What's the biggest thing you've done to improve your diet?

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Replies

  • xilka
    xilka Posts: 308 Member
    Besides logging -

    I totally cut pasta, white rice, white bread, cocktails and sugar drinks.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I started doing this years ago and never really gave it much thought or credit as it seemed somewhat obvious to me. Basically I don't buy any junk food from the grocery store. This way I don't have it around when I'm feeling snacky. "Junk" is up for debate of course but basically I don't buy anything that can be easily consumed on it's own that has a poor protein/fat/carb ratio. There's a least one point every evening that I get a snack craving and if I had junk around I'd probably eat it! Thankfully I'm far too lazy to go to the store to satisfy my craving so I end up making something simple and healthy instead.

    What's your best tip?

    The same as you and for the same reason. I'm too lazy to go get it if it's not there.
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    No fast food, ever, no way, no how.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    Setting a goal of a MINIMUM of 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day, with an ideal target of 9 - 10 has really made me rethink both meal planning and snacks.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
    No more grabbing random high-calorie snacks everywhere I went, Starbucks, drug store, gas station, grocery store - I was always getting something to mindlessly munch on in the car. Not coincidentally, I don't go to those places near as much as I used to. I guess subconsciously it was the snacks that I was really after.
  • 3furballs
    3furballs Posts: 476 Member
    Switched to crockpot oatmeal for breakfast instead of high protein processed cereal, stick to salads at lunch, make sure half my dinner plate is veggies and cut out my beloved mint chocolate chip frozen yogurt and replaced it with fat free Greek yogurt and honey or berries.
  • lintino
    lintino Posts: 526 Member
    Weighing and measuring my food. I have to relearn proper portion sizes.
  • NCchar130
    NCchar130 Posts: 955 Member
    #1 thing is to eat less :wink:

    After that, I'd say the big reduction in caffeine. I like my caffeine sweet and I'd rather go without than drink coffee black. So the only way to make the calorie-reduction work was to cut my intake by about 75%. Best thing ever - besides getting to eat more, I sleep much better, no more heart palpitations, and fewer muscle twitches.
  • atrebor18
    atrebor18 Posts: 235 Member
    I completely quit drinking pop and slurpees! Once in a great blue moon I'll have a little diet ginger ale but thats it and I use to drink regular mountain dew and pepsi daily for years!
  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
    Going vegan.

    I didn't do it for health reasons, but it gave me a huge kick in the *kitten* and forced me to confront my relationship with food and with my own body.
  • Clement1ne
    Clement1ne Posts: 82
    WOW, what a great question!

    For me it was giving up a full bagel with a generous portion of regular cream cheese EVERY MORNING > Yes, pretty much every morning.

    I replaced that with an Oikos 0% or 2% Greek Yogurt, 1/3 cups oatmeal, or 1/2 cup whole grain cereal of some kind, and fruit.

    Emmalee :smile:
  • kelfran1
    kelfran1 Posts: 1,213 Member
    This will sound weird, but I started eating.

    I used to work 12 hours days, 7 days a week and would have coffee in the morning, no lunch (didn't get a break) and then the first thing I actually ate every day was dinner at around 10pm. I do believe the work hours, coupled with lack of breaks and me not even eating breakfast was going to kill me. And I mean literally.

    So I quit that and now I eat at least breakfast or lunch every day. (I know it isn't perfect, but I'm making progress.) Most days I do get three meals in and I feel much better than I did in those 'dark years'. I have more energy and I just generally feel like I'm healthier.
  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
    Anyone notice when you stop eating alot of processed sugary stuff, fruit tastes SO MUCH BETTER!? Now if I want something sweet, i eat a banana and Im sassified :)

    The thought that some people don't experience the sweet delicious wonderful awesomeness of fruit deeply saddens me.

    I eat dessert with every meal. I love fruit!! <3<3
  • skywaka
    skywaka Posts: 2 Member
    Nailed it right on the head; don't buy junk food, don't have junk food later when you need a snack. Nicely said, +1 !
  • christa96
    christa96 Posts: 153 Member
    I stopped buying/eating crackers and chips. Salty foods are a weakness for me! Can't have them around! Also, I cut out diet coke! Got to the point I would drink 3 or 4 a day. No more! Maybe 1 every few weeks and it doesn't even taste that good to me anymore.
  • willdob3
    willdob3 Posts: 640 Member
    The biggest and best thing I've done to improve my diet is to eliminate most processed foods. That covers a huge range of things and most of them won't be found in my kitchen. The few exceptions are things like mustard.
  • LindaGTaylor
    LindaGTaylor Posts: 260 Member
    For me it was sugary soda and cut down my portions.

    Logging my meals was a big help in watching my
    portions.
  • paraif
    paraif Posts: 1 Member
    Switched to mostly raw fruits and vegetables. Whether it be in salads, smoothies, home juiced juice, or just straight. It's done more than help me lose weight. I have my energy back, its easier to work out, I have more stamina and I sleep better at night.
  • Scudder76
    Scudder76 Posts: 108 Member
    One of my biggest changes has been a reduction in my alcohol intake, a combination of conscious calorie reduction and just not wanting to drink as much when I'm waking up at 5 for a 70 miles ride.

    It's not even the booze itself that is the caloric killer, it was all the mixers that are sugar bombs.
  • links_slayer
    links_slayer Posts: 1,151 Member
    Eating whatever I want, just eating less of it.
  • charismanoodles
    charismanoodles Posts: 343 Member
    Eating breakfast, I always used to skip it but now that I have protein smoothies for breakfast it helps my energy levels a lot. I guess that would tie into now eating fruit, I used to loathe it but now I have it every day.
  • jazzcat55
    jazzcat55 Posts: 164 Member
    Cut way down on the alcohol. TONS of calories there.
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
    Back around mid October I was nearly out of food in the house. Except for a carton of oatmeal. Well, I didn't want to go out and get groceries right then and there and then come home and make breakfast, so I decided I would eat some oatmeal. It was great. So, I started eating oatmeal for every breakfast except for the time I ran out and I wanted to see how it felt to not have oatmeal. So, I went a couple of days and it wasn't good. So, I don't let myself run out of oatmeal anymore. This summer I will be eating it cold after soaking it in almond milk overnight.

    A lot of things started happening after I made that change and things are still in progress so to speak. At that point I hadn't eaten meat for about 10 month's, but shortly after that I quit eating eggs. Then a couple month's later I quit eating dairy as well. I can't handle having as much sodium as I used to either and I really love salt. Food in general just tastes better. I have recently and this is just in the last week or so fallen back in love with grapefruit. I make a lot more food from scratch. I don't eat out very much anymore, besides it's hard to find vegan options on most menus anyway. I never liked junk food much anyway so maybe that is part of the reason I don't crave it, but now it's gone beyond I don't care for it to it sort of makes me ill to look at it. So, I am not even tempted to buy it when I go shopping.

    I can't say how much weight I have lost since October because I didn't weigh myself at that point. I wasn't trying to lose weight or anything. I was just too lazy to go buy what I normally would have had for breakfast. But, after a month I noticed my tops were looser of all things, so then I tried on a pair of pants I couldn't wear the month before and they fit, yippee. I still don't have a scale. So, I put my starting weight at what it was when I went to the doctor's office recently. But, I was really much heavier than that, I just don't know if it was 20 lbs or even as much as 30 lbs.
  • LauriePar
    LauriePar Posts: 257 Member
    I gave up sweet n low. I used to put it in my tea, on my cereal, on my fruit-- it was even in my diet coke. I gave it all up-- I now have my tea plain-- giving up diet coke was not as hard as I thought it would! Also-- I eat way less now!
  • CatAngelIsMe
    CatAngelIsMe Posts: 2
    Stop snacking between meals times or when I'm bored.
  • drefaw
    drefaw Posts: 739
    I cut out the 6 Mt Dew's a day, and reduced portion sizes ...started counting calories ....
  • Thewatcher_66
    Thewatcher_66 Posts: 1,643 Member
    I started doing this years ago and never really gave it much thought or credit as it seemed somewhat obvious to me. Basically I don't buy any junk food from the grocery store. This way I don't have it around when I'm feeling snacky. "Junk" is up for debate of course but basically I don't buy anything that can be easily consumed on it's own that has a poor protein/fat/carb ratio. There's a least one point every evening that I get a snack craving and if I had junk around I'd probably eat it! Thankfully I'm far too lazy to go to the store to satisfy my craving so I end up making something simple and healthy instead.

    What's your best tip?

    3 things:

    1) I learned how to cook which meant that I no longer was dependent on restaurant or fast food high in preservatives, saturated fats, etc.
    2) A shift from a meat/protein rich diet to a more complex carb diet. I eat 3 servings of fruit per day and one serving of meat, either chicken or fish, per day.
    3) Last but not least. Started counting my calories. This was huge.
  • kistockman
    kistockman Posts: 80 Member
    Enjoying food by cooking and trying new healthy foods and recipes all of the time. Staying engaged with the food I eat, which includes tracking my food is the one thing that keeps my weight maintained.
  • Hi_Im_Jess
    Hi_Im_Jess Posts: 347 Member
    I bring my lunch to work. I pack up healthy stuff and actually look forward to it. If I'm left to decide on where to get lunch, I always end up regretting my decision because I pick something bad when Im in a rush.
  • NikoM5
    NikoM5 Posts: 488 Member
    Awesome guys. Looks like cutting out crap is the most popular choice! Just last night I had the munchies and would have destroyed a large bag of chips if they were around. Had to "settle" for yoghurt and hemp hearts plus a protein shake ;)

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