Terrible Eatting Habits Advice On How To Fix Them

Raven2evil

Okay so this story goes back to my childhood actually from pretty much age 3. Yes since age three my eating habits have pretty much been the same. My mother was always working and my dad a disabled veteran was usually to sick to cook. So who had to learn how to cook. Me! Guess what most 3 year old know how to make. Sandwiches, frozen meals, and pastas. So guess what my current diet looks like. Lots of pasta, cheese, potatoes, anything frozen and easy to make, and time to time sandwiches. Oh I can't omit the amount of soda and juices I drink and that the only sweets I like are super sweets (ex: Candy). So to say the least I need a lot of help. I am learning how to cook but usually I just don't. Luckily I live with my boyfriend and his family. Why is that good? His dads diabetic so at least for dinner I usually eat a balanced meal but that's about it. Also I have an unnatural addiction to pot stickers now a days. Also I have issues with depression that go kind of both ways. Sometimes I won't eat much in a day about one meal and the next day it seems i don't stop eating or worse sometimes I won't eat much for like a week or i'll eat to much for a week. So I also battle that from time to time. But yeah this is about where I'm at. I don't want to diet because I know it'd be such a dramatic change that I would quit really quickly so how do I start fixing the problem of my eating habits that I've had for about 12 years now.

MorgueBabe

I kind of read this as you want advice; but you don't want to diet, or change, or drink less soda or juice?

Raven2evil

I just don't want to "diet" meaning the fad diets of you can only eat this or that I don't want to just jump into water and expect that i'll be able to swim in it. Have to easy into it.

majope

You can learn to cook healthier. One good place to start: eatingwell.com They have lots of good, healthy recipes and most are pretty easy to make. My family loves their beef and bean chile verde, and their creamy Cajun pasta.

ShreddedTweet

I kind of read this as you want advice; but you don't want to diet, or change, or drink less soda or juice?

Yep, I read it like this too. Start at the start, knock the soda on the head. Do that, commit to it, stick with it. Once you've gone through that cold turkey ditch the sweets. If you change these two things you'll most likely have lost some weight already by the time you start addressing your other food issues and maybe that will help encourage you to stick with it.
On the other hand, you will see no results if you choose not to change, this is all up to you.

MorgueBabe

I just don't want to "diet" meaning the fad diets of you can only eat this or that I don't want to just jump into water and expect that i'll be able to swim in it. Have to easy into it.

Ah OK.
Here is a good place to start - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

You need to change your eating habits if you want to lose weight. You're going to have to cut foods out; or at least eat them in smaller portions and frequency than you are used to.
Start moving, start slow maybe a walk around the block after dinner with everyone? I have dogs so even I don't exercise I HAVE to walk.
I can't offer advice because I can't see your food diary. But, start counting your calories.

Raven2evil

My biggest problem is what should I replace soda with besides normal water. That I fully understand I need more of and have slowly started trying to drink at least 1-2 cups of water a day. Which is a step up from the 0 i was drinking. I mean I like the sugarless carbonated water but they haveaspartame which I've been told is worse than sugar.

MorgueBabe

I never know what to say; I like water. I don't like sugar or carbonation.
Try adding some cucumber or fruit slices to the water, or drinking plain seltzer?

If you just cut out the sweets and soda, you'll see a difference.


Are you logging now? How many calories a day are drinking that are empty calories (soda)

SarahDavs

Maybe try replacing full calories drinks with diet drinks for starters? I know I lost a lot just from cutting out the full calorie drinks from my diet. Now I drink 0 to 10 calorie sodas, crystal lite... there's a huge variety of 0 calorie drinks to choose from. I kind of did that with food too, I went from regular bread to Sara Lee's 45 calorie wheat bread, regular mayo to low fat, lean meats without the skin etc. It takes about a week or two to get used to the lower calorie alternatives, but if you keep track here on MFP you will see what a difference it makes.

ETA: I know, a lot of people are up in arms about sugar substitutes. But I'm just trying to lose weight in a way that works for me. If that means having a little aspartame in my 0 calorie soda rather then about 100 calories in 8 oz of soda, so be it.

Raven2evil

I haven't been logging recently but so far today i've had three cans of coke so 140x3=420

MorgueBabe

I haven't been logging recently but so far today i've had three cans of coke so 140x3=420

How many calories are you supposed to eat in a day? Are you hitting all your macro goals?
That seems like an awful lot of calories to spend on something everyday with zero benefit.

Skrib69

I just don't want to "diet" meaning the fad diets of you can only eat this or that I don't want to just jump into water and expect that i'll be able to swim in it. Have to easy into it.

Ah OK.
Here is a good place to start - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

You need to change your eating habits if you want to lose weight. You're going to have to cut foods out; or at least eat them in smaller portions and frequency than you are used to.
Start moving, start slow maybe a walk around the block after dinner with everyone? I have dogs so even I don't exercise I HAVE to walk.
I can't offer advice because I can't see your food diary. But, start counting your calories.

This is good, but could be a bit over complicated with your other issues. There is nothing wrong with using MFP as it was designed. Compete your profile, set your target loss at 1lb per week and log EVERYTHING to count the calories.

As far as your diet is concerned (and by that I mean what you eat, not the process of losing weight) take everything one step at a time. If you want o tackle the soda first, then fine. If you want to tackle the candy first then that is also fine - it's your choice after all! Think in terms of bay steps and experiment to find out what works for you. For example, I never drink enough water, but I do drink a reasonable amount of tea interspersed with low cal sodas. I love cheese, but limit myself to only having 1 type, maybe 2, in the fridge at any time and weigh out how much I am having. Then it goes back in the fridge so I don't try and have more. If. Want a burger, I have a burger that I know will fit in my calorie budget.

I find it helps to think in terms of changing habits rather than being 'on a diet', and only changing one habit at a time. Learning to cook is part of that process and is fun!

I will be interested o hear how you get on!

Raven2evil

See I haven't been doing much on the site and well I want to fix that so this is more about trying to find a starting point. I have still been losing a little bit of weight but not enough to really count. I have lost like 8 inches before even with my terrible diet but I was much more active and theres really no way for me to get that active again so I want to fix both. I'm aware its a lot of calories normally I don't think about it. In the past i've had as much as 2 two liters of soda a day or half a 12 pack of cans. And I realize how terrible that is for me and that if i'm not careful I could end up with diabetes. So this is kind of a thing of I need to be healthier overall and figure out a way to retrain my body to eat better. With this I'll be trying a few different work out programs to see what fits me and since summer here and i love the water i'll be making it a goal to go to the pool at least once to twice a week. I know there isn't really a how to guide on this stuff sadly you just gotta kind of suck it up and do it. But I'm turning 21 in a week. I want to be healthier and i want my body to match the self-confidence i'm finally building up.
I'm supposed to have 1340 calories a day.

MorgueBabe

I find it helps to think in terms of changing habits rather than being 'on a diet', and only changing one habit at a time. Learning to cook is part of that process and is fun!

I will be interested o hear how you get on!

This.

I like to think of it as a lifestyle change. Maybe you aren't on a diet pre-say in the terms of Atkins or South Beach (or I dunno whatever else is out there), but you make healthier lifestyle changes. Remember you can always eat what you want, just maybe in a smaller portion.

Get used to measuring out your food. And yes make baby step changes if that works for you better. I find I do better if I jump cold turkey ****s to the wall.

Raven2evil

I find it helps to think in terms of changing habits rather than being 'on a diet', and only changing one habit at a time. Learning to cook is part of that process and is fun!

I will be interested o hear how you get on!

This.

I like to think of it as a lifestyle change. Maybe you aren't on a diet pre-say in the terms of Atkins or South Beach (or I dunno whatever else is out there), but you make healthier lifestyle changes. Remember you can always eat what you want, just maybe in a smaller portion.

Get used to measuring out your food. And yes make baby step changes if that works for you better. I find I do better if I jump cold turkey ****s to the wall.

I'm a little scared to try cold turkey but I mean if I find going slow doesn't work I might just take the chance and jump in head first.

MorgueBabe

I find it helps to think in terms of changing habits rather than being 'on a diet', and only changing one habit at a time. Learning to cook is part of that process and is fun!

I will be interested o hear how you get on!

This.

I like to think of it as a lifestyle change. Maybe you aren't on a diet pre-say in the terms of Atkins or South Beach (or I dunno whatever else is out there), but you make healthier lifestyle changes. Remember you can always eat what you want, just maybe in a smaller portion.

Get used to measuring out your food. And yes make baby step changes if that works for you better. I find I do better if I jump cold turkey ****s to the wall.

I'm a little scared to try cold turkey but I mean if I find going slow doesn't work I might just take the chance and jump in head first.

Right, so maybe start slow, allow your self 1 full calorie soda a day? That's about 10% of your daily calories. Do you like plain brewed tea? You could try that? See soda and sweets aren't my vice, salt and crunchy things are. ;-) But yeah the best thing you can do is just start logging your food, log every single bite you put in your mouth. Be honest about it. Weigh and Measure everything.

I'm glad your getting confidence!

Raven2evil

I love teas some I prefer lots of sugar in some i prefer plain so I'll probably go out and find some of my favorite plain teas and switch to those and some of the natural fruit juices as well as more water as a start. My biggest concern is my sugar intake (especially since carbs, pastas, are essentially sugar) so if I can drop down the sugar i take in by sodas and calories then that's a start for me.

MorgueBabe

That's all it takes just a start.
:-)

You can do this.

This place is great for finding positive people to help you. I can't stress how important it is to log, and least have it so your friends can see it... so you have accountability.

chubbybunnee

Do you like Almond Milk? Soy milk? Those are good low cal alternatives to sugary drinks and are way better than pop or soda. There is also low calorie minute maid and orange juice, but those probably have the artificial sweetener like you were saying about flavored water. It all comes down to just having to deal with water. You could also try eating watermelon. It tastes better and you can get hydration from that as well

Francl27

Try seltzer with a bit of juice in it or something... Still not as good as water for you but it's more refreshing so it's a good way to knock off the habit (it's how I did it).

But frankly just counting calories is the best way to do it IMO.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

My biggest problem is what should I replace soda with besides normal water. That I fully understand I need more of and have slowly started trying to drink at least 1-2 cups of water a day. Which is a step up from the 0 i was drinking. I mean I like the sugarless carbonated water but they haveaspartame which I've been told is worse than sugar.

Lol wut?

Nah, diet soda/flavored water/zero calorie drinks/etc. are fine. I use splenda and/or drink a diet soda or two just about every day. I've lost weight, gained muscle, and haven't had any adverse effects. Try using those water flavor drops like mio (but not mio 'cause mio kinda sucks).