Remember you are instinctively a gatherer. A gatherer relies on the sense of sight to find food. Often, as we enter a store, we are bombarded with wonderful smells of baked goods, flowers, candy or other things that will cause us to let down our guard and lead us to make more impulsive decisions about what we put in our carts.

Stick to buying what you can see, not what you are lured to because it smells good, and you will buy healthier foods.

Stick to the list. Most people keep track of their grocery spending as they travel through the store, often adding an extra 25% in impulse buys. When you stick to your list, you will not only save money but also keep yourself from tossing unhealthy foods into the shopping cart.

Sticking to the list can help channel your willpower and help you stick to your weight loss goals by not allowing you to add some of the temptations that you see while walking through the aisles.

Avoid impulse items. Those items at the register are there for a reason—most people will just grab them on impulse, and the store makes a ton of money on these extras. Unfortunately, few of these choices are healthy ones and they are usually things that you should definitely avoid.

Save yourself the money and save your waistline by not picking up the things that are displayed right around the register.

Avoid shopping while hungry or tired. If you are hungry or tired, your resistance is down. You are in a hurry to get through the store, and you are also seeking comfort. You are more likely to make unhealthy choices under these circumstances.

It’s best to go grocery shopping when well rested (if possible), and it is wise to have a healthy snack so that your tummy is not rumbling while you are shopping. It will be easier for you to stick to the plan if you take care of your own basic needs before shopping.

Find other ways to reward yourself. Many people are used to rewarding their weight loss successes with a special treat, which is often a certain food that they may have been avoiding. Skip the sweet treat and treat yourself to a manicure, a new book, or some other reward that is not food-related. Why sabotage all of your hard work by caving in to a craving?

If you dread the chore of grocery shopping, make plans to have a cup of coffee with a friend when you are done, instead of picking up a pint of your favourite ice cream to treat yourself.