How can i be more motivated to eat healthier?

Question

Ok so i am needing some help, it is not that I'm fat or anything but i have noticed my eating habits has gone a little out of hand the thing is that i have a medical issue and that the medication I'm taking suppresses my appetite. So everyone i am around is feeding me just whatever (more like fast food type). I have gotten to the point where i don't need to lose anymore weight, but would like to tone up a bit. But for me the first step is to eating healthier. So my question is: Is there a way for me to be more motivated so that way i can start eating healthier?

Answer 1

Jessica, Remember the idea is Not to eliminate foods. The process involves Reducing the empty calorie items e.g. soft drinks, etc. As an example; if you are consuming 2-12 oz soft drinks per day. Cut it down to 1 per day or better yet replace those soft drink scenarios with fresh fruits. Be sure to hydrate with H2O. When you acclimate to your new [ healthy ] diet. You will see a change in your physical appearance. Also, you will not miss the bad items you have reduced or eliminated [ depending on your plan ] from your new nutritional intake. 3 things to remember to balance exercise, diet and rest. Good luck and Have Fun!!!

Answer 2

You've got a goal already - so that's a great start. You want to tone up. Excellent!

One thing I tell all my clients in similar situations is to be patient. Nothing will happen over night - it will take hard work, dedication and commitment to achieving your goal. It all happens in small steps.

Your motivation should be your goal. If your goal doesn't give you all the motivation you need to achieve it, maybe you need to reconsider your goal, or be more specific about it.

For example, instead of just wanting to tone up, put a date to it. For example, you want to tone up by 1st of June 2014.

You've now got a goal, and a date.

Now break that main goal down into smaller goals. What do you need to do each month and week in order to achieve you main goal by 1st of June 2014?

For example, and this is a really rough example!

1. Within 1 week I will create a basic meal plan.
2. Within 1 week I will attend gym at least once a week and do 15 minutes cardio and 15 minutes weight training.
3. Within 3 weeks I will have refined that meal plan further.
4. Within 3 weeks I will be attending gym at least twice a week and doing 20 minutes cardio and 20 minutes weight training
5. Within 6 weeks I will be attending gym at least 4 times a week and on two of those occasions do 30 minutes cardio and 30 minutes weight training.

I'm sure you get the picture now. :)

Write down these small goals in the order of which you need to achieve them with your main goal at the bottom. Be specific.

You've got a main goal. You've got a date. You've broken that main goal down into smaller goals. Each time you achieve one of the smaller goals, tick it off the list and watch yourself get closer and closer to achieving your main goal.

Hopefully as you tick each one of the list, it gives you that little more motivation to keep pushing yourself - because remember, you've also set yourself a date. ;)

A couple of tips:-

Your date needs to be realistic. Saying you wont to tone up within 1 month is not realistic. Saying one year is allowing way more time then is needed and wont promote motivation at all. It's needs to be realistic for the goal, achievable, but also forces you to stay focused.

Hopefully this helps you achieve your goal. If nothing else, maybe it points you in the right direction.

All the best. :)

Answer 3

This is really tough to answer without knowing what motivates you? Do you want a longer life? Do you want a higher quality of life while you're alive? Do you care about the environment? Are you an animal lover? Do you have a child/nephew/niece or special someone that would give you more of a reason to care about these things? Without knowing what motivates you it's tough to come up with a reason for you to eat healthier?

Making a drastic change is hard. To make it easier make a list of all the unhealthy things you eat and all the healthy things (maybe with some recipes you'd like to try for each item) you know you should eat. Then commit on a calendar to eliminating one of the bad things and adding more of one of the good things every week. You will gradually make yourself healthier and you won't overwhelmed by all the changes at once.