Restarting healthy eating

cvdub16

So I have been on a self distructing eating habit for a while now. Either I eat like crap or don't eat at all till dinner or late. I need to restart my eating not only for myself but health. I need some advice on how to start or what to do or some sample eating plans. I can be picky so it's hard sometimes but I need help. Anything is greatly appreciated.

lemurcat2

If you are picky, someone else's preferences or an eating plan isn't going to work as well as figuring it out for yourself. One strategy is to decide how often you want to eat and when (I personally am currently eating 3 meals a day, without anything in-between). Then think about what you enjoy eating at those times (I like smoothies or eggs + veg at breakfast, something easy to bring to work for lunch (usually some kind of 1 dish meal that I can heat up), and then a variety of things at dinner, generally based around a source of protein and vegetables). The important thing is to start with what you like and then maybe tweak it to make it more nutritious if that is an issue.

Then just maybe try logging some potential days to see how many cals are in the things you think of to eat. Many people like eating similar things daily for breakfast (or even lunch).

goal06082021

"One Meal a Day" or OMAD is a valid way of eating, if that's something that's sustainable for you.

cvdub16

Thank you for the comments so far 🙂

ninerbuff

Like anything worth doing, you have to PLAN IT OUT. Write down how you're going to achieve it, do the necessary things to do it and then be consistent. There really is no definitive way so you have to find out what works for you.
Some like me don't eat a traditional breakfast and have just 2 main meals a day. Some do OMAD. Some eat 6 meals a day. You just have to try to find out a program that YOU can sustain over the long haul.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Speakeasy76

It seems like you're looking at this like a big overhaul. You don't have to do everything all at one. Start small, something you think you can stick with long term, and then keep adding on. You may just want to start out by tracking what you eat, not even really trying to cut back or "eat healthy." That can be eye-opening, and even just by tracking you can start to hold yourself more accountable. Then, look at your patterns and see where you can start to implement small changes. Maybe it's planning out your meals for the day so you're not tempted to eat crap or wait until dinner to eat.

I know when I look at something as this big task I have to undertake, I often feel overwhelmed, don't know where to start and give up before I really even start trying! That goes from anything to decluttering to trying to lose weight. Sometimes just choosing one thing to do and just getting started turns into a snowball effect for me, and I just want to keep going.

rosebarnalice

What @Speakeasy76 said. Don't try to do everything all at once- it's a recipe for failure.

If you're on the picky side, what has worked for you in the past?

Do you do better with several smaller snacks/ meals or eating once a day?

Do you tend to eat the same few dishes over and over? Nothing wrong with that. Maybe explore tweaking those familiar foods you know you like to reduce the fat or increase the fiber . . or just being really mindful about portion control.

Look at your pickiness as an asset: you already know what you like, so you have a great place to start!

xrj22

Eatingwell.com has lots of healthy meal plans with recipes and nutritional info.

tvm1970

How are you travelling cvdub16?

MelanieCN77

I’ll third the opinion that small changes lead to better overall habits. Start trying to eat a fruit or veg with each meal, live with that for a few weeks and then go from there. If you have a soda or sweets problem, pick one of those to work on next. Don’t try to do it all at once, is the point, that way usually leads to failure.

Anabirgite

Not meaning to be contrarian to the other great responses, but I get being ready to change and just wanting a tried plan. Several years ago someone here recommended Buzzfeed Clean Eating Challenge 2015- I just needed a starting point, and this provided a menu, recipes and shopping list. It introduced me to several foods I had never tried ie: fennel, riced cauliflower etc... Also several recipes I now make almost monthly Chicken in Green Verde Salsa and also several I will never make again. But we were ready for a change and this made it easy since I went and bought all the ingredients on the list and just made the recipes-

Just a different approach if this is where you are at...