Waiting for that light bulb to come on!!

nene1106

I've been on and off MFP for awhile now, Monday I said I was going to start eating healthy and logging my food. I've been logging my food, but been continuing my bad eating habits. Any suggestions are welcome!

PaytraB

Spending a week or two just eating normally while logging is a good idea. After a week, look over your diary and see where you can trim or change small things that will bring you closer to your calorie goal. Make small changes, get used to them, then make more small changes. You'll start to see your patterns and what could be changed.
Log accurately, no matter what you eat, and you'll find patterns that can be changed.

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nene1106

Thank you!! That was very encouraging!

katie22mfp

Think about why you started! Junk food a moment on the lips a lifetime on the stomach! Stop taking yourself further from your goals.

ronjsteele1

PaytraB wrote: »

Spending a week or two just eating normally while logging is a good idea. After a week, look over your diary and see where you can trim or change small things that will bring you closer to your calorie goal. Make small changes, get used to them, then make more small changes. You'll start to see your patterns and what could be changed.
Log accurately, no matter what you eat, and you'll find patterns that can be changed.

This is what I did but it took me about a month to finally get to a place where I could stay within MFP calories. I was already eating healthy so that wasn't so much an issue for me. But I struggled like crazy to stay lower then maintenance calories. I tweaked and adjusted and moved things around until I hit it. That first month of just logging and watching myself was very helpful and I highly recommend it.

smanto00

I've stopped buying junk food altogether and make a list of foods I need that week. It has helped me tremendously and is helping me eat clean

PaytraB

smanto00 wrote: »

I've stopped buying junk food altogether and make a list of foods I need that week. It has helped me tremendously and is helping me eat clean

While this is a great goal, unless you plan on never eating junk food ever again in your life, it's helpful to include portions of junk food in your plan to help you accommodate that. A little bit of junk food never hurt anyone; it's the excess of anything that is a problem. One can overeat on veggies as much as one can overeat on junk food.

arditarose

Just start by logging your food. You're going to lose weight if you are eating less, no matter what. This is the first step. Instead of trying to completely change your diet in a day, moderate the food you have been eating into portions that fit your calorie goal. Instead of finding foods to take OUT completely, look for things you can add INTO your diet. Maybe an extra serving of vegetables, a new recipe using your favorite protein, etc.

smanto00

PaytraB wrote: »

smanto00 wrote: »

I've stopped buying junk food altogether and make a list of foods I need that week. It has helped me tremendously and is helping me eat clean

While this is a great goal, unless you plan on never eating junk food ever again in your life, it's helpful to include portions of junk food in your plan to help you accommodate that. A little bit of junk food never hurt anyone; it's the excess of anything that is a problem. One can overeat on veggies as much as one can overeat on junk food.

After awhile of not eating it I just don't crave it anymore. I guess my body is used to it now.

PaytraB

smanto00 wrote: »

After awhile of not eating it I just don't crave it anymore. I guess my body is used to it now.

That's true. I don't eat as much as I used to and don't miss it.
I think that it isn't the body that gets used to changes but the the mind being retrained to reach for an apple and not a bag of chips. However, the occasional bag of chips isn't a bad thing and most of us have to learn to count that into our lifelong, sustainable new food choices.

psucato

If you're anything like me You eat first and then think about it later. To be honest occasionally I get lazy about logging my food in . But if you want to get a real perspective on what you're eating take a picture of everythingYou'd be amazed how much stuff you eat the you may not even remember eating And how unhealthy some of your habits may be It's a quick and simple way to keep yourself accountable

celadontea

I log as I am preparing my meal one food or side dish at a time. Sometimes I look up the calories in something and see that I'm really going over for my goal for a meal or for the day and adjust the portions. Sometimes I see stuff like lettuce and cherry tomatoes don't make a large den't at all and fill up all the blank spaces in my plate. After time your new meals will become habits and you can save a meal and repeat it on different days.