Do you know how to change your home to help you manage weight? If not, you aren’t alone! One of the biggest reasons most people fail to lose weight is that they don’t change their behavior. Be Slim Bariatrics believe nutrition and weight management are part of your weight loss journey to achieve your goal weight; our nutrition program includes understanding healthy eating habits and physical activity. You must make healthy lifestyle changes that support healthy eating habits and limit unhealthy ones. You don’t have to throw out everything you love, but you can use these ten tips to create an environment that will help you achieve your goals and stay on the right track. It’s easier than you think!
1) Remove Unhealthy Food From Your Home.
Eating unhealthy food in the house makes it easy to grab a bag of chips or a box of cookies when hunger strikes. So don’t buy junk food for yourself or keep it at home; instead, stock up on healthy foods and drinks like yogurt, nuts and seeds, fruit, and veggies. If you can’t resist eating something not on your diet plan (and let’s be honest: we all have this happen), get rid of that temptation by throwing it out!
If you have trouble with cravings, try to eat something that has some protein and fiber. For example, a handful of nuts or fruit is better than a bag of chips. It will take longer for your body to digest, giving you more time before you feel hungry again.
2)
Make a Grocery List Before Going Shopping.
The first step in successfully controlling your environment is to list everything you need and then stick to it. Only go shopping if you have a list of what you need, and don’t buy anything else. When we go into stores without an idea of what we are looking for, our brain has no difficulty finding things that might seem exciting or appealing. Without a list, our impulse buys may be items we don’t need but would like. This can lead us toward unhealthy foods and beverages that sabotage our efforts at weight management success.
Plan your meals for the week ahead
Planning will help prevent impulsive food purchases and keep you from buying more than necessary because everything looks good this week! You can plan your meals using a planning calendar or list the meals you want to cook. When shopping, stick to your list and don’t buy anything else.
3) Plan Your Meals.
When it comes to managing your weight, food management is critical. It can be easy to feel like you’re constantly dieting or restricting yourself from eating certain foods, which can be mentally and physically exhausting! A great way to overcome this feeling is by planning out your meals for the week and even the day.
Planning for the week:
Plan breakfast, lunch, and dinner for Monday through Friday. Consider which days you will have time for healthy cooking vs. fast food runs that are quick but high in calories (or even worse—processed junk!). Try not to eat out over the weekend; this will help keep food costs low and allow you more control over what you eat! If you do end up going out with friends, make sure there are plenty of healthy options available for you to choose from.
Planning for the day:
Plan your daily meals, snacks, and beverages. This will allow you always to have healthy options available, which helps you maintain control over what you eat and portion sizes. If something comes up and there isn’t time to plan, try eating prepared foods, like frozen pre-cut veggies or even canned beans/chickpeas! Having a meal plan also makes it easy to see what is in your fridge at any time. This will help prevent food waste and save money.
4) Meal Prep on Sunday Nights.
Prepping your meals for the week ahead is a smart way to stay on track with your weight loss goals. While we won’t get into specifics of what you should eat to lose weight, we will say that it’s helpful to keep some things in mind when planning and preparing your meals:
- Variety: A mix of proteins, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables can help keep you full longer by providing a range of nutrients and energy sources.
- Planning for leftovers: Having some food left over on Sunday night will ensure you don’t get hungry while trying to figure out what’s for dinner during the week (and maybe even beyond).
- Snacks: If you’re trying not to eat junk food at home all day long, prepare some good snacks so that when hunger pangs hit between meals, there is something healthy waiting for them instead!
Eating out is fun, but unfortunately, it only sometimes lends itself well to healthy eating. If you plan to eat in restaurants during the week, consider how you might order differently than usual to cut back on calories and fat grams. For example, ordering a grilled chicken sandwich with veggies instead of fries will save you about 200 calories and 15g of total fat!
5) Always Choose Healthy Eating Over Chips and Dip.
While some vegetables are not super low-calorie, they’re better for your health than highly processed foods like potato chips! Try some nuts if you’re looking for a healthy and filling snack. They can help to curb cravings because they provide protein and fiber, which make you feel full faster than other snacks. Nuts are also rich in fatty acids like omega-3s, good fats that help reduce inflammation in your body.
Coconut water is a great beverage to have on hand when trying to lose weight. It’s low in calories and sugar but high in potassium and electrolytes, which can help prevent dehydration after exercise. If you want to snack on something sweet, opt for dark chocolate. It contains more antioxidants than milk chocolate and can help boost your metabolism while reducing the risk of heart disease.
6) Create Low-calorie Snacks Ahead of Time.
It’s essential to ensure your snacks are low in fat, sugar, and calories. An excellent way to do this is by choosing high-fiber foods with lots of protein. Nuts and seeds are great because they contain healthy fats and protein, but they need more than 20% of your daily fiber needs per serving. Here are some other healthy snacks to have at home after bariatric surgery:
- A fruit salad with 1/2 cup of sliced apples and blueberries and 1 tablespoon of slivered almonds (after you have finished your post-op stages)
- A hard-boiled egg on a whole-grain cracker (after 2 months post-op)
- A smoothie made with ¾ cup of low-fat milk or yogurt mixed with ½ cup of frozen berries, and 4 ice cubes (Stage 3 of Post-op diet plan)
- A piece of whole-grain toast with avocado, tomato slices, and a sprinkle of salt. 1 cup of low-fat yogurt topped with 1 tablespoon each of raisins and granola. (after 3 months post-op)
- A handful of nuts and seeds ½ cup of cottage cheese with 2 tablespoons of fruit jam or jelly (after 2 months post-op)
- A slice of cheese with a whole-grain cracker A hard-boiled egg on a whole-grain cracker (after 2 months post-op)
7) Weight Yourself Once a Week.
It will help if you weight yourself once a week. You should also check your weight loss progress and reward yourself every time you reach your goal weight. This is a crucial step because it’s essential to know if you’re on track with your goals and ensure that you’re not gaining too much weight (or too much fat loss). If you have trouble seeing progress in the mirror, this can be especially helpful for motivation!
- Set goals for yourself. If you want to lose weight, ensure that your goals are specific and measurable. For example, a “I want to lose 10 pounds” goal is not as effective as an “I will weigh 172 lbs by the end of November”.
- Include a reward for reaching your goal. Rewards are essential to any weight loss plan because they help keep you motivated when things get tough. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on rewards; even watching your favorite movie or taking a walk around the block with a friend can be enough.
8) Don’t Skip Meals!
Skipping meals is a surefire way to derail your weight management efforts and can even create a weight loss stall. Missing meals can even raise insulin levels, leading to fat storage and hunger. If you’re starving, it’s going to be hard to resist overeating at mealtime or snacking on unhealthy foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients. That’s why it’s so important not to skip meals and maintain a healthy diet!
9) Keep Track of What You Eat in a Journal.
It’s essential to keep track of your food choices. This can be very frustrating, but it’s just as important to know what foods are making your weight management goals difficult and which are helping you succeed. Suppose you aren’t tracking what is happening in your body and aren’t aware of exactly how much of whatever it is that makes the difference between being overweight and healthy. So if you don’t keep track of your daily routine, no one else can help with suggestions or advice on your weight loss journey.
10) Get a Weight Loss Accountability Partner.
In the book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey suggests that one of the most important success habits is to find a mentor. This can be someone who has already accomplished what you are trying to do or someone who knows more than you and can help you improve at what they do.
A good accountability partner will hold you accountable for your weight loss goals. An accountability partner will help keep your goals in mind when there seem to be too many temptations or when life gets busy, and there’s no time for working out or eating right (or whatever goal it is).
A good accountability partner will also help you keep your goals in mind when there seem to be too many temptations around or even when life gets busy, and it feels like there’s no time for working out or eating right (or whatever goal it is).
If you need an accountability partner with the Be Slim Bariatrics’ Facebook Group, you have a tribe of accountability partners.
We hope these tips have given you some ideas on controlling your home environment for long-term success. If you need help, please reach out here so we can help! There is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing weight, weight-related health problems, and body image. You can find what works best for you by experimenting with different methods until you find something that sticks.
Reviewed by Nutritionist Karen Reyes
