Keep me away from the cupcakes!!!

jenniferk254

So every day I fight the same battle over and over. First let me start by saying that I have no problem getting my back side off the couch and going to the gym. As a matter of fact, I have been going to the gym about 4 times a week lately and swimming laps. Plus I have a job that keeps me pretty active about 20 hours a week. My issue is that I am a terrible eater. I am super picky. I don't like veggies and I love salt and chocolate (not together). I recently bought a nutri bullet and I've been making smoothies with spinach and fruit. Then I wanna eat waffles I have little to no self control. As I am typing this I am seriously having a battle with myself to not make popcorn with a lot of salt and butter. I even find myself trying to justify it in my head by thinking I will start tomorrow. I just signed up on this site today so tomorrow I will start fresh. The only problem is that if I cave in tonight, I will find another excuse tomorrow to eat like crap. I need a pact buddy or something like that. I gotta stop fighting and losing the same battle day after day.

angel5561

Take it one meal at a time. If you eat the buttery popcorn have the salad and chicken breast at the next meal. You do not have to cut out everything you enjoy just eat in moderation and find substitutes for your cravings. Take baby steps make one healthy change at a time dont beat yourself up over every little bad choice your human your going to eat that popcorn every now and then just remember its not the end of the world and make a better choice at your next meal but whatever you do just dont give up!

9thChakra

Hey jenniferk!

I used to have a similar mentality but I have taken a different approach to "eating right" that is really working well for me. I've written a lot about it on my blog (link on my home page if you're interested).

Essentially, I use Intuitive Eating (I listened to it on audiobook).

I am so much more aware of what I really want to eat and why. I used to feel like I "shouldn't" eat something and I tried to control myself or "quit" certain foods. Now I am totally doing that very naturally.

One thing that really helped in addition to intuitive eating is eating quality ingredients. I really try to eat natural foods, no added colors or preservatives, etc. as much as possible.

Initially, I preferred my old food...(much of it was introduced to me in my childhood...I had no control over that)...but as I kept trying new things with better ingredients my tastes changed and I really have dropped a lot of "crap" food.

Just today I had this experience...I've really been wanting black raspberry ice cream lately. It's an unusual flavor and hard to find fully natural versions of it. I opted to by the Breyers version with chocolate chips. It had several ingredients I prefer not to eat anymore and haven't in a while. After lunch, I scooped 4 scoops in a big bowl. About 1/2 way through the first scoop I realized I really didn't like it. I actually just stopped eating it! I then threw the ice cream away! I'm not gonna eat it if I don't like it and I'm working on also eating things when I actually want them.

Therefore, I don't eat "healthy" just because it's "better" for me. I've learned that if I really want waffles and I juice a bunch of fruit and veggies instead...I'll just end up having both because I didn't honor my hunger or myself.

Also, I like viewing exercise as fun...another way to honor my body because it really helps me feel better. I really don't like to view it as punishment or a must because of something I ate. I'm not saying I'm not aware. Educating oneself on how much energy food gives me vs. how much energy I use/need is really important.

Anyhow...sorry to go on so long. Really...I've had a lot of difficult, yet positive realizations about my eating and I have come a long way.

Take care of yourself...you're the only you you have!

9thChakra:flowerforyou:

mxmkenney

I can totally relate! One thing about being on here is that it sort of keeps you accountable - if not to others, to yourself. Before I would just eat when ever the thought of something tasty popped in my mind, whether or not I was hungry. Now I at least stop and think, do I really want that, or do I want to have to track that? Believe it or not, this has actually helped my self-control. I am in no way perfect in the eating department, but I do feel like I am doing better since being on here everyday. There are so many people who inspire and encourage me everyday.
And you don't have to give anything up. Just have what you like in moderation and soon you will see what is worth the calories and what's not. There is a learning curve, but the more often you track, the easier it gets to make healthier choices. There are days that I cave to temptation and eat terrible, but the fact that I acknowledge it and track EVERY bite on MFP helps me to get back on the wagon right away.
You can do this!

jenniferk254

I've been really trying to change my taste buds. I gave up red meat a few months ago, and the other night I had the brilliant idea (insert sarcastic eye roll here) to have a steak. The first bite was awesome, after that, not so much. I ended up plowing through the whole thing for some unknown reason and ended up feeling sick to my stomach for the next day and a half. Needless to say, I won't be trying that again any time soon.

With my aversion to veggies and most things green, I've decided to start a garden. Plus there are a lot of big things going on in my area with gardening (if this winter will ever end). I've noticed that there is a huge difference to me in the taste of tomatoes between the ones that are grown in my back yard, and the ones I buy in the store. The fresh grown ones are amazing. I'm hoping that will be the same with other veggies.

What it all comes down to is that I am almost 35 years old, I am a single mom, and I want to look and feel good. I believe that eating cleaner will be good for my family and I all the way around. I want to set healthy examples for my boys. Now if I can just get my taste buds to agree with me