Struggling to eat clean

I eat as clean as I can, but I didn't start doing that until I had hit my goal weight. I'm not saying YOU need to wait until then, but if you're struggling to do it, I would stick with moderation first. Focus on portion control and calories consumed. Watch your sugar intake and make sure you are getting most of your diet from lean proteins and healthy carbohydrates. Eating clean can be a challenge if you haven't mastered the self-control part of healthy living! I say this from experience.

Focus on making healthy choices and always trying to make better decisions today over what you did yesterday. For example, if you had a big portion of fried chicken, substitute grilled chicken the next time. Just a thought. You can do this! You have to learn to tell yourself no and live with being uncomfortable. Totally possible.

My comfort food is homemade veggie soup....very low calorie, quick to make, very filling and healthier alternative. You mentioned gorging...if you want that full feeling, this soup will do it for you. Boil 3 to 4 cups water, add a tsp. Better than Bouillon Beef, add chopped cabbage, onion, dried veggie flakes (or whatever fresh veggies you have) and 1 can diced tomatoes, I add bay leaf and season to taste. This is my go-to meal when I feel stressed...it has saved my "diet" many times! :flowerforyou:

Wow this is exactly how I've been feeling lately. I run too, and I like to consider myself as someone who tries thier best to eat healthy with some treats now and then, but this last month has been HORRIBLE. I struggle sooo much with moderation as well, to the point of embarassment like if everyone eats one cinnamon bun and is satisfied I'll eat three and still be wishing I could have another. All or nothing.... if I open a bag of chips, consider the whole bag gone. So frustrating!!!! Then the feeling afterwards to being so overly full of sugar. Sore teeth, sometimes headache, difficulty sleeping..... drives me insane. Lost like 15 pounds in ~five months but then gained it all back in less than one

I think everyone's different so one thing may not work for everyone, but I've been thinking of cutting out extra sugar (each defines this differently) altogether, simply because I can't seem to control how much I consume of it.

I would say add me for encouragement but I'm not sure how much I can help. Just wanted to say I can totally relate.

Story of my life. Having food around makes me want to eat.

Do you like hummus? It's not the healthiest thing in and of itself, but at least it's got some protein, and enough sodium to give you that 'junk food' kick. It might be a decent gateway drug to healthier stressfoods.

I would recommend pre plan out an ideal menu for just one day and stick to it.

You will feel so proud of yourself.

Repeat!

I wrote this for someone else's thread, but i think it would work for you too:

Your body has a set of requirements. It needs water, the proper amount of electrolytes, vitamins and minerals, and a level of nutrient that allows it to break down, rebuild, and repair itself. Getting this balance right means being very aware of your body.

It is very important that you eat the right amount of food for your body to maintain itself.

I don't believe in getting my needed nutrients from pills, so this may seem like a radical idea to some: try getting your nutrition from your food. And not just any food either; you want to look for the best stuff, because this is your body you're caring for, and who wouldn't want the best for their body?

Eat more vegetables and fruit. Look for organic brands, or shop from farmers markets. The fresher the better. If you have the time, try growing your own. The quality of home grown vegetables is very noticeable, in flavor and nutrient content.

Buy grass-fed/pasture raised meats, wild caught fish, and free range chicken/eggs. Do not be afraid to eat the fat, and don't leave out the egg yolks: they have the most basic nutrients your body needs. Avoid farmed fish, for they are fed many antibiotics and colorants. Avoid barn-laid, cage-free, and cage eggs, and do not eat grain fed meat or factory raised meat. If feasible, try to locate a farmer or a co-op that can provide you these things.

Buy grass-fed butter, whole, UN-homogenized milk (or raw if you can get it), use clean animal fats (pork lard, duck fat, beef or lamb tallow) or cold-pressed coconut oil for cooking, and extra virgin olive oil for cold dishes. Do not use hydrogenated oils, margarine, blended butters, vegetable oil, or anything with trans fats. Do not use milk powders, or drink ultra-pasteurized or UHT milks (they are over cooked, with damaged proteins and fats, and are from much lower quality milk overall). Do not drink skim milk: there is hardly anything useful left in it for you, and they use titanium dioxide to make it white (without the pigment, the skim milk would be bluish in color).

Enjoy nuts, seeds, avocados, naturally fermented foods (such as sauerkraut, beet kvass, kimchi, etc) to encourage good gut bacteria. Use home made yogurt and kefir. Use raw honey and pure maple syrup.

Try to avoid things with ingredients lists. Avoid refined sugar and flours, and anything that says "enriched", "fortified", "with _____ added", anything insisting it's "healthy", "low fat", "no fat", "low carb", "low sugar", "sugar-free", "lean" or "skinny". Avoid the majority of wheat, avoid soy at all costs, avoid corn (aside, perhaps, from a bit of fresh, organic sweet corn) and all of it's derivatives. (Cutting out processed foods, breads, etc will help knock a lot of these out of the game.) Avoid soda pop and most juices.

Remove all GMOs from your diet. They raise the risk of cancer and food allergies, are soaked with pesticides and herbicides, they destroy the environment, plant and animal life, and are run by morally corrupt companies who have their fingers in many pies.

Get plenty of sunshine. If you live in a place with a short winter day (as I do) you may use fermented cod liver oil to supplement yourself until summer rolls around. You need the Vitamin D. (If you want to know what your Vit D levels look like, they can run a blood test for it.)

Drink plenty of water. It's what allows your body to function at it's best. It helps with the transfer of nutrients, it keeps your blood flowing, and assist in the removal of toxins from your tissues. Don't drink too much on hot days, though, as that may dilute your electrolyte balance. If drinking a lot on hot days, have something with a little sea salt added, like broth, or look up a recipe for a natural electrolyte drink.

Listen to your body. Are you hungry? Feed it a meal, or a snack. Eat several small meals through the day and keep whole, healthy foods on hand. Cook more meals from scratch. Do you wake up feeling hungry in the middle of the night? You might be thirsty. Keep a glass of water by the bed. Do you feel tired or restless or unsettled during the day? Go for a walk/run to wake your body up and get its cells and fluids moving, and to help aid digestion and sleep. Get at least 6 or 7 hours of sleep at night. Find a hobby that you like doing. Please your mind with reading or craft projects, or gardening.

I like to call this common sense living. If you can do these things, you're well on your way to good health, both physical and mental.

Remember: You are beautiful and so is your body. It doesn't matter what others think. Your body is a finely tuned machine, and it knows exactly what it needs, so do your best to give it the best.

Try replacing the soda with drink mix packets? They work wonders, but they're not carbinated like soda..

and I don't like seltzer water and a drink mix packet would taste so good, lol, but stay open minded? :happy:

My downfall is dessert. I get Cookiehead Sprouted Grain Mini Brownies (very moist and chocolaty) and I keep them in the freezer. Each morning I take out one to thaw and eat after dinner.