Eating healthy to lose weight doesn't have to be difficult, complicated, or time consuming. It also doesn't require a degree in nutrition or hours of meal planning. The only thing you need to adopt healthy eating habits that stick for life is a new mindset about fat burning foods and "cooking" healthy meals.
Stick to a Short List of Fat Burning Foods
According to the latest research studies decreasing the variety of food results in a lower calorie intake due to habituation. Chantal Hobbs author of Never Say Diet calls this the "make food boring" trick and it helped her lose 200 pounds. A great way to use this weight loss trick long term is to come up with a short list of 15 fat burning foods that you eat for 4-8 weeks then come up with a new list of fat burning foods every 4-8 weeks. This way you get variety every month but each month you get the benefit of robbing food of its power and entertainment value. Timothy Ferris author of The 4 Hour Body calls this recurring meals and recommends this to anybody looking to lose 20 pounds of fat in 30 days without having to do extra exercise.
Another trick that boosts healthy eating compliance for life is the power of simplicity. A quick meal that takes only 5-15 minutes to prepare makes eating healthy less of a hassle and when something is simple and convenient it's easier to stick with long term. If you enjoy cooking elaborate time consuming meals by all means do it but if you're struggling to stick with a healthy eating plan because cooking healthy meals is overwhelming then switch to a plan that focuses on easy and quick healthy meals such as Eating for Life, The 5 Factor Diet, or Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals.
Reframe Your Weight Loss Diet Plans
The biggest weight loss myth around is that weight loss (and fitness) is a 6-12 week program. It's true that the best weight loss diet plans and healthy eating plans that work involve some type of deadline to keep you motivated. But what happens to your healthy meals once you reach that deadline? They usually goes out the window because most plans don't show you how to reframe that 12 week program into a healthy lifestyle. If your goal is to continue with healthy habits for life you must reframe your weight loss diet plans as soon as you begin to feel a shift towards healthy eating habits. Stop referring to your healthy eating habits as a diet or a 6-12 week program. Discard the idea that your healthy eating plans have an end date. Start referring to your diet as your new way of eating or your eating plan for life and your healthy eating plan will become a lifestyle instead of another plan you ditch until you gain the weight back.
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