What's YOUR biggest obstacle to eating healthy?

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  • datsundriver87
    datsundriver87 Posts: 186 Member
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    Mine is the VERY occasional buffet.... I (now) eat healthy 90 percent of the time and am very controlled on what I eat, even when going out to dinner at restaurants most of the time I make pretty smart choices, but put me in a Chinese buffet or a buffet like Golden Corral... And I end up with something like a 4,000 calorie meal minimum that destroys all the progress I've worked for for weeks... I tell myself I'm only going to have 1-2 plates and end up eating until I can't lift my fork. Luckily I do my best to stay away for this reason but when friends or coworkers want to go it's always hard to say no.
  • Becca_250
    Becca_250 Posts: 188 Member
    edited March 2016
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    I would find weight loss a lot easier if it wasn't for chocolate and feeling a requirement to eat something sweet after a meal (particularly lunch and dinner). Yes most of the time I just fit them into my CICO deficit but I almost always want to eat more than I should be and persuading myself out of eating more is quite a battle. I also find it near impossible to resist sweet treats at work, though I have learned to at least limit myself quantity-wise, "yes I will have one doughnut thank you, I would love to have two but I am choosing not to"! I'm less likely to binge at work than at home because the people in my team know that I am counting calories so there's the shame of overeating (the same people are more than happy to shove the doughnuts in your face though and tell you to eat them but that's a whole other discussion!) so to counteract that I just try very hard not to buy too many sweet treats for in the house. If only 250 calories of doughnut was as filling or anywhere near as nutritious as 250 calories of chicken+veg, one would suffice!
  • Tyler2020Mike
    Tyler2020Mike Posts: 53 Member
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    brightresolve wrote: »
    However YOU define "eating healthy" - what stops or trips you?

    Me, I mess up when I am stressed and tired, and think I need a "treat" to reward me for prior good behavior. And, when I mess up my day, I tend to eat outside my normal limits because "I'm already over."

    Ditto. Stress does it for me, then I realize, "uh-oh," I just messed up.
  • Nckr66
    Nckr66 Posts: 31 Member
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    Chocolate. I struggle to moderate it, because I find it so moreish. I now only buy 90% dark chocolate and have a handful of nuts with a square of that, and it does take the craving away. I could easily incorporate some of my favourite chocolate into my calories allowance, but I always want more!

  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    Healthy to me is staying within calories. The biggest obstacle is when I have too much time on my hands when work is slow. At home all day, doing nothing, with a strategically placed fridge staring at me. I could go for a walk to distract myself, but then I'm back, with the same fridge staring at me. I try to keep busy with other things, but it's just too easy to grab something when I'm passing by.

    I'm currently doing well on that front, but it's important not to get complacent and lose sight of my challenges.
  • Becca_250
    Becca_250 Posts: 188 Member
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    Nckr66 wrote: »
    Chocolate. I struggle to moderate it, because I find it so moreish. I now only buy 90% dark chocolate and have a handful of nuts with a square of that, and it does take the craving away. I could easily incorporate some of my favourite chocolate into my calories allowance, but I always want more!

    So glad it's not just me!
  • brightresolve
    brightresolve Posts: 1,024 Member
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    I am so glad it's not just me with sweets and chocolate type things either. I try to work my day so I can have a 100 cal yogurt or 120 cals of froyo after dinner ... but sometimes sticking to the correct quantity is tough!
  • alittlelife14
    alittlelife14 Posts: 339 Member
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    Emotional eating, sugar exposure, eating out socially.
  • Sweet13_Princess
    Sweet13_Princess Posts: 1,207 Member
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    Being hungry.... I eat too large of portions when that happens. OR if I have foods I really love in the house, but are not good for me, I binge eat them. Prime example: My daughter's fruit snacks. I ate six packs the other day as a "snack." Sheesh!

    Shannon
  • 7elizamae
    7elizamae Posts: 758 Member
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    The two teenaged boys in my house!

    There is food in my house that wouldn't be here if they weren't. They love chips and bagels and cheese and crackers and bread with lots of butter. They really like steak and buttery noodles and pancakes and bacon. They like garlic bread and ice cream and beef jerky. They like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Chex Mix and microwave popcorn. I love to cook, and they love when I make hot wings or waffles or burgers or homemade bread. And I love to cook those things for them.

    They are both at healthy weights -- even on the skinny side -- so I'm not going to make them eat like a menopausal woman.
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
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    healthy is subjective.. we eat pretty healthy. My obstacle is not being able to eat as much as my husband. I have a bigger appetite then him with about 1/3 of the calories.
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
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    brightresolve wrote: »
    However YOU define "eating healthy" - what stops or trips you?

    Me, I mess up when I am stressed and tired, and think I need a "treat" to reward me for prior good behavior. And, when I mess up my day, I tend to eat outside my normal limits because "I'm already over."

    My issue is weekend drinking and social eating out. We go out at least once a weekend with friends, and typically end up drinking, eating, etc. I do watch what I'm eating (opt for a salad, no croutons/cheese and dressing on the side - or a simple protein and veggie) and lately have been working on opting for lower cal alcohol options. It's not like this once weekly treat is detrimental to my success, but it does make me feel like a failure for a day or two after.
  • uraniavanyo
    uraniavanyo Posts: 6 Member
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    I snack when I'm bored. I really am trying to drink more water and eat healthier snacks. I love sweet drinks so I am trying hard to stick with water, hot unsweetened tea and True Lemon drink mix if I want a sweet drink.. I hate the taste of crystal light and other artificial sweeteners. At work I have access to a full pantry of junk food. I need to use a lot of Self control. I also never make my lunch since I work out of a youth shelter and they make meals for us, generally I have healthyish meals available but I overeat at lunch and leave myself with 300 calories for dinner
  • brightresolve
    brightresolve Posts: 1,024 Member
    edited March 2016
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    fishshark wrote: »
    ... My obstacle is not being able to eat as much as my husband...
    7elizamae wrote: »
    ... They are both at healthy weights -- even on the skinny side -- so I'm not going to make them eat like a menopausal woman.

    I so relate to this!! My SO is one of those guys that drops weight like a hot rock and works outside, and me at almost 60 yrs old, with the desk job, who eats for stress/emo reasons - it can be challenging. We eat a lean dinner together, he piles on the Caesar dressing and eats a side of bread, then has his ice cream ... it all works out ;)
  • ErinPo
    ErinPo Posts: 6 Member
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    This is a great topic. My biggest obstacles are:
    1) letting myself get too hungry - if I'm starving, I crave junk food a LOT more and will be more likely to give in
    2) hating to cook and prepare food - I have tried so many things over the years to get into a pattern of cooking or even just preparing healthy food the night before to take to work, but I still struggle with it

    And here's one that isn't really an obstacle to eating healthy, but more of an obstacle to losing weight in general: menopause! I am in early menopause thanks to surgery for cancer, and there is a quite noticeable difference in how fast I lose weight. It's probably twice as slow for me now, which is kinda depressing. I know every woman experiences menopause differently, but just know that that is a possibility!
  • brightresolve
    brightresolve Posts: 1,024 Member
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    ErinPo wrote: »
    ... an obstacle to losing weight in general: menopause! I am in early menopause thanks to surgery for cancer, and there is a quite noticeable difference in how fast I lose weight. It's probably twice as slow for me now, which is kinda depressing. I know every woman experiences menopause differently, but just know that that is a possibility!

    Sorry to hear about your cancer and surgery, and hope all goes super well in the future; and I totally understand about the menopause thing, it altered my metabolism too. Menopause sharped my attention and focus, as in: if I don't plan to just give up, it's time to make positive choices most of the time, and stop feeling sorry for myself about it. The price of admission to fitness & health...
  • hamelle2
    hamelle2 Posts: 297 Member
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    Date night dinners. I always cave in a restaurant and it takes the fun out of going.
  • TorontoDiane
    TorontoDiane Posts: 1,413 Member
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    sometimes stressful days either make me eat unhealthy or do not eat enough.. wonder how many other people have this issue
  • calmandpeaceful
    calmandpeaceful Posts: 95 Member
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    Wine - every night. Any pointers welcome.
  • KDar1988
    KDar1988 Posts: 650 Member
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    Poor meal planning. I plan dinners for the week but my lunches are on the fly usually. I can do better, it's finding time. I don't take time to prepare vegetables etc like I should.

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