more information was the key to success, we would all be billionaires with sixpacks.
Information is everywhere for free. You can learn anything on the internet. What actually matters is the mindset, it will make you take action over and over again, every day. It is what keeps you going and what triggers the right behavior.
Now to the practical tips:
Tip #3 - The right food at the right time
If you are busy your day is super hectic, it feels like making healthy choices is out of your control - it feels impossible.
Prioritize breakfast
In the mornings though, when we are at home before work, this is where we still have control. Prioritize the time in the morning. Nobody will interrupt you at 6 am when you are in the kitchen in your underwear. This is a great place to start.
Start with a solid breakfast. Eat something with protein and also fiber, so you won't get hungry so fast later in the day. By starting the day with a good breakfast, you also create positive momentum. It is a positive start that will help you make the better decisions later in the day.
A quick and healthy breakfast
A quick thing to have in the morning is a shake. If you have a blender, this is a great option. You can throw in a lot of unprocessed foods like oats, fruits, chia seeds, flax seeds, bran, spinach, and for protein use greek yogurt or protein powder. Frozen fruits are als amazing for a tasty ice cream-like consistency. Shakes taste amazing.
Especially important are the oats, flax seeds and bran, because this adds a lot of fiber and complex carbs, which will keep you feeling full for hours.
(If you haven't seen my video about the TOP 5 weight loss foods, click here!)
A light lunch
The lunch should be light. You are busy, you have appointments or in general a lot of things to do, so stay on the lighter side. Heavy meals will make you feel tired and sluggish. If you wanna avoid that afternoon slump, consume a less fatty lunch, or in general a lower calorie lunch.
When you are a busy person you don't have a lot of time to rest & digest. A fatty meal is gonna sit in your stomach like a rock, and you don't want heartburn. Also low fat meals have a lower caloric density - so more food & less calories.
We talked about improving things step by step, so you could start with simply looking for lower fat options of foods, that you usually pick. If you eat a sandwich, pick something with less sauce or less cheese. Maybe something with grilled chicken breast instead of fried chicken. Instead of burger, you could pick a wrap - or whatever you are willing to do to get started with.
It should feel do-able, but it should be an improvement.
Keeping it light also means eating more unprocessed foods. They are lower in calories. So pick meals that include veggies. Everything with more veggies will make you feel fuller for longer.
Also when you eat a lighter lunch, you save calories for later, you could potentially eat more for dinner when you get home.
Snacks
For snacks in between i would recommend fruit, any fruit you like, and maybe combine it with a greek yogurt for protein - a great combo.
If you you would normally go for something like candy, go for a protein bar instead, there are many different ones out there, and it is usually a lot better than a snickers. Pick the a bar that is low fat and high in fiber. Best would be to buy that beforehand if possible and bring it to work. Limit yourself to one snack before lunch and one afterwards.
If you have cravings, drink zero calorie sodas, they can kill cravings very easily. And in general: try to drink water whenever you have time, that also makes you less hungry.
To sum it up:
Start with a solid breakfast that keeps you full for long that has fiber and protein, then keep it light for lunch. In between bring small snacks like fruit and protein bars.
Tip #4: Focus on including a lean protein source
Busy people end up grabbing something convenient as their meals and snacks most of the time, and usually that is low in protein.
And if it has protein, it is usually something with a lot of fat also, like a Cheeseburger.
Lean protein is what gets lost when you live a busy lifestyle and you don't really focus on it. It is so important if your goal is to get fit and lean. Protein is essential to maintain and build muscle mass. Not enough protein means loss of muscle. And especially when you wanna lose weight you need that protein.
(You can also click here to watch my video about protein, where I explain the benefits of a high protein diet as well as how much protein you really need to build muscle.)
Other benefits of protein are a satiating effect, and when we are busy we want to eat meals that help us stay full for as long as possible.
So pick foods or meals that contain a lean protein source. Could be a high protein dairy product like greek yogurt or cottage cheese, something with chicken breast or lean beef, pork or turkey, or a meal that has some beans and lentils, peas or light tofu. The protein helps you maintain your muscle mass, feel full and get sexy.
Tip #5: Make better choices at the restaurant (or grocery store)
If you go to a restaurant on your lunch break, here are some tips:
Italian restaurant:
If you get pasta, the best thing would be pasta with no oil or only little oil, a lean protein source like chicken or shrimp and some veggies.
If you are getting pizza, same rule: pick one with veggies and shrimps for example, and get one with only a little cheese.
Best thing would be a salad, but again, make sure to include a protein source and don't drown the salad in a fatty sauce.
Asian restaurant:
Best thing to get here would be steamed veggies, chicken and rice. Avoid creamy sauces or really oily noodles.
If you go with sushi, avoid the ones with a ton of creamy sauce and avocado to limit calories. The best ones are simply sashimi and nigiri.
If the places don't have the perfect options available, keep in mind: it doesn't matter, just go with the best option available, and it is a win.
This is a marathon, not a sprint.
There is a lot of room in between the worst option and the perfect option, relax and just try to move a little bit towards the better side.
If you are not going to a restaurant and you just have to grab something really quick, then I would simply go to a grocery store, sub or sandwich shop or bakery.
Grocery store:
The great thing a bout a grocery store is, they are everywhere obviously and you can pick your own stuff. Healthy options are always available.
What I do usually: I a get a ready-to-eat salad, a piece of fruit and a protein bar. For protein you can also get a low fat greek yogurt.
Get a coke zero or something similar that will satisfy your cravings for something sweet (if you have that).
And if you go for other ready to eat snacks at the grocery store (or in the worst case a gas station), pick the one with the lowest amount of fat and the highest amount of protein. Always compare the labels.
Bakery or sub-/ sandwich shops:
Another quick option are bakeries or sandwich shops, where you can pick a sandwich or sub with veggies, a lean protein source and a low fat sauce.
Limit cheese and fatty sauces, pick whole grain bread and go with a lot of veggies.