5 Grocery Store Tricks to Keep the pounds OFF!

1. Don’t go grocery shopping while you’re hungry!

This one is like well duh! But seriously, don’t! More often than I’d like to admit I’ve let myself go to the store hungry and came out with a LOAD of crap that I know better than to buy.

Everything that I want to eat like right now goes straight into my cart, next thing I know I’m on Pinterest pulling up every recipe for any dessert I’ve ever wanted. All ingredients, boom. In the cart. All snacks, boom. In the cart! It’s pretty much a disaster.

We’ve all been there, but that’s no need to let it keep happening! If it’s not in your kitchen at home, it’s also not around to tempt you! And if you don’t go to the grocery store hungry then you will be SO much less tempted to put it in your cart in the first place!

2. Stay out of the middle isles!

This one is definitely more of a guideline! There are lots of things I get in the middle aisles that are perfectly fine. For example; beans, bread, coconut oil, peanut butter, oats, BANZA chic pea pasta, chia seeds, nuts, Angie’s BOOM CHIKA POP the list goes on and on… but KNOWING exactly what you are venturing into the abyss for makes all the difference in the world! Have a list and stick to it, don’t let yourself succumb to all the sugary processed temptress foods that lay within!

If you don’t trust yourself at first, you can always stick to ordering your non-perishables on Amazon pantry. (I’ve included some links to my fav things!)

• Angie’s Boom Chicka Pop kettle corn

• Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut butter

• Chia seeds

• Justin’s natural peanut butter

• Banza chickpea pasta

3. Know your labels!

Are you ready for a horror story?? Last week I was perusing the sauce aisle for the best pasta sauce choice and naturally, I picked up the one advertised as “healthy!”. However, upon inspecting the label and comparing it to a pasta sauce by the SAME BRAND that lacked the “healthy” claim, I was horrified to find the fat, calorie, carb, and, the sugar content was HIGHER in the “healthy” version! In fact, its only better feature was a slightly lower sodium content. Now, this isn’t to say that all companies lack the know-how on classifying their foods, but your body will certainly be glad you took the extra couple of seconds to inspect your foods labels!

4. Don’t be afraid of fat!

Those labels that claim to be your best weight loss friend do not have your best interest at heart! While they aren’t lying about being lower in fat, they are completely taking advantage of the fact that there is a HUGE misunderstanding of the role fat plays in our bodies.

Why you want whole fat!

You wouldn’t buy a reduced-fat avocado, would you? Real is always better than fake!

• Some vitamins are fat-soluble and cannot be used by your body unless they are eaten alongside fat!

• To make a food low fat the fats that are still present are changed chemically and your body will have a way harder time using them.

• We use fat for damn near everything! No, seriously you need it. Like, a lot! Our cells use fat like its going out of style.. but now that it has gone out of style…. well it’s becoming an issue.

P.S. Fried food still hates your goals. Sorry.

5. Have a list of meals!

How many of you have been grocery shopping, bought a TON of stuff, gotten home and realized you have the ingredients for a whole two meals! The stress is real am I right?? I am unfortunately queen of letting my yummy veggies go bad just because I’m not prepared and don’t have all the ingredients I need to make a meal out of them! So here’s my ultimate solution, write your grocery list based on MEALS! so simple right? but it really does make a world of difference.

Plan your dinners for the week and have an idea of what your breakfasts and lunches will consist of, make your list based on this, and of course give yourself a little wiggle room!

Planning meals for your week this way will also help you stay on track eating healthy instead of giving in to what is easiest that night!

Happy shopping!