If you’ve joined us on the 4-week challenge, then hopefully, you’ve started making health and weight loss a priority, which is fantastic! (if you haven’t joined, then you always can – just click here to get started).
In that time I am sure you have developed some new habits, such as fasting two days of each week, eating more healthily in general, and exercising more. If you look back you will now realize that fasting is nowhere near as difficult as it was during that first week or two – right?
If you have stuck at it, you will realize that it is probably now just a normal part of your week. Some of you may continue with fasting 2 days each week, some may have cut back to 1 day each week… and others… well now might be a good time to jump back on the horse and start afresh.
What I hope you may have gathered as an extra bonus from the challenge was the awareness around other habits that you have on a daily or weekly basis.
Actions you just seem to do on autopilot without even thinking about it. You know, things that are that familiar to you like brushing your teeth, driving to work, etc.
Many of you have been kicking goals (so many of you have shared your successes from adopting fasting two days each week and completing the weight loss challenge – thanks so much for your kind words).
I want you to be able to increase those results by becoming aware of other ‘habits’ that may not be serving you.
Habits or actions that you are not even aware of, and with a little focus on them could be really easy to change too!
Simple Healthy Diet Changes Anyone Can Make
One simple change I made was cutting back on the addition of sugar that I would add to my hot drinks. I have replaced white refined sugar or raw sugar with Stevia or Xylitol (natural plant-based sugar substitutes) and the unexpected result I got is that now when I have a hot drink with white refined sugar in it, the taste is too sweet for me – as my new habit has created a new taste for my palate as well.
And honestly, it really wasn’t hard to do.
This was a really simple change I made that not only lowers my calories but also decreases the sugar in my diet to prevent diabetes.
Another example is that my sister loves those flavored coffee’s, you know those large caramel coffees with cream on top.
I was out having a coffee with her a few weeks back and that was exactly what she ordered.
During the catch up she explained that she felt like she has hit a bit of a plateau with the weight loss and couldn’t understand why and was feeling a little unmotivated.
I asked her why she has the caramel coffees… her answer was “I just automatically order it, I don’t even think about it, I have been drinking these for so long.”
Interesting! I pointed out to her how much sugar was contained in that coffee (let alone the fat and calories) and suggested that she switches back to regular coffee and only aim to order the flavored coffee once a week as a treat (as after all, the calorie, fat, and sugar content is similar to that of having a piece of cake or some other dessert).
Imagine the calories and undoing of your hard work when you have a large coffee and a big piece of cake …gasp!
At first, she did notice the difference in sweetness because her palate had become so accustomed to the craving of sugar. But these past two weeks she has focused on it and says now it really wasn’t that hard a habit to change, as she realized she was ordering out of habit rather than that is what she really wanted to drink.
Now she is happy enough with a flat white or cappuccino… or she makes the choice for cake or a flavored coffee… not both 🙂
What Habits Do You Have That Could Be Sabotaging Your Dieting Success?
So my question to you is “What little habits are you doing just because it’s autopilot?”
What little changes could you make now that you are aware that require hardly any effort but could have huge results on your waistline?
And since we’re discussing flavored coffees, I’ll share with you my research into coffee and its effects on your health and weight-loss soon, so stay tuned.
So here’s to being more ‘aware’ this week and choosing a small habit to change.
… my bet is that it’s easier to change a habit now than when you first started fasting 2 or 3 months ago.
Look how far you have come – Yippee!
Let me know what habit you are going to change – I’m really interested!
Perhaps hold yourself accountable by sharing it here… it might not even be related to your diet but something else that you know is affecting your health and lifestyle (eg. smoking, toxic thoughts, toxic people, etc).
To your health and vitality,
Sarah
P.S. Are you still continuing with the fasting diet plan this far down the line? Please let me know.
P.P.S. If you haven’t tried the 5:2 diet, what’s stopping you? – Please drop me a line to let me know 🙂