Nutritionist recommends 6 diet habits that 'changed her life'

The weight loss journey is more holistic, an amalgamation of discipline, diet, workout and more. Dietary requirements should be carefully considered when creating a diet plan, whether it involves including essential nutrients like protein or avoiding absolute red flags such as sugar.

Dr Rachel Paul, a nutritionist, recently took to Instagram to share six weight-loss habits related to diet that she says 'changed her life.'

1. Eating more protein

Protein is something that can't be missed. Dr Paul stressed this, highlighting the importance of increasing protein intake in your diet. Protein supports the rigorous workout routine as well, maintaining energy levels. Protein also helps curb hunger pangs.

She wrote, "When I wasn't eating enough protein I had low energy, I couldn't concentrate, and I was hungry. I now know that I need a lot of protein to stay full and help keep my total calories in check. I eat eggs, chicken, ground beef, canned salmon, all day long."

2. Buying 'easy' protein

Diet doesn't necessarily have to be complicated, Dr Paul suggested buying easy protein that requires low effort. She explained, "I'm busy, I know you're busy too! Let's make this easy. I stock up on rotisserie chicken, single-serving yogurts, canned salmons, sausages, etc."

3. Reducing sugar

One of the fundamental, cardinal rules of dieting is cutting back on sugar. Numerous nutritionists and weight loss coaches reiterate this point. But it's easier said than done when the sweet tooth cravings feel too overwhelming. The main difference lies in the portion.

Dr Paul addressed this and said, "I love sugar and I still eat it all the time every day, but I've reduced it in small ways throughout my day. I order a kid's size of my Starbucks drink, I use no-sugar condiments like Primal Kitchen ketchup, I buy single serving ice creams instead of eating from the tub."

4. Not overbuying groceries

Overeating can derail the dieting efforts. Portion control is important to maintain consistency with the diet. The nutritionist recommended a unique way to control overeating by not stocking up on groceries in excess. As they say, 'out of sight, out of mind,' which helps prevent temptation.

She wrote, "I'm much more realistic now with how often I'm going to eat out- and I don't buy groceries for extra meals. If I have extra groceries in my fridge it stresses me out and I tend to overeat!"

5. Becoming a 'food snob'

The nutritionist introduced the concept of 'food snob.'

She explained, "Instead of eating foods I didn't truthfully like the taste of, but I felt I "should" eat because they were "healthy," I focused on foods I really enjoyed. This way I was much more satisfied with my meals- and wasn't looking for another bite (or 10!) of food to satisfy my taste buds. When you're enjoying your meals- it's so much easier to be consistent with your healthy habits."

6. Using volumetrics

Diet doesn't necessarily always revolve around compact portions. Dr Paul wrote, "I like eating a lot of food- small portions just don't work for me. For many starches (grains and starchy veggies), I swap them out for larger portions of non-starchy vegetables. Often the calories and total carbohydrates are the same- but I get to eat a bigger volume of food."