13 Steps to a Better Weight Loss Environment

Losing weight isn’t easy, but creating the right weight loss environment can be.

Before you start your next nutrition journey, consider what kind of a weight loss environment would help you shed pounds instead of gaining them. What if you could avoid the old habits, temptations, and inconveniences that throw you off track?

The following weight loss tips will help you see your surroundings in a different way, By incorporating a few or all of these suggestions, you just may finally see the weight loss outcomes you’ve always wanted.

1.  Clean Out Your Pantry & Fridge

One of the easiest ways to set yourself up for weight loss success is to clean out your pantry. Having your favorite snack foods staring you in the face at every turn you is a recipe for disaster.

What’s your poison? Chips, chocolate, pasta, baked goods, candy? Whatever it is, you need to get it out.

Comb through the ENTIRE kitchen. The fridge, the cabinets, and the pantry are all game. Get rid of anything that isn’t going to help your weight loss journey to success.

Not sure what to throw out and what to keep? One expert tip is to look at the amount of sugar each item contains. Items like yogurt, or Vitamin Water can seem harmless, but they’re actually chock full of sugar. Sugar is believed to be one of the biggest factors causing weight gain, and a whole slew of other health problems too.

P.S. Don’t keep items that you think will be OK in “moderation.” You will most definitely binge eat whatever that is. Trash it.

This is also a great time to actually clean out your pantry and fridge. Check expiration dates and give everything a good scrub down. A fresh environment should help you feel in control.

2.  Limit Exposure to Weight Gain Triggers

For the best weight loss success, you need to think beyond your home environment. Set time aside to look at your schedule and highlight potential triggers.

Can you make it through all of these unscathed?

• Social events
• Networking
• Birthday parties
• Holidays
• Vacations

Unfortunately most social engagements are ridden with birthday cake, sugary drinks, desserts and fried food. These are literally a recipe for disaster when it comes to your weight loss. For that reason you need to come up with a game plan to tackle your calendar.

For non-crucial events, it may be better to skip them entirely. For events you can’t miss, it’s all about minimizing risk.

You can minimize weight gain risk by:

• Eating before you go
• Bringing a snack
• Offering to bring a healthy option to share
• Hanging out away from the main food setup
• Setting portion control guidelines for yoursel

For some reason, people love encouraging others to eat unhealthy food. Turning down a piece of cake will most certainly cause multiple people to encourage you to eat one. Set up your weight loss environment for success with smart planning so you can fed off external triggers.

3.  Stock Up on Healthy Snacks & Quick Grabs

Time is common excuse to sabotage weight loss. Unfortunately, the exact amount of time in your day is never going to increase. Meaning, it’s “time” to ditch that excuse.

Even though we find ourselves turning to fast food or eating out because our day was too hectic to make dinner, it’s actually not logical. With the right weekly planning and groceries on hand, making dinner can be WAY faster than eating out.

By the time you drive, order, eat, pay, drive back home, you’re probably actually spending more time on this so called easier option. Not to mention it’s killing your weight loss goals.

Same goes with snacks. Have you ever grabbed an unhealthy snack because you didn’t have time to “make” something healthy?

The truth is, we’re super lazy people. Sometimes the difference between having to cut up fruit or veggies or already having them ready in the fridge can be enough for a major downfall.

The best way to combat natural laziness in your weight loss environment is to keep healthy items ready to grab at any time.

Stock up on your favorite snacks and make them readily available. This might mean some Sunday night prep. Cut fruits and veggies that will last and store them in clear containers in the fridge. Have easy-to-grab individual serving snacks like bags or nuts, or string cheese on hand too.

Stuck on healthy snack ideas? Check out these ideas:

• Nuts
• Trail mix
• Hummus
• Apples
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Bananas
• Granola bars
• String cheese
• Dehydrated fruit
• Carrots

4.  Keep Your Life Organized

Your weight loss environment isn’t all about food. Many people find their entire environment can affect their ability to stay on track.

That means it’s a great time to clean out and organize everywhere else besides the kitchen too. Do a quick purge in your bedroom, bathroom, living room, and workspace. Then, organize the important stuff that’s left.

Having an out of control environment can make us feel out of control. As you can imagine, that can lead to poor decisions.

It will also help keep you on track to be able to find everything you need for your weight loss journey. Not being able to find your running shoes or your gym card are way too easy of an excuse to skip a workout.

5.  Get Some Inspiring Weight Loss Books

Having a little extra weight loss motivation around never hurt anyone. Grab some popular weight loss books to have on hand.

Kick off your weight loss journey by starting a new read, or tackle a new chapter every time you start losing steam.

How do you choose the best reading material for your goals? Figure out what makes you tick.

Some of us get motivated by data. For others it’s personal stories. We’ve organized some of the best weight loss books by category so you can easily find something that works for you. Once you’ve found the right book, check it out at the library, pick up a copy on Amazon, or have it delivered wirelessly right to your device of choice for easy access.

6.  Stop Going Out to Eat

As much as we make ourselves feel like there are healthy eating out options, there really aren’t. This will differ depending on whatever weight loss nutrition program you are following, but if avoiding carbs and sugar is your game, good luck!

The easiest way to keep your weight loss environment stocked for success is just to stop going. You’ll avoid temptations and favorite options you used to get. Old habits die hard.

If there are certain occasions where you can’t void it, then plan ahead. Almost all restaurants have their menu posted online. Major chains typically have nutrition information online too. Do a quick search and check out your options in advance.

Having a plan set before you step food in the restaurant gives you a better chance of making it through without slipping up.

And don’t forget to be wary of restaurant ingredients. Sauces, dressings, and other flavorings can easily hide huge amounts of sugar and other sneaky ingredients. Even ordering something that seems healthy like chicken could throw off your progress if it’s loaded in a sugary glaze.

7.  Get a Full Night of Sleep

Sleep is way more important to your weight loss environment than you think. Lack of sleep makes us tired, crabby, and even affects how the actual cells in our body function.

The University of Chicago coined the term “metabolic grogginess” to describe this phenomenon. After just four nights or poor sleep they found that the body’s ability to properly use insulin was totally changed. Why does insulin matter? Insulin helps remove fatty cells from your bloodstream so they aren’t stored in your body.

Not only does lack of sleep affect weight loss at the cellular level, it doesn’t help mentally either.

When we are tired, we make bad decisions. We take the lazy way out. Without lots of quality sleep, you’re more likely to skip the gym and fall back on bad habits. You’ll trick yourself into believing you don’t have the energy to make healthy decisions.

Before you know it, you’ll be grabbing food and drinks on the go. Coffee shops, restaurants, and even vending machines are almost never your friend. A poor night’s sleep will literally increase your odds of falling off the weight loss wagon throughout the day.

To set your weight loss environment up for great sleep, spend some time in your bedroom. Does making your bed every morning make you more likely to want to jump back in at night? Add it to your routine.

You may also want to check out darkening shades, a sound machine, or even a sleep tracker device. Most importantly, don’t keep the TV on or stay on electronics right before turning in. You’ll want a relaxing environment where it’s easy to fall asleep.

Stay rested so you can stay on track.

8.  Find a Support Partner

Having a supportive partner can have a huge impact on your weight loss environment. Roommates, spouses, or other family members are a great place to start.

It’s easier to make healthy decisions when everyone is making healthy decisions. If your spouse or kids eat your favorite pre-weight loss indulgence, will you be able to refuse?

When you live with other people, try to get everyone on board. If they don’t have the same weight loss goals, try appealing to wellness in general. Making healthier food choices helps with energy levels, mood, and sex drive too. Everyone can benefit from better nutrition.

If you live alone you’ll need to search a little further. Find a buddy with similar goes to you. Then, regularly keep in touch to stay accountable. You can share daily progress, recipes, exercise plans, tips, and wins.

Finding a tribe of supportive people will help make your weight loss environment successful.

9.  Publicize Your Weight Loss Journey

Most of us stay more accountable when others are watching. It’s easier to make poor decisions and indulge when no one is watching.

For that reason it may be beneficial to announce your journey to close family and friends, or on social media. While most people really don’t want to hear about your detailed diet plan, sharing your general goals and plan can’t hurt. You can even share big milestones and progress too. Chances are if you’re doing a more popular diet like Whole30 or Keto, other people will want to jump in and join you.

Once you know others are aware of the decisions you should be making, you’ll be less likely to slip up in front of them. You’ll want to avoid the judgement and criticism that comes with eating a slice of cake in front of everyone directly after you’ve announced your sugar-free diet.

When you publicize your weight loss journey on social media, you might be surprised by other support as well.

People love connecting with others who are tackling similar battles. If you post about your weight loss journey, you may find others coming forward to share their own path, struggles, and success.

Before you know it, you’ll have created a whole network of people invested in your success.

10.  Avoid Workplace Temptations

Ah, the workplace. The treats, the potlucks, the break room. Your office can be an instant killer for weight loss success.

Similar to at home, you should always have easy, healthy options readily available. Keep a stash of snacks at your desk. When everyone else is running for the donuts, you can grab a pack of almonds.

You should also curb hunger by regularly drinking water and not delaying lunch. It’s easy to get caught up in a project at work and push off eating. But the hungrier you let yourself get means a higher probability of slipping up.

Make it even easier on yourself by trying to avoid main snack areas in general. If someone announces cookies in the break room, that’s the last place you should be heading.

It can help to have an accountability buddy at work too. Is there anyone else trying to lose weight at the office? Create a pack to help eachother skip out on the treat temptations.

11.  Keep an Emergency Snack Stash

Even if you home is stocked with healthy snack options, you may still be at risk on the go. Keep your mobile weight loss environment prepped for success too.

If you drive a lot, that means keeping a few emergency snacks and a bottle of water in the car. Emergency car snacks are great protection against forgetting breakfast at home, or snoozing past your alarm way too many times. In the off chance that you ever get stranded somewhere in your car, you’ll be glad to have them too.

If you commute to work another way, like a train or bus, that means stocking your bag with a few items. Even something as small as a nutrition bar or a pack of nuts can ward off hunger long enough for you to reset and make a better decision

The best snacks to keep stocked in case of emergency are ones with long expiration dates. Things like nuts, trail mix, some energy bars are good options. It’s best to avoid fruits and veggies so you don’t find a moldy surprise next time you reach for a bite..

12.  Get the Right Weight Loss Environment Gear

No new venture is quite as much fun if you don’t get to buy some cool gear to get excited about. Help yourself get pumped about your new weight loss environment by indulging in a few new items to make your life easier.

What you get will all depend on your weight loss goals, and our nutrition plan. For example, if you’re bringing your lunch to work every day, it could mean some cool reusable lunch bags or containers. If you’re focusing on water intake, it could mean a new water bottle you get excited about. If your doing a ton of meal prep, it might mean new tupperware containers.

Here are a few of our favorite items that can help create an amazing weight loss environment.

Stasher Bags

These cool reusable bags will make you excited to pack your lunch and snacks for on the go. They’re good for the environment, and dishwasher safe. Plus, they were featured on Shark Tank, which immediately brings their cool factor way up.

Bento Boxes

Regular lunch bags are so 10 years ago. Grab a new bento lunch box to make packing your lunch for work way more fun. It will keep your portions sizes under control, and keep you super organized too. Even better, kids loves them too!

Food Storage Containers

If you’re going to get serious about meal planning, ditch the old mismatched tupperware. Treat yourself to a fresh new set geared towards weight loss goals. These clear portion-controlled containers are perfect for packing a bunch of meals in advance.

Drink Containers

Bringing your own water or healthy drink from home is a great way to avoid tempting sugary options when you are out and about. Grab one of the most popular beverage cups for your hot or cold drinks, and get a new water bottle too. Don’t feel bad about the cost, because you’ll be saving a ton not buying drinks out.

Food Journal

A food journal is a great way to increase accountability. If you have to write down everything you eat in a day, you’ll be less likely to sneak that candy bar. Getting a fresh food log and pen will help get you excited about your new daily tracking task. Plus, if you get a small enough one you can easily take it anywhere. If you’re not into old school logging, you can use one of these 15 free weight loss apps to keep track of your intake instead.

13.  Give Naysayers the Boot

If you’ve got negative people in your life, now is the time to give them the boot. Nothing will be more detrimental in your weight loss environment to be regularly surrounded by people who will bring you down.

Not sure who counts?

Think through the people you interact with on a daily basis and write down the name of anyone who:

• Makes fun of your weight loss diet or lifestyle changes
• Encourages you to cheat on your weight loss goal
• Makes you feel bad about yourself after being around them
• Doesn’t believe you can accomplish your goals
• Purposefully sabotages your weight loss program

Why would you want anyone in your life who doesn’t want you to succeed anyway?

The truth is weight loss is really hard. Habits are tough to break, and temptations are literally everywhere. If you’re going to shed those pounds, you have to have the right weight loss environment. This includes so much more than food. Setup your weight loss environment so critical places have the right nutrition, people, support systems, and gear.

Take the time to prep an ideal environment for you to lose weight so you can finally see the results you want. Once you’ve got the right surroundings, make sure you have the right technology tools too. This ultimate guide to weight loss apps will help you find one, or a few, apps that will help you shed those pounds even faster.

And remember, weight loss doesn’t have to be expensive. Check out these 15 ideas for losing weight on a budget before you empty your wallet on any new weight loss diets or products.