In order to feel like your best, most confident and energized self - you need to be making healthy choices regularly. We know how difficult it is to stick to a meal plan, but it’s a daily habit that will truly change your life for the better. Sticking to a healthy diet will not only help you look and feel your best, but it will also reduce your risk of developing certain diseases, increase your life expectancy, boost your mood and energy levels, as well as improve your gut and immune health.

1. Be kind to yourself

No one is perfect and we certainly don’t expect you to be! We like to use a 80/20 approach. Try to eat healthy, nutritious dense foods 80% of the time and have a meal or two per week of your favorite meals or treats to make up the other 20%. This way you’ll be feeling great, as well as enjoying your meal plan without restricting yourself too much. When you do fall off the healthy diet train (and this is bound to happen at some point), don’t get discouraged. Pick up where you left off and move forward with a positive mindset.

2. Meal prep

This is key! Take the time to plan, shop and prepare your meals in advance. This may feel like a huge task but think about it as self care. You’ll start enjoying this process more than you think! We all lead very busy lives so schedule in a few hours per week to do this. Add it to your calendar, ask a friend or family member to go shopping with you, put on your favorite playlist whilst cooking and just have fun with it.

3. Replace junk food with healthy snacks

Declutter your pantry and get rid of anything that won’t serve you right now. Rather replace these with healthy snacks… And we mean delicious healthy snacks! Fresh fruits, LEAN’s White Chocolate Raspberry & Peanut Butter Protein Bars, baked chickpeas, chocolate walnut brownies, oat muffins, smoothies… The list goes on! There are hundreds of recipes on the LEAN App to make your healthy snacking more than just celery sticks!

4. Start small

One of the most common mistakes is cutting out entire food groups when starting a healthy diet, and these may just be some of your favorite foods. Create small habits to work towards bigger ones. Instead of cutting out sugar entirely, start with a small goal like not adding sugar into your morning coffee or saving your sweet treat for the weekend. If you go in with an all-or-nothing approach, you’ll more than likely overindulge and give up completely. Remember - slow and steady wins the race!

5. Have realistic goals and expectations

Rather than focusing on how much weight you can lose over a certain period of time, start focusing on how you can improve your health and how it makes you feel. Set goals that are realistic and attainable so that you avoid disappointment. Share your goals with friends and family so that they can support you on your journey. 

6. Commit to a plan that you can learn to love

If you hate your diet, you more than likely won’t stick to it and we don’t blame you. Read reviews, do research and find a meal plan that you think will work for you. The LEAN App has changed thousands of women’s lives around the world because we believe that a healthy diet should also be enjoyable.

Dieting doesn’t have to be torturous. Let’s rather change the narrative to a healthy way of living! You got this girl!

 

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