It takes 21 days to break a habit
Changing your dietary habits and adapting to the ketogenic lifestyle isn’t easy. Maintaining long-term healthy habits is a challenge. American meals are saturated with junk nutrition and carbohydrates—especially with sugar. Is incorporating permanent, healthy eating habits possible?
Plenty of individuals started this journey before ketosis ever entered your lexicon. Use the list below to help you stick with the keto diet. Let’s get started!
Find Healthy Foods to Love
Consuming cheeseburgers and pizzas daily doesn’t mean you abhor healthy foods. Even the most unhealthy eaters can discover healthy foods to eat frequently!
Consider Stephanie Lucianovic, who wrote a book about the difficulties of being a picky eater as an adult. She possesses a strong aversion to vegetables. But when they’re sauteed or roasted, her taste buds find veggies acceptable. Trying new combinations and varieties can awaken new flavors for foods we usually dislike.
Discovering enjoyable keto food options will help you stick with the diet and resist cravings for less keto-friendly eats.
Choose No More Than One Indulgence
Attending a company holiday party with an open bar? Or a birthday party, laden with desserts? It’s okay to occasionally indulge. Without an intermittent treat, you risk failure. 21 days is the average amount of time necessary to break a habit. During that time period, your body still craves the eating habit you’re trying to decimate. Surrendering a little bit will help you avoid overindulging. The ultimate goal is to dwindle your habitual unhealthy eating until it’s no longer regularly desirable. Until that moment arrives you must surrender a little.
What’s the key to not going overboard? Making a specific, conscious decision about what you’d like to indulge. Drink one glass of champagne; eat a thin slice of cake; strive for sugar-free soda. Or find a less unhealthy substitute. You satisfy the desire for that rare indulgence while ensuring you don’t go crazy and destroy your progress. Be patient: in the long-term, unhealthy foods will seem disgusting and prove less difficult to resist for the ketogenic diet.
By using this tactic, you’ll stick to your new dietary habits without ruining your progress on a night of indulgence.
Stay Hydrated With Water, Sodium, and Potassium
Hydration is important for your overall health. But what’s a bonus to staying hydrated? Downing a glass of water before a meal can help you lose weight. Before your next eat, drink some cups of water and more throughout the day.
Water is one aspect of hydration. Electrolytes and potassium are essentials elements as well. If you are active, refilling your body with electrolytes is important—regardless of how much water you drink. Lucky for you, electrolyte sources don’t need to involve sugary drinks. Sprinkle some salt into water; try these keto-friendly Nuun tablets; most protein powders contain enough sodium to cover your hydration needs. Most individuals think bananas when considering potassium sources, but alternate keto-friendly sources exist: avocados, nuts, salmon, mushrooms, and green vegetables. Lacking potassium is a greater hindrance than lacking sodium. Potassium acts as a “sodium pump” for your cells; if the “pump” is lacking, your appetite increases, and you risk hindering your progress.
Hydration makes you feel full and satisfied, which helps you avoid overeating and the dreaded keto flu.
Talk About Your Keto Successes
Post about your success on social media, brag to co-workers and family members—whatever makes you feel proud. You’ll find that broadcasting your wins will help keep you on track.
Practice Eating Slowly
The next time you sit down at the dinner table, monitor how quickly you’re eating. Eating too fast doesn’t give your stomach a chance to feel satiated. Slow down! Try to maximize patience and enjoyment while you consume your meal. Spend the time savoring each bite.
Using mindfulness will not only help you realize your limits and eat less. It also makes your mealtimes more enjoyable. A good meal deserves patient consumption!
Skip a Meal Here and There
Give your body and digestive systems a little rest.
- Use intermittent fasting to experience wondrous health benefits.
- Eat dinner earlier than usual and skip dessert.
- Don’t have any meals or snacks sixteen hours before breakfast.
You’ll avoid or burn extra calories, provide your body systems a little vacation from digestion, and prove to your mind that skipping a meal isn’t the end of the world! Practicing restriction provides a new skill that will help you maintain healthy dietary habits.
Don’t Let Alcohol Ruin Keto Diet Habits
Alcohol contains a lot of empty calories. You’d be surprised at the nutritional content of even seemingly safe alcohol like vodka!
For this reason, alcohol consumption can cause the downfall of healthy lifestyle changes. While embarking on your new way of keto living, stay mindful of how many drinks you’re consuming.
Keep a Motivational List
Remember why you adapted to the ketogenic lifestyle. Do you want to be a good example for your children? Or feel better every day and live longer?
Whatever your reasons, write them down as a list of goals. Read them every morning or whenever you’re tempted to slip-up!
If you have the YouTube app, create a playlist of motivation videos and listen to it daily. There’s even an app called Alarm Tube that uses your playlist as an alarm clock on your phone.
Plan and Pack Ahead
Pre-planning is essential. You will destroy your dietary habits if you fail to plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner, hanging out, and other activities throughout the day. The keto meal plan template is helpful for planning your meals. If possible, pack the foods and sweeteners you’ll need for the day. Remember to track your macronutrients so you don’t bleed over your limits. Use the keto food search engine to research ketogenic options at places around your location.
Rid Your Home of Temptations
You’ll eat the cookies lurking in the refrigerator. Rid your home of unhealthy foods and replace naughty goodies with healthy alternatives. Whenever you’re hungry, and it’s late at night, the only option is to eat what’s in the house. The more healthy food you consume, the more you’ll enjoy it!