By Eliza • 6 Comments
Losing weight means making low-calorie food choices and burning lots of calories through exercise. This combination of lifestyle choices helps you burn more calories than you consume, which is the magical formula that ensures weight loss. It turns out that setting up your fridge in a certain way can help you achieve success. Giving your refrigerator an overhaul is easy to do and will help you watch the number on the scale go down, down down. Here’s how to do it.
Research shows that being able to see food makes it more likely that you’ll want to eat it. So, put fresh fruits and vegetables in clear containers. Same with whole grains, lean proteins and things like Greek yogurt and string cheese. That way, you’ll want to reach for those items when hunger strikes. Easy, right?
You should keep splurge foods on hand because they keep you from feeling deprived, which leads to binge eating. But, if you don’t want to eat the whole portion at one time, keep those items in opaque containers. All the work it takes to open them and see what’s inside can often deter you from pigging out. This works for things like pudding, ice cream, leftover cake and nacho cheese sauce.
For some reason, you naturally look on the top shelf for a drink. I do the same! Keep only healthy options here and the chances that you’ll choose them goes up dramatically. Things like unsweetened iced tea, water and skim milk make the cut, while things like soda and iced coffee drinks should be stored lower so that they aren’t the first thing you reach for when you get thirsty.
I’m way less likely to measure a food if I have to dig through all my drawers to find the tools I need. If you tuck them right into the fridge, you can grab them when you grab a food you want to measure. Keep a set for liquids and solids so that you never have to question portion control ever again. Genius, right?
Much like you want to keep healthy foods in clear containers, you want to put it out on the shelves so you see it when you open the fridge. If you put all the fruits and veggies into the crisper drawers, you are less likely to eat them before they go bad. Instead, put your junk food in the drawers and stock the outer shelves with stuff you need to drop those pounds.
Lean protein gives you energy and helps you recover after exercise. It’s also low in calories so you can satisfy your appetite without overdoing it. Choices like salmon, chicken breasts, sirloin steaks and eggs are perfect here. They’re within easy reach and they taste great too!
When you’re trying to lose weight, you have to trick your palette into thinking you’re eating decadent foods when you are actually saving calories. Tasty condiments are the answer here. I’m talking hot sauce, fancy mustard, garlic paste and soy sauce. Adding tons of flavor to your meals makes them more appealing so that you can stick with your weight loss goals.
What tricks do you have for keeping your fridge ready for weight loss? Will you try any of these tips?