How do you stick to your healthy diet?

jangus9416

What are some ways you continue to eat healthy and stop binge eating? I know most of you will say that you don't cut anything from your diet, and you eat what you want. CICO blah blah blah. Well that's great, really, but how do you limit yourself to just one cookie? Do you put money in a jar everyday you don't binge? What stops you in that moment of vulnerability? I just need some ideas. Thanks!

zap5

willpower

jangus9416

Where can I purchase this so called "willpower?"

rainbowbow

I am going to give you the typical response:

I eat foods i like and find a way to fit them in my goal. For my sanity i eat a "cheat" meal on saturday nights in which i fast all day saturday and eat whatever i want at night.

On a daily basis thinking of that "cheat meal" is what keeps me going. That and sheer dedication and self control.

I know how freaking hard i've worked, where i started and where i am, and it's easy for me to see "Now, rainbowbow, you've worked your *kitten* off. Is eating "x" thing worth it?" or "do you want to spend even more time in the gym? are these 10 oreos worth an hour on the treadmill?". Usually the answer is no.

Of course there are days and times when i eat more, or treat myself, it's life afterall. But knowing where i started and where i am now, i have no desire to get back to the way i was before.

rungirl1973

I don't bring more than a single serving of cookies, ice cream, candy, chips and the like into the house. If it's there, I'll eat it all. I've gotten much better with a lot of things, but some things can still only be purchased in single serving quantities.

avskk

I make sure the healthy foods I'm cooking are enjoyable -- I use a lot of spices, salsas, flavored vinegars, etc. I buy foods that help me with automatic portion control (paper-thin sliced cheese, individual yogurt cups, flatbreads and light pastries, 100-cal nut packets). I plan my meals ahead of time and leave plenty of room for snacks. I buy snacks that won't sabotage me if I end up boredom-eating them during a TV episode (popchips and salsa, lots of raw veggies and guacamole fixings, popcorn kernels to air-pop). And sometimes, honestly, I just grit my teeth and do it.

ETA: I don't do everything in moderation. I know that I lose willpower around certain foods (potatoes, chips and pretzels, cheese, pizza), so I don't keep them around. I have them on rare special occasions, enjoy the hell out of them, account for them, and adjust the day or week around them. There's nothing wrong with that; the idea behind "everything in moderation" is sound, but you have to be able to practice moderation for it to work... and some of us have trouble with that.

ElvenToad

I think about the consequences. I think... What is the number on the scale going to jump up to if I eat all the foodz? Is this giant bowl of chocolate cheerios I could eat 3x over going to ruin all my progress for the week? Are those new jeans one size down I just bought going to button after this? Ugh.... no... walk away from the binge. Then I drink a bottle of water and do something else to keep my mind off of food until its time to eat again.

Its just not worth it to me anymore. I do eat just one cookie, but it has to be a good one, like the ones from Subway. Double chocolate chip, I buy one, bring it home. Eat, pout because there's no more. Oh well it was yummy and it fit in my calories

arditarose

Honestly, yes I say I "eat in moderation" blah blah blah...but really, I don't have bags of cookies and large bags of chips in the house. I buy single serving things usually, except ice cream. And in the case of ice cream, I usually save a good 300 calories for dessert. I don't really believe in "substitutes" but I do have some snacks that I love JUST as much as others, that have lower calories and I can eat more of.

bulk_n_cut

i gave my bottle of half-full nutella to a friend when i switched from bulk to cut. out of sight, out of mind
theres no way im not-eating nutella when i see it

arditarose

bulk_n_cut wrote: »

i gave my bottle of half-full nutella to a friend when i switched from bulk to cut. out of sight, out of mind
theres no way im not-eating nutella when i see it

I would have to do the same with that crack. I mean snack.

rainbowbow

bulk_n_cut wrote: »

i gave my bottle of half-full nutella to a friend when i switched from bulk to cut. out of sight, out of mind
theres no way im not-eating nutella when i see it

This is how i am with goldfish.

I swear i could eat an entire bag in an hour.

Oh, and that White Chocolate Wonderful Peanut Butter? OMFG

OP, if you have foods you cant handle dont keep them around!!

galaxyeyed

I limited myself to one cookie yesterday...by dropping the other one on the floor of a lecture hall and having to throw it away Today I limited myself to eight cookies because they fit in my caloric budget! Granted, I wasn't very filled and was kicking myself later, but I still stuck to my goal.

I think you just have to want it. And you have to realize that bingeing isn't an option you'll allow yourself anymore. I got tired of battling with myself about eating the whole bag of candy, or whether or not to stop by and get fast food on the way home. So now I just...don't battle anymore. I don't even start down the path of reasons why it might work. "Would it fit in my calorie budget? Nope? Guess I won't then." It's made life easier.

jangus9416

I know these types of forums are everywhere, but this really helped me pinpoint my mistakes. I don't have structure to my diet. I'm in college, so I like to save up calories for a cheat meal with my boyfriend or a few going out drinks. The problem is I never know what day that is going to be. I find myself allowing myself more than one treat a week that isn't in my caloric goals simply because I don't want to miss out on anything. My boyfriend is a huge peer pressure here too. I also live with three guys so seeing their fast food EVERYDAY convinces me that I can eat it too.
I'm not sure how I'm going to fix this yet, but I appreciate the help.

bulk_n_cut

arditarose wrote: »

bulk_n_cut wrote: »

i gave my bottle of half-full nutella to a friend when i switched from bulk to cut. out of sight, out of mind
theres no way im not-eating nutella when i see it

I would have to do the same with that crack. I mean snack.

omg have you ever tried dipping lindt's lindor balls in nutella and then eating them?
many sins have been committed

ACSL3

I pre-portion a lot of my stuff into single serving (or sometimes half a serving) bags. So the other day I bought this huge bag of pistachios. Instead of just opening it and mindlessly grazing, I measured the entire bag out into servings in baggies. That way, if I want more than one serving, I can grab two bags but I know I have to log two servings in my diary.

I also sometimes eat under my calories one day so I can eat over the next. I tell myself, "if I eat less today, I can have a full slice of cake tomorrow" and then I keep reminding myself "I can have it tomorrow." I try to do it in this order rather than "I'll eat the cake today and eat less tomorrow" because then tomorrow seems like a punishment rather than seeing the cake as a reward for doing well the day before. Even though they would add up the same in the end, the perspective is different. I look more at the week's average anyway, which helps me a lot more than trying to restrict every day.

arditarose

jangus9416 wrote: »

I know these types of forums are everywhere, but this really helped me pinpoint my mistakes. I don't have structure to my diet. I'm in college, so I like to save up calories for a cheat meal with my boyfriend or a few going out drinks. The problem is I never know what day that is going to be. I find myself allowing myself more than one treat a week that isn't in my caloric goals simply because I don't want to miss out on anything. My boyfriend is a huge peer pressure here too. I also live with three guys so seeing their fast food EVERYDAY convinces me that I can eat it too.
I'm not sure how I'm going to fix this yet, but I appreciate the help.

I'm having this problem now too, and I'm 29. For some reason I didn't have it when I was first starting to lose (that's nice, right?!)...but now that I'm closer to goal, I DO want a beer and burger with my boyfriend...and maybe some chocolate, etc. I often don't know what night it is going to be on either.

This past month I had some more success though. I lowered my calorie goal a LITTLE bit, did my cardio but saved a bit of the calories, and it allowed me a nice high day around 2500 calories...which gave me an average daily deficit low enough to shed .5 or .25 lbs a week.

rainbowbow

jangus9416 wrote: »

I know these types of forums are everywhere, but this really helped me pinpoint my mistakes. I don't have structure to my diet. I'm in college, so I like to save up calories for a cheat meal with my boyfriend or a few going out drinks. The problem is I never know what day that is going to be. I find myself allowing myself more than one treat a week that isn't in my caloric goals simply because I don't want to miss out on anything. My boyfriend is a huge peer pressure here too. I also live with three guys so seeing their fast food EVERYDAY convinces me that I can eat it too.
I'm not sure how I'm going to fix this yet, but I appreciate the help.

Like i said, if i know i'm going to go out to some restaurant where i'll eat an ungodly amount of calories, i fast that day. That way, even if i do some real damage it's limited.

Other than that, willpower. Don't let anyone guilt you into anything. You need to make the decision that your goal is more important than being socially correct.

arditarose

bulk_n_cut wrote: »

arditarose wrote: »

bulk_n_cut wrote: »

i gave my bottle of half-full nutella to a friend when i switched from bulk to cut. out of sight, out of mind
theres no way im not-eating nutella when i see it

I would have to do the same with that crack. I mean snack.

omg have you ever tried dipping lindt's lindor balls in nutella and then eating them?
many sins have been committed

lol. No! I wouldn't do that because I'm weird and I would think I'd like to spread out my calories and my eating because they are both so delicious on their own. But, it does sound divine.

teamgiff4

This is what I do. I bake a cake. I love baking. So I bake the cake and put the frosting on it. Then I eat it out of the pan. That way I don't have to really keep track of how much I ate, because I just 'had a few bites'. Sometimes I freeze half so I don't eat the whole thing. I used to make it, eat some and then throw the rest in the trash so I wouldn't eat anymore... but my family got mad at me.

JenniferInCt

arditarose wrote: »

bulk_n_cut wrote: »

i gave my bottle of half-full nutella to a friend when i switched from bulk to cut. out of sight, out of mind
theres no way im not-eating nutella when i see it

I would have to do the same with that crack. I mean snack.

Hahaha!!!

bulk_n_cut

also, browsing FPH keeps me from overeating
damnit i may be about to get so much flak for posting that
BUT IT HELPS YO

rainbowbow

atypicalsmith

I eat a large dinner at night, which keeps me from being very hungry in the morning so that I can just eat a very light breakfast (sometimes only a boiled egg), and eat a little more (maybe 300 calories) for lunch. Then I have 700-800 calories for dinner and eat stuff like a salad with an entire avocado, 40 grams of almonds, some mandarin oranges, and still have room for a mini ice cream sandwich. Sometimes I adjust to a larger lunch and smaller dinner, but I never have the desire to binge.

JessieLMay

again, you may not want to hear it, but I just focus on my goal. Yes, is so hard. Some days I still binge. But, I move on and continue. I learn from those, and it has eventually led to less binge eating.

gash14

I modified all my foods to be healthy or healthier so I can eat the same amount with less calories and it's become a lifestyle. I went from eating fast food daily 6 years ago and slowly progressed to a "paleo-ish" lifestyle. I eliminated a lot of foods that upset my guts, learned to modify my guilty pleasures and bake/make them myself and so on. If I go in my cabinets or fridge now there's nothing but healthy choices. Small steps at a time and you can do it

LovelyIvy466

jangus9416 wrote: »

I know these types of forums are everywhere, but this really helped me pinpoint my mistakes. I don't have structure to my diet. I'm in college, so I like to save up calories for a cheat meal with my boyfriend or a few going out drinks. The problem is I never know what day that is going to be. I find myself allowing myself more than one treat a week that isn't in my caloric goals simply because I don't want to miss out on anything. My boyfriend is a huge peer pressure here too. I also live with three guys so seeing their fast food EVERYDAY convinces me that I can eat it too.
I'm not sure how I'm going to fix this yet, but I appreciate the help.

Most of us deal with similar situations. If you live with another person who is not trying to lose weight, you have to deal with their food in the house. It's a fact of life. 2 suggestions:

1. ALWAYS have a healthy alternative in the house. The time where I'm hungry and don't have a healthy option readily available when there is junk food everywhere is the time that I will probably fail.
2. Eat before you're really hungry. The point where I'm starving and surrounded by junk food, even if there is a healthy option, is the point where I'm way more likely to give in.

You really have to be committed, IMO for reasons other than just a random number on a scale. For me it's avoiding family health conditions and relieving stress. Everyone has to find their reason.

PrizePopple

bulk_n_cut wrote: »

arditarose wrote: »

bulk_n_cut wrote: »

i gave my bottle of half-full nutella to a friend when i switched from bulk to cut. out of sight, out of mind
theres no way im not-eating nutella when i see it

I would have to do the same with that crack. I mean snack.

omg have you ever tried dipping lindt's lindor balls in nutella and then eating them?
many sins have been committed

I may have to get a snack cup of Nutella and a lone Lindt truffle next week...


I also don't keep stuff in the house. I had a jar of Nutella in the house.. I got it less than 2 weeks ago.. It's 98% empty hanging out on my kitchen counter as a badge of pure shame for me. Talenti is also not safe. I open it, and next thing I know I've hit the bottom of the plastic tub and I'm like "s**t, not again!"

Some things I used to shovel shamelessly into my pie-hole are no longer even appealing really. Pirates Booty was once a major threat to me. I ate a handful last week and didn't bother going back for more, and I likely never will. It tasted like crap to be honest. My kids are happy about that I'm sure. :P

jangus9416

Like i said, if i know i'm going to go out to some restaurant where i'll eat an ungodly amount of calories, i fast that day. That way, even if i do some real damage it's limited.

Other than that, willpower. Don't let anyone guilt you into anything. You need to make the decision that your goal is more important than being socially correct.[/quote]

I usually don't know until that night when I'm asked if I want to go out. At that point I've usually used up all of my calories. I do let guilt get to me sometimes, which I know I shouldn't. But then again, I've just become like an old lady that goes to bed at 9 and that's no fun. I really need a balance, but the people I'm surrounded by are so unorganized it's not even funny (Just think unhealthy hippies). My boyfriend is very supportive but misses going out and having fun

maidentl

The reason it works for me is because I stopped the on a diet/off a diet mentality. I don't eat the entire package of cookies because I am "off" today and I can't have them when I am "on." Now that I know that i can have them any time, I am OK with taking two out of the package and being done. Because I can have two more every day if I want. That's just how it works for me, YMMV.

arditarose

Oh, also...if I know I'm going to have a long day out with friends, I always have snacks in my purse. One, because I get hungry every three hours and also so I'm less tempted to order the biggest meal on the menu when we finally sit down to eat. Carrot sticks, cucumbers, laughing cow cheese, blue berries, quest bar. Things I can eat with my fingers.

loribethrice

I don't buy anything that is more than one serving. And if I go to a restaurant I use their nutritional menu and figure out what to eat that is within my calories.