9 Reasons You Can't Kick Unhealthy Eating Habits and Quick Fixes to Overcome Them
ABSTRACT
Struggling with unhealthy eating habits? Discover the top 9 reasons you can't break them and learn quick fixes that address emotional eating, cultural influences, stress, fatigue, and more. Implement these expert tips to steer your eating habits in a healthier direction and regain control over your diet.
Keywords
Unhealthy eating habits
Reasons for unhealthy eating
Quick fixes for unhealthy eating
Emotional eating solutions
Cultural influence on eating habits
Fatigue and unhealthy eating
Stress eating tips
Breaking unhealthy reward systems
Environmental triggers for eating
Peer pressure and eating habits
Access to healthy foods
Improving taste and texture of healthy foods
Unhealthy Food Habits / Photo: Iryna Varanovich
Introduction
No time to overanalyze your unhealthy eating habits? Let me help you. Here are nine reasons you can’t kick the habits and their quick fixes. Life is certainly more complicated than these suggestions, but they will at least steer you in the right direction. Good luck!
EMOTIONAL ASSOCIATION WITH PARTICULAR FOODS
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Minimize exposure and availability to these foods by leaving them off the grocery list and preselecting a restaurant that won’t tempt you with indulgent menu items. Meanwhile, build a positive relationship with new healthy foods through weekly recipe experiments.CULTURAL INFLUENCE
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Determine boundaries in portions by restricting your consumption to a tiny plate while indulging in your cultural connection. Bring at least one healthy option to your cultural events.FATIGUE OR BOREDOM
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Although food may seem the best answer, you may need to satisfy other needs, including sleep. Set the same bed and wake-up times and aim for 7-8 hours of sleep. If this doesn’t solve your midday lags, you may need new engaging stimulation from your environment, social interactions, or projects.STRESS OR ANXIETY
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Recognize your overwhelmed state and determine the contributing factors. Then, find peace by focusing on your breath and simplifying your tasks and demands.UNHEALTHY REWARD SYSTEM
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Cue + Routine = Reward. So, determine the real reward of eating a Snickers bar when you're not hungry and replace this routine with another option that will lead to the same reward. Examples of other routines: Take a break from your monotonous computer work by walking or talking to a coworker.ENVIRONMENTAL CUES
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Television commercials, junk food left in the kitchen at work, candy at the cash register....all environmental cues that probably steer you down the unhealthy path. You may need to determine new paths to avoid these triggers (it might just be this simple).PEER PRESSURE
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Minimize your interaction with peer-pressuring individuals while slowly working on your boundaries and being assertive in social situations.ACCESS TO HEALTHY OPTIONS
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Order from a specific list of healthy items from a grocery delivery service before you run out of food. Always keep healthy foods you LOVE in your kitchen or pack at your desk (which requires you to experiment with different foods).THE TASTE AND TEXTURE DON'T APPEAL TO YOUR SENSE
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Determine the taste (sweetness, saltiness, savory, etc.) or texture (soft, hard, crunchy, etc.) that appeals to you the most, and add ingredients aligned with these preferences. The right foods could satisfy your yearning for more and help you avoid overeating.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: MICHAEL MOODY, PERSONAL TRAINER
As an author, a personal trainer in Denver, and podcast host, Michael Moody has helped personal training clients achieve new fitness heights and incredible weight loss transformations since 2005. He also produces the wellness podcast "The Elements of Being" and has been featured on NBC, WGN Radio, and PBS.
Michael offers personal training to Denver residents who want to meet at the 2460 W 26th Ave studio….or in their homes throughout LoHi (80206), LoDo (80202), RiNo (80216), Washington Park (80209), Cherry Creek (80206, 80209, 80243, 80246, 80231), and Highlands (80202, 80211, 80212). Michael also offers experiences with a personal trainer in Jefferson Park (80211) and Sloan's Lake (80204, 80212).
If you’re looking for a personal trainer who can curate a sustainable (and adaptable) routine based on your needs and wants, Michael is the experienced practitioner you’ve been looking for. Try personal training for a month…your body will thank you!
