Hardest to quit
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Initially giving up sugar was hard but now more than three weeks later I don't find myself craving it at all. I still have an occasional treat with sugar but it's not my first instinct. I had to cut out almost all bread because I don't like how heavy white starch makes me feel.
I don't think you need to cut out everything all the time , but learn how to work it on once in awhile. For me soda and sugar itself was such an addiction I could NOT have it around , so I found alternatives like zero calorie sparkling water.
I also found popcorn was something I could have that helps the snacking craving go away.
I used to be craving ice cream constantly , now it's a treat and usually I just go to my local frozen yogurt shop instead.
You will get lots of suggestions but ultimately you just need to find what works for you and it does take steps.0 -
salad dressing, sweet tea, pizza, and cheeseburgers.
the pita bread pizzas, flat bread pizzas, and tofu/veggie/turkey burgers just don't cut it for me lol0 -
Maybe find homemade healthy versions of your favourite things? Everything tastes better with a sprinkling of pride :-) + there are tons of blogs dedicated to healthy desserts etc nowadays!
On the dressings front I made a tahini dressing the other day which is very low cal - literally just put a spoon of tahini in a bowl and stir in water until it's the desired consistency! - creamy and nutty/sesame-y (I make a lot of hummus so I have tahini lying around anyway) Other than that I don't like the taste of olive oil/vinegar etc so I'm a plain salad kind of gal.
My things to cut down on were bread and cheese so now I have sandwich thins and just slice the cheese thinner - I like mature cheddar so you still get all the taste with a lot less calories!
But in general if I'm craving something I'll eat it - I just work it into my calorie allowance so the craving is satisfied without me being tempted to over on calories by having it on top of my 'healthy' food.0 -
I haven't actually quit anything, but the toughest thing for me are the desserts that aren't part of my plan. For example, my office has food around all the time, and usually when they get something catered that involves cookies or brownies. My assistant has a bakery business on the side with her family, and brings in stuff they are trying out all the time. There's a Godiva in my lobby that hands out free samples on occasion. I go out to dinner a couple times a week and the dessert menu looks tempting. I can control having this stuff in the house (luckily I enjoy cooking more than baking) and am not tempted by packaged treats at the store, but I was in the habit of eating dessert items more than I currently can fit into my calories or think is reasonable for someone of my height and ideal weight, so I'm having to learn to say no, even if it seems (usually incorrectly) that everyone else is having them.0
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Don't quit them entirely. I found that if I denied myself these things, I ended up going overboard on them when I caved in (and I always caved).
So, for every glass of Coke, make sure you have at least 1 glass of water. (try a low cal version of Coke?)
Put your dressing on the side and dip your fork in before each bite.
Pastries...don't buy them and keep them in the house, just enjoy them when you encounter them (preferably only 1 per time!)
Thanks for the advice, I am seeking alternatives to coke (and scaring myself with reading its effects) and natural dressings but pastries are my weak spot, being a baker and all :sad:
I love COKE and do not ever ingest artificial sweeteners. I drink the 0 cal club soda and add cherry juice extract or fresh squeezed lemon when I need something fizzy and flavored. Sometimes I will have a coke but I never keep it in the house and try to avoid saying yes to "would you like a refill?"0 -
Giving up sugar and grains - easy. Giving up dairy - still struggle with that one.0
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I also haven't given up anything, however my shopping and dining habits have changed.
I don't order fries out anymore, but I do make them at home. (Baked ore Ida)
I mostly use fat free dressings. So that's different.
I eat a lot of sugar free jello, less ice cream for dessert now.
The hardest thing was stopping eating off my kids plates!0 -
I have to follow a low carb diet for medical reasons. Normally, I don't miss anything. It's a very satisfying way of eating.
However, I miss the sheer convenience of food. Don't feel like cooking? No problem. There's a bowl of cereal or microwavable mac and cheese. All delivery places have things that I can eat, and I can always make myself a sandwich.
Now, I have to defrost things and dirty pots, pans, cutting board, knife, spatula, plate, fork, knife. It's awful.
I'm not sure I miss the flavor of the things that I crave, or just the short timespan it takes to prepare them.0 -
Haven't really quit anything, but I have cut back on how often I have them. Bread and Pasta!! I could happily eat pasta of some type 7 days a week and not have a problem with it. Bread has been a problem all my life. I come from a family that loves bread and it was never hard for a family of four to devour an entire loaf in one sitting.
I have slowly switched to whole wheat breads and pastas and so far no one has complained much about the flavors being odd. My husband did beg for white buns for his kielbasa though. He says the whole wheat ones just aren't as sweet and he misses that.0 -
Don't quit them entirely. I found that if I denied myself these things, I ended up going overboard on them when I caved in (and I always caved).
So, for every glass of Coke, make sure you have at least 1 glass of water. (try a low cal version of Coke?)
Put your dressing on the side and dip your fork in before each bite.
Pastries...don't buy them and keep them in the house, just enjoy them when you encounter them (preferably only 1 per time!)
I can.not. have Kit Kats or Rice Krispie treats around. They are gateway foods for me...to more Kit Kats and Rice Krispie treats!!
There are millions of ppl on MFP... not all of us have 5 lbs to lose, some have 100 lbs. to lose well, no thanks on the poptarts. I'm learning to make healthier chooses (ones that contain real nutrients). Not knocking 5lb ppl...wish I was one of them but eating poptarts with 5 lbs to lose is way different than making a habit of eating boxes of them when someone is simple carb addicted
If you can't do moderation yet...sometimes the best thing is to either alter the recipe or simple keep that food out of the house for a bit. Yup I agree, there ARE gateway drugs that are food.
off to the gym ;o)
But Some of the people giving the advice to not cut things out *have* lost a hundred pounds.Why white knuckle it if you don't have to, especially if it could affect your long term success? Either way I would think it helps to be aware of other options out there
To the original question, if I can't have controlled quantities of an item, it does have to stay out of the house. I do not yet know now to be face to face with certain food items and not eat ALL of it. On this list are: icecream, nuts - pretty much all kinds, grapes, bananas, bread, cakes/
Uh.. Accidentally tapped the post reply button but I guess I was done, oh well.0 -
I haven't quit anything. I eat far less "junk" than I used to, but I still have the occasional coke or whatever. It's not that big of a deal when you are otherwise rocking your nutrition.
I don't keep much of that kind of stuff in my house, but I will have a coke at a party or something...or take some doughnuts camping and have some chips with my sandwich on occasion.0 -
I've been encountering a lot of healthy alternatives for several products and foods; however there are a couple of things that are proving very hard to quit, in my case:
- Pastries
- Salad dressing
- Coke
For you, what are the hardest things to quit or what were the things you had the most trouble with quitting and what was your alternative?
Don't quit. Moderation.
If these are things you really love, then just eat them in moderation. Fit them into your calorie goal. The exceptions to this paradigm are:
1. If you have a sensitivity/allergy to the item, obviously you would have to quit it.
2. If you have a tendency to binge on the item (Just can't eat one and leave it alone) then by all means quitting it would be best.
Exercise can help you increase your caloric capacity so by all means if you are running a mile or two a day, you can tolerate a higher caloric intake and compensate for the extra calories... Just again, moderation is key.
Now for alternatives:
1. Pastries. Look for snack food alternatives that have SOME nutritional value that you may like... The breakfast section of your store has these. If you are spending precious calories on treats, you should at least receive some nutritional benefit from it. Is it better than whole foods? Of course not but the body wants what it wants. Remember most obese people are also malnourished which contributes to their hunger. Body is lacking in nutrients so it responds with hunger. Also many snack foods also contain appetite enhancers.
2. Salad Dressing. Low Fat versions, moderation. Opt for dressings that are not mayonnaise based. Again. Moderation. Measure it out... Use packets rather than globbing it on out of the bottle, unmeasured.
3. Soda. Moderation is key here. The sugar-free versions have chemicals that make them worse than the real thing. Flavored waters are great -- just avoid the ones with artificial sweeteners... (Diet Coke drinker speaking but will not recommend something I do that I know is not best for me)...0 -
Only thing I haven't had since the beginning of my weight loss is regular soda. Mainly because it isn't worth it to me now and if I need a fizzy drink I either have a diet or a mountain dew kickstart.0
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PPPPPPPIIIIIIIIZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAA :explode: its my biggest downfall.0
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I didn't quit anything. If anything, I eat more of certain foods than I used to. I've focused on fitting more nutrients in, and my diet has gradually shifted. I didn't need to quit anything.0
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