My 10 Tips To Stay Motivated To Eat Healthy

Jun 8

Why Can’t I Stay Motivated to Eat Healthy?

You want to change the way you eat. Maybe you were just diagnosed with a medical condition, maybe the doctor told you you need to lose weight, maybe you are tired of being tired all the time or maybe you just don’t fit into your clothes anymore. So you decide to embark on a new eating plan. It goes pretty well at the beginning but inevitably after a few weeks you fall off the wagon. Why? Others can do it, why can’t you? Why can’t you stay motivated? From my experience, sometimes you expect too much too fast. Often your motivators are purely extrinsic, meaning they come from others (purely how you look), instead of intrinsic (how it will make you feel). Sometimes you go into it with a negative mindset. It is too hard, you will have to give up too many things you love and you won’t be able to do it. Maybe you don’t do it the right way for your body. There are many reasons why, but let’s change that today!

My 10 Tips to Stay Motivated

1. Know Your Why

Looking better in your jeans is often why you start your journey to eating better, and while that can be a great motivator often it doesn’t stick long term. Go beyond the way you look. Think about the way it will make you feel. Ask yourself what doesn’t feel great now? Do you have a hard time keeping up with your kids? Do you have aches and pains? Do you not sleep well? Brainstorm and write it down.

2. Set Goals

After you know your why, it is time to set some goals. What is your long term goal or goals? It is important to be realistic. Often we want a lot in a little amount of time. It took you a while to get where you are now and it will take time to get to where you want to be. After you determine your long term goals, set some short term goals to help you map out how you will get there. Create small steps to help you make small changes. Think of it like climbing a set of stairs and you will go one step at a time. Have a goal for each step. Write it all down.

3. Create Your Own Plan

What worked for your friend may not work for you. The latest fad is just that, a fad which often puts you in the mindset that results should happen fast which most likely leads to disappointment. Focus on eating real foods that will nourish your body and create your plan from there. Think about what you like and what you don’t. Do you like to cook? Are you happy with eating the same things or do you like to experiment. Write it down but remember that this is a work in progress. Experiment and don’t be afraid to change things if they aren’t working. Learn how to eat best for your body. Learn what foods satisfy you and help you feel satiated and even more important figure out what foods tend to make you want to eat more so you know what to avoid. You can find my 5 foods that curb my hunger here.

4. Plan ahead

Do a pantry purge and regularly restock your kitchen. If you need some guidance on how best to do this check out my blog post Struggling to Eat Healthy. Most people do this at the beginning of their journey but neglect to do it regularly. It is very important that you have what you need to be successful in your kitchen at all times.

Also, plan ahead for traveling and eating out. Learn to look at menus ahead of time if possible. Pack healthy foods that you can eat on the go or when hunger strikes. Strategize and learn how to stay on track. Determine what your go-to foods are when you are away from home. Write down what works and what doesn’t.

5. Reward the Small Successes

Did you lose a couple pounds? Did you go on vacation and not gain any weight? Do your joints hurt less when you wake up in the morning? Were you able to eat out and only have one glass of wine or you ate the burger without the bun? Did you successfully up your protein intake to 100 grams today? Did you not eat any processed or packaged foods today? Find all the small things you are doing that make you feel better and congratulate yourself. Focus on those victories. They add up and lead you to that top step! Keep track of them, write them down.

6. Track What You Eat

There are a lot of great apps out there to help with this. I use Carb Manager but check out a few and see what would work best for you. Even if you think this isn’t for you (I am not a fan of doing it daily) I highly recommend you do it for at least a week so you know exactly what your current eating habits are. This will help you make adjustments when needed. It is also good to do when you hit a plateau as it will help you see where you can make some changes. We often eat more than we think. Tracking helps.

7. Learn How to Manage Your Stress

Prioritize sleep. Move more. Take time to breathe. These three things are so important and often neglected. If you don’t do these three things it will be very hard to be successful. Meditate. Journal. Turn off all screens a couple of hours before bed. Get sunlight first thing in the morning if possible. Don’t be sedentary. Take a lot of small walks.

8. Keep a Journal

I am sure you noticed a theme from all the sections above. It helps to write things down. Reading through your journaling of small successes or goals can help motivate you when you have had a tough day. You can journal when you feel bored or sad instead of eating. Keep track of what works and what doesn’t and have a place where it is all listed out.

9. Have a Positive Mindset

I can’t stress the importance of this one enough. Tell yourself you can do it because you can. Remind yourself often that you can do it. Aim for 100% but If you fall off the wagon don’t beat yourself up. Instead recall all the reasons you are on this journey and get started again. Set some new small goals to get back on track if needed. You’ve got this!

10. Find Support

Hopefully you have support from within your own home but if you don’t that is okay you can find it elsewhere. Maybe you have a friend that wants to also clean up their diet. I love following people on Instagram that share my vision. They often give me new food ideas and inspiration. I love listening to podcasts about why I am on this journey. They motivate and educate me. Hire a professional to help if needed!