Trying to cut out the junk food? Put an end to the habits that are making it difficult.
Studies have shown that obesity and diabetes is on the rise among boomers and a big contributor to that could be their unhealthy eating habits. Anyone who has tried to lose weight or put a stop to their food indulgences knows that it’s easier said than done. But for the sake of your health, it’s important to put in your best effort to doing away with those bad eating habits. Here are a few tips that will hopefully prove helpful, and as always, consult a doctor for any concerns about your health.
Don’t buy junk food “for others”.
If you want to stop those junk food temptations, you just don’t buy junk food — seems simple enough. But you also have to avoid those excuses to buy junk food. With the holidays coming, you might think it necessary to keep snacks on hand when company stops by. This inevitably needs to leftovers and unnecessary snacking on your part. Keep things healthy for you and your guests.
Make smaller meals.
We can get used to a certain portion size for our meals which are larger than they need to be. Even if the meal is not necessarily unhealthy, overeating can still cause weight problems if it becomes part of your routine. To avoid this, start making smaller meals and take your time eating. It might seem like it’s not enough food at first, but you’ll find that you get full faster than you thought.
Plan meals.
Not knowing what to eat can often lead to eating the wrong thing. That’s why planning out your healthy meals in advance is the best option. Eliminate the questions that come at meal time so you can ensure you have something healthy and nutritious to eat morning, noon and night.
Don’t make food something you ‘deserve’.
Junk food can be considered comfort food. But it’s important to separate those feelings from the food you eat. When we convince ourselves that we deserve to indulge it can set up some unhealthy habits. Be it a celebration, something to lift your spirits, or a reward, poor eating habits don’t have to be an automatic response. Find new methods for “treating” yourself.
Separate food and activities.
Similar to this last point, we can often attach certain food indulgences with activities we like. We convince ourselves that we need to have a drink if we’re going out to dinner, or popcorn when we watch a movie. We need to learn that those activities can be enjoyed without breaking our diets. You might miss it at first, but soon you’ll realize how unnecessary it was.
Don’t skip meals to make up for bad ones.
Compromise can be a dangerous method of living a healthy lifestyle. How many times have you justified eating a greasy fast food meal by telling yourself that you’ll just skip supper? Not only does that not do away with the damage caused by the bad meal choice, it also will slow your metabolism and make it harder for your body to burn off those fast food calories. Stick to a number of small, healthy meals throughout the day instead of trying to find cheats.
Keep the kitchen clean.
Again, when we make those quick meal decisions, it often results in unhealthy choices. It’s important to make an effort to prepare those healthy meals for yourself regularly. And it’s a lot easier to make a meal in a clean kitchen rather than a messy one. Keep your kitchen in order and it will help avoid those excuses to get take-out.
Find a reason to eat healthy.
As with any difficult or personally challenging undertaking, motivation helps a lot. Remind yourself why you want to eat better and lose weight. Any reason is valid so long as it encourages a healthy approach to your weight loss. Whatever your motivation, keep it in your mind and those struggles will be worth it in the end.