It’s said that our diet is a window into our emotional self. If your emotional state is in turmoil, you are probably eating more and not taking care of yourself as well. Nobody eats 100% healthy all the time, but when you start binge eating or emotional eating – it can create bad habits. And in turn, bad habits can lead to being overweight and a whole host of related health problems.
Healthy habits for weight loss:
Here are five GOOD habits to cultivate that will help you take back control of your eating:
Organize your time! This means you need to plan your food. Last minute decisions can lead to fast food or pizza, or you keep snacking since you don’t have time for a meal. Spend a few minutes planning your weekly meals before you go shopping. This can save money, save time and save a lot of calories! You don’t have to cook all your meals in advance, but figuring out in advance what you’re going to eat will go a long way to keeping you on track.
Conscious eating! Pay attention to what you eat and when you eat it. Every time you reach for food are you hungry or are you eating out of boredom or stress? Don’t eat while you are distracted, i.e. watching TV or working – that is the easiest way enter a state of unconscious eating. Keeping a food diary helps you pay attention to when you reach for food without actual hunger. Just knowing that you have to write it down and be accountable makes you more conscious.
Leave food on your plate! As kids, we were encouraged to finish everything on our plate. This creates a feeling of guilt if you don’t finish what you took. Instead, eat slowly and stop when you start to feel satiated – not full. Studies show that if you stop at this point, you will most likely eat between 25-50% less than usual. If you’re eating out – and we know how much food restaurants put on the plate – set aside half of it to take home and then eat the remaining half until you feel satiated. It’s shocking how much we eat when we go out.
Don’t drink with your meals! This doesn’t just mean alcohol. Everything, with the exception of plain old water has calories: Fruit juice, soda, milk, flavored waters, etc. It isn’t even healthy to drink while eating since it washes the food through the stomach and doesn’t allow it to break down properly. If you can get in the habit of not drinking with your meal, that would be the best. Next best? Drink water – it won’t add to your calories and you will stay hydrated.
Don’t abstain from eating! If you starve yourself all day, purposely or not, you will most likely want to overeat later. This is especially true if you are tired and hungry after a long day – you will want to eat everything in sight. Try to spread out your calories in a measured way throughout the day. You will have more energy and you will keep yourself from binging. Binging not only feels bad at the time it is happening, but you beat yourself up and create more stress. More stress causes more emotional eating.
Supposedly, if you commit to a goal for 21 days the pursuit of the goal becomes a habit. Set your goals on these healthy habits and learn how to take the control back!
