Weight loss is hard! One of the biggest factors making it that way is time, or rather lack thereof. Between family, work, commitments and etc., there never seems enough time in the day to make healthy eating a priority. Who has time to eat healthfully when life is so crazy busy?

Tips to Make Time for Weight Loss

Believe it or not, we all do! But it takes some thoughtfulness and strategy. Below are a few time saving, daily tips to help healthy eating become more of the “norm” for you and your family.

Start Your Day Off With Breakfast

Breakfast is a great opportunity to start the day off right, nutritionally speaking. Eating a healthy breakfast will subconsciously encourage healthy eating throughout the rest of the day and help keep you on track for more structured, less-sporadic eating. Be certain to include some protein and fiber in the morning. Quick “grab and go” breakfasts include yogurt cups, hardboiled eggs, nut butters (which you can purchase in individual packets), apples or other fruit and granola bars.

Help Can Be Purchased

Do you ever feel like you can’t ever catch up enough to meal prep, plan, or cook? There are lots of options out there if you want to eat healthy, but simply cannot take the time to prep. Grocers are ever expanding their options for cooked, healthy, pre-prepped meals and salads. And there are several great options for home delivered and pre-cooked calorie and freshly prepared calorie controlled meal programs, like Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating.

Learn Patience With Yourself

It takes time to develop a healthy eating routine. Don’t get frustrated when this doesn’t happen perfectly overnight. Start with one meal at a time. Take breakfast. Maybe this means prepping your smoothie the night before, placing ingredients right into your blender’s pitcher and storing in the fridge, making your juice the night before or early morning, double batching oatmeal so you have two day’s worth ready to grab and go.

Cook in Batches

Making a big pot of chili, comforting soup, or healthy roasted veggies or pasta meal when you have time can carry you through half of the week and beyond. Freezing leftovers in meal-sized portions is a great way to save money, time and ensure you’re eating nourishing foods that support your weight loss goals. While reheating meals, you can even take the time to make a fresh salad to accompany the main course.

Create a Healthy Social Environment

Your health should be your priority! And that means surrounding yourself with friends, family or online groups that support you and your efforts. Being around other people who eat healthy makes it much easier to do so yourself. Of course, you also have the power to influence how others eat, so by developing healthier eating habits, you might just influence those around you to do the same.

Snack Smart

Snacks can be helpful to one’s health, and for busy people everywhere, smart snacking is a must! Snacks that include protein and fiber are ideal as protein and fat add to a sense of fullness and keep energy levels up throughout the day. Keep in mind that when snacking, it is easy to go overboard on calories. Snacking in between meals should provide enough food to keep energy levels up, without breaking the calorie bank. Depending on one’s calorie needs, in between meal snacks should range from 100-300 calories. Several quick and easy snacks that fit within this calorie range, while incorporating healthy amounts of fiber and protein include:

• Hard-boiled egg with a half-cup of fresh fruit
• Yogurt parfait with fresh fruit and granola
• One-cup of baby carrots with two tablespoons of hummus
• Half-cup of high-fiber cereal with skim milk
• Handful of almonds and dried pineapple
• Low-fat cheese stick with a handful of nuts

At first, healthy eating will be difficult but accepting this and working through it will help it become a little easier and allow you to make it your new normal. Lifestyle change, though difficult, is inevitably worth it through improved health.

Looking to save time from grocery shopping and preparing meals? Take a look at Seattle Sutton's menus and meal plans that give you your time back for more important things! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us and we will be right in touch!