How do you eat??
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dawn_westbury
Posts: 358 Member
How has anyone overcome the anxiety of starting a new eating routine (diet) .. I mean when you’re not dieting or “watching” what you eat, you just eat, no issues. When you (well ME) attempt ATTEMPT to eat better because you want so bad to lose weight, all of a sudden anxiety kicks in and I literally start to worry and as soon as I think about about eating I realize I have to THINK about it... to the point where it’d be easier if I just didn’t have to eat at all. But I usually just end up saying, screw it, I’m going to Taco Bell!
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Replies
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When I was on a mission to lose weight, I just dropped a handful of cashews from my mid-afternoon snacks. I was thinking about doing that anyway because they weren't sitting well with me. I also changed my after work snack from chocolate to cottage cheese, cucumber and whole wheat crackers. And I eat a bit less for dinner.
So really, not much of a change.4 -
Changing habits consciously IS hard, and food is good, so nobody really wants to eat less or anything they're not used to. When starting to pay attention to diet, awareness is unavoidable. But overeating doesn't really come without any concern, does it, don't you get a nagging feeling in the back of your head that you're not doing yourself a favor?
Eating better to lose weight creates a disconnect between what you want and what you do. You end up half-arsing it, because you don't really want to, and your goal is so far ahead and abstract that it's no surprise if you can't follow through. So how to remedy this? Eat well every day, to feel well from day to day. Make an effort to put together a diet you like that also provides you with enough of all the nutrition you need, but not too many calories. Plan your meals so that you want to eat them, and have them ready when you get hungry, and then just follow your plan.5 -
I came up with a meal plan that had foods that are nutritious but enjoyable at the same time. If I don't like what I eat, I'd never be able to stick to it. So rather than getting anxious, I started looking forward to eating something different and fun. That trick worked for me5
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dawn_westbury wrote: »How has anyone overcome the anxiety of starting a new eating routine (diet) .. I mean when you’re not dieting or “watching” what you eat, you just eat, no issues. When you (well ME) attempt ATTEMPT to eat better because you want so bad to lose weight, all of a sudden anxiety kicks in and I literally start to worry and as soon as I think about about eating I realize I have to THINK about it... to the point where it’d be easier if I just didn’t have to eat at all. But I usually just end up saying, screw it, I’m going to Taco Bell!
I think a lot of times we bail because we don't really trust that the process works. And because we attach anxiety to the whole process by calling it a "diet" or "eating routine", we have a tendency to look for any reason to bail so that we can get rid of the anxious feeling and get back to what's comfortable.
The bottom line is that if we want to change our eating habits, we have no choice but to think about it. It's not easier, but it gets easier over time. To answer your question, what I choose to think about is that the process of eating at a deficit (if you want to lose), maintenance (if you want to maintain) or surplus (if you want to gain) is a scientific process that works. It doesn't matter how I feel about it - only that it works.
Strangely enough, over time, I start feeling anxious any time that I forget to log something or if I eyeball portions - the habits have gotten ingrained.9 -
Maybe taking it in smaller steps will make it feel less daunting? I split my desire to get healthier into two parts:
* First, lose weight by just eating less. I ate the same things I always ate, just less of it. Instead of two pieces of toast, I'd have just one. Instead of a large baked potato, a small one. I pre-logged an estimate of my food for the next day each evening, taking into account anything on the schedule that might need special planning. When I actually served the meal up, I'd get more exact by weighing all solids on a scale and measuring liquids by volume. I made my best guess for food cooked by others. Sometimes I'd have to skip a heavy calorie item entirely so it wouldn't push me over the edge, but that didn't happen too often.
* Once that felt comfortable, then I started working on long-term health by increasing my nutrient density. Just adding more vegetables, really. Not so hard.
My starting weight was 248. I'm down to 182, with 14 left to reach my goal.
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Weight loss is about a calorie deficit not type of food. You do not need to eat special foods to lose weight.
Knowing that has been very freeing for me.
This time around I did not drastically change the kind of food I eat just started logging and learning proper portion sizes. I still eat fast food, casseroles, pasta, sandwiches, etc. I don't feel bad about eating anything.
I eat the same foods as my family and other people I am around. I use more calories for shared meals.
Typically I eat things like this:
Breakfast- low prep foods like Greek yogurt, granola bars, cereal with milk, sandwich, dinner leftovers, fruit, cottage cheese (100-300 calories)
Lunch- things like sandwich, salad, or dinner leftovers (about 400 calories)
Dinner- something different every night of the month. Soup once a week usually. (500-600 calories)
Snacks- things like fruit, chips, popcorn, pretzels, dark chocolate, cookies, granola bar, carrots, celery, broccoli, trail mix, deviled eggs, pickles, cottage cheese (100-300 calories)
I prelog my food and adjust portion sizes to fit my goals. I look at calories first and then meeting my protein goal. I try to eat several servings of vegetables or fruits a day. I generally have 100-300 calories for snacks for the afternoon or evening.
I look up nutritional information from restaurants. I haven't had trouble usually getting a meal that fits my lunch or dinner calorie allotment.
I pair higher calorie foods with more lower calorie vegetables. I reduce calories in foods by using less cheese, less oil, lower fat milk, thinner crust for pizza. I might skip rice or bread if it doesn't fit well that day. I don't try to have doughnuts, stuffed crust pizza, fried chicken, bacon cheeseburger and a peanut butter shake all in one day.5 -
You avoid that anxiety by not making drastic changes to diet content and focusing on the amounts/calories first. As you do this you will likely gravitate toward more lower calorie options simply because you can eat more for the same calories. But if you want Taco Bell in your diet then have Taco Bell. Thin people eat Taco Bell too.3
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If you are feeling anxiety, it might be helpful for you to spend a few days and establish a diet baseline: eat how you would normally eat, but weigh/measure and log everything. Sure, that's a few days that you don't spend actively losing weight, but the result can be eye-opening, and if you are weighing, you can start developing your eye for what portion sizes actually look like. If you eat at a restaurant, check out the calories and prepare to be scandalized.
Then, when you are ready, just start changing one thing at a time, using some of the excellent suggestions above. Maybe start with preparing healthy, low calorie snacks so you don't go to a vending machine in the afternoon, or change up high-calorie sweet tea for unsweet tea + 1 tablespoon of sugar (45 calories), or if you say "screw it, I'm going to Taco Bell!" figure out what they have on their menu that is going to help you meet your goals, or go to Wendy's instead and get a baked potato and a side salad with low calorie dressing. (One of my tricks for a baked potato is to use just a little butter, and a LOT of 0% fat Greek yogurt, which tastes like sour cream with a much better nutritional profile, and then a lot of fresh cracked black pepper, chives, green onion, steamed broccoli, and a bit of sea salt).
You don't have to make a huge, insane change all at once, where you're picking at salads, tofu and help seed all day long and freaking out over it. Your goal should be to get healthier habits ingrained so they are not causing you anxiety, and you can do that a baby step at a time.
Good luck as you begin!3 -
I don't think I made drastic changes with my food choices. I weigh my food now and log it. If I want pizza, I have pizza. Half the reason I exercise is to eat a bit more or to eat those more calorie dense foods. I find doing this helps me stay on track with losing around 1lb per week and not derail and give up.3
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I found meal planning/prepping worked best for me. On Wednesday I'll start thinking ahead to what I'm going to make myself for breakfasts/lunches during the following work week (I eat the same thing each day during the week for breakfast & lunch) and I plan what we'll have for dinners (my husband, daughter and I). I take the time to plan everything out, make my list, do my shopping & prepping on the weekend then I have nothing to think/worry about during the week. Everything is planned and ready to go. It really has made this much easier and now that I've been doing it for several months it's become second nature and I look forward to planning each week.2
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dawn_westbury wrote: »How has anyone overcome the anxiety of starting a new eating routine (diet) .. I mean when you’re not dieting or “watching” what you eat, you just eat, no issues. When you (well ME) attempt ATTEMPT to eat better because you want so bad to lose weight, all of a sudden anxiety kicks in and I literally start to worry and as soon as I think about about eating I realize I have to THINK about it... to the point where it’d be easier if I just didn’t have to eat at all. But I usually just end up saying, screw it, I’m going to Taco Bell!
Define eating better...if you mean more salads and lean meats that is not necessary to lose weight.
You can eat what you want just less of it...log it stay in goal and you will lose weight...see no stress/anxiety2 -
As many other folks have already said, I think the gradual approach is the way to go, especially if you've got a lot of anxiety around changing the way you eat. What are you doing already that's healthy and that you enjoy? Can you do that more? What are you doing that's less healthy? Can you do it less, or find a healthier substitute?1
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I've been heavy for longer than most of you have been alive. I've always known that if I keep careful track of how much I eat, I can control my weight but 99 44/100ths of the time I have not. I've eaten enough to weigh twice what I ought and still felt I was worrying about everything that went in my mouth because I knew it was keeping me fat.
Now, I just count what I eat and stay in a calorie deficit. It sounds easy and it is, technically. It's hard to stick with it because I'm fighting the habits of a lifetime. I may always be someone who needs to control her weight through constant monitoring of exactly how many calories I consume. If that's what it takes, well, that's what it takes.
Right now, when I choose to go to the fridge and get an ounce of smoked cheese, I don't need to worry about it or what anyone else thinks because I know where it stands in my calorie count. If it is under my limit, it's all good. I'm eating normally. I'm eating more like a person with a "normal" weight. If it is over my limit, I'm eating abnormally. I'm eating like that abnormally fat woman I've always been.
Do I wish I'd come to this realization decades ago? Certainly. But, unlike Gatsby, I'm not going to end up dead in the bottom of a swimming pool (in his case) or on the sidelines in a motorized chair (where I was headed) trying to undo the past. I'm just going to move forward knowing that I am more contented when I'm controlling my weight.
25 down, 125 to go -- but it's already easier to carry in the groceries!10 -
French_Peasant wrote: »If you are feeling anxiety, it might be helpful for you to spend a few days and establish a diet baseline: eat how you would normally eat, but weigh/measure and log everything. Sure, that's a few days that you don't spend actively losing weight, but the result can be eye-opening, and if you are weighing, you can start developing your eye for what portion sizes actually look like. If you eat at a restaurant, check out the calories and prepare to be scandalized.
Then, when you are ready, just start changing one thing at a time, using some of the excellent suggestions above. Maybe start with preparing healthy, low calorie snacks so you don't go to a vending machine in the afternoon, or change up high-calorie sweet tea for unsweet tea + 1 tablespoon of sugar (45 calories), or if you say "screw it, I'm going to Taco Bell!" figure out what they have on their menu that is going to help you meet your goals, or go to Wendy's instead and get a baked potato and a side salad with low calorie dressing. (One of my tricks for a baked potato is to use just a little butter, and a LOT of 0% fat Greek yogurt, which tastes like sour cream with a much better nutritional profile, and then a lot of fresh cracked black pepper, chives, green onion, steamed broccoli, and a bit of sea salt).
You don't have to make a huge, insane change all at once, where you're picking at salads, tofu and help seed all day long and freaking out over it. Your goal should be to get healthier habits ingrained so they are not causing you anxiety, and you can do that a baby step at a time.
Good luck as you begin!
Just quoting all of this for emphasis... and adding...
when I started on MFP I was a little overwhelmed, I had never "dieted" because I always thought it would be so hard and so miserable. I just knew I would give up if I had to cut out foods that I love. So rather than making drastic changes and cutting things out, I focused on adding things to my lifestyle. More protein, more vegetables, more whole grains, more exercise, more sleep. By focusing on adding things, I found it naturally took priority over the more calorie dense things, but it still left me just enough room to enjoy things like a serving of ice cream after dinner, or fast food on a busy Saturday with my kids, or wine nightly.
People often get so caught up in being perfect with their diet that they find it unsustainable, and say "screw it" just as you've described. So don't make such drastic changes, and focus on small singular improvements as @French_Peasant outlined and others have advised - and soon enough you'll be making more and more positive choices and have enough momentum and motivation to stay on track. And still eat Taco Bell if you enjoy it!8 -
It's easier to stick to a lifestyle change when you make small changes over time rather than a huge change all at once. Like if you're trying to reduce how much sodium you have, try reducing your intake by 100mg at a time, only lowering it more once you get used to the new lower number. Eventually you'll reach a point where doing the lifestyle change is natural.2
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I'm struggling with this. I recently switched to a vegetarian diet for reasons other than weight loss, but I was encouraged by stories from other people about how they started dropping weight as soon as they stopped eating animal products. Not true for me. I also stopped casual drinking at home, so no more glass or wine or beer most evenings. Guess what - haven't lost a single pound from that change, either. I guess I'm going to have to start logging again, but I totally hate doing it. Maybe if I can hang in there long enough to create about a two weeks rotation of appropriate meals, it won't be so unbearable. Sigh ... maybe. Change is tough.4
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2snakeswoman wrote: »I'm struggling with this. I recently switched to a vegetarian diet for reasons other than weight loss, but I was encouraged by stories from other people about how they started dropping weight as soon as they stopped eating animal products. Not true for me. I also stopped casual drinking at home, so no more glass or wine or beer most evenings. Guess what - haven't lost a single pound from that change, either. I guess I'm going to have to start logging again, but I totally hate doing it. Maybe if I can hang in there long enough to create about a two weeks rotation of appropriate meals, it won't be so unbearable. Sigh ... maybe. Change is tough.
If you haven't been doing this for at least two weeks, you really can't know what sort of results you might be getting. Hang in there! And just because a lot of people here log indefinitely doesn't mean you need to - try logging for just a week or so and seeing what sort of data you can get from that. Good luck!1 -
I've been vegetarian for over 25 years and been at my lightest and heaviest doing so. Healthy oils, cakes and pastries, French fries, chocolate... all vegetarian. And all okay to eat in moderate amounts.
For me, the key was admitting that I wanted to eat all the things. And that I'd be miserable if thought I had to give them up. Now, there are foods I choose not to have because I've decided that I don't want to spend so many calories. What it comes down to with indulgences is- Have I got the calories for it? If I don't...
- Can I get them by eating less during the day or exercising more?
- If I can, Do I want to? If 'yes', that's a plan.
- If I can't/don't want to, would a smaller portion of the indulgence work for me? If 'yes', that's a plan.
- If 'no', is it worth being over my calories for today? If 'yes', that's a plan.
- If 'no', it's just not worth it.
So far, that's been working for me and, after ten months of watching my calories, I seem to be better able to resist temptation. And a big part of it is knowing that I CAN have the stuff I love and log it and KNOW it's not setting me back. Even if I don't have 600-calorie cherry turnovers anymore. (1/4 turnover wouldn't satisfy and more than that takes too much juggling. But again, it's not that I CAN'T have it; it's that I CHOOSE not to trim elsewhere to make room for it.)8 -
Maybe taking it in smaller steps will make it feel less daunting? I split my desire to get healthier into two parts:
* First, lose weight by just eating less. I ate the same things I always ate, just less of it. Instead of two pieces of toast, I'd have just one. Instead of a large baked potato, a small one. I pre-logged an estimate of my food for the next day each evening, taking into account anything on the schedule that might need special planning. When I actually served the meal up, I'd get more exact by weighing all solids on a scale and measuring liquids by volume. I made my best guess for food cooked by others. Sometimes I'd have to skip a heavy calorie item entirely so it wouldn't push me over the edge, but that didn't happen too often.
* Once that felt comfortable, then I started working on long-term health by increasing my nutrient density. Just adding more vegetables, really. Not so hard.
My starting weight was 248. I'm down to 182, with 14 left to reach my goal.
This so much this1 -
I did not drastically change what I ate. I just started eating smaller portions. Then I started paying attention to making sure I was getting enough protein. I learned that for me plenty of protein through the day keeps me fuller and adding in small portions of treats keeps me emotionally satisfied. I was able to lose this time without feeling deprived. I am in maintenance now and I still eat the same, I have just increased some if my portions and added a few extras here and there, but overall my diet looks the same.1
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