Why is it so hard for me to eat healthy??

mbeltz

Seems if I stop eating junk, I have a problem with eat anything. I know that you should eat smaller healthy meals more often. When I try doing this I might eat something healthy in the morning but then won't eating anything til dinner because I'm not hungry.

mfanyafujo

Making new habits and breaking the old ones takes time. Make a plan for yourself, stick to it, and your eating should eventually normalize. Just keep trying!

You have tons of food options, so try different things and keep experimenting. I'd love to eat healthier, but I literally can't, because of where I live right now. So take advantage of all that food and keep trying!!!!

jessiesunshine

Thats something I have been struggling with for years.. But I picked up a few tips a lot of it I think has to do with us thinking we are hungry when we are really thirsty. But there are so many things it can be. Eating filler type food with lots of water in it (like iceberg lettuce) can help too. That way we trick ourselves into feeling fuller. Eating protien can help too.. cuz it sits in your stomach empty.. Try drinking a HUGE glass of water before each meal too. Makes you eat less. Broth based soups are good for that too. Also there are some foods that make you more hungry.. white pasta and bread, and anything with sugar in it have chemicals that make you crave more. I had a freind of mine who kept tellling me when i was struggling with this.. that starving meant you were losing weight.. well.. she has an eating disorder now so clearly that was bad advice. lol. The only other thing I can suggest it trying to distinguish head hunger from physical hunger. Are you eating more because you are emotional.. or because your body is in need of food. Best wishes.. hope something I said was helpful!! :happy:

mamamc03

You still need to eat for your metabolism

ElizabethRoad

Seems if I stop eating junk, I have a problem with eat anything. I know that you should eat smaller healthy meals more often. When I try doing this I might eat something healthy in the morning but then won't eating anything til dinner because I'm not hungry.

But is this way of eating causing you a problem? There's no real reason to eat several small meals unless that's your preference. If you want to eat breakfast and then not eat until dinner, it's fine.

ZugTheMegasaurus

Seems if I stop eating junk, I have a problem with eat anything. I know that you should eat smaller healthy meals more often. When I try doing this I might eat something healthy in the morning but then won't eating anything til dinner because I'm not hungry.

But is this way of eating causing you a problem? There's no real reason to eat several small meals unless that's your preference. If you want to eat breakfast and then not eat until dinner, it's fine.

This is true. I usually don't eat until around noon or 1PM, then don't eat much throughout the afternoon, and eat the majority of my food around 8PM. I used to try to eat all day long like so many people advise and it made me feel awful; I do much better this way. It's really a matter of personal preference.

RunHardBeStrong

Seems if I stop eating junk, I have a problem with eat anything. I know that you should eat smaller healthy meals more often. When I try doing this I might eat something healthy in the morning but then won't eating anything til dinner because I'm not hungry.

But is this way of eating causing you a problem? There's no real reason to eat several small meals unless that's your preference. If you want to eat breakfast and then not eat until dinner, it's fine.

This is true. I usually don't eat until around noon or 1PM, then don't eat much throughout the afternoon, and eat the majority of my food around 8PM. I used to try to eat all day long like so many people advise and it made me feel awful; I do much better this way. It's really a matter of personal preference.

Same here. I tried the 6 meals a day thing and I felt like all I did was obsess about food and I was miserable. I'm back to 3 healthy meals a day sometimes a snack if needed. Losing weight like crazy. Meal timing really doesn't affect weight loss it's more to keep one from being hungry and overeating.

michellekicks

I have found in the past that when I decide to "eat healthy" I go off the deep end to lower calorie, all veggies and lean meats and end up not eating enough. Try eating things that pack a nutritional punch without taking up a lot of room in your body - nuts, seeds, avocado, healthy oil... eat all natural and no low-fat/fat-free/chemically-produced/snack pack/garbage.

LinzCurlyQ

I always eat unhealthy when I let myself get too hungry, so I do eat more than 3 times a day. It might be something simple like boiled egg whites and an apple, but I don't go into that ravenous mode. Once I go into that mode....there is no telling what I will eat.

myfitnessnmhoy

Same here. I tried the 6 meals a day thing and I felt like all I did was obsess about food and I was miserable. I'm back to 3 healthy meals a day sometimes a snack if needed. Losing weight like crazy. Meal timing really doesn't affect weight loss it's more to keep one from being hungry and overeating.

Exactly. I'm a snack-all-day-long kind of eater, and if I can't graze on something I quickly reach the point where I'm "not hungry", then when I start eating I discover that I'm HUUUNNNNGGGGRRRYYY!!!!! and clear the table into my mouth and start in on the fridge. Plus if I don't fuel my workouts they're miserable ineffective little things that just hurt. If I fuel them, I can have a nice sweaty burn and feel good about it afterward.

So, in my case, I really need to snack. But that's what happens to work for me.

Calories don't care when they are eaten.

bcattoes

Seems if I stop eating junk, I have a problem with eat anything. I know that you should eat smaller healthy meals more often. When I try doing this I might eat something healthy in the morning but then won't eating anything til dinner because I'm not hungry.

But is this way of eating causing you a problem? There's no real reason to eat several small meals unless that's your preference. If you want to eat breakfast and then not eat until dinner, it's fine.

Agree ^^

As for eating healthy vs eating junk it's just habit mostly. Taste is learned behavior. If you switch your diet to healthy foods after a while you will likely come to prefer healthy foods. Not all of them, of course. There will likely be things that are good for you that you don't like, and there will likely be things that are not so good for you that you love. But you can change your taste preferences over time and it will be easier to keep the junk as treat foods and eat heatlhy most of the time.

cicamuz

I forced my self to only snack on apples, to start with I was on a six a day habit, now I'm down to 1 apple a day and no other snacking ;-)

TEZofAllTrades

Don't go cold turkey! I've failed miserably many times before I found mfp because of that. Find something similar to your favourite junk food that is healthier and get used to it then ween yoursself off it. e.g I did McCoys --> Quavers --> SnackaJacks --> Velvet Crunch

My1985Freckles

Exactly. I'm a snack-all-day-long kind of eater, and if I can't graze on something I quickly reach the point where I'm "not hungry", then when I start eating I discover that I'm HUUUNNNNGGGGRRRYYY!!!!! and clear the table into my mouth and start in on the fridge. Plus if I don't fuel my workouts they're miserable ineffective little things that just hurt. If I fuel them, I can have a nice sweaty burn and feel good about it afterward.

So, in my case, I really need to snack. But that's what happens to work for me.

Calories don't care when they are eaten.

Agreed! I have a mid morning and a mid afternoon snack in my schedule. I pre-log EVERYTHING! (Maybe just a tad OCD? :blushing: ) But when the time comes for my snack if I am not actually hungry, I skip it, un-log it. LOL. Somedays I don't need a snack, but other days I need extra snacks. If I get too hungry, I binge and turn ito Miss Hyde. I am atrocious to be around when I am "hangry." LOL

mbeltz

Thank you everyone for all your helpful tips and support!