The healthy food habits to get lean fast
Adopt the healthy food habits New Body Plan creator Jon Lipsey used to shift 10kg of fat in just eight weeks and go from overweight dad-bod to Men’s Fitness cover model
Healthy food habits 1: Carry a snack
There are two things that are most likely to make you want to eat the kind of foods that you’re trying to avoid. The first is getting really hungry and the second is not being prepared. When you’re starving, you’re more likely to crave high fat and sugar foods because they provide lots of calories and an instant energy hit.
And when you’re not prepared (you didn’t prepare lunch, for example) you usually have more unhealthy options the you have virtuous ones. The answer is to always carry a healthy snack with you so you give yourself a chance of staying on track. Good healthy food habit options are either beef jerky or nuts because you can leave them in your bag for ages.
Healthy food habits 2: Get your grill on
If you’re looking for a really quick, healthy and tasty way of making dinner, do this; chop up a load of veg and whack it in a bowl. Add a small amount of rapeseed oil, seasoning and herbs and spices of your choice then mix it all together. Next, place your protein portion on a tray (any meat or fish will work well) then tip the veg over the top. Give it a bit of a shake so it is spreads evenly around the tray and place it under a grill. Turn after five minutes and serve after about 10-12 minutes, depending on what you’re cooking. It’s so simple and versatile and it tastes great. I’d usually serve this with a carb source (such as rice or potatoes) but when I got to the final block of the plan I ditched the carbs to control my calorie intake.
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Healthy habits 3: Double up
Whatever you’re cooking for dinner, make an extra portion that you can eat for lunch the next day. If you’re lucky enough to work from home or somewhere with access to a fridge and a microwave, you’ll have a delicious home-made meal. Even if you don’t have access to that, most dishes taste fine when they’re cold. Another option is to just double up on the protein source so you can chuck it into some Tupperware the next morning to form the base of a salad.
Healthy habits 4: Make smart swaps
One of my weaknesses before I started the plan was ice cream. It’s delicious, but sadly one 200ml bowl contains a whopping 560 calories and about 50g of sugar, neither of which are particularly helpful when you’re trying to make a big difference to your physique in a short space of time. One simple way I found of satisfying my sweet tooth was to eat natural yogurt and frozen fruit. You can either buy bags of frozen berries in the supermarket or you can chop up a banana and put it in a freezer bag to mix into your yogurt.
Healthy habits 5: Don’t rely on willpower
There’s a common misconception that successful healthy eating is about having strong willpower. You know – having the cast-iron resolve to pass up offers of beer, doughnuts or bacon sandwiches. The reality is that a successful transformation happens when you don’t rely on willpower. You see, the key is to adjust your life so that you reduce how often you need to use willpower (which is a finite source) to make a positive choice.
That might mean clearing out your cupboards before you start your transformation plan, or taking a slight detour to avoid the cafe you go to every day for a croissant on the way to work. It may even involve asking the colleague that you go to the pub with every Thursday for a couple of post-work pints to not ask if you fancy a swift one for a couple of months. Take the temptations that you can control out of your way and you’ll have more willpower in reserve to use when something unexpected arises.
To find your perfect transformation plan, take the New Body quiz!
Take the New Body quiz!