You’ve crushed all your food that you have prescribed for you for a day, but you are still hungry.

REAL TALK: Determine if it is true hunger or a craving. Are you hungry enough to eat a can of tuna and a handful of broccoli?

If the answer is “gross, give me cookie,” then you’re dealing with a craving and not true hunger. If the answer is “yes, let me eat tuna straight outta the can,” then you are actually hungry and YOU SHOULD EAT! Eat additional lean protein and veggies, log the food, and make a note to tell your coach about your hunger during your next check-in.

ANALYZE: Reflect on your day (and maybe the day prior) and ask yourself if you are filling your intake with hyper-palatable processed foods and/or low volume/high macro foods like protein bars, smoothies, or protein shakes.

Working to remove these types of foods and replacing them with real, volume-dense Whole Foods will help you stay satiated while staying in a caloric deficit.

SUGAR TIMING: Last but not least, your brain craves sugar if you give it sugar. Limit your sweet treat to one time a day, preferably after dinner before bed, so that your ‘craving window’ is short in duration and you can shut it down quickly by brushing your teeth and heading to bed.

Your hunger level, while working to reduce body fat in a caloric deficit, should reside at a 5, on a scale of 1-10. This indicates that you’re always ready to eat, but never hangry. Avoiding the extremes, too full or too hungry, is the perfect place to be. Too hungry and you are going to find yourself giving up and giving in. Too full and you’re likely eating too much food or not spacing your food out efficiently.

Make sure you are keeping notes in your daily log about your findings, so your coach can give you feedback during your next check-in!