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Developing Healthy Eating Habits
By: Scottsdale Weight Loss Center
Published: December 3, 2014
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Healthy eating habits aren’t about stringent dietary restrictions, depriving yourself of the foods and beverages you love, or unrealistic weight loss goals. Rather, they’re about boosting your energy, losing weight gradually if overweight or obese, and making smarter food choices most of the time.
Making the decision to change the way you eat is an important, positive first step. These practical suggestions work wonderfully for developing healthy eating habits and making progress toward your weight loss goals.
- Eat Breakfast Daily. Most experts agree that you shouldn’t skip breakfast, even if you are trying to lose weight. While it may not really be the most important meal of the day, it is important to give your body the fuel it needs and make your mind alert after a good night’s sleep.
- Drink water. Your body is composed of 50 to 70 percent water. It’s an important nutrient for proper body, organ, and cell function. The body simply cannot perform its metabolic functions optimally without a fresh supply of water every day. Make it a habit to drink eight glasses of water a day, or more if you are in a warm, humid climate, or exercising.
- Eat small meals often. The science behind this is that when we deprive ourselves of food longer than three hours, our cortisol (stress hormone) levels rise. Increased cortisol levels trigger the body to hold onto fat in the belly region. Eating smaller meals throughout the day helps to avoid overeating at meals.
- Know what constitutes healthy foods. Learning food composition and what foods are good for you is a cornerstone of developing healthy eating habits. This means knowing the approximate concentrations of calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat content in the foods you eat. It also means understanding that eating whole, natural foods is a superior healthy eating choice to eating processed foods.
- Limit sugar. Sugar causes energy spikes, but it also causes energy crashes. What’s worse, when consumed in abundance, it can lead to health problems, like diabetes and weight gain. Make it a point to cut artificially flavored sugary drinks, like soda, out of your diet. When craving something sweet, use natural sweeteners, like honey or fruit, to satisfy your sweet tooth.
- Don’t deprive yourself. If there is one snack or treat that you can’t seem to live without, limit your portion sizes of the snack or treat, or choose a healthier version. For example, if you absolutely love ice cream, try choosing fat-free ice cream or frozen yogurt, while limiting your portion size to just a few spoonfuls.
Remember developing healthy eating habits is about eating smart. These tips will help you do just that.
Nick
Nick's Story
"I wish I would have come here first. We spend all our time reacting to the next great weight loss tip or program. It might work for a while, but does not last and we end up yo-yoing from one fad to the next – as we gain more weight." Read More
Gina
Lost 44.5 lbs
"I had no trouble adhering to the meals and they really helped catapult my progress! The classes were so beneficial to me because they helped change my thinking about how I viewed health, nutrition, and fitness.
I will always have my relationship with Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. They truly helped me change my life forever." Read More
Lauren
Lost 60 lbs
"Dr. Ziltzer and everyone who I have come in contact with at the Scottsdale Weight Loss office have been so encouraging and I look forward to seeing them each week. It is now a year and 2 months later since I started. I am down 60 lbs., which is the average amount a 9-year-old weighs, it is crazy to think I lost a whole person! I feel amazing, I hit my goal weight in November 2021 just before Thanksgiving. Nothing on my body hurts anymore..." Read More
Chuck
Lost 66 lbs
"The best thing I did was call the Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. I have a lot more energy, I'm not hungry, and it feels great.
You can take it from me that this is a program that produces results. The staff is always positive, supportive, and never judgmental.
Your visits always result in positive reinforcement, no matter if you had a good week or a bad week." Read More
Emily
Lost 101 lbs
"Here I am at the lowest I have been since high school weighing in at 155lbs. I have lost 101 lbs, BMI of 39 when I started, to 21.6, and of course at body fat % of 47.1 to 26.5%. I told myself by my 30th birthday I wanted to be confident in the way I look and I owe it all to SWLC. The entire staff is so welcoming and they are rooting for you just as much as you are rooting for yourself...." Read More
Reviews
Meet Our Team
Robert Ziltzer, MD, FACP, FAAP, FOMA
Obesity Medicine Certified Physician
Diana Bone, FNP-C
Specializing in Obesity Medicine
Craig Primack, MD, FACP, FAAP, MFOMA
Obesity Medicine Certified Physician
Kristen Ash, FNP-C, FNP-BC
Nurse Practitioner
Alicia Earley, FNP-C
Family Nurse Practitioner
