Even small changes to your lifestyle can make a huge difference in terms of fat loss. When you make small changes for long enough, they turn into daily habits and those daily habits can help you to get well on your way to burning fat and keeping it off. Sometimes the success of your fat loss program depends more on the daily habits you have than the actual food choices you make. Below are three tips to help you establish healthy eating habits.
Keep Your Counters Clean
Regardless of how motivated to burn fat or sensible you are, what you see is what you are going to eat. One of the best mottos to hold to for burning fat is “out of sight, out of mind.” Keep sliced bread, snacks, candies, boxes of cereal and jars of cookies clear from your countertops.
Set out foods that are more helpful to your fat burning goals for you to grab when you are feeling hungry, such as bananas and apples or boxes of cherry tomatoes. Keep other things out that may remind you of your healthy lifestyle as well, such as your blender or protein powder or veggies that need to be cooked.
Recognize the Health Halo
The term “health halo” refers to foods that are perceived to be healthy overall but they are actually only somewhat healthy. A good example of this is veggie burgers. Because the burger is plant-based, it must be a healthy protein substitute. But some are actually higher in fat and carbs than protein, making them a less than stellar food option.
Protein is important for keeping you from overeating as it can keep you full. It can also help to keep your blood sugar more balanced.
Other “health halo” foods to be leery of are:
- Candies and treats labeled as organic – they can still be full of sugar, fat, and sodium
- Baked chips – a chip is a chip, hands down
- Yogurt – sure it may be a healthy alternative to some sweet snacks but many yogurts are highly sweetened and no good for fat loss
Watch What You Drink
Along with monitoring calories in foods in order to ensure you are not going over the limit established for you in your custom weight loss plan, also watch the calories in the drinks you consume. Some drinks have a larger impact on your total caloric intake for the day as well as the types of food choices. Juices, sports drinks, flavored coffee drinks and some sweetened teas are loaded with calories and fat. They may boast that they are healthy because they are filled with vitamins but they are not usually a good alternative to high-calorie sodas.