Food Habits That Helped Me With My Weight Concerns
By: Neha Ravindra
Tags: Self Improvement, Food, Health, Habits, Weight Loss

1. Be picky

Be picky with food that is not cooked at home with love and nutritions— packed foods and restaurant foods should be a major no-no.

There have been times in my life when I have been awake at 3 am while my body craves for some sugar, spice and nothing nice. I have learnt it the hard way that while succumbing to cravings may seem inevitable at the moment, there are a few simple things you can do to control them. The best way to stop craving for certain types of foods is by knowing the adverse effect it can have on your health.

A few months ago, there was not a day in my life that would go by without me having a bit of chocolate or a scoop of ice cream. But as soon as it started having negative effects on my health, I decided to let it go after doing some research. So, instead, to fulfil my cravings, I started eating a lot of fruits. It has sugar, but it has a lot of vitamins, antioxidants, and water, too. It also contains fibre, which slows and balances out the effects on your blood sugar. This prevents the sugar crash.

So the major food habit that changed my life (trust me, it took me ages to master it but it was worth it) was being picky with foods that wouldn't help me on the long run.

2. Don’t eat after dinner

Overeating after a long day is a common pitfall I used to face while trying to lose weight. But that was not all — I used to have an after-dinner treat to unwind and a large square of chocolate would soon turn into a whole bar of delicious regret.

Once you make a habit of after-dinner snacking, this is where you pack on the extra pounds. The best you can do to push off this habit is by eating some homemade snacks or at the worst some dark chocolate. Also brushing your teeth after dinner helps reduce the temptation to eat again. This has worked wonders for me.

3. “Are you really hungry?”

When I sat down and analysed the above question, the whole game binge-eating changed miraculously.

Listen, love, just because you’re going to watch a movie doesn’t mean you need to buy an extra-large popcorn with a large bottle of coke. The same goes for that leftover food from the morning meeting that’s been placed in the refrigerator. Just because it’s free — or because you’re bored — doesn’t mean you should eat. Whenever you see food that’s tempting you, ask yourself, “Am I actually hungry?” And when you get no as an answer, stay loyal to it.

4. There are no cheat days

Every time I told myself that today would be a cheat day, it always went overboard and out of hand. And within hours, I could see a month’s worth of hard work going down the drain. Shortly, I started realizing how damaging the idea of cheat days can be.

I don’t have cheat days anymore because I consider all days, including vacations and holidays, to be a continuous part of my healthy lifestyle. My emotional health and happiness are the most important things for me.

Hence it is advisable to have a balanced diet.

5. Reduce sugar intake

Eating too much sugar is one of the worst things you can do to your body. It can have many negative effects on your health. It can have bad effects on your mental health, physical health and ladies, even on your skin!

While sugar is naturally found in foods like fruits and vegetables, this type has little effect on your blood sugar and is considered very healthy. Hence go natural and green.

6. Eat more vegetables

One of the best ways to get into the healthy-eating habit is by adding things to your diet instead of removing them. Refusing to eat any of your favourite treats can backfire madly, whereas slowly increasing your vegetable intake can only bring good results. And this is how I have been saying healthy changes in my mind and body.

You can even start your meal with a bowl of vegetable salad. That means you’ll not only stay fuller longer, but you’ll also save your body from an inflammation-inducing spike in blood sugar.

7. Water over everything

I slowly started giving up on foods that don’t add any nutritional value, like cakes, ice cream and sugary drinks. I haven’t completely given them up but I exercise immense self-control.

I very rarely drink things like a can of soda, sugary teas and vitamin drinks, and artificial juices. I don’t find these items very filling and helpful anymore, and so I stick to zero or almost zero-calorie beverages like water, green tea, and black coffee. I also drink lemon and turmeric water every morning to flush out toxins.