Weight loss takes work. But the work does not have to be hard and taxing. Here are some thought-provoking processes to help guide your nutrition choices that could apply to any dietary pattern you choose.
Practice Mindful Eating
Know why you are choosing an item to eat; is it a craving you want to satisfy, is there an urge to eat for taste, or just eating for something to do. If you are eating to satisfy a craving for salty food, instead of reaching for salty snacks that might raise your blood pressure, prepare celery sticks with a nut butter or hummus of your choice to satisfy that craving. Basically, understand what your body needs and then satisfy that need to pacify that craving.
Practice Loving Your Body Back
Feed yourself a diet that serves you. If a food item makes you feel even a little queasy, stop eating it. Loving your body back means knowing when to put on the breaks and stop at one slice of pizza, stop at one small cup of coffee, stop at three cookies, or stopping at two tablespoons of ice cream. It’s not about looking in the mirror and not liking what you see. It’s about loving yourself before it even gets to that point. It’s about setting boundaries for yourself towards how you treat yourself and not taking out issues on your own body, especially through food.
Make a List of The Food You Like and Compare It with a List of Healthy Food
Take the time and write down a list of your favorite foods. Then obtain a list of whole foods to include food items, entrees, recipes made with healthy ingredients. Then compare your list with the healthy list. Adjust your list as necessary making substitutions with whole foods and healthy entrees and recipes that you like and can prepare without unnecessary stress. This can help expand your dietary profile to include new foods added to your pantry or fridge.
Always Have Food with You
The fastest food you can get is the food you make and take with you. Purchase plastic snack bags and fill them with trail mix, apple slices, carrot and celery sticks, or nuts and put them in your purse or pocket for when you are snack-ish. In having home-based fast food, you will know the ingredients and have control over what you are eating.
Always Start with a Salad
Filling up your stomach with 1-2 cups of a hearty fresh raw meatless salad before eating the entree will help you eat less of the high calorie dense foods, feel satisfied faster than you normally would, moderate your fat burning potential, and get more nutrients into your body.
Weight loss is not quick, especially if there are associated health problems to deal with. Thus, it is best to acquire healthy habits that will go a long way towards weight and health management. Thus, aim to have good healthy habits by incorporating some of the habits mentioned above that you can stick with and will serve you for a long time to come.
View The Article on Your Health Magazine here.
