So you've found your mojo in the gym and your focus and intensity are great during your workouts, but you just can't seem to meet your goals. Sound familiar? The majority of your workout gains will be seen only when your diet is on point. So why is it so hard for us to stick to it? Well, for one reason we may be hardwired for it. Scientists have been researching human brain function as it relates to eating and the feeling of satisfaction and excitement when visually seeing and eating foods that are high in fat and sugar. Some people truly lack the ability to feel satiated or their brains aren't registering that they have satisfied their "craving" once they taste the food. Sometimes, eating is purely habitual or serves as an emotional crutch. Any way you look at it, overeating or not eating the right kinds of foods will surely sabotage your workout efforts. Let's take a look at the most common reasons people are unable to reach their goal weights:
 
 
1. Emotions: Eating when you're depressed, celebrating with food, or eating to fill a void or to create a distraction are all common reasons people overeat. Before you overindulge, evaulate if you are truly feeling hungry or if you may be experiencing a stressful situation. Wait 15 minutes before you give into your emotional craving bc that's how long it takes for a craving to subside. Work out, read a book or meet with friends to help you refocus yourself.  
 
2. Habits: Whether self created or handed down from our family, habits can be hard to break. "Clean your plate" or "Have some ice cream, it'll make it stop hurting" are phrases you might have heard growing up. While our parents thought they were instilling good values or helping us feel better by using food as a band-aid or reward, they created an association with food. Now that we are adults, we have to take charge and control our relationship with food. It takes 30 days to create a new habit. Commit to 30 days of exchanging your nightly ice cream with fruit or protein shake.
 
3. Overeating: in this super-sized society we are consuming almost twice as much food as our parents did. Just because you have a full plate in front of you doesn't mean that you are required to eat everything on it. Familiarize yourself with serving sizes and ask for a to go box when you get your meal and place half of your food in it before you begin eating. You'll be surprised that you can re-train your stomach to feel full on smaller portions. Eating every 3 hours will also help keep you from becoming so hungry that you overeat at one meal.