Diets=fail for me

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kleis3
kleis3 Posts: 7
in Food and Nutrition
Hello All! So I do pretty well with exercise and enjoy working out but when it comes to diets, I completely fail at them. I know in order to become a healthier me I need to include a better diet for myself on top of working out. Plus I know it will keep the weight off that I lose. Any suggestions on where to start or what to do???

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  • Torgrills
    Torgrills Posts: 103 Member
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    The best advice I can give you from my perspective is to stop calling it a diet. A diet implies something temporary, whereas making your food consumption a way of life gives you a better opportunity to create long term, lasting habits. :) When I approach eating as a diet, I fail miserably because I tell myself I "can't" have "bad" foods. As long as you stay within your calorie range and make good nutrition a priority, there's no reason you can't include an occasional treat. Shoot, I made myself a homemade peanut butter cup yesterday as a treat and it was aaaah-maaaazing!!! :D
  • kleis3
    kleis3 Posts: 7
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    The best advice I can give you from my perspective is to stop calling it a diet. A diet implies something temporary, whereas making your food consumption a way of life gives you a better opportunity to create long term, lasting habits. :) When I approach eating as a diet, I fail miserably because I tell myself I "can't" have "bad" foods. As long as you stay within your calorie range and make good nutrition a priority, there's no reason you can't include an occasional treat. Shoot, I made myself a homemade peanut butter cup yesterday as a treat and it was aaaah-maaaazing!!! :D

    Thank you so much. I've never really thought to not call it a diet. But what you are saying is exactly true. I guess I need to change my way of thinking as well :-)
  • mjrkearney
    mjrkearney Posts: 408 Member
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    The first step is to stop calling it a diet. You go on a diet to pick up a date at your cousin's wedding. You don't go on a diet to change your life.

    The first thing you probably want to do is look at your eating. Are you getting enough fruits and vegetables? Are you getting too much sodium and fat? How much is a serving to you vs according to the container?

    Before I started all of this, I remember coming home from a hardcore workout and sitting down to a half pound of chicken alfredo or an entire pizza. You can work your butt off but if you're still out-eating your body, you won't get anywhere.

    I'd recommend starting out small if you don't think you can handle an overhaul yet. Have a small salad or a glass of water before dinner and stop eating before you feel full. Get rid of the pop and the cookies and the chips and try to find healthier snacks that work for you.

    Finally, don't give up. Nothing good is ever achieved without effort. Good luck!
  • kleis3
    kleis3 Posts: 7
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    Thank you so much for your perspective :-) Giving up is definitely not an option anymore :-)
  • NatashaShen
    NatashaShen Posts: 295 Member
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    Carrot sticks dipped in thousand island dressing! I don't diet, I just changed how I eat. I still eat burgers and lasagna just not everyday.

    Edit: Sorry I'm not much help, i've had a goofy day. But just take what you already eat and tweak it. Make it a 'healthy version'. Thats kinda what i've done with some things.
  • obsidianwings
    obsidianwings Posts: 1,237 Member
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    Yeah, don't diet, change your lifestyle. Also don't deprive yourself, thats when you will end up giving in, you can have what you want, just fit it into your calorie goals.
  • LittleMiss_WillLoseIt
    LittleMiss_WillLoseIt Posts: 1,373 Member
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    Ditto to everyone else. Diet equals a short term way of eating, but changing your whole lifestyle that is for the rest of your life. Just evaluate what you are eating....if you need any tips just message me. ;)
  • _Wits_
    _Wits_ Posts: 1,286 Member
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    I agree with everyone else...tackle the worst habits one by one. You want to make a permanent change, not a temporary change that will give you temporary results.

    My biggest life changer was understandig nothing was off limits, but I had to find balance. If I want some icecream, I have it on a day where my food choices were low cal or I had exercise cals to eat. Once a week or so is enjoyable...more than that was me eating out of bad habit or boredom.

    I figured out which time of the day I was most hungry. I realized I didn't always need breakfast, so majority of my calories I try to use for lunch and dinner.

    Another huge thing is planning. I am able to stick to something if it is already decided...so I plan my meals and snacks as much as possible. I also do a lot of prepping. I don't have to think much at all to pack my lunch bag whether I'm working one job or both in the day.

    Hope that helps get your mind thinking of things you can do that will help you change your eating. Good luck!

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