We all love food. Eating is not only essential for life, it also gives us pleasure. We use food when we celebrate and when we mourn because coming together to eat connects us.
Most of us want to be healthy and what food we eat is the primary way to get there. It’s the easiest thing and the hardest thing to do. If you are struggling to stay on track with your healthy eating you are not alone. You can’t let those bad habits creep back into your meals and snack so what can be done?
Here are seven ways on how to stay motivated to eat healthy:
1. Motivate yourself with goals
You can’t get anywhere if you don’t know where you are going. Whether your goal is to lose weight or get healthier, having a plan is important. Start by writing down what your goal is with regards to healthy eating and make it specific. Writing “you want to lose weight” is too vague. Put down how much weight you want to lose each month.
Don’t aim too high either. Having a realistic goal that you can achieve will set you up for success and having smaller goals along the way will keep you motivated as you reach them. Try daily goals like drinking 8 glasses of water and only eating dessert on Wednesdays and Sundays.
2. Make a meal plan
Making a meal plan is a great way on how to stay motivated to eat healthy. Nothing ruins healthy eating more than not having the right food at home. When you have no options in the fridge you’re more likely to opt for fast food or junk food. Start by making a meal calendar for 2 weeks. This should give you enough variety so you can do 14 days and repeat. After you’ve written that make a shopping list.
Set a time on your calendar when you want to go shopping. It can be once or twice a week, whatever works best for you. You are dedicating time to this task so you can get everything you need without being rushed. Also, never shop hungry.
Have fun cooking your meals and bulk cook if that makes sense. Have healthy, backup snacks that you can take on the go with you, and always take a homemade lunch to work.
3. Use a meal delivery service
There are mmeal delivery companies you can sign up with that will bring healthy meals right to your front door. This takes the guesswork out of what to eat every day. It saves on shopping, meal prep, and cooking so you can go about your day knowing that you are eating healthy.
Make sure to find a prepared meal delivery company that is dedicated to providing the most wholesome, fresh ingredients that are organic and local. You want trained chefs and dieticians putting meals together for you and that there is a variety to choose from. For today’s busy lifestyle, this makes perfect sense.
4. Weigh yourself
You need to be accountable to yourself and tracking your progress will definitely help. You should weigh yourself on day 1 and make up a chart. Pick a time of day to do your weigh-ins and always hit the scale at the same time. Mornings are usually best, right before your first meal. Don’t be too obsessive because results may be slow day-to-day.
Try weighing in every other day and at the end of the week to measure your results and write it down. If you find yourself plateauing or gaining you will know right away so you can make adjustments to your diet.
5. Reward yourself
Eating healthy shouldn’t be a negative thing. It’s all about adopting new habits and getting the results you are looking for. When you are successful in your health journey you need to acknowledge that success.
Set up reward incentives for your short and long-term goals. They don’t have to be food rewards either, make it something like a spa day or a round of golf. Maybe an overnight in the city would be awesome for all the hard work you put in. Whatever way you want to celebrate is perfect because you deserve it and you are worth it.
6. Get motivation support
Put together a support team that wants the same things you want. It could be a friend, a parent, or even a spouse. Ask them to go on the eating healthy journey with you and be each other’s cheerleader. It is also someone to be accountable to because you don’t want to let anyone down. Enjoy your successes and failure together as you all work towards your goals.
7. It’s ok to fail!
When you are changing your eating habits you will make mistakes. We all do. It could be indulging while out with friends or enjoying some junk food while watching a movie.
Don’t beat yourself up about it. We all live in the real world and having an unhealthy snack here and there isn’t the end of times. And it’s not an excuse to throw in the towel either. Enjoy the junk food and start fresh the next morning.
It can be hard to stay motivated to eat healthy, but you are in control of you. Make a positive switch and enjoy the bounty that healthy food offers because it’s delicious and nutritious.
