Enjoy your food
It’s easy to think of food as something that helps you lose (or gain) weight. But thinking only in terms of numbers on the scale takes away a huge part of what eating is about: pleasure. “If you think of eating as something enjoyable and something you do without guilt or without judging yourself, and you stay active, you’re less likely to overeat, have a better diet, and maintain any weight loss for the long haul,” Zied says.
By focusing so much on the effects that food may have on your weight, the Mayo Clinic points out that “you might limit calories too much, eat the same foods repeatedly, and banish treats.” Doing this might just lead you to have increased food cravings, especially in response to emotions.
Eat the rainbow
Greens, oranges, reds, purples, yellows…you get the picture. Eating the rainbow will supply your body with a range of disease-fighting phytonutrients and will naturally fill you up to help you cut back on less nutritious foods, Dr. Lipman says, so aim for a diverse intake of produce of all colors. The CDC says that adult women need at least 1½ cups of fruit and 2½ cups of vegetables each day. But don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re not eating that amount quite yet—it’s something that most adults struggle with. A CDC analysis showed that only 12% of US adults ate the recommended amount of fruit. Meanwhile, only 9% of US adults ate the recommended amount of vegetables.
