Below is a list of nutritional behaviors consistent with those committed to living healthy lifestyles, weight loss and weight management.

 Nutrition Habits for Adults

  • Maintain a Food Journal or use an App to track daily intake; write down everything you eat.
  • Consume 3-6 small meals per day, eating about every 2-3 hours (do this in an effort not to overeat at any one meal).
  • Eat only fruits or vegetables after dinner or 9:00 pm (whatever works best in your lifestyle).
  • Have a well-defined beginning and end to each meal

Other ideas from participants of previous Nutrition Habit Challenges:

  • I am not going to snack after the dinner meal and I am going to drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water per day. Me writing this will keep me motivated and want to keep on top of my goal.
  • “Say a prayer prior to each meal, being thankful for what I have, not what I am missing”
  • “Eliminate soda, juice or other calorie containing beverages” (12 ounces of soda has 140 calories and 34 grams of sugar; 12 ounces of OJ has 168 calories and 31 grams of sugar)
  • “No fast food lunches” (1 Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich has 440 calories 37%fat, 37%carbs, 26%protein; Subway 12” Turkey Sub has 560 calories 11%fat, 64%carbohydrates, 25%protein)
  • “One sweet per week”
  • “No second helpings after dinner”
  • “Eat a meal/snack within 45 minutes of a workout”
  • “Eliminate cheese from sandwiches” (1 slice of cheese has 100-120 calories)
  • “Prepare healthy meals and snacks for the next day the night before”

More ideas from previous participants!

  • I will eat no more than 100 calories after dinner
  • I will stop eating in the living room and all other rooms other than the kitchen, and I will eat at least 1 serving of fruit or vegetables with each meal.
  • I will not eat white carbs- white breads-candy-over processed foods-cakes cookies…. If it is white I can’t eat it!
  • I will be consuming three servings of vegetables per day (currently less than 1) and logging in all of my calorie intake on FitBit
  • Have a prepared and cooked dinner everyday
  • Eliminate processed sugar found in canned, boxed and frozen foods
  • Walk at least one mile a day
  • No fast food lunches at work and no more than 16.9 oz per soda day
  • Only a teaspoon of sugar in one cup of coffee or tea versus the huge amount I normally put in
  • No eating/drinking calories after my dinner meal
  • Drink at least 2 large glasses of water before I eat anything after dinner
  • Drink NO fruit juice
  • I plan to change my mentality from “snacking” after dinner to having another healthy “meal” of vegetables or fruit only
  • In the evenings, I will limit my snack choice to a single serving to avoid binge eating for the remainder of the evening.  The choice of snack doesn’t matter as long as I limit it to a single serving
  • I will commit to using my mindful eating practice at one meal per day. This means that I will:
    1. Rate my hunger (scale of 1-5) before my meal.
    2. Say grace before I eat
    3. Eat my portioned amount for 30 minutes
    4. Check in with my hunger after 30 minutes
    5. Then decide if I want to have seconds
  • Physical activity with family for at least 30 minutes everyday!