When it comes to losing weight or reducing body fat, it is important to do so in a healthy manner. Although making changes in your diet can yield positive results, it is sometimes hard to differentiate which changes are good for you. Many harmful dieting trends tend to revolve around enforcing strict and unhealthy rules that are neither healthy nor a long-term solution.
Fortunately, there are better ways to take control of your eating habits and promoting long-lasting practices that can help you take control of the transformation you desire.
Below are some healthy eating tips that can help.
Reflect
- Create a list and highlight your eating and drinking habits. Keep a food and beverage diary for a few days. Be sure to identify any triggers that cause you to engage in unhealthy habits and note how you are typically feeling at those times. Ask yourself questions and how you could choose a different option for each trigger.
- Decrease distractions. Removing distractions such as watching television, working, or scrolling through social media is an easy way to decrease mindlessly eating and better support your healthy changes.
Replace
- Replace unhealthy habits with new, healthy ones. Put down your utensils between bites to slow down when you eat. Eat only when you are hungry and not out of boredom or anxiety. Plan meals ahead of time to ensure that you eat a healthy well-balanced meal.
- Avoid eating from large packages. Try eating only from bowls or plates. Portion your foods into single-serving containers.
Reinforce
- Drink more water. Being thirsty can be confused with feelings of hunger. Drink a glass of water before eating to help reduce excess snacking.
- Get more sleep. Getting enough sleep helps to regulate your feeling of hunger and fullness.
- Be patient with yourself. Habits take time to develop. Be careful not to be hard on yourself or think that one mistake will run a whole day’s worth of healthy habits. You can do it! Just take it one day at a time.
Additional Resources
For additional resources and information about healthy eating habits, visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website.
For more information on DHS employee resources, please contact worklife@hq.dhs.gov.