Simple Ways To Stick To A Healthy Diet

Sticking to a healthy diet can be challenging and you’ll only be successful if you’re committed enough to make a change. You shouldn’t make a drastic change but instead, start with a few small upgrades to your diet and eventually you’ll be able to create the ultimate routine that promotes personal health and wellbeing. Set realistic goals, keep them throughout the course of your diet and try these simple tips to stay motivated and on track!

The answer is, it depends. If you have an active life and exercise regularly you can consume more energy (calories) than someone with the same weight, age, and height but with a sedentary lifestyle. To get a clear idea about your daily energy needs and calculate how many calories you should consume per day, use our Calorie Intake and BMR calculator. The golden rule is not to ingest more calories than you spend throughout the day. Calories that aren’t spent will eventually accumulate in your body in the form of fat with serious consequences to your health.

You should consume 25% of your daily calories at breakfast, 30% to 35% at lunch, 20% to 25% for dinner and the remaining 15% to 25% in light snacks. As an example, if you need 2000 calories per day, you should eat 500 calories for breakfast, 600 to 700 calories at lunch, 400 to 500 calories for dinner and 300 to 500 calories in light snacks.

Did you know that the majority of people that are overweight don’t eat breakfast?! They don’t eat in the morning because they ate too much the day before (at night or even at dawn). A good breakfast is one of the pillars of any diet and you should never skip the first meal of the day. If you skip it, by mid-morning or at lunch time you will be so hungry that you’ll eat the first thing you can find and you’ll end up making poor choices and eating too much food. Start your day off with a balanced breakfast, rich in proteins, complex carbs, and simple carbs to kickstart your metabolism and stay strong and motivated the rest of the day.

The food you prepare at home is usually much healthier than the food you’ll eat if you go with your coworkers at a fast-food restaurant or if you eat at your workplace cafeteria. Make the most of your time by cooking enough food the day before and take the leftovers from dinner when you go to work the next day. Or, meal prep once a week and freeze individual portions of food, so that you can take one meal with you when you go to work. A healthy lunch should include foods that are rich in protein, complex carbs and lots of veggies. Add one or two snacks to your lunch box for the middle of the morning and the afternoon. Yogurt, milk, fruit, nuts, chopped veggies and a healthy dip are all good choices.

Take time to cook a nice dinner, rich in protein, healthy fats, and veggies. Eat slowly in a quiet place and end your meal with a cup of hot tea (chamomile or mint). For most people, it’s difficult to resist snacking during the evenings. It’s when we decompress, after work and all the household chores, that we’re more vulnerable to make mistakes and compromise all the work we did throughout the day. Creating an evening routine that includes brushing your teeth right after dinner and doing stress-reducing activities, like walking, doing yoga, meditating or listening to soothing music, can help fight the urge to snack. Pay attention to your body and make sure that the cravings stem from stress or emotional triggers and not real hunger (answer our mindful eating quiz to help distinguish between physiological and emotional hunger). If your stomach is growling and your urge to eat starts to intensify, eat a handful of nuts, a yogurt, a piece of fruit or a few raw vegetables with hummus dip.

1 – Keep away from temptations. If you can’t resist certain foods, just don’t have them at home and never go to the grocery store hungry, upset or sad.
2 – Drink plenty of fluids to keep your stomach full, hot tea is great to curb your appetite.
3 – If you’re desperate to eat something sweet, opt for frozen yogurt with fruit or eat our puffed rice and tahini energy bites. Eat slowly to make the snacks last longer.
4 – Ask for the help of your family and friends. It will be much easier if they stop offering you chocolate and salty snacks all the time.
5 – Always have rice, quinoa or buckwheat toasts and some vegetables, such as carrots and cherry tomatoes at home …. great choices to stop craving.
6 – Washing your teeth helps … especially at night. If we feel your mouth clean and fresh, you’ll think twice before eating.
7 – Move to avoid boredom. If you know you’ll want to eat as soon as you lay down on your couch, try to distract yourself. Take a walk, watch a movie, play with your dog, clean the house, or call a friend.
8 – Finally … do not give up, but instead, ​learn from your mistakes. When you slip up, just forgive yourself and start fresh the next day. We all grow and learn from our mistakes so don´t punish yourself and focus on all the positive changes you’re making in your life.