Instead of, I eat...

samantha1242

Instead of 5-6 pieces of pizza, I have 2-3.
Instead of a Cadbury peanut butter pretzel chocolate bar (omfg), I have Lindt 90% dark chocolate.
Instead of normal yogurt, I have greek yogurt.
Instead of adding sugar to coffee, I just don't add any sugar anymore.
Instead of getting a 9 dollar frozen yogurt + toppings, I get a 3 dollar frozen yogurt + toppings.
Instead of grabbing a muffin at Starbucks, I make my muffins.

Confuzzled4ever

Instead of Mayo I have Avocados or mustard.
Instead of Breyers I have skinny cow
Instead of granola bars I have loose granola
Instead of eating chips I eat homemade baked potato chips.
Instead of white rice, I eat brown rice
Instead of regular pasta I eat whole wheat pasta
Instead of jiffy, I eat natural peanut butter
Instead of sour cream and butter on potatoes I use salsa
Instead of traditional frying, I use an oil-less fryer.
Instead of french fries, I make eggplant or avocado fries
Instead of ketchup, chips and other unhealthy stuff on a burger, I use avocado, salsa and jalapeno.
Instead of full fat beef I use 96% lean beef.
Instead of salad dressing I use feta cheese
Instead of dipping chicken in sauces I use hot sauce.
Instead of depriving myself when I want chocolate or other junk, I eat what I am craving in a small portion.
Instead of buying ready made things I cook
Instead of complaining about health and weight, I accept myself for who I am, flaws and all.. and make decision that will make me who I want to be
Instead of expecting miracles, I go to the gym and make good food choices.
Instead of sugar i eat.. well.. i just don't eat much sugar.. LOL

KimMcG24

Hot sauce as a salad dressing. Or hot sauce mixed with Greek yogurt.

GuybrushThreepw00d

Instead of sandwiches, i just eat MOAR meat!
Bread is the emptiest of empty calories, why have a 400cal sandwich when the filling is 100cal and the rest is the bread and butter?? Just have 400cal worth of filling!

tifferz_91

❤ INSTEAD OF milk: i drink & use homemade nut milks (almond, walnut & pecan)

❤ INSTEAD OF white sugar: i use organic coconut sugar

❤ INSTEAD OF cinnamon toast crunch: i eat cascadian farms organic cinnamon crunch

❤ INSTEAD OF sour cream: i use organic greek yogurt

❤ INSTEAD OF M&Ms: i eat homemade organic vegan chocolate covered almonds

❤ INSTEAD OF ground beef: i use organic ground turkey

❤ INSTEAD OF brownies: i eat organic vegan chocolate chip black bean "brownie" bites

❤ INSTEAD OF margarine: i use organic pasture butter

❤ INSTEAD OF store-bought breads, tortillas,fettuccine pasta, & oat flour: i make my own

❤ INSTEAD OF store-bought nut butters: i make my own

❤ INSTEAD OF cookie dough: i eat organic vegan chocolate chip white bean "cookie dough"

❤ INSTEAD OF eggs for baking: i use organic chia eggs

❤ INSTEAD OF pork smoked sausage: i eat organic smoked turkey sausage

❤ INSTEAD OF soda & artificial juice: i drink water & organic teas

Confuzzled4ever

I've found that if I want something.. it's better for me to just open the bag and eat a few. If I don't I end up eating the entire bag a few days later..

I've found this to be true with everything. So I give up. I just eat what I want and make sure it's a reasonable portion. Although sometimes I still go a little nutty.. (like yesterday whoops! LOL)

I do sub out a lot of unhealthy things for healthier things.. but I actually like them better. I'll never switch back to light flavored regular yogurt. I love my Greek yogurt. Yesterday I realized that while I love chocolate i don't love chocolate cheesecake.. I do however love NY style cheesecake, either plain or with strawberries.

I don't eat a lot of bread or pasta, but i do love it.

I've got a more extensive list of things I sub out above.. but as I journey through this.. I've learned a lot.

yaseyuku

Instead of a big portion, I eat a smaller portion.

tjl2329

Instead of chocolate pie. I eat pb2 with sugar free pudding and a Graham cracker. Only 155 calories

owieprone

instead of flour i use bananas (pancakes, 1 nana 2 eggs, crazy hard to flip but tastes great!)

instead of rice i eat cauliflower rice (half defrosted cauliflower, blitz in blender, fry in coconut oil)

instead of tattie chips/fries i eat celeriac

instead of tattie mash i eat celeriac or neep mash (yet to figure out how to make tattie cakes with this tho!)

instead of syrup i have agave nectar

instead of normal pb (sunpat etc) i eat meridian pb (peanuts are the only ingredient)

instead of bread i eat oopsie/cloud bread (occasionally, it's rare to eat 'bread' of any sort)

instead of crackers i eat oatcakes (occasionally)

instead of wheat flour i use a combo of coconut and almond

instead of porridge (hi carbs) i eat fake porridge (pb, flaxseed, all spice, agave nectar)

instead of sweets i eat a couple of bits of dried mango and/or a few dates.

rayvenstern

i gave up real eggs for egg beaters which are awesome and much lower in calories. gave up white enriched breads for multi grains and especially dark rye bread. gave up my morning sugar free iced coffee from mcdonalds in exchange for a coke zero in the morning. was a easy transition considering i had been drinking those coffees 5 days a week for almost 2 years. went much better than i thought it would. mrs dash in exchange for any salts. parkay spray in exchange for real butter. made alot of changes in the last few months. some harder than others. some i dont even miss.

clairedrose

Instead of granola, I eat Kashi Go Lean
instead of cookies I have almonds
Instead of a cheese sandwich I have tuna (or chicken) on salad
Instead of cookies (used to have a lotta cookies lol) I have peanut butter on Ak Mak crackers
I eat larger portions of meat and fish and smaller portions of potatoes, rice.

I have found,as many have, that increasing protein has curbed my appetite for sweets. I don't ever say I can't have something, I just choose not to this time. If I choose a cookie, I enjoy it and move on.

pittbullgirl

Instead of regular pie, I make protein pie. Instead of mint chocolate chip ice cream, I make mint chocolate chip spinach protein ice cream. instead of brownies I make.... Well, I haven't found a good substitution for brownies, (the protein ones don't compare), so I have brownies on special occasions.

What's your protein pie??? Is it chocolate tofu pie??

Also, I like the black bean brownies! YUM!

rdcphone572

Switched off full calorie soda and sugar instead of the Mountain Dews and sugar in my coffee...loss about 17 lbs with not much else changed...this got me going...I figured if just changing to cherry coke zero and monk fruit in my coffee was that effective over about 8 or so months, I must be onto something here...

Reduced portion size and logged consistently with MFP for a few months instead of being random....off came another 5....it wasn't too hard but I had to be very conscious of my eating...

Added some consistent deliberate exercise (mostly treadmill) instead of sleeping an extra 30 min in morning by hitting the snooze button twice...there went 3 lbs more and counting...have to force myself to go to bed 30 minutes earlier (still learning this habit)

Adding more vegetables and trying with the protein (not too good with protein yet), along with some light tone and strength in addition to cardio for the next year to see if I can get even fitter...but a bit at a time until each step is a regular habit like couch surfing and Mountain Dew were for me...

I figure if I keep making small "instead of" switches, I will get the hang of this for life.

Nice topic OP!

Edited a spelling error

CLL1001

bump

meagank28

bump! awesome ideas!

mommarobb

Instead of pumpkin pie I have a pumpkin smoothie,
easy to make, tastes great, lot less calories.
2% milk
Frozen pureed pumpkin (pre-measured)
pumpkin pie spice
crumbled graham cracker (optional)
sweetener

Blend together

top with your favourite low cal whipped dessert topping

amandatapar

My afternoon snack is now a apple with peanut butter instead of chocolate. I don't even miss the chocolate now.

marciebrian

great ideas ... saving!

SteelySunshine

Instead of a couple hot pockets for breakfast. Oatmeal even dressed up with lots of sweeteners and stuff it was a calorie savings because I would be full much longer and would skip a 500 calorie snack.

Instead of a pizza around 2000 calories, two veggie burgers and sometimes a side of chips or crackers for 400-600 calories.

Instead of a bag of chips (14 oz) for dinner I make real food. Sometimes pasta n black beans or sometimes lots of veggies and pasta. For 600-800 calories depending on what I have left in the day.

For the summer I am having my oatmeal cold in a smoothie. I can't quite get myself to eat anything hot in the summer. Pasta is made cold too.

ninerbuff

Instead of M&M's, I'll eat Milk Duds.:laugh:

Personally I don't limit my food intake to anything. I just limit the amount.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition