I CAN'T be healthy! Someone help me!?

PurpleFairie

You need to take a moment and say the past is the past. Accept you are human and not perfect. Then take a deep breath and say today is a new day and today I'm making some healthy choices. You can't cook? No problem, you can mix a protein shake and have fruit or wheat toast for breakfast. You can stop buying processed lunch meat and buy deli chicken or turkey. Most restaurants offer calorie and nutrition information now, pick carefully. You are in charge of your happiness and life. If someone asks if you're starting a new diet, say no, I'm just changing some of my habits. Take it day by day, meal by meal. I've been where you are, and recently decided to not diet, but to make lifestyle changes. And it actually works. I've only been using MFP for over a week. But it is helping me think about what I'm eating and how much exercise I am actually getting. And the support is great. Create a small goal, like 'I'm going to try to make 1 recipe this week' or 'I'm going to walk x amount of minutes this week'. Achieve it, and set another small one. You won't feel so overwhelmed and the feeling of "I can do this!" will increase and keep you motivated. Good luck!

AwesomeGuy37

Seriously learn how to cook. You can find out how to make just about anything on Youtube, and even tutorials on how to cut an onion and other beginning stuff.

Dewymorning

#1 The best way to learn is to start cooking. The internet is your friend when it comes to learning to cook.

Lots of easy recipes.

wen1965

A friend of mine was eating really badly due to a medical condition that left her permanently tired. She changed her psychologist and got the best advice ever: Frozen dinners are for those days you don't want to/can't cook. They may not taste like you made it yourself but that are nutritionally balanced, and the perfect backup for when your cooking experiment doesn't work out or you have no energy to cook. Just look for something that is a complete meal and looks yummy.

Small changes that you can live with work better than major overhauls. Replace french fries with baked potatoes in their skins (throw in a hot oven for an hour), replace icecream with low cal yoghurt, creamy pasta with tomato based pasta etc. Once that becomes normal take the next step and continue on making small changes. In the long term you will be learning to cook and learning to be healthy.

Don't think about weight, think about health. Your weight is just a number, your health is what is going to provide a long and happy life.

healthylifehappywife8914

Can you open your diary so we can see what is going on more clearly?

Overall, the most important thing is not to make it a "diet"- make it a lifestyle change. Thinking of changing your eating habits as a diet means that you will stop and go back to the way you were eating. Try to change 1 thing per week- cut out chips and eat fruit instead. Then, the next week, pack a salad with protein for lunch every day. Making small changes will make the habits easier to hold on to. Adding exercise into your routine, no matter how small the amount, will significantly impact the number of calories your body burns and you are able to eat in a day, so try to incorporate small amounts of exercise and increase it little by little...

Hope this helps Good luck to you and feel free to add me as a friend for support!

snowflake954

Awesome post here, with lots of help--great ideas. I can't say anything better, but follow their advice and in a month you'll be on your way to success. It does take time.

MissBabyJane

Don't think about it as a "diet", but more like a healthy lifestyle change. Don't eat junk food, eat more veggies, fruits, meat, eggs, nuts. It's a slow process, but you will get there.

Btw, even if you're not good at cooking, it's not so hard to steam some veggies and roast chicken with salt and water.

eldamiano

I just cant be healthy. Let me explain my issue quickly. First I was into dieting and all, but after 2 years of drastic weight loss and weight gain I gave up for like 5 months only to start a new diet every month. I would always say "This June" Or This "November".....It never lasted longer than 10 days. And now recently I've discovered its bad to diet. Your supposed to want a healthy LIFESTYLE. Not just a quick weight loss.

So now here I am struggling to be healthy for a couple of reasons

1. I don't know how to cook at all! (Not healthy foods) Im more of a frozen dinner person

2. I am SO used to failing that I just don't believe I can do. I think "Whats so different from Last summer? December? November?

3. Whenever I start trying to eat healthy My sister sees me and asks "Starting a diet" I reply yes. But we both know its going to fail.

And lastly 4. I'm STRUGGLING SO MUCH with wanting to be a normal eater. I just wanna be one of those people whose lives don't REVOLVE around food! Those normal people barley think about food. They get to be normal eaters. Why Cant I be like that?

If you really want to be one of 'those' people, then why arent you out learning to cook, trying different foods, doing exercises or taking up hobbies that dont keep you thinking about food, instead of bleating on here about it?

Holly_Roman_Empire

The best (and hardest) advice I ever got: Stop talking and start doing.

That applies to everything you want in life, not just weightloss. This is the modern world, and you can do anything you put your mind to. My husband often says "Everyone is in the exact state that they want to be in. If they weren't, they would do something about it."

It's true. If you're not happy where you are, you should actively be doing something to change it. If you're not, then perhaps you're not really ready for it yet. Stop complaining and start changing.

MinnieInMaine

1) Cooking doesn't have to be hard. Just start looking for recipe ideas and start experimenting. I used to be a so-so cook but have used this method over the years and learned what I like for ingredients, methods, spices, etc. Like any other skill, it takes time to develop. Soups, stir-fries, skillet meals, casseroles and crock-pot meals are all fairly simple. It's mostly a matter of prepping ingredients, following instructions and putting it all together. There are a million sites with recipes online and a couple even have ingredient searches, which I find most helpful. Try allrecipes.com and myrecipes.com - links below. For myrecipes.com, scroll down a bit and on the right you'll see a cutting board with a post it that says "what's in your pantry" and you can enter ingredients there to search.

http://allrecipes.com/search/default.aspx?ms=1&origin=Home Page&rt=r&qt=i
http://www.myrecipes.com/

2) This is actually a great place to start. Really think about what you've done for "diets" in the past and why they didn't work long term. Were you too restrictive? Trying to eat too little? Trying to cut foods out that you really enjoy? Neither of these methods is sustainable. Find a good balance where you have dishes you enjoy but maybe make them lighter or healther (use leaner meats, bulk with veggies instead of pasta/rice/potato) and/or have smaller portions. And make room in your food plan for the occassional treat so you don't feel deprived

3) If you think you'll fail, you likely will. Instead start with a positive attitude that this time you will make life long changes. And don't let your sister's opinion affect you either way. When I made that decision several years ago, I announced that I was going to join Weight Watchers again and my brother rolled his eyes and said "here we go again". That ticked me off. Here I was determined to finally make a change and he didnt' believe in me. Then I realized he sort of had a point but instead of just saying "yup, he's right, I'll never lose the weight, why try" I said "screw him, I'm going to prove him wrong!" And it got me through some tough times when I plateaued and just wanted to give up.

4) It's my opinion that very few people are normal eaters. They might appear to be because you see that at work and they're just eating salads and fruit but you don't know how they eat at home. Or maybe you only see that at events and they're eating everything and you're jealous that they can eat that way and stay slim but what you don't know is they work out hard and normally eat very light and healthy. Don't compare yourself to others without knowing the whole story. Everyone has their struggles!

Bottom line is, stop being so hard on yourself. These changes take time. Pick one goal for every week or two whether it be diet related (eat more fruits/veg, drink more water, etc) or fitness related (workout 2, 3, 4 times per week, try new DVD or class, etc) and concentrate on that one thing until you get it down pat. If it's not working, rethink the goal or set it aside and pick another one then try again later. Don't just give up because you have a bad meal or day (or even week or month), get right back to it, or even start over from the beginning.

You can do it!

caroldavison332

I'm 53 have 30% disabled feet work 60 hour weeks but find 9 hours a week for exercise. shopping. and cook too. Here is how I do it:

Fridays I eat yucky but good for me fish

Saturday I start my day cooking a pot of beans to remind myself to eat, Exercise and shop for strength.

Sunday I make a hearty bean soup and meat or fish loaf burgers that I freeze to eat all week. I also make 2 quarts of yes its bland cinnamon oatmeal for daily breakfast and hard boil 7 eggs for lunch to all week.

Monday-sunday:: oatmeal ground flax seed and dried fruit for breakfast. One piece of dried fruit for puppy.

Lunch hard boiled egg and Dr Joel fuhrman anti cancer gombs salad bitter greens collard kale turnip greens watercress. Onions. Mushroom. Beans. Berries. Seeds. No dressing,meat, cheese.


Dinner:lean protein 2 cup highly nourishing vets and aramath, quiona, oatmeal or brown rice.

snack: 100 calories of superb chocolate. I either eat it or just rub it directly on my body and 1 ounce nuts.

Exercise: I walk 24 miles and climb 80 stairs Monday to Friday. Saturday- Sunday I play non retrieving fetch with my Siberian husky pup at the dog park. I throw the ball. Tater brings it halfway back. I walk over bend down and pick it up and trow it again 1.000.000 times or until I scream or puke whichever comes first. Puppy knows that I'm the one that needs the exercise.

paula5077

I just cant be healthy. Let me explain my issue quickly. First I was into dieting and all, but after 2 years of drastic weight loss and weight gain I gave up for like 5 months only to start a new diet every month. I would always say "This June" Or This "November".....It never lasted longer than 10 days. And now recently I've discovered its bad to diet. Your supposed to want a healthy LIFESTYLE. Not just a quick weight loss.

So now here I am struggling to be healthy for a couple of reasons

1. I don't know how to cook at all! (Not healthy foods) Im more of a frozen dinner person

2. I am SO used to failing that I just don't believe I can do. I think "Whats so different from Last summer? December? November?

3. Whenever I start trying to eat healthy My sister sees me and asks "Starting a diet" I reply yes. But we both know its going to fail.

And lastly 4. I'm STRUGGLING SO MUCH with wanting to be a normal eater. I just wanna be one of those people whose lives don't REVOLVE around food! Those normal people barley think about food. They get to be normal eaters. Why Cant I be like that?

ok best thing I can tell you is...1st, change your out look! Stop thinking you can't, stop thinking it wont work. Be positive!!! it does not matter when you start. if you set a date and it doesn't work out you'll just keep doing the same thing. Just get up one morning and do it! You CAN do it!!
2nd, you don't have to be able to cook to eat healthy. I cook way way less now than I did. Rather than a heat up dinner or cooking in general, eat a tuna and avocado sandwich. Eat a pb and banana dip on apples or toast or just by the spoonful. You can even buy already boiled eggs if you have to! Instant oatmeal even. there are tons of options if you look. And if it helps do not think of it as a diet, look at it as learning new ways to eat, that's what I had to do. And if you go over your calorie count don't sweat it too much at first as long as you ate healthy vs boxed dinner or fast food.
3rd, YOU CAN DO IT! BE POSITIVE! :-D

ovi212

Bit by bit you will get better. You'll just have to use a lot of effort and self control. Maybe start with 1 meal at a time? Try making yourself a healthy breakfast every day for the 1st week for example. An easy healthy breakfast I make is greek yogurt (they even come in 50 cal pots now!) and egg whites (I just microwave them!) and then add a fruit if you're still hungry. Then the next week try adding in lunches. Do you buy your lunch everyday? Try packing it or buying salads instead. You could bring hard boiled eggs, fruit and yogurt, precooked chicken from the grocery store, peanut butter sandwiches or cold meat sandwiches. Then the next week add in your own dinner. The grocery store sells great rotisserie chicken, frozen salmon fillets cook in the oven in like 20 min (no effort!), baked potatoes in the microwave (5min!), throw some vegetables in a pot while the meat is cooking (even chicken breast you can throw in the oven for 25 min with no effort) or buy frozen vegetables you just have to microwave. Then after you've got that all conquered fix your snacking. I love oatmeal as a night time snack (just instant oats with water and fruit cooked for like 2min in the microwave), fruit, atkins bars, kashi bars, veggies and dip, cereal, air popped popcorn or the smart pop bags, yogurt..there are so many easy options. So in 4 weeks you could totally ease yourself into making yourself all healthy meals all day! Also, if you lack time to exercise I always get about 25min in when my dinner is cooking


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools

acarrillo2012

I don't like to cook either. There's good advice on here about easy stuff you could cook but - even if you don't cook at all there are ways you could make incremental changes that would help. One thing I started doing is to have a bowl of soup (just microwaved) or an apple or banana 20 minutes before eating a meal. This is a way to fill up on healthy low calorie foods so it's easier to stick to the intended serving size of the main meal. Then even if you're eating frozen dinners, look at the nutritional info when you buy them and pay attention to serving sizes.

I heard it takes a month to develop a habit. So make gradual changes and focus on sustaining those changes until they become habit. I think when you set a goal like "be healthy" it is feeling overwhelming to you. So set smaller goals at first like "eat more fruit" or "drink 2 extra glasses of water a day" or "substitute mustard for mayo." Stuff like that. Then build up confidence, little changes like that will add up.

_HeartsOnFire_

I just cant be healthy. Let me explain my issue quickly. First I was into dieting and all, but after 2 years of drastic weight loss and weight gain I gave up for like 5 months only to start a new diet every month. I would always say "This June" Or This "November".....It never lasted longer than 10 days. And now recently I've discovered its bad to diet. Your supposed to want a healthy LIFESTYLE. Not just a quick weight loss.

First let me just say that if you say that you can't, then you're right. You can't. But if you say that you can and you will...Well that's a whole new ballgame. It does also need to be a lifestyle change not a diet. It's about eating all the foodz, but in moderation NOT deprivation. People often fail because they say that they can't have whatever food because it is bad. There's no bad food. There's only bad eating habits. People also fail because they go straight to a 1200 calorie that's it a day diet. It's not-sustainable unless you're a pretty petite person. I eat TDEE-%. I eat 1800 calories a day. I eat/drink what I want as long as it fits. I'm losing weight.

So now here I am struggling to be healthy for a couple of reasons
1. I don't know how to cook at all! (Not healthy foods) Im more of a frozen dinner person

If you can check out groupon/livingsocial/amazon deals, they have cooking classes all the time. Look up healthy grocery stores in your area, sometimes they have little classes. Or I am willing to bet there are TONS of cooking instruction videos on YouTube.

I understand the frozen dinner thing, it can be easier, especially for me who is single. I'll sometimes make a Gardein Mandarin Orange Chik'n package and throw in steamed broccoli (also frozen). It's good and usually about 2 meals.

2. I am SO used to failing that I just don't believe I can do. I think "Whats so different from Last summer? December? November?

First and foremost, forgive yourself for the past. We have all been there and if you stay in that train of thought then you'll stay stuck. Realize that the past is just that, the past. You cannot move forward if you're always looking in the rear view mirror.

3. Whenever I start trying to eat healthy My sister sees me and asks "Starting a diet" I reply yes. But we both know its going to fail.

See response to #2. Also if she asks that, tell her no. That you are making a lifestyle change. That's it.

And lastly 4. I'm STRUGGLING SO MUCH with wanting to be a normal eater. I just wanna be one of those people whose lives don't REVOLVE around food! Those normal people barley think about food. They get to be normal eaters. Why Cant I be like that?

You CAN be like that. Believe in yourself. DO NOT DEPRIVE yourself of foods you love, it's about moderation NOT deprivation.

I do recommend getting a food scale and weighing your foods.

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

What if. Consider this. What if you already are normal?

_Zardoz_

I just cant be healthy. Let me explain my issue quickly. First I was into dieting and all, but after 2 years of drastic weight loss and weight gain I gave up for like 5 months only to start a new diet every month. I would always say "This June" Or This "November".....It never lasted longer than 10 days. And now recently I've discovered its bad to diet. Your supposed to want a healthy LIFESTYLE. Not just a quick weight loss.

So now here I am struggling to be healthy for a couple of reasons

1. I don't know how to cook at all! (Not healthy foods) Im more of a frozen dinner person

2. I am SO used to failing that I just don't believe I can do. I think "Whats so different from Last summer? December? November?

3. Whenever I start trying to eat healthy My sister sees me and asks "Starting a diet" I reply yes. But we both know its going to fail.

And lastly 4. I'm STRUGGLING SO MUCH with wanting to be a normal eater. I just wanna be one of those people whose lives don't REVOLVE around food! Those normal people barley think about food. They get to be normal eaters. Why Cant I be like that?

Sounds like a list of excuses to me. If you want it you'll do it. I'm afraid everyones life revolves around food. We need food to exist so we need get a healthy relationship. Don't start another diet just work out a reasonable healthy calorie deficit log all your foods and eat. Introduce some exercise and get those good habits going. We can all say how we can't do things but think about what you can do. there is no physical reason that you can't lose weight or get healthy the only thing that is stopping you is yourself. You have the tools MFP give you those and there is plenty of good support here. So just go and do it not tomorrow now. Good luch

da_bears10089

Almost everytime that i fall off the wagon, I usually end up telling myself at least on 4 different occasions that i WILL start up again, and I never do. Then something clicks in my head that makes it a complete game changer.

I was the same way with smoking. It had to click in my head, and then quitting was no problem at all. I was a nail biter most of my life, and then 3 weeks ago i decided i was done, and I haven't done it since.

Monday was my start up day for getting back in the gym and counting calories accurately and I feel good about it. I don't walk over and start eating candy out of boredom. I plan my meals and stick to it. That's just how my mind works.

I have also learned that losing weight is far easier to maintain if you don't restrict yourself too much. Too low of calories, or cutting out multiple kinds of food is basically setting yourself up for failure. I'm having cake tonight, and I have planned around that. That's how i will be able to succeed.

KetosisTina

Oh, and as for cooking - honey, please. A crockpot and microwave can do wonders for someone inexperienced in the kitchen. You don't have to be a gourmet chef to create edible, healthy, even tasty meals. Some of the best dishes we make are the least complicated. Crockpots especially are amazing - usually you just layer stuff in and turn it on. And if you live alone, that's 4-6 meals for you, easy-peasy.

So agree on the crockpot. I have a 6 qt one with a timer. I just Googled EASY healthy crockpot recipes. Most are literally just throw stuff in with water (some chicken and veggies and spices) cover .. come back in X time. You have meals for 3 or 4 days.

The hardest part was cleaning the pot and that wasn't that hard.

Instead of CAN'T, use "I currently struggle with" It will get better.

da_bears10089

AND there is nothing wrong with frozen meals. If eating them will keep you on track then by all means do it.