The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Foodists

1. Never diet

Restrictive dieting sabotages your weight loss efforts for several reasons . This is worse than simply not being effective; dieting makes achieving your weight loss goal even harder than it needs to be. To be a successful foodist you need to stop pretending that dieting will ever do you any good and give it up forever.

2. Regular grocery shopping

Bad food decisions (those that aren't good for you and aren't worth it) tend to arise from unpreparedness, not from lack of willpower. The sooner you get in the habit of regular grocery shopping so that you always having a better option, the sooner you'll start seeing progress.

3. Cook at home

I'd never say that getting healthy is impossible if you eat most meals outside the home, but it is certainly more difficult. You don't need to be a fabulous chef to take control of your food destiny. Successful foodists develop a handful of home court recipes that they can count on to be easy, healthy, and tasty, and use these as the foundation of our healthstyle.

4. 10,000 steps

It's way too easy to be sedentary in the 21st century, but it's also pretty darn easy to be active. Even if you can't always make it to the gym, making an effort to hit 10,000 steps each day is one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to keep your health and weight in check.

5. Chew thoroughly

As fun as it is to wolf down a massive plate of food without actually tasting anything, slowing down and chewing makes your eating experience even better. Effective foodists cultivate mindfulness when they eat, which ultimately results in eating less and enjoying it more.

6. Value-based decisions

Have you ever wondered why vegetarians never cheat on their diets or why people can fast for weeks in observation of a religious holiday, but you can't stop eating the stale chips in the office lunch room? Research has shown that people who make value-based food decisions are far more effective at sticking to their goals than people motivated by health alone.

7. Monitor your progress

It's nearly impossible to solve a problem if you don't know that the problem exists. When you build habits your brain starts shifting many of your actions to autopilot. This is wonderful, because it makes your healthstyle feel effortless. However, it also leaves you vulnerable to mindless shifts in your habits that have the power to undo weeks or months of progress. Combat this by keeping tabs on yourself and making self-monitoring a regular habit. Use a digital scale , a pedometer and mobile apps to make sure you have all the information you need to make good decisions.