I’m trying!

elliemnoble03829

hi all, I have recently been diagnosed with 2 chronic immune diseases. I have decided I need to start making healthier choices and being kind to my body.

I am starting a calorie deficit having around 1900 calories a day. I am a very picky eater which is hard for me. I have slowly started cutting things out of my diet (especially fizzy pop and chocolate) although I know I will not be able to do this journey without a cheeky chocolate I will encourage myself to choose fruit over it everyday. I have also started a gym membership. With my health conditions there isn’t much I can do exercise wise. But having an hour walk on the treadmill should do it.

Is there anything else you guys think that would help me along my journey??

neanderthin

I hope you achieve your goals.😊

PAV8888

well I'm personally curious as to what chocolates are cheeky vs non cheeky… but I agree that fresh fruit is good!

I'm also hoping you might be able to get more out of the gym than just walking on the treadmill. I guess this may truly be neighborhood dependent. But, personally, I chose walking as my main activity specifically because it requires the least amount of planning and preparation. I can just keep walking around the block while on the phone if push comes to shove!

Personally I enjoyed ADDING things to my diet such as more vegetables and maybe even some leaner meats while allowing them to displace other less satiating food items.

Strudders67

A square of dark chocolate a day is (apparently) good for you. Have it with a piece of fruit. A little bit of chocolate, melted over some berries is lovely!

Are you actually looking to lose weight or just to change your diet habits? As many will say on these boards, you predominantly lose weight in the kitchen; what you do in the gym or as exercise is for muscle and health.

Slowly cutting things out is easier than trying to make huge changes all at once. If you can find lower calorie alternatives, so that the changes are minimal, that'll help quite a bit. When I fancy toast, I use a specific brand of bread because the slices are thinner; the crackers that I have my post-dinner cheese-on-crackers on are the thinnest / lowest calorie ones I can find. I'm not giving that up, so I had to find a way to make it work in the longer term. If you deprive yourself of something you really want, you run the risk of binging on it, feeling bad, finding the whole process too hard, wondering why you bother etc etc etc.

I reduced my carbs (high in calories) such that, initially, I'd put one less potato on my plate or cook smaller portions of pasta than I would have done previously. I replaced those with more veg as I needed volume to feel fuller. Gradually I cut out the potatoes / pasta / rice almost completely (at least at home) and just have a large plate of veg with some protein. Many people feel fuller on protein, others need more carbs - play around and find out what makes you feel full, as that will help.

Depending on what things you're picky about, perhaps set a goal to try a little bit of one thing, once a week or once a month. The things I swore, in my early 20s, that I'd never ever eat are now a part of my weekly diet as my taste changed; things that I wouldn't touch because they looked or sounded horrible turned out to be quite good! You may still really dislike some things, but at least you've tried and re-affirmed that.

If you're making changes and have just started an exercise programme, you may find that your weight goes up a little to start with - don't fret, as your muscles will hold on to water at the beginning.

Finally, have a read of the Useful Posts at the top of this Forum's page too - there's a lot of useful info on these boards.

Good Luck.