At equ, we help you achieve weight loss with a balanced, sustainable, non-restrictive approach. That means, instead of cutting out your favourite foods, we encourage you to include them strategically in your regular diet – yes, that includes ice cream!. You can still achieve weight loss while still enjoying your favourite foods, allowing you to smash your health and nutrition goals without feeling restricted from the things that bring you joy! Let’s dive into our top tips for how to enjoy ice cream on your weight loss journey.
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1. Choose options which contain added nutritional value.
While we’re all in favour of enjoying your ice cream, bonus points if you can choose a variety with added nutrients or health benefits which can support you on your way to your nutrition goals. GYM BOD’s ice creams are a firm favourite amongst the equ team, as they pack a protein punch, while being low in sugar and calories. This means you can indulge in a delicious ice cream treat knowing you’re nourishing your body at the same time. The higher protein content also means you’ll feel fuller and more satisfied for longer after dessert, so you’re less likely to overeat and down the entire tub in one sitting!
You could also consider adding nutrient-dense toppings to your ice cream for a punch of extra nutrients – things like fruit, nuts or seeds are a great choice! This can also help make your ice cream a more substantial, filling snack.
2. Include ice cream regularly.
This one might surprise you… We’re not just giving you permission to eat ice cream as a one-off. In fact, we’re encouraging you to include it in your diet fairly regularly! While you want to enjoy most ice creams in moderation, by including your favourite foods in your diet on a consistent basis, you’re removing the label of “forbidden” from these foods.
As soon as we see a food as “forbidden” or “bad”, psychologically and physiologically our bodies begin to crave that food far more than we would have otherwise. So by enjoying the foods which we love, but would have once tried to ban from our diets altogether, we stop putting them on a pedestal, and allow ourselves to enjoy them as we would any other food. This means you’re less likely to binge on these foods, like ice cream, when you do eat them. Put simply, because you know you can enjoy ice cream again in the not-to-distant future, there’s less urgency to down an entire punnet in one go – because you know there’s more available to you soon!
It’s a really effective strategy to prevent bingeing on your favourite treats. Incorporate ice cream consistently into your diet, in moderation, and appreciate it while you’re eating it!
3. Craving ice cream? Eat it.
Sometimes, we get the most intense cravings for a specific food. However, if we’re trying to reduce how much of that food we eat, or it doesn’t fit within our meal plan for the day, often we’ll try to curb the craving by eating anything and everything we can get our hands on. It might start with a bowl of cereal. But, when it doesn’t quite hit the spot, next might be a bowl of nuts. Again, it won’t quite fill the ice cream-sized void in your stomach, so you might reach for cheese and biscuits. Whatever it is, you’ll end up eating copious amounts of foods you don’t actually want, in an attempt to resist eating the food you do want.
In this scenario, it would have been more in line for your nutrition and health goals to simply enjoy some of the food you were originally craving. So if you find yourself experiencing intense ice cream cravings, allow yourself to enjoy some! Again, you don’t need to have the entire punnet, just enjoy a small portion – enough to curb those cravings, and prevent you from overeating other foods in the process!
4. Consider your portion sizes.
Short but simple: never eat ice cream directly out of the tub. Always make sure to serve yourself a portion in a bowl, so you know how much you’re eating and don’t accidentally go overboard. If you eat directly from the tub, it can be all too easy to polish off the entire container mindlessly without realising! Resist the temptation and serve yourself the amount you want to eat, then return the ice cream to the freezer for next time and go and enjoy your dessert.
5. Remember, weight loss should be sustainable.
We approach weight loss with the view that you want it to be sustainable. That means building healthy lifestyle and nutrition habits that you can maintain over the long-term, without feeling like your missing out on your favourite things.
Realistically, you can’t (nor should you want to!) eliminate your favourite foods like ice cream forever! So even if you’re pursuing weight loss, you shouldn’t cut them out for a period of time either! Working towards weight loss is achieved by finding things you enjoy, which can help you live a healthier life. It’s not about eliminating your favourite foods and making yourself miserable. If you want to achieve weight loss and keep the weight off, you need to do so by implementing sustainable changes, focusing on eating healthily most of the time, but still allowing yourself to enjoy the things you love along the way. That is something you can keep up long-term!
There you have it, you can enjoy ice cream and work towards weight loss at the same time! We definitely recommend opting for nutrient-dense, more nourishing ice cream alternatives like GYM BOD ice creams, but give yourself permission to enjoy some ice cream regularly, knowing you can still achieve your health and weight loss goals regardless.