You obviously love the idea of a healthy and fit life. And yet when you decide to follow a healthy eating schedule you are not able to continue it that long. Here are some lessons from my journey.
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In 2019 my friends and I had taken the three month long Being habitually healthy challenge. We were following an intermittent fasting schedule, picking up on different exercises and mental health regimes and also eating healthy.
The objective was to form a habit of a healthy lifestyle. It was a great start and we all found benefit in our own little ways by the end of it. We all shed a few kilos too. (Read my final thoughts of the challenge in this post- My reflections on the Being Habitually Healthy Challenge 2019)
Today in 2021, I still follow the same fasting and prayer schedule (yes it became a habit!). But exercise is a challenge I have to work on.
One of the few things I realized when I focused on my health was that I needed preparation. Because it was on weeks that I didn’t plan that I was more tempted to deviate.
Anyway, my present eating routine although slow, gives me time to be mindful. It is not just healthy but takes away my stress of cooking too!
So here are a few lessons from my journey to help you prepare yourself for a healthy eating schedule. Whether you’re on a keto diet or an LCHP or HPHF, these basic steps, in my view, will motivate you to adapt to a forever healthy eating routine!
Decide your goal
Before you start a healthy eating schedule, ask yourself what are the top 5 things you want to gain from this new routine?
Try focusing on the positive things, like “I want to be healthy for myself and my family.” or “I want to fit into the clothes I wore when I was healthier.” or “I want to know how my body responds to different food groups.” or “I want to be energetic through the day”
Avoid focussing on elusive outcomes like “I want to avoid junk food.” “I don’t want to be called fat anymore” “I don’t want to be lazy.”
Why I’m suggesting this is because in my opinion, when you’re conscious about what to avoid, you end up doing just that (Read this) And that creates stress, confusion and associates negative feelings to all your efforts.
On the other hand positive goals make you excited about the process. You plan better and look forward to your milestones.
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Calculate your calorie deficit
If you’re focussing on losing weight then you’ve got to have a calorie deficit. In fact most popular diets are successful because they are aimed at losing calories.
The idea is that when you take in fewer calories, your body will turn to the calories in storage to burn up for energy.
Every person’s caloric needs are different based on their lifestyle, genes, metabolism and other factors. Naturally the calculation for deficit will vary in the same way too.
Here’s an amazing tool that helps you plan your calorie deficit!
Once you find out how many calories you need on a daily basis, calculate how much you will consume in each of your meals. So if you look forward to your breakfasts, then devote more caloric food groups in that meal. Similarly you can plan for the rest of meals based on your usual routine.
Plan your meals ahead
If you don’t have a plan you are bound to lose track of what you are trying to achieve. So here are some tips that work well for me to create a healthy meal plan
- Plan and jot down in a notebook all your meals, one week in advance, corresponding to the calories you need to intake.
- Include more protein in your meals.
- Include low calorie, different coloured, high fibre vegetables in every meal. (carrots, pumpkin, beets, green beans, broccoli, lady finger, mushroom and green leafy vegetables)
- Have a good serving of fresh salad with every meal.
- Eat only 1 fruit a day.
- Do not cut out carbohydrates completely. Just calculate the calories around it.
- Consider reusing leftovers for the next meal. For example if you make a spinach vegetable today, can you make spinach fried rice or spinach cutlets with the leftovers?
- Make and store at least 2 mixed vegetable soups (made from scratch) for the week. This helps you when you feel excessively hungry.
- Keep some protein snacks handy to also help you with your hunger cravings.
- Try different whole grains every other week. Millets, oats, quinoa, couscous, rice, whole wheat, rye, sorghum, ragi, amaranth, buckwheat, bulgar and barley are all good for your health in their own ways. Mix and match with your meals. They add so much variety and nutrition!
- If you’re a die-hard non-vegetarian, try replacing red meat with fish like sardines, salmon and tuna in your meals.
- Repeat or mix and match two weeks of meal plans for the next week!
- If there’s a dish you prepared that is too much to devour, store it carefully in the freezer. Use it after a week and it will taste as fresh as new!
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Eat what you like
Unlike popular opinion, eat everything that you enjoy under the healthy bracket, more often. For example my husband enjoys vegetables stir fried in a little olive oil. I make sure that that is one meal that he gets, at least 4-5 times a week.
This way he is motivated to stay on track and looks forward to his meals too!
If possible weigh what you eat so even if you do end up having a dessert or an unhealthy snack, once in a while, it still falls under the calorie bracket you set for your self.
Create a recipe bank
No meal plan works without the required recipes. Keep all the recipes for all your meals in one place (i.e if you need recipes) using a bunch of print outs or a recipe diary or on Pinterest or on your phone. This way you wouldn’t stress on which recipe to refer when cooking your meals.
Also keep a few other quick healthy recipes as back up. Like on the days when you want to eat spicier or lighter or cheesier!
As you cook through the week, keep coding your recipes- which one was a family favourite, which one was easier to cook, which one can be reused in different ways, which one is low caloric but high on nutrients etc
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Recipe notebook and organiser
Be realistic about your time
How much time does it take for you to prepare your meal, on an average? And in which part of the day can you fit this prep period?
For example, since my energy is highest in the early mornings and late nights, I divide my work accordingly. I meal prep most dishes in the morning and then a little in the night.
The tough and time consuming things I do in the morning, like cutting vegetables and making the basic gravy. And the lighter things like washing, boiling, marinating, soaking and peeling or plucking the vegetables, I do at night. This also means that you make use of appropriate vessels and tools, for each of these tasks.
Record what you eat
Sometimes, even after planning, an unexpected engagement may cause us to opt for unhealthy food. That’s why it is extremely important to keep a record of whatever you eat and drink during the day.
You may not always be able to calculate the calories on the go. But you can approximately calculate the increase later and then plan accordingly for the rest of the week.
Hope these tips help you to prepare yourself for your own healthy eating schedule. Honestly, there’s no right or wrong way about it. See what works for you and stick to it!
Found this post useful? You may like reading these as well
The Being Habitually Healthy challenge
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Fibre rich green vegetable soup | vegan and healthy
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