There’s only one true diet hack, and I’m about to share it with you.
One word explains it all: CONSISTENCY.
Pictured above is what the overwhelming majority of my diet looks like on a weekly basis, regardless of my goal.
I credit that as one of the major reasons why setting and achieving new goals with my training and nutrition is relatively easy to accomplish.
Consistency is key, and I think you’ll find that to be true in most cases.
How do you get better at any one skill? Practice it over, and over, and over.
In terms of fitness or nutrition, we have a lot of great examples of consistency paying off. Most high-level athletes, for instance, have similarities.
Why do basketball players go through the same routine at the foul line? Why do kickers do the same before a field goal attempt? Why do baseball players step out of the batters box and do all the weird, random stuff they do in between pitches? Why do successful bodybuilders have their lives scheduled to a T?
They do this, because it presents a level of normalcy to the situation. With everything swirling around those high-level athletes in the moment (stress, unpredictability, performance, etc.) they can bring something normal and consistent into that situation by going through their routine.
Those successful athletes have hacked their diets, too. They’ve optimized them to be consistent and fuel performance. They’ve removed all guess work and simplified things.
Your diet should also be routine. That is, if you want to live a happier and healthier life.
Your diet shouldn’t be all over the place. You shouldn’t be pushing the extremes each and every day — dessert with every meal, snacks every night, pizza and alcohol every weekend. We’re just not designed to operate that way.
Every day doesn’t have to be a party when it comes to your nutrition. In fact, if you treat it that way it just takes away from those special moments when you actually should indulge in some type of food or drink that you love.
OK, so how do I do this?
Of those foods pictured above, white rice and meat are the nutritious base. I’ll get carbohydrates in to fuel my training and protein to assist in recovery. I’ll add to that cheeses and seasonings to liven up the meal. Sauces, too, if my available calories allow it.
Add in fruits and vegetables, and the majority of my calories are comprised of foods that are healthy and helpful (and they taste INSANELY GOOD!). I can go out on the weekend and have a meal that I love and not have to worry about it, because I know the rest of my diet is on point and that one meal won’t be the tipping point to send my diet off the rails.
If I want to build muscle, I’ll add in more rice, cheeses, fats, etc. but still build it within the same food choices. If I want to lose weight, I’ll simply remove those things, normally starting with carbohydrates.
The moral of the story here is to build a diet with a strong base of mostly whole, nutritious foods. It will set you up for future success. It will remove all the guess work and let you relieve yourself of diet stress.
Once you build that base, it becomes incredibly easy to manipulate your diet in order to make progress and hit whatever goals you may have.
So, this hack isn’t really a hack at all. We’re all looking for the magic solution. You know, the easy way out to achieve our goals.
It doesn’t exist.
The diet hack that truly works time after time is consistency. Consistency with the right foods.
Once you achieve that, you’re set up for loads of future success!
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If you’re interested in coaching to help streamline your nutrition and/or training, contact me and let’s talk about your options!
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CGF