Don’t try and do all of these at once. Add one per week or every other week and you WILL lose weight and change your life over the next 37 to 74 weeks.
1. Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables (more vegetables than fruit). A simple way to do this is to use a compartmentalized plate, like the paper plates you may get at a picnic.
2. In every 24-hour period, the time you are eating should be less than the time you are not.
Example: If you eat breakfast at 8:00 am and you eat dinner at 8:00 pm then your feeding and fasting times are equal.
If you eat breakfast at 8:00 am and dinner at 6:00 pm your feasting time will be shorter than your fasting time.
This is ideal.
3. Sleep 7 to 8 hours per night.
4. Eat only whole foods.
5. Put your fork/spoon down between each bite.
6. Use a dish that is a color in contrast with the food you are eating. When in doubt go with blue.
7. Opt for tall narrow bowls and glasses over short squatty ones.
8. Do not eat out of boxes or bags. Use a plate or bowl.
9. When you eat do nothing but eat. Don’t watch TV or play on your phone.
10. Drink a glass of water before starting your meal.
11. Rid your house of all tempting foods.
12. Change your commute if you have a habit of eating fast food, Starbucks, or otherwise unhealthy grab and go.
13. Weigh yourself every morning.
14. Drink 16 – 32 ounces of water upon waking.
15. Walk at least 8,000 steps per day.
16. Eat a high protein breakfast.
17. Drink black coffee. Limit to 6 or fewer cups per day and only in the mornings.
18. Eliminate or drastically reduce sugar and high fructose corn syrup.
19. Use smaller plates and bowls.
20. Remove tempting foods from your counter or desk. Replace with healthy options like fruit or get rid of all together.
21. Up your fiber intake.
22. Chew more slowly and more times. Try counting 20 to 40 chews per mouthful.
23. Eliminate calorie-containing beverages like soda, coffee with cream/sugar, sports drinks, fruit juice, and milk.
24. Drink tea with nothing added.
25. Fast for 24 hours every now and again.
26. Resistance train to build and maintain lean muscle and bone density.
27. Reduce or eliminate refined carbs like white bread and pasta.
28. Reduce carb intake to a small handful per meal or take it a step further and go a small handful only after strenuous workouts.
29. Heal your gut with prebiotics (fiber-rich foods) and probiotics.
30. Relax. Distress and overwhelm are an enemy of weight loss and health.
31. Drink 0.5 – 0.7 ounces of water per pound of body weight.
32. Focus on habits and rewiring the brain instead of quick fixes.
33. Commit to living a healthy lifestyle for the rest of your life.
33. Surround yourself with people who will help you get and stay healthy.
34. Create an accountability program with a friend or coach.
35. Mastery before multiplication. Start with an easy habit. Master it. Then add to it.
36. Find success stories that feed your motivation and give you inspiration.
37. Live as if you are already the healthy, fit, trim person you want to be. Before doing something unhealthy ask yourself if this is the something that the healthy you would do?
Brett “37 Habits for a Lighter Healthier You” Denton