Diet can be quite tricky when everything in your life revolves around food. You wake up, you eat breakfast, take away a coffee on your way to work and grab a snack along, lunch, snack, dinner, snack…
Every day we eat so much food without realizing it. How can you escape it and win the battle of weight loss? Snacks are everywhere, and trying to avoid them can make them haunt you until you give in.
Right?
Not exactly, the problem is that eating is a habit. You don’t really think about your choices, mostly you consume whatever tastes delicious and makes you feel good. However, the vast majority of these foods available in the supermarket are highly processed, with preservatives and empty calories.
The only way to change your eating habits is to understand what you are doing when you’re on autopilot mode during the day. Stress, a busy schedule, having too much on your mind can easily lead you to poor food choices.
Change is difficult, but not impossible. The most important thing that can really help you stick to a healthier lifestyle is to plan what you eat.
Leave nothing to fate
If you want to start a diet, you have to get organized, otherwise, the daily routine will get in your way, and you will end up crawling back to your old eating habits. Just begin by shopping for healthier foods that you will eat ahead of time. Go to the grocery store with a list of what you will need.
Just make sure you’re not hungry when you do your shopping because you’ll end up buying high-calorie products. When you’re shopping on an empty stomach, the brain becomes obsessed with food.
Don’t be too strict
Most of us, when thinking about losing weight, our mind associates the process with restriction. Boiled or baked chicken, salads without tasty dressings, steamed vegetables, and the list goes on.
You get the picture.
Well, this is a recipe for failure.
Why would anyone in the world torture himself by eating such miserable foods? Going to extremes won’t make you stick to a healthier diet plan. Have fun and discover ways to spice up your meals.
Read more about Are You Sleeping With Your Worst Enemy?
Keep track of what you eat
There is a great difference between what you think you ate and what you actually did. Our mind tends to “forget” a significant part of our daily intake, sadly our body never forgets.
Your coffee might not be just a coffee but a whole meal, depending on what you buy. You might be holding in your hand a cup that includes 400 – 1.000 calories. What?
If the “coffee” includes ice-cream, syrup, sugar, heavy cream, there’s no wonder how it can add up.
Keeping a diary or using an app to track your daily intake will help you understand what you eat. Many people complain that they cannot lose weight even though they try to ignore how calorie-dense some of their food choices are. They aren’t lying; they just don’t know that some beverages or snacks are so calorie-dense.
Prepare your food ahead of time
If cooking isn’t your thing, just try it. You don’t know what you’re missing. The cooking process lets you come closer to food and discover a whole new world of possibilities and flavors. This way, you will be able to control the ingredients of every meal you have, and you can find recipes for low sugary sweets. Of course, you can treat yourself.
Why not take a cooking class?
If you are in love with cooking, you can adjust your recipes and make them healthier. It is amazing how many dishes can become healthier and tastier by modifying the ingredients and the process. You should enjoy your every meal because otherwise, you won’t stick to the process.
Try to avoid snacking at night
Sometimes, even if you can eat healthy during the day, you might not be able to control yourself at night. It’s not only you, but it is also more common than you think. One thing that could help you avoid it is by eating foods that will keep you satiated.
If you know that in the evenings you get out of control, try to schedule a workout at that time, avoid having junk food in the house, meditate to reduce stress, and take care of yourself.
Old habits die hard
If you expect to become a fitness model in a few days, I will disappoint you. No change is easy, and everything takes time. Fad diets may help you lose weight fast for the short term, but as you may have found out, in the end, you’ll regain the weight and even more.
It may sound depressing, but it doesn’t have to. All you need to realize is that losing weight is to transform your body for the long term, not for an event. Primarily it is a lifestyle change. You have to say good-bye to your unhealthy habits once and for all to live the life you want free of the problems the weight creates.
Read more about 10 Hacks To Become The Best Version Of Yourself
One step at a time to win the battle of weight loss
Think of it as a journey… Pack everything you need, take a map and discover a new you when you reach your goals.
You can do it.
“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step” – Lao-Tzu, Tao Te Ching