3 Healthy Habits To Lose Weight
Contents:
Identifying Healthy vs Unhealthy Habits
3 Healthy Habits to Lose Weight
Your daily habits will make or break your weight loss journey. Implement these three healthy habits and get your weight loss journey underway.
Anyone whose ever tried to lose weight before has failed numerous times, and I’m no different.
The whole process became easier, however, once I paid attention to detail.
Read on to discover the impact of habits on your efforts to lose weight.
What Are Habits?
Habits are the actions you repeat on a daily or weekly basis.
They are the behaviour patterns you settle into and, for the most part, carry out subconsciously.
Like waking up and brushing your teeth, having a shower, etc.
Habits are learned behaviours, typically unknowingly, but you can purposefully choose your habits to achieve goals.
A simple method to set a habit is through repetition.
Why Are Habits Important?
The compound effect.
Actions carried out regularly and consistently over time have a consequence or result which magnifies as you proceed.
The snowball effect illustrates this well.
Imagine rolling a snowball down a snowy hill.
As the ball rolls, it gets larger and larger.
This mirrors the effect of habits over time.
At first, the habit might not seem bad, but as the habit takes root and grows, the consequences become more dear.
Identifying Healthy vs Unhealthy Habits
We now know that the relatively small habits we carry out daily can have huge consequences.
But those habits and consequences don’t need to be bad.
Deep down, you can sense whether your actions, in the form of habits, are good for you or bad, but we tend to ignore that inner voice.
A more concrete measure of identifying healthy and unhealthy habits is by writing down the consequences.
By mapping out how one action will lead to another, you can see the direction you’re heading in.
Try writing it down rather than just thinking about it, it’ll double as a form of accountability.
3 Healthy Habits to Lose Weight
The following habits are the positive actions I maintain daily to lose weight and keep it off.
1. Weighing in
I weigh in every day without fail.
It holds me accountable, a constant indicator of the result of my daily actions, or habits.
Back in 2021, I weighed in at 18 stones and 10 pounds, that was one of my motivations to change, so it makes sense to continue that trend.
However, if you are going to weigh in every day, keep in mind daily fluctuations and try not to get discouraged.
If weighing in daily fills you with dread and affects your mood, make it a weekly or monthly habit instead.
At the end of the day, we are shooting for steady long-term change, so it makes sense to weigh in regularly but less frequently.
2. No mindless snacking
Snacking can get out of hand quickly.
One piece of chocolate turns into a whole bar.
One almond turns into several.
One chip turns into an entire bag.
Mindlessly snacking is a slippery slope.
It’s impulsive and emotional, not well thought out.
So I eliminate it.
I still snack, just not mindlessly.
I plan out snacks and meals in advance through calorie tracking.
By having a set amount planned and written out, it stops me from going overboard.
For more information on calorie tracking, as well as fat loss as a whole, see Cutting Concepts.
3. Sipping water
I sip water all day every day.
Keeping hydrated aids digestion, maintains mood and hormones, and most importantly, waves off hunger.
I’d normally have around 3 litres daily, but that number can be doubled in a cut.
Don’t drown yourself though.
Carry a water bottle with you everywhere you go and have a sip whenever you feel like it.
Takeaway
Whether you want to see success financially, in relationships, or health, optimizing your daily habits is necessary.
When it comes to weight loss and weight maintenance, three habits to help you get underway are regularly weighing in, eliminating mindless snacking, and sipping water throughout the day.
If you’re looking for a comprehensive guide to fat loss that covers all avenues, see Cutting Concepts.
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