We’re back with ten more easy tips to stay on your healthy diet! If you missed our first set of tips, you may find them here.

Please remember to be gentle with your body as you eat clean and do exercises. While losing weight or gaining muscles may be good for you, loving yourself is just as important! Don’t focus on fitting anybody else’s standards—just focus on being the healthiest version of yourself you can be.

1. Add More Fiber to Your Diet

Fiber is a crucial part of any diet. These are undigestible and help aid your digestive process by feeding your gut flora, softening stools, and/or adding shape to stools. It also takes a while to go through your digestive system, making it easier to control your blood sugar levels and your cholesterol.

Fiber can be found in most fruits and vegetables, whole grain foods like oatmeal, nuts, and seeds. Pro tips: the more you eat fiber, the better you can stay in your healthy diet.

2. Don’t Keep Unhealthy Foods in the House

You’ll have an easier time letting go of unhealthy foods if there aren’t any unhealthy foods in the house to begin with. So, the next time you’re at a grocery store, stock up on the good stuff like fruits and vegetables. Don’t add any unhealthy stuff in your cart that you’re not sure you can control your intake. Don’t get cocky and buy a big bag of chips anyway, thinking you’re capable of eating only a couple of pieces—you probably won’t be if you’re just starting your diet.

3. Don’t Rush Into Things

Losing weight is a long and arduous journey. As such, you can’t expect to lose five or ten pounds in one go! While it’s realistically possible, it’ll have awful effects on your body, and you’ll probably gain back all the pounds and more once you start eating normally again.

It’s also normal to hit a plateau. Eventually, your body will not lose as much weight as it used to, and that’s completely normal. Don’t be discouraged by the lack of weight loss—instead, enjoy a healthier body!

4. Weigh Yourself Once a Week

Don’t weigh yourself every single day. As we said earlier, it takes some time for changes to happen in your body. You’re not going to lose one pound every single day—indeed, you might even gain weight sometimes because of fluid retention and muscle building!

Limit yourself to a weigh once a week, preferably on the same day and time. You should preferably weigh yourself as soon as you wake up and head to the bathroom. Your stomach and bladder will be empty, making what you see your actual body weight.

5. Have a Good Sleep Schedule

One thing people take for granted on their weight loss/gain journey is sleep. Sleep is your body’s way of restoring its natural functions, so if you lack sleep, your body won’t be able to build muscles, boost metabolism, digest food, and so much more! On top of that, lack of sleep makes you hungrier, leading to overeating.

Aim for at least seven hours a night.

6. Understand Your Portions

During mealtimes, we tend to eat everything on our plates. However, this can be bad for you if you don’t realize just how much you’re eating. For example, while a plate of pasta from The Cheesecake Factory may look like one serving, it actually amounts to 2000 calories!

That’s why cooking your meals is so much healthier. You can measure out all your ingredients to make sure you stay within serving size.

If you have no choice but to eat out, either go for meals with the lowest number of calories or divide the meal into two or three to make the most out of it. You can still enjoy more food that satisfies you from your head to the tips of your toes even on a healthy diet.

7. Eat Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are amazing at keeping you full and satisfied. They’re also very healthy, so you shouldn’t feel bad about eating a lot of them! They are incredibly rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, so you know you’re getting your money’s worth of health benefits from them. Instead of eating chips or cookies, why not eat a banana or slice an avocado instead?

8. Refrain from Drinking Alcohol

Alcohol is a slow-acting, deadly drink. They have numerous negative effects on the body including damaging your liver, lowering cognitive function, triggering mood swings, and encouraging you to make bad decisions. Alcohol also is made up of empty calories that go straight between your organs in your torso (i.e., visceral fat). There’s a reason beer bellies are a thing!

You don’t have to give up alcohol but limit your intake. Try only having one or two on the weekends. There are plenty of non-alcoholic options, anyway.

9. Chew Gum

Sometimes, we don’t actually want food in our bellies. We just like the feeling of chewing something in our mouths. So, instead of mindlessly eating a bag of chips, reach for some gum instead. You’ll enjoy chewing something without adding unnecessary calories to your system.

Gum also helps you get a minty fresh breath!

10. Have a Food Diary

Want to keep track of what you eat? Write them down! You can accurately calculate how many calories you’ve eaten so far and estimate how many calories there are in a dish. It’s also handy because you can count your macros—try seeing how much carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats you’re getting each day and make adjustments!

You can do this with a pen and paper, or use weight loss apps like Lose It!