4 Real Women Share Healthy-Eating Tips

We all know that the struggle is real when it comes to balancing what we actually eat with our healthy goals. That's why we partnered with Weight Watchers and four of their coaches to share helpful advice for positive mental adjustments when it comes to eating.

I love to eat. It's one of the things I look forward to most during the day. I dream about breakfast, start planning dinner over my morning coffee, and look forward to trying new local cafes for lunch. Understanding how food fuels the body and embracing eating right is one way to stick with your healthy living goals. But it's easier said than done, right? Here are tips from real women who've struggled with their weight, kept it off, and have changed their mindset where eating is concerned. If they can do it, so can you!

*People following the Weight Watchers plan can expect to lose 1-2lbs per week on average.

What does the word "diet" mean to you?
Well, first, it has the word DIE in it . . . which for anyone who has dieted in their life, that can be what it feels like! To me, diets tend to have a start and a stop; they involve deprivation for the short term until you can't stick with it anymore, and many times people end up putting the weight back on. Diets don't work for the long term, instead it's about changing your relationship with food!

Tell us about a memorable moment that changed your relationship with food.
I have one moment that will always stay with me. I had a long day, skipped dinner, and did not manage my hunger, which has always been a slippery slope for me. I came home from work starving when I realized my husband and two children went to Taco Bell and returned with a bag full of food. I did not wash my hands, I did not take off my coat, I did not sit down, and I inhaled a burrito. The burrito will always be tempting for me, but when I have not managed my hunger, it becomes a trigger, and I fall to my knees to the burrito. If I had managed my hunger, I would have had the mindset to question if it was worth the indulgence, and I would have either sat down to enjoy it or found something else to satisfy me.

*People following the Weight Watchers plan can expect to lose 1-2lbs per week on average.

What's the most important tip for changing your mindset about food?
The best piece of advice I can offer is to open up your eyes and see that just like our relationships with people in our lives, our relationship with food is just not that simple. People tend to focus on the struggle, but food can also be our best friend if we choose to view it that way too! At the end of the day, it's really between you and what's at the end of your fork — which means you ultimately have control over it. The best tip I can offer is to make nothing off limits. If we tell ourselves we can't have something, we automatically want it!

*People following the Weight Watchers plan can expect to lose 1-2lbs per week on average.

What's one tip you have for changing your eating habits?
When people think about food and weight loss, they frequently think about the "foods" they cannot have. My members understand that nothing is off limits; they can eat anything. My tip would be to become more aware of your choices by tracking what you eat and drink. This one small change can help you pinpoint specific foods that produce weight loss and understand the eating habits you may need to change.

*People following the Weight Watchers plan can expect to lose 1-2lbs per week on average.

What kind of change can people expect to see once they've got a new way of looking at food?
I think that changing our relationship with food is always going to be a work in progress, but once you start thinking and speaking about food differently, the journey becomes more about changing habits and developing a healthy lifestyle and less about just losing weight. Once you start focusing more on habits, you realize you are in control and food is not.

More From Weight Watchers:
For more great advice from real women who have successfully changed their relationship with food and want to help you change yours, try chatting with a coach as part of the new Weight Watchers OnlinePlus with 24/7 Expert Chat. It is a whole new way to do Weight Watchers, available all online or on your phone — no meetings.