The moment "Diet Hacks" are mentioned, my assumption is almost always that what will follow will be total BS. If you have that reaction, I get it.
However, sometimes, people resist Diet Hack BS so hard that they propagate oversimplified messages; "it's just calories", "calorie deficit is all you need", "just eat healthy", etc.
Hacks exist, and here they are...
1. Activity First, Training Second
Training is very important. However, when it comes to fat loss,
being a generally active person is number one. We say this so often that I think people miss the impact this can have. If you go from being the person who trains for 45-60 minutes per day with little other activity to someone who goes for a morning walk, stroll at lunch, and a night-time walk or active chores, play, etc., your energy expenditure will be way up.
I have had many periods where, whether due to commuting or being physically challenged with work I was doing, it was genuinely easy to lose fat, and in some cases I was eating what seemed like a calorie surplus. You can take action on this by walking the dog more, doing light physical activity outside of training,
heading for a swim, and more.
2. Tasty Drinks
These days, there are Zero variations of pretty much every soft drink. You can also find water flavourings of all kinds, flavoured sparkling water, zero calorie energy drinks, and more. People are often hesitate to drink these sweetened beverages, but they can really be your best friend
when dieting.
We adapt to flavours quite quickly, and if you are always having Coke Zero, the novelty can wear off. I recommend having 3-5 go-to beverages that you choose when you are
looking for something tasty without the calories, or a refreshment on a hot day. Pepsi Max, Pepsi Max Cherry, Fanta Zero, Fanta Lemon Zero, Monster Energy, Oasis, and sparkling water are my common go-to drinks. And, of course, black coffee.
By having these as an option when feeling peckish or just wanting a bit of flavour, it reduces the need for snacking, particularly those unplanned snacks that can derail your diet. It may not be an everyday event, and if you are looking to maximise dental health (use a straw to mitigate), drinking litres of Coke Zero probably isn't wise, but it is a trade-off that might be worth it for some when dieting.
3. Create Custom Recipes & Snacks
Don't worry, nothing too fancy here. All I am getting at is the fact that you can create custom meals or pre-prepped ingredients for meals that help you hit your nutrition targets and ensure good choices when you are busy.
For you, maybe it's protein you often struggle with. One easy fix to hit your protein and have it available at snack time is to have high-protein yoghurts at hand. Sometimes, I mix a few scoops of whey protein in with a 1kg tub of yoghurt, which is then in the fridge to add at meal times, or at
the end of the day when topping up protein.
Similarly, you can prepare a mixed bean salad, lentils and rice, veg mix, fruit salad, etc. that could be refrigerated to add to meals when you
are in a rush. This can act as a bonus to your meal prep. Often, people get lazy when preparing their vegetables or sources of fibre, so this can be a really easy way to ensure this is taken care of.
Other options here would be things like home-made beef jerky, protein balls, protein bars, or other snack foods to bring with you for your coffee break at work!
4. Eat Less When You're Not Hungry
It would seem like this is obvious, but trust me, it's not. Most people think they need to eat the same calories / macros
each day, or they may have even been told that eating too little will slow down their fat loss. This is not true.
Sometimes, there will be days, or times in the day, where you just aren't
hungry. You can use these times as opportunities to increase the size of the deficit or save those calories for another time. The former strategy will speed up your fat loss, and the latter will make the calories consumed more enjoyable since you are eating them when you are hungry instead.
While some people get carried away with this strategy and end up binge-eating due to excess restriction (e.g. save calories throughout the week, uncontrolled binge at weekend), we do see many people have great success with it. The important thing is to be honest with yourself, and if you know you have a propensity to binge-restrict, proceed with
caution.
5. Start & End Your Diet
Perma-dieting has been the killer of many successful fat loss efforts. This is that person that is seemingly always dieting, but has no start or end-date, and no specific goal in sight. This then leads to justified cheat days, off-weeks, etc., none of which are planned. These reactive diet "breaks" don't do
much for you psychologically, as they often feel like failure.
Instead, we recommend having a rough timeline. It doesn't need to be too rigid, but it might be something like: I want to
lose 5kg in 10 weeks, averaging 0.5kg loss per week. This then allows you to gauge whether or not you are on track. If, 4 weeks in, you have lost 3kg already, you can have a diet break, increase average calories, or simply adjust your timeline.
When there is an end in sight, it's easier to get through the hard days too. If you know for sure that you are just 4-6 weeks away from your goal, then a little hunger is bearable. If you have been perma-dieting for 3-years and constantly fluctuating around the same weight range, that hunger now seems less bearable since there is no end in sight and this seems like your permanent reality.
You Can't Hack Your Way Out
These are some of the so-called hacks that we find to be very helpful in our fat loss coaching practice. However, it must be said that there is no escaping hard work. At the end of the day, you need to be able to maintain a calorie deficit for an extended period of time, and no hack can get rid of hunger in its entirety or permit you to eat and drink what you
want.
