Identifying and Changing Bad Habits
Bad habits…Let’s face it, we all have them. Staying up too late, overindulging on the weekends, or stress eating throughout the day. They all lead to potential weight gain and sluggishness throughout the week. Once you identify what they are you can then identify where the potential weight gain might be coming from. If you work to eliminate these bad habits weight loss will follow.
The first step in the process is to determine what your bad habits are.
Look at the times when you tend to overeat and see if you can understand what triggers these reactions. If you can eliminate those triggers then you will find it a lot easier to sort out your eating problems. Although you might be able to change most of them, there will be some situations that you might not be able to change. In those instances, you will have to find a new way to approach them in order to stay calm and not reach for high-stress food options.
The next step is to look at the types of food that you go for during these times.
Chips, candy, high sugar beverages, maybe cookies… Often times they will be comfort foods and more often than not these comfort foods are of very low nutritional value. In the end, they will almost always stimulate overeating. A quick tip to help with changing this is to keep a journal. Write down the time you decided to eat those food items, how you were feeling when you chose them, what set you off, and how you felt after. By keeping track of these scenarios, you will be more aware of how to change them. Maybe excuse yourself from the situation, go for a quick walk, or write down some positive affirmations to realign your thoughts.
As most things that we do in life are habitual we rarely think about the actions we take as we go about our daily routines. We are basically on autopilot. Unfortunately, everything we do throughout the day includes both good and bad habits and it is those bad habits that are causing the damage. As we age, more and more aspects of our life become habitual. It becomes more difficult to realize we have these habits and even more so to get rid of them particularly if we have had them for a long time.
With a bit of personal analysis, you will quickly start to notice the various different things that are leading up to your eating habits and potential weight gain.
If you target one of these habits at a time it becomes a lot easier to make the changes necessary to eliminate the bad habits. More often than not changing one habit can have a positive effect on many other habits. The process certainly becomes easier the more you do it. By concentrating more on the triggers rather than the food itself you will find that weight loss is not such an overwhelming part of your life.
In Health and Wellness,
