A healthful and balanced diet is critical for successful, long-term weight loss. You could be at the gym exercising every day, but if you're eating the wrong foods, you probably won't get the results you're looking for. By modifying a few of your daily behaviors and your living environment, you can keep your diet on track and stop sabotaging yourself with food.
Purge Your Pantry
You're much less likely to grab that box of cookies or carton of ice cream if you'd have to drive to the store to get it. Go through your pantry and refrigerator and toss or donate all the unhealthy foods that tempt you. Next time you go grocery shopping, pick out plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seed, fat-free yogurt and high-fiber crackers instead. When you feel hungry, you'll have plenty of diet-friendly options on hand.
Plan Ahead
When you come home from work tired only to find an empty fridge, it can be very tempting to order in or go out to eat. To prevent those midweek diet speed bumps, do some planning. Each weekend, plan out all your meals and snacks for the following week. Make a shopping list for the entire week so you'll have everything ready in your kitchen. Spend some of your Sunday washing and chopping vegetables, prepping healthy casseroles and pre-cooking your lunches for the week. If you know you'll be attending a birthday party or other social gathering, plan to carry a healthy snack with you so you don't reach for the cake.
Try New Things
You're much more likely to stick to a healthy eating plan if you enjoy the foods you eat. Instead of eating boiled chicken and broccoli day in and day out, experiment with new recipes and ingredients and save the ones you like. Subscribe to a few healthy cooking magazines or search for new recipes to try on the Internet. Eating a variety of different foods can keep your diet from getting tiresome while giving your body a wider range of nutrients.
Schedule Treats
Depriving yourself of all your favorite foods puts you on the road to binge eating. Instead of waiting until you slip up, schedule an occasional comfort food meal or sweet treat into your meal plan. Incorporating your favorite foods into your meal plan keeps you feeling in control of what you put in your mouth and prevents feelings of guilt that could spiral into binge eating. When you do go to your favorite restaurant or have some ice cream, do it in moderation. Have one scoop instead of two, and split your entree with a friend.
Write It Down
Keep a food journal documenting what, how much and when you eat. Writing down what you eat may help you lose twice the weight as diet and exercise alone. Recording this information forces you to pay attention to portion size and nutrient content and keeps you accountable to your healthy eating plan. If you notice your weight loss plateauing, your food journal can help you identify how you can improve and move forward.
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