Tips to Eating Better

Lots of people are trying to eat better, lose the baby weight, get beach-ready, or drop the extra pounds they put on over the holidays. Eating better is hard work! Making the difficult choice to say no to that glass of wine at a friend’s house, pass on cake at a party, or choose not to snack your way through the afternoon sitting at your desk is hard work. There’s no two ways about it. It’s easy to get frustrated, fall short of perfection and give up.

A huge part of learning to eat better is mental.

Set Yourself Clear and Realistic Goals: 

Think about what you hope to change about your body and your diet. Where is there room for improvement both in your diet and fitness habits? Make a list of the areas you want to change in order to achieve these goals.

It is not realistic to radically overhaul everything all at once. Instead, consider breaking them down into short and long terms goals. What do you hope to achieve in the first week? The first 30 days? 60 days? 90 days?  Then check yourself at each benchmark. Did you reach your goals? If yes, check it off and pat yourself on the back. If not, think about why you didn’t quite get there – Was the goal realistic? Were there things you could have been doing to get there that you may want to do moving forward? Consider how you want to tackle the next chunk of time –do you want to revise your goals moving forward and if so, in what way?

You may also want to share your goals with others around you. Sometimes just saying it out loud is enough to give you that extra support and accountability needed to follow through.

Have Realistic expectations

People always start with the best of intentions and try to do everything at once. When you do this, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and quit before you really even started. Instead, start small and build over time. Work on one small thing at a time and as you get better at it, add another. Pretty soon you will have adopted a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle and done so in a way that feels comfortable rather than jarring.

Don’t set yourself up for failure by thinking that it will be easy and sustainable to quit your 4 Cokes/day habit cold turkey, begin meal planning and prepping perfectly healthy meals 7 days a week all while also going to go from not working out ever to someone who gets up at 5am and workouts for an hour+ every day. If you try to tackle everything all at once, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and want to quit. Instead, take it one step at a time. Baby steps, my friends. Instead of going cold turkey on the Coke, gradually work yourself down. You may want to start working out 6 days a week but know that it’s completely fine to do a 25-minute workout. You can get a great workout in 25 minutes!

Any plan you come up with needs to work with you and not against you. Be realistic and mindful of your life and your situation. Keep in mind your time and budget. Consider what you can afford to spend on food each week and plan accordingly. Be strategic about your meal planning and prep. Don’t plan for complicated meals on a busy weeknight if you know you’re going to be flat out at work. Give yourself extra time to prepare food and pre-pack meals when it fits your schedule.

Also, cut yourself some slack. This is a process and it takes time. Sometimes you slip and it’s not the end of the world. Instead of letting it send you spiraling, pick yourself up and get back on the wagon. It happens. The true test of strength is your ability to own the slip up and move on.

Be a planner – 

Always keep healthy food on hand. If you don’t, you’re more likely to eat whatever is available at the time, whether it be fast food, treats at the office, leftovers from your kids’ dinner plates, etc.. Never set yourself up to not have food on hand when it’s time to eat. If you’ve ever heard that saying, “when you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” know that it’s true. Nothing is worse for the diet than flying by the seat of your pants. We rarely make healthy, rational food choices when we’re tired and hungry.

Instead make a list of healthy foods you enjoy, what foods travel well, and which foods you can take with you to work. Think about the rhythms of your day. Design your menus around where you’ll be at different points in the day. These little tricks will set you up for success and make sure that you don’t find yourself stuck in traffic eyeing the rest-stop McDonalds or in a meeting with donuts at work not having eaten recently and ready to binge.

Put in the time to plan ahead, to think about where you need quick, portable options, when you’re going to want dinner waiting for you in the crockpot when you walk in the door. The better you plan, the easier it will be to stick to your plan.

Be consistent – 

Most people respond well to routine. Try to eat at around the same time each day and keep to the same portion size and caloric intake. We want your body to start to recognize and expect these new, healthier habits. If you follow the same routines and behaviors day in and day out, your body will start recognize the pattern and in turn will keep your metabolism burning and your energy levels high.

Be flexible – 

Of course, even the best plans fall short at times. Life can sometimes get in our way. Sometimes your eating routines need to change. Sometimes you pack your snacks and in the mad dash out of the house in the morning, forget to grab them. Sometimes you’ll find yourself at a business dinner or family party and not have the options you want. Where you can, try to plan ahead for these events and have food on hand that you can take with you when you’re in a rush or are eating out.

For example, bags of dry nuts, protein bars and shakes, and fresh fruit or veggies are all quick, travel-friendly options. If you can, look up the menu online before you go out to dinner with friends. Put a little time into coming up with menu items that are quick and easy for weeknights when you get home later than you had planned and when your original dinner option may not work. Have options so that you are able to be flexible. You don’t want to be so rigid with your plans that when one thing falls through, you don’t know where to turn other than to the quickest and often unhealthiest option available.

Go easy on yourself – 

Nobody is perfect all the time. If you mess up, get busy at work and miss a few meals, or even have a bad couple of days, pick yourself up and get back on the wagon. You’re doing this for you. The last thing you need is the added stress and pressure of not living up to your own expectations. Cut yourself some slack and realize these things happen and it’s ok. Don’t let one bad day or meal or a few days off track lead to a total diet derailment. Being healthy and eating healthy does not mean you can’t enjoy foods that are not on your meal plan. Don’t be so hard on yourself. YOU CAN DO THIS!

Not only will your energy start to improve, you will also feel better and at some point, you will find that the bag of chips you used to get from the vending machine doesn’t do it for you anymore. Grabbing an unhealthy snack to meet the craving may taste good in the moment, but it won’t leave you feeling satisfied in the same way that it used to do. So do what you can to plan, be consistent with your routines and you will see a difference in your energy and overall 

Stick with it – 

It takes time to develop healthy behaviors. After a few weeks of eating better consistently, you will have developed a habit. You will find meal planning goes more quickly, your body will begin to tell you when it’s time for the snack in the afternoon, you will remember to pack your meals the night or weekend before because it will have become a natural part of your day-to-day life.

Try to have some fun –

Eating right takes dedication and, at times, sacrifice. Try to have fun with the process! Take this as an opportunity to learn some new recipes, peruse Pinterest for interesting meal ideas, or ask friends who cook what healthy recipes they can pass along.

Bring others along for the ride! Get your friends and family involved in your lifestyle changes. Instead of dinner out with your friends, try a yoga class or take a walk. If your kids are used to pre-made chicken nuggets every night of the week, look up a recipe for healthier baked chicken tenders and get them involved in making them with you.

You are making this change for the better, so why not make it fun?

Give yourself a pat on the back – 

Changing your eating habits can be a daunting task for anyone. You’ve had your old habits for a long time so realize that changing those habits probably won’t happen overnight. Change takes time.

Take the time to praise yourself for the changes you are making. Instead of beating yourself up for the one slip up you had this week, pat yourself on the back for the many other meals you had where you stayed on track and followed your healthier plan. Reward yourself for meeting your goals, even if they are small. If you wanted to go a week without putting sugar and creamer in your coffee and you managed to do it, that’s a victory! Be proud.

Reward yourself for meeting goals. You may need to adjust the ways you reward yourself – food should not be the reward (and it so often is!) Instead of rewarding yourself with a bottle of wine and cheese plate, treat yourself to a massage, get a pedicure, or buy yourself that new pair of shoes you’ve been eyeing. You want to give yourself the positive feedback you deserve and need but do so in a way that supports your larger goals.

Positive feedback builds your confidence and will help you to feel better about the healthy changes you’re making and in turn, make it more likely you’ll stay on track.

Focus on the journey and not the destination – 

Living a healthy lifestyle is not easy. While it’s going to be hard at times, try to enjoy the process and the journey on the way to our destination. Take pride in the many small victories you have along the way - they add up!

Lastly, once you hit your destination, instead of letting things slip and sliding your way back into your old habits, immediately look to the next mountain top and set new goals.

You’ve got this! Make a difference in your life today!