Blog Post

PREVENT IMPULSE EATING: HELPFUL HINTS

Kevin Kohan • May 30, 2017

It’s happened to all of us. You know the feeling - you are away from home running errands, or you are out late because you had to stay at work longer. And you realize that you are hungry. Not just a little hungry though. You haven’t eaten for hours, your head is starting to throb, and you can’t even think straight.

Bottom line: you have to eat. Now!

As you survey your options, you realize that getting something to eat that is even remotely healthy is going to be nearly impossible. But you have little choice, so you grab a burger or a salad with “grilled chicken.” (Do you have any idea how much that piece of ‘grilled chicken’ has been processed and soaked and manipulated and transformed before it arrives in front of you?) Or a small order of fries just to get you through.

And just like that you have put food into your body that will lower your immune response, raise your blood sugar, reduce your energy and contribute to weight gain.

It is a tough situation, and like I said, we’ve all been there. Sometimes you really do have to eat ‘right now.’ But over time, these eating emergencies add up and significantly impact your health and fitness achievement.


EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

The answer is to stop having eating emergencies, and I will show you how to do this. It does take some planning, but it isn’t as hard as you might think.

The first step is to make a list of healthy, on-the-go foods that you enjoy eating. Make sure that you include things with healthy fats, protein and carbs (if it’s around your workout time). When you are very hungry, you need to have all the macronutrients covered in order to get quick energy, satisfy your hunger and clear your brain fog. This does not have to be a complete meal, but it needs to be balanced enough to substitute for one if needed.

Here are some ideas to help you get started.

· Unsalted nuts: Walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts. (These will provide protein and good fat)

· Raw Veggies: They are crisp, juicy, cold and sweet and full of the micronutrients your body craves.

· Cheese: If you eat dairy, having a small slice of your favorite cheese will give you a complete protein, a little fat and be very comforting. Remember: the goal is to tame the beast inside you that is calling out for a hotdog from the nearest drive through window. This is a mental exercise as well as physical!


  • Nut butters. Cashew, almond, peanut...find your favorite. Almond butter is great on a banana; cashew butter is perfect on whole grain crackers. Go ahead and put 7-8 chocolate chips on top if you want. This is a tiny indulgence that will go far to settle your craving.

· Boiled eggs. Do you like cold, salted boiled eggs? They are a powerhouse of protein. Just be sure to get free range eggs.

· Sardines. Yes, you read that right. If you like fish, you can buy small packets of wild caught sardines that travel very well.

· Water. You have to drink water.

The second step seems obvious, but it has to happen if you are going to eliminate impulse eating: buy the food on your list . You have to get it in your house, so you have it when you need it.

The third step is to plan your food kit. This food has to travel with you, and you have to decide how you are going to transport it. The secret is convenience. If you only have five minutes to grab your kit on your way out the door before work, it has to be streamlined. Ideally you will leave yourself more than five minutes, but life happens.


Here are some tips to help you set up your food kit for ease and speed.

· Small cooler: Purchase a small cooler that will hold an ice pack and several other things. Keep this in your kitchen so you can grab it on the go.

- Plates, utensils, napkins. Whether you use paper/plastic or your everyday items, get a bag and put a couple of plates, some utensils and some napkins in it. You will use this same bag every time you use your kit, so it becomes a habit. It can be a plastic bag, a cloth bag or a paper bag. It doesn’t matter. The point is that you can grab this bag on your way out the door and know that it has what you need in it.

· Small storage containers or plastic bags. You need individual containers to put your food in. Don’t take the whole package of cheese or the whole bag of chocolate chips, because you will end up eating too much. Put one or two pieces of cheese in a container, and put only 7-8 chocolate chips in a bag. Toss some nuts in one container, some cut up fruit in another. Also, you don’t have to prepare everything in advance. In a pinch, you can eat a big bell pepper just like an apple! Just have a plan so you can get it fast when needed. Some things don’t have to be separately packaged, such as your nut butter. Just toss the whole jar in the cooler…if you can control yourself.

· A tote bag or duffle bag. This bag will be your “picnic basket,” so to speak. Stuff everything into it that does not go into the cooler.

· Water bottle. You need something to store a lot of water in.


NOW DO IT

You’ve done the hard part. You’ve figured out what foods will make you happy and help you through the emergency, you’ve stocked up on them, you have gathered what you need for transport and you have your water situation figured out.

All that is left is making it happen. You have to take the food with you when you leave the house. The first few times you do this, it will seem complicated and tedious. But eventually, you will do it with little thought. It will be habit. That is why using the same cooler, the same bags and the same water container every time is so important. You will likely even find you grab the same foods nearly every time—it’s just e

easier. And it has to be easy, or you won’t do it.

The happy result is that when you are out and realize you are hungry, you will not have to eat food from a

restaurant. You will have an assortment of health and energy promoting foods at your fingertips.



By Kevin Kohan 15 Mar, 2023
The AdvoCare 10-Day Reset™ provides the tools you need to jumpstart healthy habits, which is a huge focus for many during the new year. If you’re curious about the Reset, but want to learn more before taking the leap, we’ve rounded up a few of the top things we love about this system. Keep on reading to learn more! https://my.advocare.com/advocare-10-day-reset/?D=120922584
By Kevin Kohan 09 Nov, 2022
A strong immune system is important, especially in today’s climate. During seasons when we are more prone to illness, we often look for ways to help support immunity. Many studies show that a balanced diet combined with adequate sleep and exercise, effectively primes our body to fight infection and disease. Throughout the years, many foods have also helped contribute to living a healthy lifestyle. Incorporating some of these foods into the diet can help support our body’s immunity. So next time you’re headed to the grocery store, make a list, and power up your plate to include these nutritious foods. POWER UP YOUR PLATE
By Kevin Kohan 22 Sep, 2022
Many of us want to be able to run, jog, or walk a 5K… but the goal can often seem overwhelming and intimidating. But, what if it didn’t have to be? What if you could complete a 5K in as little as 2 Months? Well, now it IS possible! I put together a FREE 8-week Walk-Jog-Run 5K Training Plan just for you. It’s a step-by-step plan that can help almost anyone complete a 5K run in just 8 short weeks! Plus there are so many other reasons to ramp up your run/jog/walk game: Benefiting heart health Lowering your risk of disease Boosting energy Elevating your mood Improving better sleep Reducing stress Getting up off the couch and into your life! Excited to learn more? Grab your copy for FREE here >>
By Kevin Kohan 25 Aug, 2022
This month I’ve been talking a lot about next-level actions to get even better results from your fitness and health habits. You’ve probably noticed a theme: it’s all about the fundamentals. That’s because even the best ‘next-level’ actions won’t do much if you aren’t nailing your basics most of the time. But what if you ARE covering your basics and want to ramp things up even more? This is when you can turn into an exercise mad scientist to find your own “secret formula” for supercharged results. Your top tip for becoming a successful biohacker?
By Kevin Kohan 10 Aug, 2022
🔥 The only hack you need for your goals I’ve got some great info for you today that I wanted to share ASAP because it can make a huge difference in your results. Every few days, someone will ask me what I think about some trendy fitness or wellness topic … things like fasting, supplements, a new fitness gadget … Basically, something (anything!) that’s designed to speed up your results. So, over the next few weeks, I’m going to focus on how to REALLY supercharge your results and break down specific actions you can take to elevate your results to the next level, fast. Because YES: it IS possible to make small changes that yield BIG results. In this email, I’ve got the #1 TIP to rocket you toward your goals. This is the absolute most important thing you should do before you get fancy with any trendy “hacks.” It’s to NAIL YOUR BASICS.
By Kevin Kohan 04 Aug, 2022
You asked for it, you’ve got it! We’ve got a list of 5 ways you can boost the results from your workouts … STARTING TODAY. By “results,” I mean noticeable changes in your stamina, strength, energy, and overall fitness. In addition to this, this will also have a super HUGE impact on your overall health & wellness because it plays into your immune system, your sleep, heart health and so much more. Before I get into the tips, I want you to remember one thing that will help drive all of those results: YOU ARE AN ATHLETE in training, no matter how young or old you are, or your current fitness or activity level. You’re an athlete who ‘Trains For Life’! You are training for your BEST LIFE. Having a fit, strong, and healthy body that can help you make the MOST of every single day is something worth fighting for!
14 Jul, 2022
🚨 [SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS] BMI rate in kids is skyrocketing right now and here's why. According to a new CDC report, kids’ BMI has been increasing at nearly DOUBLE the rate than it did before the pandemic began. BMI (body mass index) is a measure of weight to height that’s an “easy screening method for weight category: underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obesity.” Alarmingly, the increase was especially high in preschool and school-aged children. This is DEFINITELY something we all need to be paying attention to. There were 432,302 kids aged 2 to 19 years old in the study. They found the rate of BMI increase jumped from 0.052 (pre-pandemic) to 0.100 kg/m 2 /month during the pandemic. In more understandable terms, in August 2019, the obesity rate in the group was 19.3% (already high) … and it reached 22.4% in August 2020 and close to 25% in August 2021. We already knew that kids were gaining weight during the pandemic because of all of the changes in their daily habits …But this study shows how significant this negative impact was in just A FEW SHORT YEARS. Here’s another key finding: The CDC found that children who were already obese gained about 1 to 1.2 pounds a month, putting them on track to gain 6.1 to 7.3 pounds in 6 months. This group is gaining weight at a faster rate compared to the 2.7 pounds in those with a healthy weight. Straight from the study: “Accelerated weight gain, especially among children, can cause long-lasting metabolic changes that put children at risk for serious and costly co-occurring conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and depression.” The US already has a high level of obesity among kids, affecting more than one in six children. This is serious stuff, folks! We need to be paying attention and making sure our kids are staying ACTIVE and putting HEALTHY FOOD into their bodies. The good news is that this is ALL stuff we have control over. More good news is that if you’ve noticed this happening in your family, we’ve got a solution to help! 🤸‍♀️🏃‍♀️Let your kids explore new and exciting activities and challenges with our HIT FIT KIDS CAMP. Whether your child is a veteran with us or coming for the very first time, we know they will be enriched with new fitness experiences that will inspire them to live an active healthy lifestyle. We launched our first HIT FIT KIDS CAMP in 2021 to help offset the findings in the study above and the outcome was beyond what we expected! Our one week all-inclusive camp will: Enhance your child's cognitive skills and promote working in teams. Your child will learn different skills from different sports They will also learn about nutrition through interactive activities & They will experience how delicious healthy lunches can actually taste from our friends over at EAT PRIME MEALS who will providing the healthy lunches for your kids. REGISTER Today & DONT let them miss this camp!!! 🔸Camp starts Monday, July 18th-22nd 🔸All Inclusive Day Camp 9AM-1PM 🔸Lunch will be provided by Eat Prime Meals **Please share this with a friend or family member - we want to get this message out there to people who FEEL THEIR KIDS need this.
By Kevin Kohan 07 Jul, 2022
🔥If you are serious about your goals… one of the BEST things you can do is focus on THE BASICS. Like Bodyweight Strength Training! They give you the biggest bang for your buck over the long run! Here’s what I’m talking about … One of my top personal basics – something I try to do every day – NON-NEGOTIABLE for my fitness is at least 15 minutes bodyweight strength training, 15 minutes flexibility/mobility, and 15 minutes hitting on my weak points to balance out any muscular deviations. Its all about making a plan, and working my plan.”
By Kevin Kohan 22 Jun, 2022
Get healthy from the inside out. Not a patch or potion but real wellness and longevity supported by consistently healthy lifestyle choices. Something we call the 5-Pillars of Health. Plus, our New HIT FIT SUMMER SURVIVAL GUIDE just for your absolute FREE!
By Carolina Kohan 21 Jun, 2022
Stop Sabotaging YOUR GOALS!
More Posts
Share by: