How do you make a lifestyle change instead of a temporary one?

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  • sarasmiles124
    sarasmiles124 Posts: 138 Member
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    I am currently trying to figure that out myself. The way I have tried to go about it is to find recipes for the meals/foods that I enjoy and figure out healthier substitutes for some of the ingredients. I have also upped my veggie intake a great deal. I use a lot of spices as well. I love food and now I still have stir fry's, curries, pasta and etc but I make it myself so that I know exactly what is going into it. I have also found a blog that has healthy versions of comfort food recipes- Skinnytaste. You just have to find what works for you.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    If you're looking to make a long term lifestyle change, then get rid of the "cheat meal" mentality. You need an approach to food that is sustainable over the long haul. Depriving yourself of things you like to eat and then going overboard with them once a week is not sustainable for most people. You can also easily destroy an entire week's calorie deficit with a "cheat meal."

    You can eat things you like in moderation. Weigh them out and have a moderate amount along with lower-calorie options. I like rice, but instead of eating a big bowl of rice like I used to, I have a half cup of rice with lots of protein and veggies. Instead of eating a whole chocolate bar, I have a square or two of dark chocolate.

    I also changed the way I cook. Most recipes do not need as much oil as the recipe calls for. If a recipe calls for two tablespoons of oil, try cooking with 1.5 tablespoons. If that works, then next time try 1 tablespoon, and so on. I also bake things instead of sauteeing, which dramatically cuts down on oil. I use less sugar, or mix sugar and Splenda. Some baked goods can be sweetened with pureed fruit, like applesauce or banana. Soups can be made creamier by pureeing all or part of the soup, rather than using cream. There are a lot of ways to cut back on oil and sugar while still eating what you like.

  • jeanstudies
    jeanstudies Posts: 81 Member
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    superluvjo wrote: »
    ...but I’ve never been able to be that good with my eating, especially if I feel like I “can’t” have that food....

    I was never that good with my eating either, and so for me I figured out I needed some external motivation or feedback. I found for me that 1) logging calories in MFP and seeing they were below/at my limit, 2) keeping track of my measurements so I could see I was getting smaller, and 3) logging my workouts so I could see I was improving, gave me enough positive feedback to keep me going--and keep me from overeating. And, now I am almost 120 pounds lighter and 6 pounds from my goal!
  • cbohling1987
    cbohling1987 Posts: 99 Member
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    Yeah, I want to echo what everyone else is saying about not thinking about "cheat meals" or worrying too much about cutting out specific foods. Once you start tracking your calories and macronutrients you will likely find that you can still eat basically any food you want. You may not be able to eat them in the same quantities as before, but as long as you are hitting your calorie goals each day, you will continue to succeed at weight loss.

    For example, yesterday I ate 3 slices of pepperoni pizza for dinner. I still hit my calorie goals for the day so it was fine.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    cbohling1987 wrote: »
    Yeah, I want to echo what everyone else is saying about not thinking about "cheat meals" or worrying too much about cutting out specific foods. Once you start tracking your calories and macronutrients you will likely find that you can still eat basically any food you want. You may not be able to eat them in the same quantities as before, but as long as you are hitting your calorie goals each day, you will continue to succeed at weight loss.

    For example, yesterday I ate 3 slices of pepperoni pizza for dinner. I still hit my calorie goals for the day so it was fine.

    Repurposing a phrase used in another context to fit dieting: you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want, in any quantity you want, but you will have to pick only two.
  • ReginasHorror
    ReginasHorror Posts: 423 Member
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    TimothyFish wrote: »
    Sell your car and start walking or bicycling everywhere. You will find that you are much healthier just doing ordinary stuff.

    Not practical for everyone, seeing as I live 1.25 hours away from my job.
    However being more active in general is a great idea. So do things you enjoy. Hiking, swimming, biking, yoga, whatever it is for you. And if you don't know, try a bunch of new things :)
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
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    Much like others in the thread, I'm a big fan of starting off slow. I spent several months just logging everything I ate and drank, gathering information. Then I started cutting things here and there, gradually. It took another few months before I was losing much weight at all, but once things started moving they kept moving.

    I also suggest separating weight-loss, nutrition, and fitness into three separate goals, and I think focusing on weight-loss first is a good way to do it, because it requires the fewest changes to get going. If you eat McDonald's every day, you don't need to completely overhaul your diet to lose weight, you just have to eat less. That certainly isn't to say that nutrition and fitness aren't important, but if you're looking at making those long-term changes, I think easing into it is the way to go.

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