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The good new is, studies are showing more people are trying to lose weight. If that is you, follow these 6 steps to help with your journey.
1. Train your mind
Begin mentally preparing yourself for your new lifestyle change.
Picture the healthier version of you, and envision yourself not taking high blood pressure pills, reversing a pre-diabetes diagnosis, or just a smaller healthier you.
Speak it into existence and believe in yourself. You can do this! Believing in yourself doesn’t mean that you are not going to have setbacks or have cheat meals sometimes. It simply means you are not going to give up through the ups and the downs of this journey.
2. Write down your goals
Place your goals somewhere you will see them every day. Yes, it is ok to have them in more than one place. Have one copy at work and another copy in the kitchen on the refrigerator.
Be very specific and set small goals that get you closer to your ultimate goal, this will prevent you from getting discouraged.
Establish how you will celebrate your accomplishments. You always want to celebrate your successes, even the small ones because they are a step in the right direction.
Support is key
3. Establish a support system
Find a couple of people who will encourage you, and help keep you motivated as you go through this journey.
An accountability partner is great to have because you can hold each other accountable, as well as, motivate one another when you are feeling discouraged.
Clean House
4. Empty your cabinets and pantry
You will want to rid of any temptation that will cause you to get off track.
If you have family members in the house, ask them to join in with you. Spouses can really bond working together toward a common goal.
If your family doesn’t want to join you do not let that discourage you, this just means you are going to have to be a little stronger. Sometimes it takes one person to get started and begin making progress before the other will want to join in and that is ok. You just keep going.
If your family doesn’t want to join you, ask for their support.
Put their snacks in a cabinet where you won’t see them every time you walk into the kitchen.
Bring In Healthy
5. Create a list of healthy foods
Use shopping apps, www.bigoven.com and https://app.flipp.com are just a couple of many free shopping apps.
Big oven is a recipe organizer and grocery list. Flipp is an app that shows you sales ads for stores in your area. As you add items to your list the app will show you each store that has your item on sale. This is a neat feature as it allows you to save money!
Shop the perimeter of the grocery store.
Read the labels, go deeper than calories, and fat grams look at what is actually in the food and learn about how those ingredients affect you.
6. Meal prep
Prepare your food for each meal and snacks for the entire week.
Meal prepping is an excellent organizational tool and a great way to help keep you on track. By completing your meal prep on Sunday, you have the rest of the week to focus on your family, work, and time to exercise.
Consistency is key when working to improve your health or lose weight. Implement these steps for six weeks. This will allow you to see a change in your body and how you feel as you develop healthier habits.
What changes have you made toward developing healthier eating habits? Please share in the comments section.
