For many people, it's not the exercise that's the hard part of living a healthy lifestyle, it's the eating and how to be more disciplined about it. It all comes down to willpower--and some common sense. Willpower refers to the resolve or strength to follow your desires, goals, and plans. Your willpower is your strong desire that helps you make something happen despite all the obstacles.
Willpower is like a muscle that you can build through training. You need to increase your expectations regarding the right amount of calories you need to consume. Willpower is also like a habit that gradually becomes a way of life. (Chalene)
If you are unable to follow a disciplined eating plan, there's several ways that can help. The idea is to set realistic goals so you can observe self-discipline with the passage of time without pushing yourself too hard. But you need to make sure that your goals are realistic. Realistic goals have 5 qualities:
- Specific
- Time-bound
- Relevant
- Achievable
- Measurable
(TheEmotionMachine)
Avoid Common Healthy Eating Mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes regardless of what they are trying to achieve in life. The same applies to healthy eating as well. Here are five common healthy eating mistakes that you might want to avoid if you want to become disciplined with eating:
1. Skipping Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It provides you with important nutrients (provided you are eating a healthy breakfast) and can ward off cravings later in the day. If you seem to always struggle with afternoon or evening cravings, eating breakfast is the easy solution for ending this cycle.
2. Binge Eating
Overeating is one of the main reasons for obesity in North America. Actually, most people don't know how much is too much so they keep eating until they are full.
If you are a 21-year-old man and have a sedentary lifestyle, you don't need to consume over 2,400 calories a day. For a woman, the limit is 2,000 calories per day. Eating more than that will cause weight gain.
3. Eating Too Little
Eating too little is another common mistake that most dieters make. Your diet shouldn't be overly restrictive. Sure, losing weight means eating less, but it doesn't mean not eating enough. Eating too little will cause your body to go into the "preservation" mode. As a result, your body will conserve the maximum amount of energy, your metabolism will slow down, you will keep on losing lean mass and your body fat won't change. Instead, slowly reduce your calories and see how that goes first. You want to still be able to eat as much as possible without gaining weight.
4. Missing Your Macros
A macronutrient imbalance is one of the main problems most North Americans face these days. People tend to eat too many carbohydrates and not enough protein or healthy fats. Although the recommended amount of macronutrients vares from one person to another, you need to be sure you are getting the right amount every day.
If your diet consists mostly of carb-heavy foods, you might suffer from binge eating, energy crashes, and food cravings.
5. Depending on Vitamins and Supplements Alone
Keep in mind that supplements are not a great alternative for organic food. If you think you can miss your meals and have vitamins and supplements instead, you need to think again.
Your body can't absorb many vitamins and micronutrients from supplements. Moreover, these pills can't provide you with as many vitamins and nutrients as real food. So relying on vitamins and supplements alone is not a good idea.
If you are making these eating mistakes, don't worry. All you need to do is get back into the swing of things. Remember, consistency is the most important thing if you want to become more disciplined with eating to achieve your goals. )MakeYourbodyWork)
References:
https://makeyourbodywork.com/17-healthy-eating-mistakes/