Rocka diet tips for long-term success
You’re definitely not alone with the goal of “losing a few kilos.” If you regularly follow our channels, you now know that successful weight loss ultimately depends above all on a calorie deficit. You can easily determine your individual calorie needs according to your personal goals with the ROCKA CALORIE CALCULATOR.
In practice, though, it’s often not that simple—daily obstacles and temptations get in our way, and sometimes the couch wins over the gym.
The following tips are meant to help you pursue your goal long-term and finally achieve the diet success you’re aiming for!
1. Prefer foods with low calorie density
Different foods have different calorie counts per 100 grams. If you eat more of those foods that have fewer calories despite a large volume, your stomach fills up faster and you feel more satisfied with fewer calories. Here are some example fruits and vegetables with a low calorie density:
| Fruits and vegetables | Calories per 100 grams |
|---|---|
| Spinach | 23 kcal |
| Broccoli | 34 kcal |
| Cucumber | 12 kcal |
| Tomato | 18 kcal |
| Apple | 52 kcal |
| Strawberry | 32 kcal |
2. More movement in everyday life
It doesn’t necessarily have to be extra sweat-inducing cardio sessions on the treadmill or elliptical for your diet to work. In many cases, it’s enough to make sure you move enough every day. A walk during your lunch break, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, biking to the gym, and so on… There are so many ways to move a bit more in everyday life, and sometimes the effects are surprisingly big!
Extra tip: Track how many steps you take each day. You don’t need an expensive smartwatch for this; there are now plenty of free apps for your smartphone. Keep setting new goals, such as reaching the 10,000 steps recommended daily by the World Health Organization (WHO)!
3. Eat enough protein!
Sufficient protein in your diet has several advantages. For one, it is super important to minimize muscle loss during a diet. On the other hand, it supports your feeling of fullness and can help prevent unwanted cravings during a diet. To avoid consuming too many calories alongside protein, it can be especially useful during a calorie-reduced diet to use protein supplements. Which protein product is right for you can be found in our Protein Guide!
Here we have listed useful protein sources with moderate calorie density for youleads:
| Protein source | Calories per 100 grams |
|---|---|
| Low-fat quark | 68 kcal |
| Harzer cheese | 121 kcal |
| Chicken breast, fillet | 100 kcal |
| Legumes (cooked) | 75-90 kcal |
4. Fat does not make you fat – it can even support your diet!
To save as many calories as possible, people often tend to severely restrict fat during a diet. You should make sure to still consume at least about 0.8 grams of fat per kilogram of body weight. The best sources are healthy fats from plant oils, seeds, and nuts. The OMEGA 3+ capsules from Rocka Nutrition can also be a very useful supplement during a diet and support many body functions such as normal heart and vision performance.
5. Fiber is a valuable diet helper!
To stay full longer after meals, it helps a lot to eat a diet rich in fiber. You can achieve this mainly by choosing whole grain options for cereal products like bread and rice or by opting for so-called "pseudo-cereals" like quinoa or amaranth. These are also a very valuable source of protein, which is especially beneficial for vegetarians and vegans! Oat flakes are also very high in fiber and therefore make a great healthy food choice during a diet. Check out our blog post about the superfood oat flakes!
6. Don’t turn your fitness meal into a calorie bomb with sauces!
Have you prepared your lunch for the office perfectly to stick to your diet goals? A little extra sauce or dressing can add some flavor, right?! Ready-made sauces and dressings often contain a lot of sugar and fat and can bring many unplanned calories even in small amounts. So really consider all the foods you consume! Use vinegar, a bit of oil, and low-sugar mustard as salad dressing or pimp your meals with the low-calorie sauces from Rocka Nutrition so that your diet doesn’t feel like a sacrifice!
7. Don’t ruin your progress on weekends!
Often it’s easier to stick to your nutrition goals during the week. On weekends, we’re more tempted to give in during a big breakfast, a coffee gathering with family, or a movie night. In these situations, opt for lower-calorie options like our CLEAN PROTEIN MUFFINS for a sweet afternoon snack or the LIGHT CHIPS as a snack at the cinema or on the couch in the evening! Of course, you can still plan to consume a bit more calories on weekends than during the week. The important thing is that by the end of the week, you achieve the calorie deficit your goal requires.
8. Use refeed days wisely
Have you been dieting for a long time and your weight has plateaued for a while? Then it might be helpful to include a one- to two-day refeed, where you eat very high in carbohydrates and adjust your calorie intake to your needs. This can support your metabolism to start working at full speed again and prevent it from adapting long-term to the reduced calorie intake. However, refeed days should never be confused with cheat days, where you eat whatever you want without paying attention to the calories consumed! Over the week, you should still end up in a calorie deficit despite the refeed.
9. After a “cheat,” just keep going
Have you slipped up and thrown all your diet principles overboard for a day? Now it's time to: move on and keep going! Don't punish yourself by trying to make up for the extra calories by eating even less than your calorie goal in the diet requires. But also don't give up completely! Slip-ups are normal and not a problem in the long run.
10. Patience and consistency
Just as fat deposits don't appear overnight, they (unfortunately) don't disappear that quickly either. Give your body time to get used to the calorie-reduced diet, don't expect too big results in too short a time, and stay patient. This is especially true if you already have a healthy body fat percentage and just want to give your shape a little extra refinement. Patience and consistency are the keys to the long-term success of your diet!
11. Measuring tape and mirror say more than the scale
You've been dieting for several weeks, meticulously watching your nutrition and training several times a week at the gym, but the scale just won't show any diet success? Ignore the scale for now and focus mainly on your reflection, photos of your shape, and the measuring tape! These values are much more meaningful than body weight, as it depends on many factors like water retention. Also, one kilo of muscle mass has a significantly smaller volume than one kilo of fat, which is why your shape can still change very positively even if your weight remains the same!
12. Plan your meals!
Planning is one of the most crucial factors during a calorie-reduced diet. If you already have your diet-friendly meal ready for lunch at work, you're on the safe side, and the question of whether to choose pizza or salad at the Italian restaurant becomes irrelevant. During coffee time with family, you can bake one of our many recipes from our blog and thus convince your loved ones of the healthy cake alternatives. No problem at all with the right amount of foresight!
13. Don’t be too hard on yourself!
A diet requires perseverance and discipline, that’s true. Still, you shouldn’t put too much pressure on yourself or cause unnecessary stress—because stress prevents weight loss and is very harmful to your health. So don’t panic as soon as a small thing doesn’t go perfectly and enjoy your life despite the diet. It’s better to accept a longer process and unplanned diet slip-ups. Of course, this only applies if you have planned enough time for your diet and are not in a competition diet or a strict program like the 10-week program or Size Zero. Then it means: give it your all for the planned period!
14. Set goals and interim goals
It can be very helpful to set a clear diet goal as well as several small interim goals. This way, you can document your progress and be sure you’re on the right track. The goal can vary greatly from person to person but should always be a challenge for you without being unrealistic! You can reward yourself for reaching your interim goals to boost your motivation even more. For example, you can save the money you would have spent on sweets and junk food and use it to fulfill a long-desired wish.
15. Don’t compare yourself to others!
People around you who are also dieting are achieving faster results than you? That’s okay! Every person and every body is different. Don’t let it throw you off and focus on yourself and your goals!
Conclusion
We hope this post has helped you internalize that in the end, the only thing that matters is that YOU find the right path for YOU. Many paths lead to the goal, and the same applies to diets: whether Low-Carb, Low-Fat, If it fits your macros, or whatever... what counts is the calorie deficit! So do what makes you feel most comfortable and fits best into your daily life! Then you will also manage to stay consistent and get excited about your path.