Smarter, not harder

Dieting sucks. You really want that pizza but you can’t eat it, you would kill for an ice cream Sunday but you’re 5 days out from your “cheat day” and you had one too many vodka’s at your sister’s wedding last weekend. What’s a builder to do? Try adding a buffer. A buffer food is a food that is just a minor deviation from a strict diet that you actually enjoy. Maybe peanut butter and bananas, a handful of nuts, or 2 squares of dark chocolate. Something that keeps you satiated while taking the edge off.

Eating clean is hard, you don’t want make it harder by making every food “off limits”. Making things off limits is like telling someone not to think about sex, now is the only thing they can think about. Most diets start off clean in the beginning and then are followed by a gorge on “off limit” foods the client was trying to avoid in the first place. Instead think about the foods you like that keep you balanced and stable in the long run.

A banana is a good example because it gives you just enough sugar to feel like a treat yet provides nutrients, keeps you satiated, and gives stable energy. When you choose whole, healthy foods as a buffer they usually make it easier to eat healthier later on in the day.

So go ahead, have that can of seltzer water, cup of cottage cheese, half an avocado, or nut butter with some apple, buffer foods will keep you on target with your goals longer than trying to grind it out. Just make sure none of your buffer foods are actually “trigger” foods that you can’t stop eating. For me, it’s popcorn. But for you it may be blueberries, be sure to take an honest inventory of foods you can implement with healthy control.

Let us know what your favorite buffer food is in the comments section below.