Healthy Tips: Breaking Bad Habits
We’ve all got bad habits. Whether it’s biting our nails, swearing or forgetting to change the toilet roll when the paper runs out. But did you know you can also have bad eating habits?
Most of us already know we’re guilty of this in one way or another. I eat pretty healthy most of the time, but have my moments. I’m guilty of late night eating. Usually I’m not even hungry. But when I start getting sleepy, I start wanting snacks!
So how do we break the bad habits?
#1 Late Night Eating
Eating before bed is actually terrible for weight loss / maintaining weight. My trick? I brush my teeth after dinner. Sometimes I take it to Plan B and whiten my teeth. Normally if I have freshly brushed teeth I won’t want to to ruin it with snacks. Another trick… tea! I love drinking Sleepytime Tea, not only does it help me chill out – it helps me stay hydrated and helps with my snacking!
#2 Meal Planning
Planning out meals is a life saver. It’s hard to resist pizza when you haven’t figured out an alternative. Willpower is a dangerous thing. By planning my meals ahead of time, I’m less likely to eat crappy foods. Not only do I not want to waste the food I already prepped, I don’t want to waste the money I already spent.
I like to plan my meals out on Sundays, go shopping & prep them. I use these meal prep containers and make enough to last me through the week. I also love using meal prep delivery services. You can find local ones by searching Yelp. I love Fresh and Fit Meals because they outline the nutritional information for you so you can track your macros.
#3 Drinking Water
It can be SO HARD to drink enough water. If you like drinking soda or juice, it can be hard to swap out the sugar for plain ol’ agua.
A great way to get your 8+ glasses of water is to set a reminder on your phone! I literally set a reminder every 2 hours to pound a glass of water. I also like adding lemon & mint to mine. It makes it feel fancy & a little more exciting! There are also a ton of apps you can download for water reminders & games that involve tracking your water.
#4 Not Eating Breakfast
I used to always skip breakfast. When I worked a 9 – 5 job, I’d be running late and just drink a bunch of coffee. Now that I work from home, I wake up and start working & have days where I totally forget to eat until noon.
The fix? I make sure that I’ve got ready made breakfast foods on hand all the time. Eating breakfast is key to jump starting your metabolism. I like to grab greek yogurt & granola. You can make a quick smoothie, eat some fruit or add breakfast into your meal prep. You can make hard boiled eggs or a bunch of “egg muffin omelette’s” for the week!
#5 Cheat Meals
A lot of time people save up calories for cheat meals. Or think that if they don’t eat all day, they can eat something huge for dinner.
Skipping meals actually slows your metabolism down. It’s best to eat 3 -4 small meals / snacks a day. Spreading your calories evenly out throughout the day. Instead, stick to your schedule and give yourself a weekly cheat meal.
I stick to my macros and standard meals – then, let myself have a cheat meal (usually dinner or dessert) once a week.
What are your goals? Let me know what kinds of healthy recipes you’d like to see!