Before we get started, we’re not saying that thin is good and fat isn’t. Diet culture, on the other hand, well it’s not the best. After all, it’s built around preying on our desire to lose weight, but only really makes money when we fail. Otherwise, there would be no need to go back and use those products again and again! The good news is you don’t have to diet to maintain a healthy weight. (Which is a weight that you get to decide!) Instead, try the tactics below.
Boost your fiber intake
Fiber is great stuff when it comes to food. It fills you up and helps you to stay full longer which is great when you want to achieve a healthy weight. It’s also great for helping your digestive system stay regular, and process the foods that you eat effectively.
With that in mind, making sure that your meals contain plenty of fiber is an easy thing you can do for your nutritional health. Legumes and beans are particularly high in fiber, and protein too, so they will doubly help to keep you full.
Vegetables and wholewheat bread are also chock full of fiber. Although wholewheat bread products can be tricky to find, in which case the whole meal is a great replacement.
Get more sleep
You may not think that your sleep schedule has much to do with what you eat, but that is not the case. Indeed, getting enough sleep is crucial if you want to regulate your appetite and maintain a healthy weight.
The reason for this is that by getting the right amount of sleep, we have the best chance of maximizing our energy levels. When we are feeling energetic we are less likely to crave sugary or fatty snacks to give us a boost.
Additionally, when our energy levels are high, working out becomes so much easier too. This will then help us to burn more of the energy we consume and raise our metabolism, making keeping off excess weight a breeze.
Increase your protein levels
Like fiber protein is a nutrient that will help you stay fuller for longer. That means you are much more likely to feel satiated after meals, and in turn, this helps minimize the chance of unnecessary snacking.
Of course, lean meats such as chicken, ham, pork, and beef are all high in protein. However, vegetarians and vegans will want to use alternative sources such as beans, legumes, tofu, as well as nuts and seeds.
Don’t let missteps ruin your motivation
When it comes to staying at a healthy weight, you will have ups and downs. Both literally and in terms of the numbers that your scale reads. The thing is that it is OK because you are a human. Indeed, as humans, our motivation, as well as our weight, will naturally fluctuate over time, and this can lead to some missteps.
The most important thing here is to forgive yourself and move on, otherwise, you could be at risk of binging to make yourself feel better. Further distancing you from your values around healthy eating.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with getting a little extra help with your motivation if you find yourself struggling. One way of doing this is to team up with a friend that can help keep you accountable, and that can offer you support when you are struggling.
You can also follow the advice Mindy from Just A One Girl Revolution offers and use additional supports like crystals to help you stay focused and motivated. For example, she suggests that using blue apatite daily will help reduce stress and improve your immune system, which will also boost your digestive health, and so aid you on your journey to maintain a healthy weight.
Plan and prep your meals
Another great weight to stay on target with your eating goals is to meal plan and prep. Meal planning and prepping are when you decide what you will eat for dinner, and sometimes breakfast and lunch as well as at the beginning of the week. The idea is that you take a few hours to prepare these meals so you always have something healthy and delicious on hand that also meets your nutritional targets.
Indeed, there are many benefits to meal planning from saving money, to making sure you get enough fiber and protein in each portion. Also again, when you have something on hand that you have made the effort to cook, you are much more likely to eat that, than something less healthy.
Try a recipe box kit or meal deliveries
Of course, not all of us are wizards in the kitchen when it comes to cooking, but don’t let that put you off. After all, there are other options you can try from recipe box kits to meal deliveries.
Recipe box kits deliver all the ingredients needed to make 4-5 meals a week. The brilliant thing about them is that they are all pre-portioned, so all you have to do is follow the supplied recipes and add in things at the right time. Then you will end up with a fresh-cooked meal, that is delicious. You can even choose which recipes a recipe plan company sends you, so that means you can opt for vegetable-heavy options, or even lower calories if you like.
Meal deliveries on the other hand will send you full meals that are already perfectly cooked. Then all you have to do is heat them and enjoy them. Similar to the recipe box option, you can choose the meals that get delivered so you can make sure they meet all your nutrition needs, without having to spend hardly any time in the kitchen at all.
Eat mindfully
Last of all if you are looking to ditch diet culture for good, then there is nothing more effective than eating mindfully. Eating mindfully is all about focusing on the experience of eating food, including how it tastes, and what it feels like in your mouth, some of which you may find surprising. For example, many people realize just how much they love the complex flavors of fruits and vegetables when they eat more mindfully. Something that they would have never had realized before.
Another important benefit to eating mindfully is that it helps you to tune into the hunger and full signals you get from your body. Indeed, in today’s world, we are so used to overriding these, whether it’s because we feel like we have to finish everything on our plate, to avoid wasting food or offending the cook, or because we have just forgotten what our full signals feel like.
The good news is that by eating in a mindful way you can get better attuned to what your body needs and likes, and when it’s full, which in turn can help you regulate your weight without ever having to diet.
To begin eating mindfully, try having your meals at the table and without any TV, radio or content on. Turn your phone off and put it out of reach, and then focus on each mouthful of food. Put your knife and fork down between bites and take your time to experience the taste and texture.
Of course, it is worth noting that eating mindfully is a skill that you learn and get good at, so don’t expect to be perfect at it at first. Remember it’s important to unlearn those lessons you have learned through diet culture and instead be gentle with yourself.
