I want to change my eating habit but don't want to feel like

lmelangley

Everyone needs to find what works for them. For me, a modest breakfast, a little more for lunch, and a large dinner. A lot of folks think it should be just the opposite but, again, I'm a big believer in what works for you. Remember that this is about developing a healthy lifestyle that's maintainable for you, not about punishing yourself.

For the record, I don't diet - don't believe in it. If I want something and I have the calories, I eat it. Cake? No problem. But, I make every food a choice. First, is it healthy? Second, do I have the calories? Third, do I really want it? If it's cake and I really want it, I have it even though I know it's not healthy. Sometimes it's not really a "want" when I really think about it. Sometimes it is. But, unless it's a really special occasion where I plan to splurge, I make sure I don't go over my calories by more than 50 or so.

Portion size killed me when I first started out. What I began doing is logging the food before I ate it. That way, I was able to learn portion size for most things over time. And, if I know I'm eating out, I try to check menus and calorie contents in advance. That way, I know what I'm getting into and can make better choices. It's all about decisions.

HMonsterX

Find the value, and ask yourself what am I gaining in life from eating unhealthy?

Well, enjoyment.

I'd rather enjoy what i eat, feel good, not deprive myself, and still get in much better shape than i was before while still eating the things i like, just now in moderation.

I'd rather be 90% healthier eating what i like, than 100% healthy eating what i don't like.

HMonsterX

But NO, most people are asking for a BAD DAY when they skip breakfast. The body has gone 8 HOURS with NO FUEL, you can bet it needs food. Waiting to eat leads to really bad decisions, foodwise. My husband thinks it's okay to go without food for 8-9 hours after sleepign all night (and not eating), and when he eats, his first stop is BURGER KING, and wonders why he is overweight. That ONE MEAL screwed him.

It doesn't need food if you had your dinner half an hour before bed!

As for the bad decisions, well, that's down the person. If you don't make those bad decisions, then how is skipping breakfast bad? If your hubby eats a BK like that, and doesn't account for the calories, then that's his own decision and "poor" choice. He's an example of someone who may benefit from breakfast. However, it still doesn't change the fact that breakfast gives no actual metabolic boost or advantage.

freedomlady

I read a book called "the anderson Method" by William Anderson. He lost over 100 pounds and kept it off for over 20 years and wrote a book about how to do it. I am doing the anderson method and I feel great. You can eat anything you want but when you change your thinking about food, you no longer want to eat all that stuff. Seriously, he gives techniques and mind tricks so you can train your mind into a healthier way of thinking.

HMonsterX

I read a book called "the anderson Method" by William Anderson. He lost over 100 pounds and kept it off for over 20 years and wrote a book about how to do it. I am doing the anderson method and I feel great. You can eat anything you want but when you change your thinking about food, you no longer want to eat all that stuff. Seriously, he gives techniques and mind tricks so you can train your mind into a healthier way of thinking.

Does it tell you how to change your taste buds? It's not the healthier way of thinking that stops me eating healthy, its the fact that it tastes so bad!

ZeroTX

I'm sorry, but i advise you to do some research. Breakfast does not "boost your metabolism" or any such nonsense. The only advantage it may offer some people is it could reduce cravings later on. If you don't get these cravings, or easily resist, then it's simply not necessary. As for essential energy, again, from a biological viewpoint, it's hardly essential. Some people may find they need it, others, like myself, don't. To me it's just a waste of calories i could spend on a nice big dinner!

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/AN01119

"In addition, the prolonged fasting that occurs when you skip breakfast can increase your body's insulin response, which in turn increases fat storage and weight gain. In fact, skipping breakfast actually increases your risk of obesity."

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/lose-weight-eat-breakfast

"People skip breakfast thinking they're cutting calories, but by mid-morning and lunch, that person is starved," says Milton Stokes, RD, MPH, chief dietitian for St. Barnabas Hospital in New York City. "Breakfast skippers replace calories during the day with mindless nibbling, bingeing at lunch and dinner. They set themselves up for failure."

Research. Did mine. Let's see yours...

ElizabethRoad

How about you eat breakfast if that works for you, and stop preaching about it? If someone is losing steadily without eating breakfast then that is indeed proof that it works for them.

justanotherbrickinthewall

You need to change your mindset. You're not just doing some quick diet to lose weight, you're changing your entire outlook on eating. Eating healthy can suck sometimes but in the long run it gives you incredible benefits versus if you fed your body horrible food. Suck it up.

ZeroTX

Suck it up.

Love it! I just ate a Fiber One bar instead of a Snickers. Do I like it better than Snickers? Hell no. Of course a slice of chocolate cake tastes better than a plate of steamed broccoli. So what. Is chocolate cake worth 10 years of your life? That's the realization I've had to come to in my mid-30's where my weight is no longer just a cosmetic matter.

servilia

I'm sorry, but i advise you to do some research. Breakfast does not "boost your metabolism" or any such nonsense. The only advantage it may offer some people is it could reduce cravings later on. If you don't get these cravings, or easily resist, then it's simply not necessary. As for essential energy, again, from a biological viewpoint, it's hardly essential. Some people may find they need it, others, like myself, don't. To me it's just a waste of calories i could spend on a nice big dinner!

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/AN01119

"In addition, the prolonged fasting that occurs when you skip breakfast can increase your body's insulin response, which in turn increases fat storage and weight gain. In fact, skipping breakfast actually increases your risk of obesity."

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/lose-weight-eat-breakfast

"People skip breakfast thinking they're cutting calories, but by mid-morning and lunch, that person is starved," says Milton Stokes, RD, MPH, chief dietitian for St. Barnabas Hospital in New York City. "Breakfast skippers replace calories during the day with mindless nibbling, bingeing at lunch and dinner. They set themselves up for failure."

Research. Did mine. Let's see yours...

Quote 1: Oh yeah I got real fat over the last couple of months by skipping breakfast

Quote 2: Nonsense. Not starved

Breakfast is not bad of course but neither is it necessary. It doesn't give a metabolism boost. Not eating it does not necessarily mean bingeing later. Simple solution: eat it if you like, but if you prefer not to, then don't!

castadiva

Find the value, and ask yourself what am I gaining in life from eating unhealthy?

Well, enjoyment.

I'd rather enjoy what i eat, feel good, not deprive myself, and still get in much better shape than i was before while still eating the things i like, just now in moderation.

I'd rather be 90% healthier eating what i like, than 100% healthy eating what i don't like.

Hear hear! Everyone has to do this in a way that works for them. OP, most of what I would say has already been said here - baby steps, one thing at a time, and the choices that work for you. I can't remove all cakes/chocolate etc from my diet without feeling that I'm missing out on some of my favourite things, so the key for me is eating less of these things, less frequently than previously, and trying to make sure that the other things I eat are within sensible calorific ranges.

Lots of the things I now eat more of are things I actually rather like - smoked salmon, for example. Served with egg on toast at the weekend, I can have a gorgeous breakfast for around 400 calories and reasonably low fat. OK, that's a third, give or take, of my daily net allowance, so I fit in a bit of exercise - usually walking in my case - to add a few more available calories to the day.

That's what works for me. You have to find the things that work for you, and that you can sustain long-term. The inevitable problem with a 'diet' is that you end up feeling deprived, resentful, and if you're anything like me, that "life's too short" not to enjoy the foods you love. Trying to find an eating pattern for the long-term is different from a 'diet', and logging here has helped me a lot - I'm more aware of what I'm eating, and how much work it takes to burn it off. Good luck!

IvoryParchment

Breakfast got a mystical aura because of the simple observation that people who skip breakfast are far more likely to be obese than thin. It's not a mystery, though. If you aren't hungry after 8 hours without food, you must be eating a disproportionate amount of your daily calories at night. You're not eating because of hunger; you're eating well past the point of being satisfied. Thin people tend to feel hungry at breakfast and often get ill if they don't eat it.

The good news is that your current weight *depended* on that calorie-laden breakfast. The rest of your meals are going to be less of a problem than they are for most overweight people. If you eat your breakfast but reduce the portion size, or if you have one thing you like each day for breakfast instead of tiny amounts of all of them the same day, you are going to lose weight as long as you don't change the rest of your meals.

rosied915

I don't want to feel like I'm on a diet.

this will happen when you change your mindset from "I'm on a diet" to "this is the way I will live the rest of my life"

The absolute BEST advice you will ever get!!!!

READ IT, LEARN IT, LIVE IT, LOVE IT!

(don't wait till you're 51 and so beaten and battered by years of "dieting" to finally "GET IT")

ZeroTX

I don't want to feel like I'm on a diet.

this will happen when you change your mindset from "I'm on a diet" to "this is the way I will live the rest of my life"

The absolute BEST advice you will ever get!!!!

READ IT, LEARN IT, LIVE IT, LOVE IT!

(don't wait till you're 51 and so beaten and battered by years of "dieting" to finally "GET IT")

For real! I'm very sad that I waited until I'm 36.... now that I'm taking care of myself, I wish I'd done this 10 or more years ago when I could have done so many more things. 36 year old joints that have hauled over 300lbs for more than 20 of those 36 years (I was 200lbs in 6th grade... sad to say... 300lbs by 10th).....

Do it now, do it forever. Get a mental picture in your mind of who you want to be and refer back to it everytime you're tempted to eat something that's bad for you... Something that will just keep you fat and derail your goals.

For me I visualize traveling comfortably in an airplane to an exotic new place... No seat extender, no fat belly rolling over to the next seat... and after I get there, I'll be thin enough and capable enough to do anything I want to do without fatness being an impediment. Come up with your goal that you can visualize and that's worth more to you than food.

jecka31

When I first started, I would pick 1 thing a week to focus on. Week one may be drinking enough water daily, week two eating fruits and vegetables, week three could be eating whole grains instead of refined grains (whole wheat bread instead of white, brown rice instead of white), etc.

By setting these smaller goals, it didn't seem as daunting. By the time you get to day 7, that particular goal will seem easy. Just remember, as others have said, you are making these changes for life not just to diet.

Hope this tip helps! Good Luck!!

MzKym30

Thanks so much guys for all your feedback...I love MFP's!!!!!