Today I’m sharing some tips on finding your healthy eating motivation.
I think everyone who has ever tried to eat better knows how tough it can be when you’re not feeling very motivated. The tough thing about motivation is that what’s motivating for one person does nothing for the next person. In today’s post I’m sharing some tips on finding your healthy eating motivation. Use what works for you and leave the others tips.
Have diet or fitness related goals
Having a reason why you’re changing your eating or your why behind eating better can make all the difference. I’m one of those people who likes to know the reasons behind I’m doing something. It helps me to take the actions that will lead me to my goals.
Are you looking to set some goals – fitness related or otherwise? Check out this post all about SMART goals, and this post about setting fitness goals. Both posts have tons of tips to get you making goals that you’ll be able to attain. Knowing that the little choices I’m making on a daily basis will lead me to the bigger goals I have is just the motivation that I need.
Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian
If you’re thinking of making changes to your diet your first stop should be your doctor’s office to touch base. See if they have any suggestions for you. Everyone is different in terms of their health. It’s a good idea to get some advice from someone who knows about your health history. As tempting as it may be to follow the advice of someone on Instagram, it’s important to talk to your doctor.
Spending some time with a registered dietitian is also a great option when it comes to making diet changes. They’ll be able to take all of your health, lifestyle, and personal preferences into account. They’re the experts on all things food, diet, and nutrition, so they’re a great resource for you.
If you’re changing your eating habits because of a health issue, it can be really motivating to see blood work improve as you start eating healthier. Seeing the healthy choices pay off in black and white may be just the motivation you need.
Track your food
If tracking your food isn’t something you’ve done before, it can be really eye opening to see a day’s worth of food written down. All of those bites of food and snacks can quickly add up over a day. I personally like using My Fitness Pal. I’ve written a few posts about it – how to track food in My Fitness Pal and is My Fitness Pal Premium worth the money.
In addition to recording what you eat, it can also be eye opening to measure out your food for a few days and see what 1/4 cup of nuts or a tablespoon of mayo actually looks like. It’s so easy to underestimate what you’re eating, but being able to use measuring spoons or cups to get an accurate gauge of what your eating can be really helpful.
And measuring your food doesn’t mean that you’re stuck doing it every single day for the rest of your life. Maybe you measure or weigh your food for a few days to get a good sense of serving sizes, and you adjust accordingly going forward without having to measure everything. Maybe you’ll need a refresher in 6 or 9 months and weigh food again for a day or two and then that’s all you need.
On the flip side, if you’re someone who can get overwhelmed or obsessed with the numbers, skip recording and measuring your food. There’s no point in making yourself miserable if you know it’s a trigger for you.
Get your friends and family involved.
If they know that you’re trying to create some new healthy habits, I’m willing to bet that they’d get behind you and do whatever they can to help you out. It might be as simple as asking them not to offer you junk food if they’re eating it, or it might be bringing a healthy dish to a family get together to that you have a choice to eat something that’s a bit healthier. If they know that it’s important to you they’ll be encouraging you to achieve your goals.
Keep healthy food in the house
There’s nothing harder than trying to make healthy food decisions when you’ve just gotten home from work after a long day. You look in your fridge and there’s nothing healthy to make. It’s those moments that it would make all the difference if you had some healthy leftovers from the night before. Or if you had meal prepped and just have to throw it into the oven to heat up. It takes work to keep your healthy eating motivation.
If all your have to do is heat up an otherwise prepped meal full of veggies and lean meat, it’s much easier to make that healthy decision that it would if it required an hour of work and cooking time.Wwhen I’m tired and hungry I’m much more likely to order delivery online than I am to spend a bunch of time and effort in the kitchen.
Mini carrots that you can buy at the grocery store pre-peeled and already washed are just as easy to grab out of the fridge as chips are in the pantry. Subbing air popped popcorn is a healthier alternative that microwave popcorn. It’s those little changes that can make all the difference.
Limit the amount of junk food in the house
I have a huge sweet tooth. It can be hard to resist anything that’s sweet when I see it in the kitchen. If I don’t have access to it in the house, it’s much less likely that I’ll get into the car and drive to the store just to buy a candy bar or cookies. If it’s not available to me, I’m much less likely to eat it.
No “off limits” food
On the other hand, if you’re really craving something, just eat it. Going through life without ever eating pizza, a slice of cake, or a chocolate bar sounds like a pretty miserable way to live. Allow yourself all of the things that you crave in moderation. Sometines nothing will be as satisfying as the that cookie or hamburger. Eat it and then move on with your healthy choices.
What’s a healthy eating motivation tip of yours? Share it in the comments below.