Let me introduce you to my client Aladdin…
He was “trying” to lose weight for 3-years, but nothing seemed to work.
He tried diet after diet and one exercise program after another…
He’d stick with it for a few weeks, lose a few pounds, and get excited. A glimmer of hope would sweep over him. “This time is going to be different”, he’d say.
Then a vacation would come along, he’d get sick, or some other bump in the road causing him to fall off the wagon…
Discipline and self-motivation were his two biggest enemies. They managed to crush his progress and rob him of confidence again, and again, and yet again.
With each failed attempt he’d gain back EVEN MORE weight. His levels of unhappiness and frustration grew bigger than ever, along with his belt size.
Approaching 200 pounds and 22% body fat, Aladdin was the heaviest he’s ever been. Looking at himself in the mirror, he reached his breaking point and he couldn’t take it any longer.
He refused to continue down this destructive path of frustration, anger, and unhappiness. After 3-years of talking about losing weight, “trying harder”, and falling for every quick-fix and supplement scam on the market…
Aladdin finally contacted me and we got to work. Fast forward a few months… Aladdin dropped 25 lbs., cut 8% body fat, slashed his waist size from a 35 to a 31, and lost 15-total inches off his body.
His confidence has exploded, he looks 10 years younger, and he’s finally the youthful, fun, energetic 40-year old man he always wanted to be. In his own words:
“Prior to Jackson’s program I was this guy that looked in the mirror and did not feel good about myself. My posture was terrible. I had this pot belly and I wasn’t the person I wanted to be.”
“Today, I’m that person that I visualized. When I look in the mirror I actually see myself because I actually became the person I wanted to be. It feels great because my posture has gotten better and I get stares… not just from women but from men too and that feels freaking great. I love it.”
You might think it’s all roses and butterflies from here on out… that Aladdin works out with effortless ease and eats the perfectly healthy diet every single day, but that’s not reality. Life is much more complicated than that.
Although Aladdin is doing better than ever, adding lean muscle mass and maintaining his weight at 165 lbs. it’s STILL hard work…
…and he sometimes falls back into unhealthy “bad” habits. Trust me, I’m not immune to it either 😉
For example, during our last video chat (I do these regularly with all my online coaching clients) Aladdin mentioned he’s been struggling with stress snacking. A promotion at work increased his workload, which increased his stress, and caused some unwanted stress snacking. And before Aladdin knew it, he was up 5 lbs.
We’ve all been there, but what can you do about it? The real question is: how do you conquer stress snacking once and for all?
Here are some tips I gave him on our call. These are easy, actionable things YOU can start TODAY:
1. Exit the environment
When you find yourself standing alone in the break room at work, in your kitchen at night, or even while sitting at your desk with a bag of Peanut M&Ms…
Get your ass out of there ASAP. Go for a walk. Talk to a co-worker. Call your mom. Email me. Go anywhere. Just. Get. Out.
Exiting your environment, chatting with a friend, or even taking a short walk outside will dramatically reduce stress. It will subsequently remove the urge to stress snack. This seems so obvious, but so few of us actually do this.
Remember, you don’t have to stay there and torture yourself. You don’t have to debate yourself and see how strong your discipline is…
You CAN leave the room. Exercise your right to exit.
2. Drink more water
Dehydration is easily and often mistaken for hunger. When you feel hungry, sometimes you’re actually just dehydrated.
The quickest way to cure yourself of dehydration is drinking more water. Duh!
Drinking water also helps your body detoxify itself, digest food, absorb nutrients, and lubricate the cartilage in your joints. Let’s not forget these fat loss benefits:
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- Drinking water helps you feel fuller for longer and prevents overeating.
- Drinking cold water knocks out hunger like a bare-knuckle Gypsy boxer.
This study shows how effective water consumption can be for weight loss. As fantastic as drinking water is, I must say I find it a wee-bit boring.
So, if you find drinking water a tireless bore on par with watching golf on TV, counting blades of grass, or watching paint dry…
Drink sparking water and try adding in a little flavor like Stur to spice things up. It’s much more fun that Plain Jane Water, which tends to be too much plain and not enough Jane for me 😜
3. Drink BCAAs
If you’re snacking not only because you’re stressed, but because you feel hungry — BCAAs are going to be your new BFF. You’re going to be all over BCAAs like stink on shit, white on rice, or a hobo on a ham sandwich. You two are going to be tight.
Branched Chain Amino Acids or BCAAs are like a silent assassin for your hunger. They breach the door in the middle of the night without warning like a Navy Seal warrior and have hunger “KIA” before he can ruin your diet.
I’m not going to get into the science behind why this works or even how it works. Like a secret Navy Seal op, don’t ask questions and just be glad it worked out.
For men, take 10g of BCAAs with 8 oz of ice cold water when hunger strikes. Women, take 6g with 8 oz of ice cold water.
4. Chew Gum
I’m not a big gum chewer, except when I’m cutting down for a photoshoot. But here’s the deal…
When you’re highly stressed, filled with nervous energy, and running a caloric deficit — it can be a recipe for disaster in the form of stress snacking.
Chewing gum will help you alleviate some of that nervous energy and give your mouth something to chew on that has ZERO calories and isn’t going to ruin your diet.
It’s simple. Almost too simple, but I promise it works. I’ve used it and many of my most successful clients have used it when cutting down on their way to six pack success.
5. Cleanse your environment
One of my favorite sayings is: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
This could not be more true especially when it comes to STDs, unplanned pregnancy, and of course — stress snacking.
Here’s the deal, if you don’t have any snacks or domino foods around, you can’t eat them. It’s that simple.
Domino foods are “snack” type foods especially in BIG bags that allow you to grab a handful at a time. These foods are DEFCON 1 DANGEROUS!
Get rid of them. Today. Right now, I’ll wait…
Okay, good.
In all seriousness, remove all bags of candy, trail mix, chips, popcorn, peanuts, and dried fruit from your office, kitchen, or break room. Throw them away, today. Do it. You won’t regret it.
Only keep these foods around in small individual packages, single serving sizes, or snack sizes. For example, I’d never keep a large bag of almonds or trail mix at my apartment…
…but you can bet your ass I always have individual bags of Trader Joe’s “Just A Handful” trail mix and raw almonds around.
Those are a much safer alternative. The physiological difference between grabbing another handful from a large bag, and opening up an entire new bag — even if it’s a small individual size — is massive.
It might as well be the Grand Canyon because you simply won’t do it. You’d grab another handful every day of the week and twice on Sunday, but you won’t open another bag even for a small bite.
If your faith in me is lacking, read Mindless Eating. It’s the first book I send all my Online Coaching Clients. And it’s the only diet book I recommend other than my own books, of course.
6. Greek Yogurt + Protein (Cacao, Cinnamon)
Picture this, it’s late… just before bed.
Your stomach is rumbling despite eating all your calories for the day.
You’re feeling stressed because you didn’t get enough done today, or you’re dealing with personal problems, or you just went on social media and now you feel like a loser because all your friends are so much richer and more successful… AHHHH!
The only thing you want to do right now is shovel chips in your mouth until you quiet your stomach, calm down, and feel like you have control back over your life again…
…but instead, try a heaping spoonful of Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt, your favorite protein powder, 1 Tbsp Cacao Powder, and 1/4 Tsp Saigon cinnamon. It’s a nice little sweet treat that’s low in calories and will curb your cravings without expanding your ass in all the wrong ways.
Pro Tip: Chocolate protein powder mixes terribly with Greek Yogurt, oatmeal, and just about everything else. Vanilla powders mix much better. Go with vanilla over chocolate and add Cacao Powder to get the chocolate taste.
There you have it, my Top 6 Tips To STOP Snacking.
If you’re tired of struggling with snacking, or you’re just sick and tired of not looking, feeling, and acting like your best self…
Let’s jump on the phone and chat. On this call we’ll find out what’s *really* holding you back, get clear on your goals, and outline a game plan for success.
==> Book Your Fitness Strategy Session Today
It will be the best 45-min you’ve ever spent on YOU and YOUR goals.