Losing weight and keeping it off is rarely easy. Food cravings and busy schedules add to the difficulty of maintaining healthy eating habits.
If you struggle to stick to a diet or fitness routine, use the following 11 daily tricks to keep your weight on the right track.
1. Drink Water Before Each Meal
Drinking water before each meal helps fill your stomach, making it easier to avoid overeating. Consider starting your day with a glass of water. You may also want to keep a glass of water nearby to help combat food cravings throughout the day.
2. Drink a Cup of Coffee to Boost Your Metabolism
Caffeine can boost metabolism by up to 11% and improve your ability to burn fat. While excessive caffeine consumption is linked to various risks, such as elevated heart pressure, drinking one or two cups of coffee per day is shown to have many health benefits. You can increase your metabolism and your mental energy.
3. Use Smaller Plates to Limit Your Portion Sizes
Using smaller plates helps people eat less, as it forces you to use smaller portions. Smaller portions also appear larger on smaller plates, creating the impression that you are eating a larger meal.
4. Keep Healthy Snacks to Deal with Food Cravings
Keep healthy snacks around the house to avoid filling up on snacks. Common healthy snacks include seeds, nuts, fruit, and vegetables.
5. Eat Slowly Instead of Devouring Meals Quickly
Eating slowly gives your stomach time to tell your brain that you are getting full. If you eat too quickly, your brain may not recognize when you are satiated, which tends to lead to overeating.
6. Maintain a Food Journal to Track Your Eating
Many people fail at dieting when trying to count calories, as counting calories is often tedious. A better option may be to start a food journal. Instead of counting every calorie, simply write down what you eat.
Maintaining a food journal is effective for sticking to a diet. It helps you pay attention to what you eat. You become more aware of the eating choices that you make, which encourages you to stick to healthy meals.
7. Replace Sugary Drinks with Flavored Water
If you tend to drink a lot of soda pop and other sugary drinks, try drinking flavored water. A 20-ounce bottle of soda pop contains about 230 calories. Drinking 15 bottles of soda pop per week adds an extra pound in calories.
Replacing sugary drinks with flavored water also ensures that you stay hydrated, which is an important part of keeping your weight on track.
8. Get Rid of the Junk Food in Your Cupboards
If you do not have junk food in your cupboards, you have fewer temptations throughout the day. Toss the chips, cookies, and other unhealthy snacks that people tend to store in their kitchen cupboards.
With fewer temptations, you may spend less time rummaging around the kitchen for snacks, making it easier to stay on track with your eating plans.
9. Set an Alarm to Improve Your Sleep Routine
People often make unhealthy food choices when they do not get adequate sleep. Studies show that sleep loss increases the levels of chemicals that enhance the satisfaction that you get from eating.
If you struggle to get a good nights’ rest, try setting an alarm. Getting up at the same time each day helps reset your sleep schedule, making it easier to fall asleep at a consistent bedtime instead of tossing and turning.
10. Avoid Checking the Scale Each Day
Weighing yourself each day is tempting but may lead to disappointment. Weigh yourself once or twice per week instead of making it part of your daily routine.
Studies show that weighing yourself too frequently may lead to unhealthy eating habits. For example, if you are not happy with the results of a weigh-in, you may skip meals. The lack of change in weight from one day to the next can also be discouraging, increasing the risk of giving up.
11. Get Back on Track the Next Day
If you end up deviating from your diet, start fresh the next day. A single slip-up does not mean that you need to give up on your fitness goals. Learn from the experience and try to identify the reasons that led you to stray from your plans.
The bottom line is that living a healthy lifestyle becomes easier when you take it day by day. If you eat an unhealthy snack or skip a workout, do not give up completely. Simply get back on track the following day.