1) Never grocery shop or go out to eat hungry. I got this one from Dan John and it makes perfect sense. I have been guilty of going to the market hungry and buying a bunch of food I planned on crushing the minute I got home.
2) You must have a shopping list.
Prepare your shopping list with some forethought on what you want to cook. Consult recipes you like or want to try. Go through it carefully so you don't leave anything out. Missing ingredients can derail the best intentions. Once you have your list, you must execute your list...on a full stomach.
3) Buy a lot of the stuff you're planning on eating a lot so you don't run out before you've gotten momentum going.
If you want to make it a habit to start eating breakfast, but you don't buy enough eggs to get you through the week you're probably not going to keep your habit going.
4) Snacking on certain types of fruit and vegetables is a good idea. It's hard to overeat apples and pickles.
5) Strive to make good food choices.
Allow yourself to eat whatever you want, but only after you have eaten a full day's worth of healthy food. Then see if you have room for junk!
6) When you want to cheat tell yourself, "Tomorrow I'll break the diet and quit. Just not tonight."
I got this one from Dan John too.
7) Eat more fat.
It will show you what it is like to feel satiated. And for the love of god don't be scared of animal fat as long as it comes from quality meat. Animal fat from organic, grass-fed meat is high in CLA and Omega 3's. It should be the backbone of your diet and your main energy source. Read Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Sally Fallon.
8) Focus on eating good foods and the rest will take care of itself.
When in doubt remember my blog about being stranded on the tropical island.
9) Create your menu first, then build your shopping list around that.
In case you didn't get #1.
10) Drink a lot of water. More then you think you need to.
11) Add some fermented foods to your diet.
Fermented foods help heal your gut, improve digestion and boost your immune system. They are also another kind of food that is great to snack on because you can't overeat it. I try to add these foods as a side to at least one meal a day. Common examples of fermented foods are Kim Chi and Sauerkraut.
12) Don't drink your calories.
Put the juice down. Quit rationalizing that _______ juice is good for you because it has __________ micronutrient that is good for your health. Trust me there is a better way to get what that micronutrient is from food or a whole food derived multi-vitamin.