We tend to think that getting healthy is just about improving our diet: if we eat a certain way, we will achieve our goals. However, most people know that this is not as easy as it sounds: our habits, which we call “slip-ups” or “poor willpower,” often get in the way. To change and fix this, we first need to look at the entire dieting process in a different way.
Develop good habits, health and emotions
Habits are thoughtless and automatic, which is why they are so good at helping you get through the week. If we had to remember every little action as if it were a new task, we would go crazy every day. The trick is to identify and change the habit that catalyzes the other (troubling) habits, while maintaining the habits that help us stay on track.
Because our habits are thoughtless, simply understanding them is a journey of discovery. Getting to know yourself this way can be very rewarding, so be curious – not judgmental! – while noticing your daily routines.
A common habit is overeating or snacking at night. Maybe this process sounds familiar. You wake up tired and in a hurry and therefore don’t have time for breakfast; you stop on the way to work for coffee and a sugary “breakfast” item. Around 11 a.m. you crash from sugar withdrawal and have another snack. You then skip lunch because you’ve been ‘naughty’, or eat a salad to make up for the morning choices. Then you’re hungry, low on energy and in a bad mood because you haven’t fed yourself all day – so you finally succumb to the cookie jar temptation at 4pm. You make it a “treat meal” (rationalizing that you’ve already messed up your diet for the day) and plan to start again tomorrow.
Sound familiar? This is an exhausting process and an uphill battle. We need to get back to the root of the problem: understanding the cause and effect of the habit, which must first be changed. We can still survive when we are tired, but it will be easier for us to thrive and change the habit of overeating at night if we get enough sleep and develop the habit of eating our meals during the day.
These four steps can help break this cyclical pattern of habits that keep us trapped at the mercy of our hunger and cravings.
- Know that your basic survival mechanism is in charge. Work with it and not against it, because you won’t win in the long run. To create a sustainable, healthy lifestyle and good eating habits, you need to know what support you need when you’re busy.
- Honor the basics. Even if we think it might be too simple an answer to get healthy and lose weight, you still need the basics to work for you: sleep, water, food. Even if your day feels crazy and your schedule is unpredictable, still plan your meals, small breaks, and a way to stay hydrated.
- Find a rhythm where you get three meals a day. Feeling full (but not stuffed) and nourished is the best way to beat stress, stay focused, and master your hunger and cravings.
- Eat real food instead of food products. It may take a little more effort at first, but the rewards are so much greater. You will no longer struggle with hunger pangs, giving in to your cravings, or getting lost in the nighttime habits that keep you stuck. Your body needs fiber, fats and proteins. You get fiber from complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains and vegetables, so don’t do that skip the carbohydrates, but choose the ones that are full of fiber.