Want to lose weight?
Need to shed that winter layer?
Can't seem to get the scale to move back down?
Here are five surprising cleaning related habits that can help you lose weight. Join my Spring Reset, a 7-day email challenge to help you get your healthy habits back on track.
While I wish my fridge looked like the one below, it often can look like a bomb went off. Or it smells like one, when those forgotten leftovers go off in the back. Here are some ideas to help you get started with your spring cleaning of your diet and where to start.
My top #1 tip: Clean off your counters. In a 2015 study, they found that people with clutter-free counter tops are much slimmer. Just keeping soda or sugary cereals on the counter could leave you weighing 20-25 pounds more. Spend the time to move food off the counters and into cupboards and the pantry.
#2 Clean out your fridge. Throw away the old stuff that is just taking up precious real-estate on the shelf. Keep the healthiest foods at eye level, not stuffed into drawers. If you have five minutes, chop up a few vegetables to place in easy grab places. I place them in leftover Pho containers that hold taller cuts with a little filtered water.
#3 Marie-kondo those snacks. If you truly don't love it (like Thin Mint love - C suite level), don't keep it. You can't possibly love all those cookies, crackers and snacks equally. Narrow it down and keep only your favorites. Throwing away $10 of crap that you don't love is a much better idea than the $30/month gym membership you waste. Or donate the extra to feel less guilty about food waste.
#4 Replace your salad dressings with delicious, no-sugar alternatives. My top favorites are Newman's Own Original Vinaigrette, Little Salad Bar flavors by Aldi, Primal Kitchen and Tessamae's. You can also save yourself a lot of money by making your own with olive oil + a vinegar. I always keep 3 viable options to keep me from having a sad salad.
#5 Organize a shelf for your own healthy foods: for moms, this means making their own spot for food. Or it can be a spot for favorite pantry staples to keep on hand for fast, healthy dinners. The pantry meal builders I can't live without are a high-fiber pasta ( I like Barilla Protein Plus) , a few cans of high fiber beans or legumes, a whole grain like brown rice, chia seeds, a plant-based protein powder, and a can of tomato sauce.
What is your trouble spot for food? I struggle to keep food organized in the fridge. I can be rushed coming home from work after stopping at the grocery store and can end up shoving it in. If I can take the five extra minutes to organize it by category, it makes cooking so much faster. I group like items together. Now, if I could only get the kids (or grown-ups) to stop putting empties back in!