When it comes to food, healthy weight loss is about finding the balance between moderation and the foods you choose to eat. Fad diets come and go but these simple guidelines are tried and true. The tips below are ones to live by and are used for healthy weight maintenance that is realistic and sustainable. I hope you find them helpful. They are what I choose to live by and help me to maintain the 45 lb weight loss from 2006 and keep my Celiac and Crohn’s Disease manageable. Check out these tips from MindBodyGreen.com.
1. Find a few healthy recipes that you absolutely LOVE.
As in, you cannot WAIT to eat them. I promise they are out there, you just have to find them! Eating foods you love that just happen to be healthy won’t make you feel like you are on a diet because “diet” is a 4 letter word when used as a verb. We all have a “diet” (as in a noun), our food plan, and our way of eating, however when we say we’re “going on a diet”, we’re saying we’re going on something which sets most of us up for failure as it’s human nature (and often “dieting” experiences) to go on and then inevitably off a “diet”. Right off the bat our mind thinks it’s not achievable if we can’t stay on it.
Right off the bat then, let’s all have a clean eating diet, a way of eating, rather than a lifetime of roller coastering on and off a “diet”. By finding a few healthy recipes that you totally adore, you are just eating what a) tastes yummy, b) is nourishing your body, and c) will make you feel confident that you made a smart food choice that will satisfy you. A win-win-win in my book! Things like peanut butter oatmeal, mushroom spinach burgers, and quinoa mac ‘n’ cheese are some of my go-to’s.
2. If you have a sweet tooth, always have a healthy dessert on hand to grab when you have a craving.
I like things 85% dark chocolate or kale potato chips and U-B-Livin’ Smart’s Belgian Chocolate Karma muffins. They fill my sweet or salty tooth fix and are totally yummy.
3. Anytime you feel the urge to snack, reach for veggies first.
I like to keep veggies sliced/chopped and ready to go at any given moment especially helpful when I’m preparing supper I find! Some of my favorites are cucumbers, radishes, carrots and peppers – so delish and fresh. I also keep small packages of Roasted seasoned seawood on hand (Kirkland Signature product from Costco!) These are a far cry from the bags of mini rice cakes I used to down in the past washed down with a glass of wine.
4. No cheat days.
For me, cheat days can be a very slippery slope. Indulging on a piece of cake and a cookie every now and then won’t hurt you in the long run, but when you indulge on something and then decide the whole day is now a “cheat day,” you can really do some damage and sabotage your weight-loss goals.
5. Eat when you’re actually hungry.
Our bodies won’t lie to us, and they’re very good at letting us know when we need something. A good way to determine whether it’s your mind or body sending hunger cues is to shift your attention to your stomach and try to feel what’s going on. If it’s hungry, you’ll feel it. If it’s not, take a deep breath and ask yourself what’s bothering you—are you stressed or bored, perhaps? Try to identify the actual problem that you may be trying to mask with food.
6. Try to stop eating two to three hours before bed.
This one is less about having a healthy relationship with food and more about being nice to your body. Our bodies are most efficient in using up calories while we’re awake. When I started abiding by this guideline, my sleep improved and I began waking up with a flatter tummy. Feeling good in the morning always sets me up for a day filled with delicious, healthy choices.