3 Things that can Derail our Healthy Eating Habits (and How to Avoid Them)

One of the hardest things I’ve had to figure out in my adult life, is how to develop healthy eating habits.

I’ve had many phases in my life where I thought I was doing well, only to get completely derailed and have to start all over again. It can be frustrating, deflating, and make a person feel like giving up on healthy eating all together.

Have you ever felt this way? If you have, know that you’re not alone! From past experiences, I can tell you that I’ve noticed 3 things that can derail our healthy eating habits. I’d love to share what I’ve learned in hopes that it helps you with your own journey toward living a healthy lifestyle.

Now, before we begin, I feel like I should explain 3 “disclaimers” to keep in mind before reading this post:

1. I don’t necessarily like eating healthy. Like I wouldn’t say I have ever craved a salad. BUT, I DO like the way I feel after I eat a healthy meal. The energy I have is remarkable and it’s how I know that clean eating really is the best thing for our bodies.
2. Speaking of never craving a salad, you have to know, dear reader, that I am not a perfect eater, nor will I ever claim to be. I still love fast food cheeseburgers just as much as the next gal, and I’m FOR SURE going to have loaded nachos with my margaritas on girls night. But I do try my best to stick to the 80/20 plan, which keeps me on track 80% of the time.
3. I have no dang experience or certifications in nutrition or anything of the sort. I’m not even sure I should be talking on this topic. But, I have learned a few things here and there, and my diet is the best it’s ever been in my entire 32 years of existence. So I feel like it’s my duty to share what’s worked for me.

Ok, now that we’re on the same page, let’s dive in with the three things that can derail our healthy eating habits:

Not making time to food prep.

I’ve said it once, and I’ll probably say it a million more times before I die (side note – please don’t put this on my tombstone): Failure to plan is planning to fail.

I don’t want to go all “tough love” on you here, but the truth of the matter is this: If you want to be diligent about eating healthy, then you’re going to need to plan out your meals and snacks ahead of time.

The best way I’ve found to do this is to sit down over the weekend and map out my week. Here are some questions you can ask yourself as you’re mapping out your own week:

• What are you planning to eat for each meal this week?
• What do you need stocked up and on-hand in case a craving hits or you run short on time and need a quick, healthy meal/snack?
• Do you have any meetings or events coming up this week that you should plan ahead for?
• What can you cook ahead of time to save yourself time on a meal you’re planning for later this week?

I go into more detail on my food prepping plans in this post I wrote a while back, but the main point of food prepping is to simply set yourself up for success. What can you do over the weekend that sets you up for healthy meals throughout the week?

Lack of routine.

This one used to be the biggest killer for me.

I had no routine of what to eat or when and it caused my lunches each week to look a little something like this:

• Monday: Eat a salad for lunch. (Way to go!)
• Tuesday: Lunch meeting at work – eat in.
• Wednesday: Need to run errands so fast food it is.
• Thursday: I’m home again so I guess I’ll eat another salad.
• Friday: It’s FRIDAY! I’ll take a break today and eat a grilled cheese.

I was all over the place.🤦‍♀️I always started each week with good intentions, only to end up falling completely off the wagon. Now I’ve learned that I really have to commit to following a routine. For me, that means eating the same 2 or 3 options for lunch every day.

I know having limited options sounds boring, but I think it works because it reduces the guess work of figuring out your meals. You know what you have, and you know what you’re planning to eat each day. So as I got more and more into my set routine, it made it easier to come home and start making my lunch without even thinking about it.

I’ve also noticed that for me, once I have a routine established, I can hop (relatively) right back on after I take a break. During my recent trip to Arizona, I pretty much took the week off from my regular eating routine and just enjoyed trying new restaurants and eating what I loved. (I fully believe that you should practice everything in moderation!)

When I got home from my trip, while it wasn’t the easiest, I found I was able to jump back into my eating routine I had already established before I left. Without a routine to come home to, I probably wouldn’t have done so well at getting back to eating healthy.

Not eating enough and getting hungry.

Guys, I eat all. the. time.

One of the my least favorite feelings in the world, is the feeling of being hungry. I HATE IT. It makes me cranky and miserable. I’m pretty sure the Snickers ad campaign is actually based on my life. Cause I’m not me when I’m hungry, ya’ll!

Anyway, I digress. The point is, feeling hungry is the first thing that has me reaching for whatever I can find. When I’m hungry, I don’t even care if what I’m eating is healthy or not, I just need to EAT.

So, here are few things that have helped me to keep from snacking on pretzels, popcorn, candy (and pretty much anything with chocolate in it) when I’m hungry:

• At work: I always have a can of almonds stashed in my desk drawer (just in case), and I try to keep a piece of fruit in the fridge. I’ve also been lucky enough that my work is bringing in a few healthier snacks to hang out in the break room, like mini Kind bars (which are not only DELISH, but filled with minimal ingredients and only 3 grams of sugar a piece!)
• At home: I try to refrain from keeping unhealthy snacks around. It’s SO EASY to reach for potato chips when they’re right there and I’m hungry. If they’re not around to tempt me, I’m more likely to find a healthier snack option when hunger strikes. (Even though I’m still known to eat some of the kids’ goldfish crackers and teddy grahams. No one’s perfect here 😉)
• Eating snacks between meals. Listen, I know I’m going to get hungry between meals. I just am. Knowing this, I try to plan ahead and figure out what snacks I should be eating between meals, and then I keep those on hand. Another reason why food prepping some ready-to-go fruit and veggies is a life-saver for hungry moments.

If there’s anything else I can tell you about getting hungry and not eating enough it’s this: Listen to your body. That salad you had for lunch might have been super healthy, but it also might be making you hungry again by 3PM. Think about what other options you can eat with your salad that might keep you fuller for longer. Or plan ahead and have snacks on hand for when hunger strikes.

Wrapping Up.

A final word of encouragement: If you’ve tried a healthy eating routine or plan in the past and it hasn’t worked, I urge you to try again! Keep in mind that you will most likely hit bumps in the road and hiccups that will throw you off course, but don’t let that be the end of living the healthy lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of living!

Just do your best to plan ahead, create a routine that works FOR YOU, and keep some healthy snacks on hand for when hunger strikes and it attempts to push you off course.

And trust me when I say, if I can do this, SO CAN YOU, my friend. So can you.

Have you ever experienced any of these tricky bumps in the road that have thrown you off course when you’re trying to eat healthy? Feel free to share your story in the comments below!