are you guys really happy with the healthier life style? or how do you keep up?
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I'm fine with the exercise part... it gives me something to do and I feel better on days I go to the gym.
I'm not happy with the restrictive eating. I still eat what I want, but most of the time a 'normal' portion doesn't satisfy me (for sweets, mostly), so it's pretty much a struggle every single day. There are days when a couple cookies or 1/2 cup of ice cream are enough to make me happy, but it's not always the case.0 -
Portion sizes satisfy me... I eat what I want. I love working out. All around win/win.0
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Both my sons and now I try to follow what I heard of as a Japanese principle of eating until you are 3/4 full. I always feel I'm more full a while after I stop eating than I am when I just finish. So if you stop at 3/4 you should top up well. Works for us.0
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its easy to keep up with yourself when you are the one driving
I set a pace that I can handle. 0 -
thanks for the advise. my problem really is the portion. I am like cincysweetheart's sister, once I start eating junk foods especially sweet, I can not stop... I try to cut them out completely and get miserable. If I have them but can only have a tiny bit of it, I get even more miserable... I will try that mini portion foods idea. ( but I probably need to buy one at a time or I will finish all 10 mini pots in one go !! )
All of this screams restriction to me. Even with saying you can eat it, you are saying you can only have mini something.
If I want an entire chocolate bar, I will fit it into my day. I'll probably be a bit hungry that day if I ate the bar in the early part of the day, but I can make it fit into my day.
Just weigh and log things to fit within macros, don't be concerned with where you calories are coming from in terms of "good" vs "bad" food, etc.
I used to be the same way. If I bought a box of chocolate, or when I'd get some for Christmas, I'd eat it all in like a day. I found an old empty box of chocolate, seeing htat like... 2 pieces is a few hundred cals. So easily over 2000 calories and I'd eat it all in a day on top of my normal diet.
now that I don't put ANY restrictions on ANY food other than "I need to make sure I meet my protein and overall calorie goals" I do not have this binging problem anymore.0 -
If I want an entire chocolate bar, I will fit it into my day. I'll probably be a bit hungry that day if I ate the bar in the early part of the day, but I can make it fit into my day.
That's the problem for me... 6 days out of 7, I just can't 'be a bit hungry'. My hunger makes me weak and sick until I eat something. The last two days have been a breeze, I've been hungry yes but I couldn't care less, it wasn't bothering me really and it was no problem to wait two hours to eat something... and it was super easy to fit a piece of cheesecake in my day - heck I should be able to keep a 300 deficit tonight. I even kept a 600 deficit yesterday, and it was easy too (I ate 1900 extra calories this week end, so trying to make up for it).
But those days are few and fat between... The rest of the time, like this week end, I'm like a bottomless pit. If I eat anything with 'empty calories', even in moderation, it's going to be a real struggle to stay under my calories.
Bloody hormones.
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If I want an entire chocolate bar, I will fit it into my day. I'll probably be a bit hungry that day if I ate the bar in the early part of the day, but I can make it fit into my day.
That's the problem for me... 6 days out of 7, I just can't 'be a bit hungry'. My hunger makes me weak and sick until I eat something. The last two days have been a breeze, I've been hungry yes but I couldn't care less, it wasn't bothering me really and it was no problem to wait two hours to eat something... and it was super easy to fit a piece of cheesecake in my day - heck I should be able to keep a 300 deficit tonight. I even kept a 600 deficit yesterday, and it was easy too (I ate 1900 extra calories this week end, so trying to make up for it).
But those days are few and fat between... The rest of the time, like this week end, I'm like a bottomless pit. If I eat anything with 'empty calories', even in moderation, it's going to be a real struggle to stay under my calories.
Bloody hormones.
At least in Sept. and start of October, you were regularly a few hundred below your calorie goal. You said you do TDEE-20%, so you should be eating your full goal. This would honestly probably help with the hunger issue. Especially if you're finding it to be a pattern where you keep switching between being short and then being above your goal.
Also, I find that eating a good macro balance for breakfast and lunch (or first half of the day at least) keeps me from being too hungry even with 6+ hours between meals. I can eat the rest of my carbs at night and not feel all that hungry. I see that your ratios are not always very equal for certain meals during the day, so that could be influencing things. Your breakfast tends to be higher in carbs. I find that for myself, even if my carbs and protein are balanced, if fat is low I will likely be hungry. So I aim to eat a lot of protein and fat in the morning. I've yet to figure out if the same type of balance is needed at lunch too, and if evening should mostly be reserved for minor remaining protein and primarily carbs.
All this being said, when I say "hungry" I mean that slight feeling of maybe wanting to eat. Like if you drink something it could easily go away. If I am so hungry that I wind up being sick, then obviously it means I need to eat, so I would eat.
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Erm... It's hard to tire of a lifestyle that makes you feel good. Please, don't misunderstand. I love eating junk food, but I'm not really thrilled with the way it makes me feel. I'd simply rather have the energy that I know comes from eating right and exercising than to feel all blah, like I'm dragging myself through the day, fighting to stay awake and get things done.0
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Yes I truly enjoy eating and living healthy, that's because I found healthy foods I can have in reasonable portions that I actually enjoy eating. They exist, you have to look for them.
This is a plate I really enjoy:
This is also a plate I really enjoy:
So is this:
I used to eat junk food all the time. I still have junk food, but a lot less of it.
I found out that I really liked vanilla greek yogurt, I didn't know it existed. I found out I really like almonds. I enjoy having a high protein diet. I still have my donuts, ice cream and fast food. Its fine to eat that stuff and you can feel satisfied and make progress on your health, just don't make it the only thing you eat, and control your portions. When you make mistakes and eat too much, don't beat yourself up. You can still make mistakes and generally have progress, don't worry so much.
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Everyday is a challenge. Everyday I wake up in the morning excited that I'll get home from work and jump on the elliptical and burn some calories. Come mid afternoon, i'll e trying to find excuses not to exercise. Once I get home, I fight with my mind everytime to force myself to JUST DO IT. I do feel great after doing it, and I personally thank GOD for helping me make the right choice for that day. As for food, I'm eating clean most days. I pack my lunch to work so I won't find excuses to eat out and go out of control. Do I miss junk food? Yes I do. Do I avoid it totally? No. I allow myself to have 1 cheat day a week, but I ensure I don't go above the calorie count. So yes, everyday is a challenge. But i've been on here for 43 days and counting.0
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Everyday is a challenge. Everyday I wake up in the morning excited that I'll get home from work and jump on the elliptical and burn some calories. Come mid afternoon, i'll e trying to find excuses not to exercise. Once I get home, I fight with my mind everytime to force myself to JUST DO IT. I do feel great after doing it, and I personally thank GOD for helping me make the right choice for that day. As for food, I'm eating clean most days. I pack my lunch to work so I won't find excuses to eat out and go out of control. Do I miss junk food? Yes I do. Do I avoid it totally? No. I allow myself to have 1 cheat day a week, but I ensure I don't go above the calorie count. So yes, everyday is a challenge. But i've been on here for 43 days and counting.
Food should never be torture, or difficult. Find things that are good for you, that are filling, that also taste good to you. If you're forcing yourself to do this, you won't stick with it, you won't make that change you want. Not in a real way, not long term.
The last thing anyone should have is a difficult or unhealthy relationship with food. Don't try to be so perfect, that's not a formula for long term success.0 -
I honestly do prefer this healthier lifestyle. My body feels the difference with better fuel to run it. I'm loving my activities such as hiking and cycling outdoors. They're fun, and a way to explore and I couldn't have done so much walking and cycling eating cookies and potato chips. My muscles are strong now and they allow me to do the activities I love for long distances. I do indulge in desserts sometimes but usually now when I want something sweet I turn to a few dates, which have many nutrients.0
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Yes, I am really happy with my healthier life style. How do I keep up? By setting new goals and realizing more NSV's... for example, just eating my share. Hunger is a real issue for a lot of people. I just need to eat my share. Overall mental health. Don't need the sugar rush up/plummet down feeling. Being able to default to nutrition that keeps me stable and able to work and enjoy life is important to me.0
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what works very well for me is a) doing 16:8, b) having a tasty and predictable diet and c) using low calorie sweets.
i really love those big portions i get from eating only 2 meals a day.0 -
Okay firstly: RECowgill, now I am craving chicken fillets and ranch. All of those plates looked DELICIOUS.
Secondly: yes, I really do enjoy my healthier lifestyle. I was never really overweight (heaviest in recent years while not being pregnant or within a few months PP was about 130lbs at 5'2), but I FEEL so much better. I'm sure the amount of water I drink nowadays has a lot to do with that honestly. I also learned that I really enjoy healthy foods and running - something I never thought I would like, because I'm asthmatic. So even if I could eat unlimited junk, I wouldn't. My body and brain just feel so much better when I treat them nicely.0 -
If I want an entire chocolate bar, I will fit it into my day. I'll probably be a bit hungry that day if I ate the bar in the early part of the day, but I can make it fit into my day.
That's the problem for me... 6 days out of 7, I just can't 'be a bit hungry'. My hunger makes me weak and sick until I eat something. The last two days have been a breeze, I've been hungry yes but I couldn't care less, it wasn't bothering me really and it was no problem to wait two hours to eat something... and it was super easy to fit a piece of cheesecake in my day - heck I should be able to keep a 300 deficit tonight. I even kept a 600 deficit yesterday, and it was easy too (I ate 1900 extra calories this week end, so trying to make up for it).
But those days are few and fat between... The rest of the time, like this week end, I'm like a bottomless pit. If I eat anything with 'empty calories', even in moderation, it's going to be a real struggle to stay under my calories.
Bloody hormones.
If my carbs are over 40% (in other words, I'm low on protein and fat) I get hungry. When I was at a deficit with those macros, I also couldn't lose.
Skip the cheesecake and eat more protein and fat (satisfying) and fewer carbs (lots of calories that go fast into your bloodstream and cause insulin spikes and then low blood sugar that makes you hungry).
Stop trying to fit high calorie snacks into your day and eat something else. Then have a SMALL delicious snack like a Linzor truffle (60 calories) or a cookie or a 1/4 cup of ice cream.0 -
"I am one of those "lucky" ones that I never really put on much weight no matter how much I eat."
There is no such person. Either this or you are a magic fairy.
This is not true. I am a compulsive over eater, and for all of my life up until I was in my 30s and had my kids, I ate all I wanted of whatever I wanted. I did not put on weight, and I ate a LOT of fat and sugar. Even during my pregnancies I hardly put on any weight, even though I continued to eat all the stuff I thought I shouldn't have. It is a metabolism thing, and mine changed after having kids and going on some medications.
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If I want an entire chocolate bar, I will fit it into my day. I'll probably be a bit hungry that day if I ate the bar in the early part of the day, but I can make it fit into my day.
That's the problem for me... 6 days out of 7, I just can't 'be a bit hungry'. My hunger makes me weak and sick until I eat something. The last two days have been a breeze, I've been hungry yes but I couldn't care less, it wasn't bothering me really and it was no problem to wait two hours to eat something... and it was super easy to fit a piece of cheesecake in my day - heck I should be able to keep a 300 deficit tonight. I even kept a 600 deficit yesterday, and it was easy too (I ate 1900 extra calories this week end, so trying to make up for it).
But those days are few and fat between... The rest of the time, like this week end, I'm like a bottomless pit. If I eat anything with 'empty calories', even in moderation, it's going to be a real struggle to stay under my calories.
Bloody hormones.
At least in Sept. and start of October, you were regularly a few hundred below your calorie goal. You said you do TDEE-20%, so you should be eating your full goal. This would honestly probably help with the hunger issue. Especially if you're finding it to be a pattern where you keep switching between being short and then being above your goal.
Also, I find that eating a good macro balance for breakfast and lunch (or first half of the day at least) keeps me from being too hungry even with 6+ hours between meals. I can eat the rest of my carbs at night and not feel all that hungry. I see that your ratios are not always very equal for certain meals during the day, so that could be influencing things. Your breakfast tends to be higher in carbs. I find that for myself, even if my carbs and protein are balanced, if fat is low I will likely be hungry. So I aim to eat a lot of protein and fat in the morning. I've yet to figure out if the same type of balance is needed at lunch too, and if evening should mostly be reserved for minor remaining protein and primarily carbs.
All this being said, when I say "hungry" I mean that slight feeling of maybe wanting to eat. Like if you drink something it could easily go away. If I am so hungry that I wind up being sick, then obviously it means I need to eat, so I would eat.
No, my goal is my TDEE. I switched to that a couple months ago, just trying to keep a deficit when possible to lose my last couple pounds. There are just weeks (typically before my period) when I'm starving. This week has been amazing though, it's been very easy to keep a deficit most days, even though I've been up way too early and not getting enough sleep. I just wish it would last.
If my carbs are over 40% (in other words, I'm low on protein and fat) I get hungry. When I was at a deficit with those macros, I also couldn't lose.
Skip the cheesecake and eat more protein and fat (satisfying) and fewer carbs (lots of calories that go fast into your bloodstream and cause insulin spikes and then low blood sugar that makes you hungry).
Stop trying to fit high calorie snacks into your day and eat something else. Then have a SMALL delicious snack like a Linzor truffle (60 calories) or a cookie or a 1/4 cup of ice cream.
I'm under 40% carb pretty much every day. For what it's worth, the day I ate that cheesecake, I was pretty much full all day - I'm quite sure actually that the only reason I ended up hungry after dinner is because I didn't have any complex carbs, and just fish and veggies...
And I almost never have high calorie snacks (except when we go out to eat and I get dessert, or when I end up binging on cookies, obviously). But even if I don't have any treat on the 'hungry' days, it makes no difference whatsoever... I still get hungry. This week I haven't really eaten differently yet I haven't had any issue at all (haven't even been craving sweets much at all either). I'm telling you, it's hormones.0 -
basically it sounds like you have a food addiction, which most of us do.
you say you dont want to have a little of the tasty indulgent thing, you want all of it.
sounds similar to a drinker, they dont want a couple sips or one drink they want 5. same concept.
it is not going to be pleasant changing life long habits, if it was we wouldn't be her today.
do i enjoy having one or 2 cookies instead of 10 or 15. does it feel the same as eating a whole sleeve, then sitting on the couch in a sugar blissful coma no! of course it doesnt.
but its something we have to do. with most of us here we can psychically see the damage its doing to our lives by the extra weight we have, you have only the slow internal damage so you cant see it with your eyes.
just like a smoker or a drinker you have to be ready to do it for your health. and it doesn't have to be drastic baby steps.0 -
I am happier with the benefits of my healthier lifestyle than I am when I eat bad food. My husband and I were at a point where we ate fast food like 5 days a week and were barely active. Not only does it feel good to get out and go for walks and go to the gym rather than stay at home all the time, but eating healthier has saved us money, given me more confidence and energy, and has already made me happier with my body. These are all good things! Don't get me wrong, I still love fast food and junk food and I chocolate bars and Doritos are still so tempting, but we're having fun exploring homemade meals and finding healthy options that are delicious as well.
Of course, if I'm really jonesing for something I'll get a single portion bag of it or we'll share a chocolate bar, but that's only happened two or three times since August, so we're doing well.
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