How To Change Eating Habits Permanently With 7 Effective Tips
Posted by PM Admin on 15th Jun 2022
When your goal is to lose weight or improve your health, learning how to change eating habits permanently is one of the aspects that can hinder or help promote your fitness goals. Your eating habits are a crucial part of your lifestyle and they can make or break your entire fitness journey, which makes incorporating healthy eating habits the best thing you can do for your body.
Changing your eating habits can be challenging, but it's not impossible as there are ways to do effectively do so. In this article, we share how to change eating habits permanently.
How To Change Eating Habits Permanently With 7 Effective Tips
1. Make Gradual Changes To Your Eating Habit Goals
You can't expect to change your eating habits overnight as it doesn't work that way. Just like achieving your goals, it takes patience and dedication to turn your life around for the better. Take it one step at a time such as changing your breakfast routine or being mindful of your snacking habits. As simple as both these things are, they can both create massive changes without realizing it[1].
Consistency is key and these minor changes will pile up into an improvement in your fitness life and you won't be aware of these changes until a significant period has passed. Try not to overwhelm yourself when making changes in your diet and lifestyle and instead, remember that every small change you make will benefit you both in the short and long run.
2. Practice Mindfulness When Eating Or Preparing Meals
Being mindful of your eating habits is one of the challenging things you can do. When you engage in unhealthy eating habits such as overeating or stress eating, this is the opposite of being mindful but you're letting your emotions get the best of you. Changing your diet starts with being aware of what you're eating and drinking and this includes how you react to things[2].
For instance, when you're stressed and you find that you tend to binge on sweets, being mindful means that you're aware of this habit of yours and you'll do something about that habit. Distractions are incredibly helpful in helping you avoid unhealthy binging as there are other healthier ways to deal with stress than binge eating.
3. Adjust Your Schedule To Get Enough Sleep
You may not realize it just yet, but your sleeping habits play a crucial part in your eating habits. Both sleep deprivation and unhealthy eating habits are interconnected with one another so if you refuse to take care of your sleep patterns, your diet tends to follow that cycle. This is the primary reason why you tend to eat more when you sleep late at night - because of the tendency to engage in late-night snacking.
By fixing your sleeping habits, you're also benefiting your diet in the long run. It's also why diet changes like intermittent fasting can prevent you from snacking due to the limited number of hours you can consume food.
4. Incorporate Physical Activity Or A Workout Routine
Just like sleep and diet are linked to one another accordingly, the same goes for exercise and diet. You'll be more motivated to incorporate healthy eating habits in your life when you're physically active and the intention to accomplish fitness goals such as losing weight or gaining muscle mass. Fitness goals give you the motivation to maintain a balanced diet instead of seeking unhealthy foods for comfort.
When you exercise, not only do you feel good about your body, but it keeps you grounded on the reason why you're trying to adjust your diet into a healthier one. Exercise without a proper diet is pointless in trying to get you closer to your goals, which is why exercise is the best motivation to keep a balanced diet.
We've mentioned above about finding healthier alternatives to dealing with stress and other frustrating emotions. Instead of resorting to unhealthy eating patterns, exercise is one of the habits that aren't self-sabotaging but end up benefiting you. When you feel the desire to pick up sweets or junk food, exercise is a better alternative that will distract you from your cravings and get you out of the stress you're feeling.
5. Control Your Portion Sizes
Portion control is everything when it comes to your diet and lifestyle. Changing your eating habits doesn't automatically mean you have to leave sweets and carbs behind for good because most often than not, cutting them out completely from your diet will result in a relapse one way or another. Instead, you can achieve a balanced diet while still satisfying your cravings through portion control.
This means having adequate portions of everything - protein, fiber, carbs, fruits, and even fats- which means you consume all kinds of foods in your diet without restricting yourself from anything. Portion control is one of the most effective ways to change your eating habits without feeling overwhelmed by the foods you're leaving behind.
Evidence suggests that cutting out carbs and sweets from your diet isn't necessary as long as you learn to portion your meals and snacks throughout the day. An effective strategy you can use is taking advantage of an Adjustable Portion Control Plate to have a balanced diet. This is specifically designed to encourage you towards a healthier lifestyle without feeling overwhelming in cutting a specific food group entirely.
Unlike the contrary, carbs aren't bad for you as they act as your energy - you just have to control your portions. With this Adjustable Portion Control Plate, you can adjust your portions according to your weight goal while also preventing yourself from unhealthy snacking and overeating.
Counting your daily calorie intake isn't a sustainable way to live and when it comes down to it, portion control is a better way to lose weight and take care of your body. This way, you don't encourage your body to go into starvation mode, which is what the majority of diets are all about.
6. Avoid Storing A Lot Of Junk Food And Sweets
It's tempting to consume junk food when you know they're just in your cabinet or pantry. However, whenever you go for groceries, avoiding buying a lot of junk food and sweets instead, replace them with fruits, whole foods, protein, or fiber. This way, you reduce the temptation of grabbing cookies if you're stressed or hungry.
Moderation is good, which is why you should only let yourself buy junk food and sweets in small portions - purely for the purposes of controlled snacking and not for binge eating. When you don't buy unhealthy foods, you'll be forced to think of a healthier alternative for your meals and snacks.
7. Monitor The Beverages You Drink
You could be doing everything right on this list, but beverages can break your entire progress. Several beverages have a lot of artificial sugar in them such as soda and energy drinks, which don't make them the best beverages to drink. Sugar doesn't just affect your weight goal, but it's incredibly addicting so it's best to limit your sugar intake if possible.
Rather than going for sodas in each meal, switch to healthier alternatives such as green tea or caffeine. Both of these have antioxidants and caffeine in them, which are both proven to aid in weight loss and give you the energy you need for the day.
Although, you should keep in mind that water is still the best beverage to take to keep yourself from being dehydrated. Not a lot of people are aware that dehydration also causes you to binge more food so drinking water is the best thing you can do for your body. If you hate drinking water but want to start drinking more of it, check out: I Hate Drinking Water! What Should I Do?
How To Change Eating Habits Permanently Takeaway
When it comes down to it, sometimes it's easy to become discouraged when learning how to change eating habits permanently. Also, it's exhausting and time-consuming to count calories and maintain your recommended calorie intake for weight loss with your fitness goals and taking care of your body. Weight loss shouldn't be so hard and frustrating, which makes portion control a much more sustainable and maintainable option.
Aside from everything mentioned above, portion control is the one aspect you can ensure that you aren't going into a restrictive diet while still enjoying the food you want. With products such as the Adjustable Portion Control Plate, you can have a more sustainable way of eating without feeling overwhelmed by everything.
You'll find it easier and more natural to reach your fitness goals, whatever they are. What makes overeating so easy to do is that there's no need to count your calories, whether you're going on a calorie deficit or another diet entirely. Reaching your weight goal shouldn't have to require weighing and knowing the calories of each food you consume into your body - and this is precisely what makes portion control the most sustainable and effective way of changing your eating habits.
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Whether you just want to eat healthier or lose weight, portion control is still the best strategy for living a healthier lifestyle. If you're looking for more ways to change your diet altogether and eat healthier, you can read more about them in this article here.