Anytime you try something new there are going to be bumps in the road. This doesn’t mean that you are doing anything wrong, this is just natural whenever you change a habit that you have likely had your entire life. If you’re not prepared to handle these challenges, you might not be able to successfully change your eating habits.
Every year, hundreds, if not thousands, of people try to change the way that they eat. But only a small portion of them are able to find success. And the reason is because many people aren’t prepared for the challenges that they face when changing their eating habits.
Granted, right now you might not know what types of struggles will be facing and because of that it might seem like there’s no way to prepare yourself for possible bumps in the road. But the good news is there are still a few tricks that can still set you up for success, and they all come from learning how to be a planner.
Remember that you are changing habits that you have likely had for years, possibly even your entire life. This is going to obviously result in a bit of a struggle. How you plan will mean that you are better prepared for whatever comes your way.
When you plan, you won’t find yourself starving and reaching for the first piece of food that you can get your hands on. When you become a planner, then something like a social gathering with friends won’t completely derail all of the healthy eating progress you’ve just made.
More than anything though, when you plan you’ll be able to resist the temptation whenever old food cravings call.
The first thing you want to plan is your shopping trips. You always want to be sure that you have enough healthy food in your house that you never go hungry. But you also want to be sure that you have all of the ingredients on hand to make all of your snacks and meals for the week.
When you don’t do this, especially when you have family members who are not eating the same way that you are, the temptation to eat something unhealthy just because it’s there can easily become overwhelming.
When it comes to planning your shopping trips, you aren’t just planning what you’re going to buy, you’re also planning your strategy for moving through the store. The good news is that eating whole typically means you stick to the outside of the store, where the fruits and vegetables and meats tend to live.
You want to be sure that you organize your list so that all the ingredients are together. In other words make sure that all of your meats are in the meat section of your list, all of your fruits are the fruit section of your list, and so on. This will increase your chances of getting through the store quickly without forgetting anything.
You also want to be planning your meals. This doesn’t just mean your typical three square meals a day, you also want to plan for those times between your meals when you might be getting hungry. Having things on hand like apples and almond butter will give you healthy snack choices for those times when you need something to carry you through to your next meal.
At first, the thought of planning your meals might seem a bit overwhelming. After all, if you used eating a few staple meals each week and they are no longer food options that you can have then it might feel like you’re starting from square one.
Thankfully, there are a few tricks that can make it easier. To start, set aside a day and a time that you will be using to plan meals each week. This will get your mind into the habit of planning meals, but it will also keep you from feeling like you’re spending all week trying to find the right meals for you.
Another easy tip is to make a double serving of your dinners so that you have food for lunch the next day. This simple trick won’t just take some of the headache out of your planning, but it will also help your budget because you’ll be using more of the ingredients that you are buying.
Right now, the thought of changing your habits and your life might seem hard. But when you learn how to plan you will learn how to be successful. Remember, if you aren’t planning to succeed you are planning to fail, whether you realize it or not.
