Just can't do it...

J3Streeter

I don't have any trouble exercising/working out, but I have failed time and time again at eating healthy. Any tips on how I can get started on a healthy diet? I like a lot of fruits and veggies, but never seem to "want" to eat them so I always eat junk. If anyone has been in my shoes and can give me some tips, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks!!!

Nikki881

I'm in the same boat, so I would love to see what others have to say!

lizgreenhill

i started and stoped my diet so many times its ridiculous if wanting to lose weight is something u really wnt to do you will make the sacrifice to eat healthy. dont mean to sound rude but i wanted to diet/lose weight but i wasnt wanting to eat the healthy foods. There are many great websites that give you recipes for different foods. see i never want to eat vegetables either. when i am in a non fruit/vege mood i drink V8 v-fusion Pomegrante and blueberry drink its a serving of fruits and veges for the day which helps. Also, try mixing veges in with you dinner or lunch. If you like rice make a stir fry type meal. Good luck

swordsmith

I had to force myself to stop eating junk. After about 2 weeks all of the salt, fat and sugar from the junk left my system and I found my taste for fresh fruits and veggies came back. And they tasted wonderful.

So for me it was forcing myself to flush the junk from my system to start eating healthy again.

rodneysmom98

Maybe try to pick one meal or snack and commit to eating a fruit/veggie at that time every day for a week. Then try to add another meal the second week. Part of it for me is getting in the habit! I like veggies in particular and many fruits, BUT if I don't plan and commit, I'll choose something I CRAVE (usually less healthy!). Once I get into the habit of having a veggie/fruit, I usually can stick with it for awhile anyway!

Cathleenr

I don't have any trouble exercising/working out, but I have failed time and time again at eating healthy. Any tips on how I can get started on a healthy diet? I like a lot of fruits and veggies, but never seem to "want" to eat them so I always eat junk. If anyone has been in my shoes and can give me some tips, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks!!!

"junk" like....what? a whole pie?
or just not what you have on your nutrition plan.
there ARE protein, carb and fat choices, you know, that will satifsy most anyone and sit into your nutitional goals. for example, most days my pre-workout meal calls for 1 ounce avocado, 6 egg whites and a 1/2 cup dry oatmeal.
hm.
its ok..i know what each component is sposed to bo, but today i just couldnt do that. So.....i had 1.2 cup nonfat cottage cheese (protein), a slice of orowheat healthful bread (carbs) and 2 TBS light cream cheese (fats).
it actually came in a little under my macros and it was really different than what i had been eating.
so...get yout eating plan and look at your equivelents...then build your menus and off you go.

IvyEinstein

I got rid of all the JUNK food in my house! So when it comes time to snack there are only fruits and veggies to snack on.
IF I crave a little JUNK food, I eat it where ever I am and do NOT bring it home, even if I don't finish it
I hope this helps...

kmbrooks15

Take it one step at a time. My first rule was that for every cup of carbs I eat, I have to eat a cup of veggies. I'm not fond of veggies, so that has helped me keep my carbs in check.

Also, veggies taste a lot better if they are seasoned. I buy the Birdseye Steamfresh bags (perfect size for me and my two kids!). Throw it in the microwave for a few minutes, and they're ready. I dump them in a bowl and add some garlic salt, onion salt, lemon pepper, or just regular salt and pepper. Some seasoning helps give them some flavor. I hate bland food, and to me, veggies are bland. My kids even eat the veggies better with seasoning on them.

I started with improving dinner. Then I started working on bringing healthier lunches. After that, I started changing my breakfast habits.

Are you allowing yourself any treats at all? If not, you may be feeling deprived, and that is a recipe for disaster. I use Skinny Cow products (they have candy and ice cream treats; the candy is 110-120 calories, while the ice cream ranges from 100-150 calories). I take a candy item for after lunch and allow myself an ice cream bar (100 calories) after dinner. I'm a late-night snacker, too, so I use the 100 calorie popcorn bags and have a cup of hot tea (flavored--favorite is Sleepytime Vanilla by Celestial Seasonings--and caffeine free).

I'm not one who has gone vegan or vegetarian or Paleo or whatever. I haven't even made the switch to brown rice, whole wheat pasta, etc. Some folks here have done all that, but I just don't think that is sustainable for me. You have to find something you can do for a lifetime. You can make this work if you want it badly enough.

Good luck!

Misiaxcore

Well, I've had major sugar and just food-in-general cravings for the past few weeks. Been feeling really crummy because of it too. Woke up yesterday and the cravings were gone =/
Think you just have to want it enough and find your inner motivation.

J3Streeter

Thanks guys... appreciate the feedback. For me, for example, I will pack my lunch for work. Usually it's a sandwich (turkey or roast beef with mustard and no cheese), celery, green peppers, and a granola bar. Well when it comes time for lunch, the food I have packed just doesn't appeal to me so I'll end up going out to lunch with people from work and get pizza, chinese food, wings... stuff like that. And since I don't eat much during the day, when I get home from work I am starving so I'll start snacking and eat another "junk" dinner. I also find that even when I do eat healthy foods, I just don't ever feel full. I always feel hungry. Is this normal?

Misiaxcore

Thanks guys... appreciate the feedback. For me, for example, I will pack my lunch for work. Usually it's a sandwich (turkey or roast beef with mustard and no cheese), celery, green peppers, and a granola bar. Well when it comes time for lunch, the food I have packed just doesn't appeal to me so I'll end up going out to lunch with people from work and get pizza, chinese food, wings... stuff like that. And since I don't eat much during the day, when I get home from work I am starving so I'll start snacking and eat another "junk" dinner. I also find that even when I do eat healthy foods, I just don't ever feel full. I always feel hungry. Is this normal?

Make sure to drink lots of water through out the day! I also /try/ to snack on celery and/or carrots and stay away from the junk.

J3Streeter

That is one thing I've been really trying to do, is always have water around so I don't eat all the time. But, because I'm just really stupid and don't eat for like 8 hours or more at a time, when I do end up eating I choose all the wrong foods and eat lots of it too. I just have no will power I think.

kmbrooks15

Thanks guys... appreciate the feedback. For me, for example, I will pack my lunch for work. Usually it's a sandwich (turkey or roast beef with mustard and no cheese), celery, green peppers, and a granola bar. Well when it comes time for lunch, the food I have packed just doesn't appeal to me so I'll end up going out to lunch with people from work and get pizza, chinese food, wings... stuff like that. And since I don't eat much during the day, when I get home from work I am starving so I'll start snacking and eat another "junk" dinner. I also find that even when I do eat healthy foods, I just don't ever feel full. I always feel hungry. Is this normal?

Are you hypoglycemic? If I don't eat every 3 hours or so, I start to get the shakes, followed by a headache, then cold sweats. I eat breakfast about 6:45 AM, then have a snack (about 100-200 calories) about 9:30, then lunch at 12:30, another snack at about 3:00 (after I get back from the gym), then dinner at 6:00 or 6:30, and another snack at bedtime (about 9:30). You might try that. You need to keep snacks at about 100-150 calories in order to make room for them. Weekends are a little goofy because sometimes on Saturdays we sleep in (like today...didn't have breakfast until almost 10:00!).

Feel free to take a look at my diary, especially the Monday-Friday stuff. Maybe it will help. There is nothing wrong with snacking as long as you choose healthy, low-cal snacks.

J3Streeter

Thanks guys... appreciate the feedback. For me, for example, I will pack my lunch for work. Usually it's a sandwich (turkey or roast beef with mustard and no cheese), celery, green peppers, and a granola bar. Well when it comes time for lunch, the food I have packed just doesn't appeal to me so I'll end up going out to lunch with people from work and get pizza, chinese food, wings... stuff like that. And since I don't eat much during the day, when I get home from work I am starving so I'll start snacking and eat another "junk" dinner. I also find that even when I do eat healthy foods, I just don't ever feel full. I always feel hungry. Is this normal?

Are you hypoglycemic? If I don't eat every 3 hours or so, I start to get the shakes, followed by a headache, then cold sweats. I eat breakfast about 6:45 AM, then have a snack (about 100-200 calories) about 9:30, then lunch at 12:30, another snack at about 3:00 (after I get back from the gym), then dinner at 6:00 or 6:30, and another snack at bedtime (about 9:30). You might try that. You need to keep snacks at about 100-150 calories in order to make room for them. Weekends are a little goofy because sometimes on Saturdays we sleep in (like today...didn't have breakfast until almost 10:00!).

Feel free to take a look at my diary, especially the Monday-Friday stuff. Maybe it will help. There is nothing wrong with snacking as long as you choose healthy, low-cal snacks.

lmelangley

I'd say:
1. Only allow yourself sitting down at a table, even if it's just a mouth full of candy corn. Makes you stop and think about what you're doing.
2. Start a new habit - before you put ANYTHING in your mouth, ask yourself if it's worth the calories. If it is, eat away.
3. Try to plan your junk food at the start of the day. If you know you'll allow yourself, say, a couple of cookies as dessert later in the day, it's easier to say no to something bad earlier in the day.
4. Don't bring extra cash with you- or even a credit card. It's harder to diverge from an eating plan if you don't have the resources on you.
5. Put notes for yourself inside cupboards and inside the fridge. Things like "are you REALLY hungry?" and "there are apples in the crisper".

Good luck!

J3Streeter

Thanks guys... appreciate the feedback. For me, for example, I will pack my lunch for work. Usually it's a sandwich (turkey or roast beef with mustard and no cheese), celery, green peppers, and a granola bar. Well when it comes time for lunch, the food I have packed just doesn't appeal to me so I'll end up going out to lunch with people from work and get pizza, chinese food, wings... stuff like that. And since I don't eat much during the day, when I get home from work I am starving so I'll start snacking and eat another "junk" dinner. I also find that even when I do eat healthy foods, I just don't ever feel full. I always feel hungry. Is this normal?

Are you hypoglycemic? If I don't eat every 3 hours or so, I start to get the shakes, followed by a headache, then cold sweats. I eat breakfast about 6:45 AM, then have a snack (about 100-200 calories) about 9:30, then lunch at 12:30, another snack at about 3:00 (after I get back from the gym), then dinner at 6:00 or 6:30, and another snack at bedtime (about 9:30). You might try that. You need to keep snacks at about 100-150 calories in order to make room for them. Weekends are a little goofy because sometimes on Saturdays we sleep in (like today...didn't have breakfast until almost 10:00!).

Feel free to take a look at my diary, especially the Monday-Friday stuff. Maybe it will help. There is nothing wrong with snacking as long as you choose healthy, low-cal snacks.

Sorry about replying without actually replying... I'm still new to this. Anyhow, thanks for that post. You are probably right... I should probably eat more regularly so that way I never get to the point where I'm completely starving and craving all that bad food. As for me being hypoglycemic, I'm not really sure. I've never head a doctor express any concerns about that, so I'm hoping that I'm ok. As for eating... is it normal if I eat breakfast and feel hungry only an hour or two later? If I don't eat breakfast, I can usually go well past noon without feeling hungry.

kmbrooks15

It depends on what you're eating for breakfast. Sugary cereals will leave you hungry. If I eat something with protein, it helps me not be hungry later (at least not until normal snack time). I've been using Special K Protein Plus or Vanilla Almond cereal. The almonds in the cereal and the protein in the protein plus help.

Here's a good recipe for breakfast, too: http://www.emilybites.com/2011/10/bacon-egg-cheese-biscuit-cups.html. Because it has eggs, bacon, and cheese, it has a good bit of protein. I put the ingredients into MFP's recipe tool, and it comes out to about 100 calories per cup. Two of them and a glass of milk and I'm full for just under 300 calories.

kmbrooks15

Oh, and trust me, you'd know if you were hypoglycemic. When I don't eat regularly, I get a splitting headache that is only relieved with food, usually sugar. That's part of the reason I eat regularly, even if I'm not really hungry yet. If I get to the point where the headache is starting, then I have to down a bunch of sugar to get the headache to go away. If I eat before the headache comes, then I don't have to cram in those fast-acting sugars to get rid of it. Kind of a preventive measure, I guess!

littlesis412

Uggh, I know what you mean about being hypoglycemic. I had to start carrying snacks or candy around with me because once my blood sugar drops I'm worthless. Can't think straight, can't talk straight, shaky, miserable. I hate it. So, eating lots off little meals throughout the day helps me a lot. I think it even makes my stomach a little smaller so I don't over eat and feel full sooner.