Tips for keeping yourself on track w/ healthy eating

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jenniferhorn87
jenniferhorn87 Posts: 50 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
We all have those days on our weight loss journey where we're feeling... hopeless? I'm talking about the days where the cravings for unhealthy foods are taking over, and you know you just can't give in because if you do then all bets are off. You say you'll just have one cookie, but that never really happens. :grumble:

I'm trying today to restart my original approach to weight loss by eating healthy, wholesome, nutritious foods. I am trying to avoid processed foods and ingredients that sound scary, as well as soda and caffeine in general.

I know there are a lot of people out there that are extremely well-disciplined, and this post may not apply to you... and if so, then good for you! Feel free to move on...

For the rest of us out there, do you have anything that you can share to help myself and the others like myself out there. I'd love to hear them!

One that I read today that I think is really good is having Larabars handy for when you're craving something like cookies (which I crave often and have a hard time controlling myself around). I've actually had Larabars and they're very good. I can see them squashing one of those cravings... and it's essentially a guilt-free alternative! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    A Larabar has roughly the same nutritional content as a candy bar. Larabar Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip: 220 calories, 11 fat, 26 carb, 6 protein. Snickers bar: 240 calories, 12 fat, 33 Carb, 4 protein. At the end of the day it's only a 20 calorie difference. This is where eating "healthy" becomes a trap. Total calories will determine weight loss so eating a Laurabar doesn't actually do much more for your weight loss goals then eating a snickers. A Snickers should cause no more or less guilt then the Laurabar, While I understand what you are saying about issues with discipline, a restrictive diet where you attempt to eat no processed foods whatsoever is a bad idea IMO. The likelihood of long term adherence is very low. I find it is much more worth the effort to focus on learning to be able to just have 1 cookie. You say it never really happens but actually plenty of us are able to do it every single day. I was like you at one point. I was unable to eat "junk" food in moderation. One bite opened the flood gates. Rather than swear off the foods I loved completely (because I knew that wasn't a reasonable long term plan) I practiced and worked hard at moderation. Now I am able to enjoy anything I want so long as it fits in my calorie/macronutrient goals. Because of that I feel secure that my weight loss will be long lasting.
  • levitateme
    levitateme Posts: 999 Member
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    A Larabar has roughly the same nutritional content as a candy bar. Larabar Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip: 220 calories, 11 fat, 26 carb, 6 protein. Snickers bar: 240 calories, 12 fat, 33 Carb, 4 protein. At the end of the day it's only a 20 calorie difference. This is where eating "healthy" becomes a trap. Total calories will determine weight loss so eating a Laurabar doesn't actually do much more for your weight loss goals then eating a snickers. A Snickers should cause no more or less guilt then the Laurabar, While I understand what you are saying about issues with discipline, a restrictive diet where you attempt to eat no processed foods whatsoever is a bad idea IMO. The likelihood of long term adherence is very low. I find it is much more worth the effort to focus on learning to be able to just have 1 cookie. You say it never really happens but actually plenty of us are able to do it every single day. I was like you at one point. I was unable to eat "junk" food in moderation. One bite opened the flood gates. Rather than swear off the foods I loved completely (because I knew that wasn't a reasonable long term plan) I practiced and worked hard at moderation. Now I am able to enjoy anything I want so long as it fits in my calorie/macronutrient goals. Because of that I feel secure that my weight loss will be long lasting.

    Watch it with your facts. I posted something similar and it has been deleted.
  • accelerashawn
    accelerashawn Posts: 470 Member
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    A Larabar has roughly the same nutritional content as a candy bar. Larabar Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip: 220 calories, 11 fat, 26 carb, 6 protein. Snickers bar: 240 calories, 12 fat, 33 Carb, 4 protein. At the end of the day it's only a 20 calorie difference. This is where eating "healthy" becomes a trap. Total calories will determine weight loss so eating a Laurabar doesn't actually do much more for your weight loss goals then eating a snickers. A Snickers should cause no more or less guilt then the Laurabar, While I understand what you are saying about issues with discipline, a restrictive diet where you attempt to eat no processed foods whatsoever is a bad idea IMO. The likelihood of long term adherence is very low. I find it is much more worth the effort to focus on learning to be able to just have 1 cookie. You say it never really happens but actually plenty of us are able to do it every single day. I was like you at one point. I was unable to eat "junk" food in moderation. One bite opened the flood gates. Rather than swear off the foods I loved completely (because I knew that wasn't a reasonable long term plan) I practiced and worked hard at moderation. Now I am able to enjoy anything I want so long as it fits in my calorie/macronutrient goals. Because of that I feel secure that my weight loss will be long lasting.
    Aside from the candybar stuff (which I don't know about) I agree with this. Moderation is key.

    For me though...to get started i had to rid my house of anything like that otherwise i'd eat the hell out of it. Halloween candy was something I couldnt help but eat hundreds of calories of. So no more cookies, no more chocolate, no more ice cream, no more chips and salsa...I got rid of it all and started just trying to learn to love the natural flavors of veggies, complex carbs, and lean proteins.

    that worked pretty well and now i'm to the point where I can moderate those little snacks. I've had kitkats and 3 musketeers in the fridge for a couple weeks now and i've only had one every few days when I felt like it.

    Practice makes perfect.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    Watch it with your facts. I posted something similar and it has been deleted.
    Why would we not be able to post nutritional information on a website basically dedicated to nutritional information?
  • levitateme
    levitateme Posts: 999 Member
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    Watch it with your facts. I posted something similar and it has been deleted.
    Why would we not be able to post nutritional information on a website basically dedicated to nutritional information?

    She posted this exact thread in the nutrition forum, I replied to the other one and thought my response here had been deleted.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    A Larabar has roughly the same nutritional content as a candy bar. Larabar Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip: 220 calories, 11 fat, 26 carb, 6 protein. Snickers bar: 240 calories, 12 fat, 33 Carb, 4 protein. At the end of the day it's only a 20 calorie difference. This is where eating "healthy" becomes a trap. Total calories will determine weight loss so eating a Laurabar doesn't actually do much more for your weight loss goals then eating a snickers. A Snickers should cause no more or less guilt then the Laurabar, While I understand what you are saying about issues with discipline, a restrictive diet where you attempt to eat no processed foods whatsoever is a bad idea IMO. The likelihood of long term adherence is very low. I find it is much more worth the effort to focus on learning to be able to just have 1 cookie. You say it never really happens but actually plenty of us are able to do it every single day. I was like you at one point. I was unable to eat "junk" food in moderation. One bite opened the flood gates. Rather than swear off the foods I loved completely (because I knew that wasn't a reasonable long term plan) I practiced and worked hard at moderation. Now I am able to enjoy anything I want so long as it fits in my calorie/macronutrient goals. Because of that I feel secure that my weight loss will be long lasting.

    I would much rather have the Snickers. Some cravings just cannot be satisfied with a substitute, at least for me anyways. I learned this one the hard way when I tried to use fat free chocolate pudding to satisfy a chocolate craving. Not only did I end up eating all four cups in the pack but I ended up going to the store and getting the real stuff anyways.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    For the rest of us out there, do you have anything that you can share to help myself and the others like myself out there. I'd love to hear them!

    I didn't eliminate anything. No foods are bad in moderation. The other day, I was jonesing for some chocolate, so I ate some. Diet soda keeps me going through the day. Not the caffeine, I have to go easy on that because of my blood pressure, but the caffeine-free provides me something sweet to sip on all day and keeps me from snacking too much. It's not a health food, no, but it's not harmful. I eat an amount of calories that doesn't make me miserable and make room for treats. Those are my tips.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    Watch it with your facts. I posted something similar and it has been deleted.
    Why would we not be able to post nutritional information on a website basically dedicated to nutritional information?

    She posted this exact thread in the nutrition forum, I replied to the other one and thought my response here had been deleted.

    She also does not want any suggestions of moderation. That is unsolicited advice that is too critical of her "healthy eating" plan. Not sure why the other thread got nuked already. I was just getting ready to respond when it disappeared.
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,266 Member
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    never heard of a larabar but it sounds expensive. If you must have a bar of some sort. they make special k protein bars and even store brand ones. I go for the highest fiber and protein counts in what I choose if I purchase these things. I also go for low cost. i hardly buy these things though. if i want a snackie i just make a yummy smoothie or have an ice cream cup with some granola.
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
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    Interesting. So the OP didn't like the responses in the other thread, so she started new one here.

    I will add my original thought, if I am having a craving, and it will not fit my macro's I will try a big glass of water. That usually helps.

    I just checked the original thread and it has been deleted, or at least I can't reach it for some reason. Shows up in my topics but when I click it I am taken to the main forum page.

    I am not seeing any rainbows and sunshine here either :tongue:
  • levitateme
    levitateme Posts: 999 Member
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    Interesting. So the OP didn't like the responses in the other thread, so she started new one here.

    I will add my original thought, if I am having a craving, and it will not fit my macro's I will try a big glass of water. That usually helps.

    I just checked the original thread and it has been deleted, or at least I can't reach it for some reason. Shows up in my topics but when I click it I am taken to the main forum page.

    I am not seeing any rainbows and sunshine here either :tongue:

    It is against the TOS to post duplicate threads on multiple boards, that's probably why it was deleted.
  • EmmaGutteridge83
    EmmaGutteridge83 Posts: 9
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    Its not quite the same as wanting cookies, but I have found if I have a chocolate craving, I have a low calorie hot chocolate... I tell myself I will drink the hot chocolate, and then go and buy a chocolate bar after I have finished... normally that satisfies the craving!
  • ajax041813
    ajax041813 Posts: 136 Member
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    I totally understand what the OP is saying. In Feb of this year my fiancée and I went Paleo. We were working out, loving the food (yes, 90% whole, real, unprocessed food it IS possible) and got some great results. Then things changed, we both got a little depressed, fell off our great habits for about two months. Cheat meals became more regular than one night a week. We started having soda daily, etc. I understand the emotional aspect of bad food feeling good. I am not sure how to conquer that exactly myself. I know what has helped was talking to my fiancée and being honest with each other about weight gain that had occurred, our level of activity dropped to nothing, we had trouble sleeping. The list went on. We got dedicated again for each other. We want to be around for a long time to do great things together.

    Here are some positive thoughts I fill my brain with to help during down times:

    When I have cravings I can say to myself "i know what that tastes like, I will be able to have it when I reach my goals. Right now, It's important to ME that I don't sabotage my great efforts" Sounds cheesy I know but it does work.

    We also want to start a family and I want to be in the best shape of my life so I can be as healthy as possible to get pregnant, have a great pregnancy, and delivery.

    I want to be a good role model for my children, and have healthy habits already established.

    I want to do aerial silks and every exercise/workout I do now is helping me reach that goal.

    I am preventing diseases or at least slowing down how much/fast they affect me by eating very nutrient dense foods.

    It is nice to have my fiancée doing this with me and helping to motivate me. I will also agree that I drink LOADS of water, if I get hungry in between a designated time to eat, I will down a bunch of water.

    I also suggest looking up recipes, reading other blogs about how people have changed their thinking to lose weight. A lot of it's mental, and you can't beat yourself up if you do slip. One day at a time, one meal at a time. Make a meal plan for the week or few days, using what you have at home make a shopping list so you get only what you need, NOTHING ELSE. Prep your food/meals ahead of time. This helps a lot, if I don't have something ready to heat up when I get home, I am much more likely to drive-thru.

    Every small step matters. You matter. Do what you can do every day and you will see results! Hope some of this helps!

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