Category: Weight Loss

You don’t need a perfect plan to start losing weight — just a simple one that works with your brain, your habits, and your current life.

Here’s how to get started in 3 clear steps. These are the exact steps I recommend to anyone who feels stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure of where to begin.

---

Step 1: Calculate How Many Calories You Actually Need

Before you change what you eat, figure out how much you should eat. Calorie awareness doesn’t mean obsession — it just gives you a starting point.

I recommend this free tool: 👉 Oviva Calorie Calculator

Knowing your daily target can help you make smarter choices — without guessing or extreme restriction.

---

Step 2: Choose 1–2 Small Changes You Can Stick To

Forget the big overhaul. Choose 1 or 2 small changes that move you in the right direction — consistently.

Examples:

• Swapping sugary drinks for water
• Eating a high-protein breakfast
• Walking 15 minutes after dinner

💡 Why it works: Small changes build confidence. Consistency beats intensity when it comes to lasting weight loss.

---

Step 3: Track Your Progress Without Punishing Yourself

You don’t need to track perfectly — just track honestly. Use a food journal, an app, or even voice notes. Focus on patterns, not perfection.

What to track:

• Energy levels
• Hunger & fullness
• Food choices (without judgement)

💡 Bonus tip: Add a weekly reflection — what’s working, what’s hard, what you’re proud of.

For years, food was my coping tool — not just for hunger, but for boredom, sadness, anxiety, and stress. I knew the science, but it still felt automatic.

What helped me break the cycle wasn’t another diet — it was a shift in awareness, environment, and emotional strategy. Here’s the 3-step system that changed everything.

---

Step 1: Pause and Label the Emotion (Before the First Bite)

Before reaching for food, I ask: “What am I feeling?” If I can name the emotion — even just “meh” — I interrupt the autopilot response.

💡 Backed by: Emotional regulation theory, mindfulness-based interventions

---

Step 2: Create a Comfort Menu (That Isn’t Food)

I built a list of alternative “emotional resets” — short, sensory, or calming activities that support my nervous system:

• Walk outside
• 5 deep breaths
• Talk to someone
• Write 1 sentence in a journal

💡 Why it works: This uses behavioural substitution — replacing a learned coping behaviour with something equally regulating but healthier.

---

Step 3: Reframe the Slip as Data, Not Failure

Even if I do emotionally eat, I reflect afterward — no shame. I ask:

• What did I need in that moment?
• What could I try next time?

💡 Science: Self-compassion and reflective practice reduce binge frequency and help change stick over time.

---

This shift wasn’t about restriction — it was about emotional literacy.

You can change your eating behaviour without punishment. It starts with awareness, softness, and structure.

For a long time, stress meant snacks. Late nights, tight deadlines, emotional spirals — and suddenly I was standing in front of the fridge again.

But the answer wasn’t more willpower. It was understanding why I was eating — and then replacing the cycle with something better. Here’s the 3-step system that helped me stop stress-snacking (and feel human again).

---

Step 1: Recognise the Pattern (Without Shame)

Stress-snacking usually follows a trigger → emotion → action loop. Example: [Deadline] → [Tension] → [Crunchy snack to cope]

Start by noticing the trigger and naming the emotion before you eat.

💡 Backed by: Behaviour chains, cognitive behavioural models of emotional eating

---

Step 2: Create a Sensory Replacement Response

Replace the eating habit with another sensory, soothing behaviour. Examples: crunchy carrots, a stress ball, warm tea, stretching, calming scents.

💡 Science: Behaviour substitution works best when the replacement activates the same system — in this case, sensory feedback and self-regulation

---

Step 3: Build a 3-Minute Post-Snack Reflection Habit

Even if you do snack, follow it with curiosity, not guilt. Ask yourself:

• What was I feeling before I ate?
• What helped or didn’t help?
• What’s one thing I could do differently next time?

💡 Why it works: Reflection builds emotional regulation and breaks automatic loops.

---

You don’t need to be perfect — just more aware, more kind, and more strategic.

This is how I started changing my relationship with stress (and snacks).