For many people, the mere thought of having to stick to a plain diet for better health is the reason why it so easy for them to quit and give up. Even though it is best to put mind over matter in order to overcome certain challenges like getting your better eating habits to stick, you may need to starting treating or rewarding yourself periodically.

Maintain Your Motivation

Some celebrities swear by maintaining a strict diet on certain days of the week and having a cheat day. While this may seem like it is self-defeating, this practice actually makes it easier for many people to stick to their resolve. Fighting the urge is often easier when you know you have some flexibility or freedom in the near future.

Eat Slower

If you rush while you are eating your food, you won’t be able to enjoy all of the flavors. You also won’t be able to enjoy the brief period of time that it provides for you to relax and cater to your needs. Take your time when eating your food so you can enjoy the experience more and so you can chew your food up properly to increase nutrient absorption.

Enhance Your Mindset

Rewarding yourself can improve your entire mindset regarding your goals and lifestyle changes. You’ll feel better, happier, and more inclined to take your efforts to another level. You be more motivated to try out new foods, more discriminating about the unhealthy ones you eat, and more engaged in maintaining your newfound lifestyle.

Reward Yourself With Food

Rewarding yourself by indulging in your favorite snacks is not something that should be done every chance you get. Instead, start off by rewarding yourself once a day. If you are craving sweets, a small piece of dark chocolate and dried fruit make a tasty and sweet snack that won’t cause you to veer too far from your diet. As you become more involved and successful in adding more healthy foods and meals into your diet, you may notice that you don’t crave as many sweets and fatty foods as you used too. This means that you may not need to reward yourself daily. You may be able to better benefit from indulging yourself every other day or every few days instead.

Choose Snacks that Work With Your Diet

Fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and nuts are all healthy snacks that can help to increase your chances of success with your dieting efforts. You can eat them in between breakfast, lunch, and dinner so you’ll feel fuller longer and feel less inclined to overeat. Foods that are high in protein can also reduce your hunger pains and give you some energy to help you to make it through the day.

Educate Yourself

You can’t make good decisions regarding your diet if you are lacking in information. You need to know why certain foods should be avoided and why others do not have to be. You need to understand the benefits and the not so beneficial effects. Learn about different food producers like Hampton Creek so you have an easier time finding their produce in grocery stores and so you can take advantage of any coupons and discounts they may be offering.

Add Other Incentives

Depending on your particular goals, you may not want to use food as your rewards. You may be more interested in treating yourself to other things. Think about some items that you have been wanting, but have been putting off for one reason or another. Create some milestones and goals for you to work towards and treat yourself to those items when you achieve them. Maybe you’ve been wanting to go on a trip or to buy yourself an outfit. No matter what type of things you have on your reward list, be sure to add to it periodically so you always have something to earn.

Whether you are starting a new diet or continuing an old one, always remember to use some kind of reward system. You’ll gain a better appreciation motivation and love of the changes you are making to your eating habits. You’ll also get the opportunity to get more of the things you’ve been wanting with minimal guilt and reasons for procrastination. Feel free to experiment with different types of reward intervals and systems so you can find one that enables you to achieve your goals the most.