We’ve all been there. The one-off decision that we make that we think is going to help us manage our weight. The skipping a meal, the long run, the saying no to seconds, smashing out a double session at the gym, choosing the salad over the fries. But in reality, to manage our weight in a healthy way, we need to build a strong foundation of healthy habits.
“Behaviour change and habit formation is the key to creating positive long term health outcomes.”
We built our Get Ready for Summer Programme to help our clients start to build necessary healthy habits. The first step is to provide a structured, balanced meal plan. This takes out the stress of meal planning and simplifies life. You merely need to repeat an action consistently and understand WHY this benefits youThe second is that the programme runs for a month. It's easy to create a new habit, but breaking older habits can prove more difficult. We need to support you with practical tools for the duration of the four weeks to enable small changes both in breaking old habits and encourage you to practice many new healthy habits.
Most importantly, you need to decide on your own healthy habit. That bit we cannot do for you. Does your determination lie with being fed up with your weight or energy levels and wanting to know HOW to eat healthier for your own body? Do you want to get in the habit of managing your portion sizes, or feeling genuinely satisfied with choosing the salad over the fries, the zucchini noodle stir fry over the lasagne, or making sure you eat enough throughout the day so all those snacks stop taking over your afternoon? It takes time to feel the positive effects of your actions. Making time for meal prep, choosing healthier options, cooking more veggies, incorporating protein or even goal setting was once a chore, until you set your goal, work on habit formation and feel the fruits of your labour.
Here are some of the healthy habits you are currently layering into your life.
Crowding Out
You may have noticed that this meal plan doesn’t do small portions. We’re focused on adding in a lot of good, non-starchy vegetables, protein and fat onto each plate of food. If you start there, you’ll naturally see fewer carbohydrates (especially overly processed ones). But you’re still eating lots of food, so you’ll feel fuller for longer. Also, we often need a reminder that our vegetables, protein and fat deliver us our daily vitamins and minerals. Eating well means we’re eating for health and to reduce the occurrence of nutrient deficiency.
Well Laid Plans
How many times have you rushed out the door, realising you haven’t made time for breakfast, only to grab a muffin at the coffee shop? Or come home after a long day to find the cupboards bare and turned to takeaways for dinner? By having a balanced meal plan, a grocery list and specific goals that you’re working towards you can start each week knowing what you’re looking to achieve and how to get there.
Size Matters
How big is a serving of potatoes? How big should a smoothie be? How much protein do I really need? Our meal plans are designed to make sure that you’re getting all the nutrients you need, within specific portion sizes. Learning to understand portion sizes will help you make daily decisions that maintain your weight long after the programme has finished.
Awareness of Hunger
Some of us have long lost our abilities to listen to what our bodies really need. You do realise that you are just one big (beautiful) sack of hormones and your body is a lot smarter than you are? No offence :) But if you listen hard enough, your body tells you when it's hungry, when its full, what food to eat and when to rest. It's our busy lives and (pesky) emotions that often derail making the healthiest decision. Understanding when we’re actually hungry, not just bored, emotional or excited, and can listen to our hunger and satiety signals, we will know what to eat and how much. These four weeks are about slowing down and tuning back into what our bodies really need.
Beyond the Plate
You may have noticed a desire to increase other healthy habits while you’re on the Programme. We’ve been hearing from people that they have increased their water intake, cut back on alcohol and added more exercise into their daily routines. As you begin one healthy habit, you become more likely to add in other healthy habits too. As they layer in on one another, you’ll find the results increase exponentially. By increasing your water intake, you’re less likely to mistake thirst for hunger and reach for snacks. By decreasing alcohol, you’ll sleep better and feel more energised throughout the day.
Next Steps
We’ve built this sheet to help you build the habits you need to achieve your goals. Dive on in.
Habits Worksheet
Final Note
We hope that as you reflect on your goals each week, you can see healthy habits begin to layer themselves into your life. These are the habits that you’ll take forward out of the Programme to create long-term changes in your life and with your weight. Think about what habits you want to layer in each week. See what’s easy to do and what requires a little more effort. Building new habits takes time, so make sure you’re taking the time to commend yourself on the progress you’re making.