My former diet - no wonder I gained weight

Wookinpanub
Wookinpanub Posts: 635 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Looking back, my eating habits were disgusting and now I have to pay the consequence and have an uphill long battle.

Breakfast - typically 2 bowls of cereal - one semi healthy and one sugar (lucky charms, fruity peebles, captain crunch), sometimes 3 bowls, sometimes 1 bowl of cereal + eggs/toast or + pancakes/French toast.

Lunch - heavy carbs focused - subs, chipotle, other white rice dishes, pizza, burgers. 2 diet sodas

Afternoon snack - large cookie or candy with a diet soda. Throw in other random candy/snack around the office.

Dinner - ate late 730-830 - pastas or other meat and potato dishes. Ice cream or other dessert.

Replies

  • DirrtyH
    DirrtyH Posts: 664 Member
    There's nothing really wrong with any of those foods, it's just a matter of portion control. You can do it! I recommend not restricting yourself too much or it will be difficult to maintain over the long haul.
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    You gained weight because you ate too many calories. You can still have all of the items you listed, you will have to eat less of it. Also, having dinner late is not a big deal (unless you have some type of physical reason, such as eating later makes it more difficult to sleep). Meal timing is personal preference.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    Sounds delicious.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    While it's true what others say, you can still eat all of the foods just in different portions etc...I see what you're saying too, OP.

    I don't think I ever ate all that terribly. I just made some choices that could have been WAY better, or paired things together that really shouldn't have been. Went out for dinner and lunch and even breakfast, WAY WAY WAY too often! In my mind, breakfast from a fast food place was pretty much = to breakfast at IHOP = breakfast at home. I thought I "ate healthy" by choosing an omelet over pancakes and skipping appetizers at Pizza Hut. I really couldn't differentiate between all of the options very much.

    Even when eating at home, I cooked with a lot of unnecessary butter and added about twice the amount of cheese that is really necessary when I made pizza, lasagna, Tex Mex dishes, etc.

    My biggest change is probably the drinks I have. I used to have a mocha or latte from Starbucks (to the tune of about 400 cal) several days per week. I never really drank water, but instead I had a cup of coffee in the morning and 2-3 diet colas later. I still drink coffee and the occasional diet soda, but I think I was very dehydrated for YEARS. I was usually around 270 lb and drinking just 24-40 oz of liquid in a day...not a great idea!!
  • Wookinpanub
    Wookinpanub Posts: 635 Member
    There's nothing really wrong with any of those foods, it's just a matter of portion control. You can do it! I recommend not restricting yourself too much or it will be difficult to maintain over the long haul.

    I didn't have portion control - 3 bowls of sugar cereal - I mean that was ludicrous. I also ate a ton at dinner and finished the kids food on occasion. I wish I would have controlled my eating years ago.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    If you have the will power to stop eating those types of food and exercise better portion control then a calorie counting diet may be best suited.

    However if you struggle with stopping eating when your full and snack a lot you could look at a Low Carb, High Fat diet - it may control your eating habits.

    It's not for everyone, but for those that can transition into it effectively you can cut back on the amount you eat and not have to deal with carb craving as often (that's if you do at the moment).
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    You sound a lot like me, two years ago. Once I started counting calories, my reaction wasn't "Why am I fat?" I knew I ate too much. My reaction was "Why aren't I fatter?" Finishing the kids' plates, road burgers on the way home from work, second breakfasts, etc., all were standard practice.

    I found that my weight dropped fairly quickly once I started tracking. I was able to eat what I wanted, just not as much as I wanted. And now I find that I'm usually satisfied with a lot less than I used to be. Here's hoping it goes well for you too.

    Love the username BTW.
  • aubyshortcake
    aubyshortcake Posts: 796 Member
    When I was done with a bown of cereal I used to keep refilling it until all the milk was gone. That could be 3 or more times.. oopsy :x
  • shellbatronic
    shellbatronic Posts: 193
    Man I hear ya. I look back at the way I used to be and am just wanting to smack myself. Like, a half a pound of spaghetti and a jar of sauce all by myself, going through the drive through and getting a value meal (Biggie sized of course) plus extra nuggets with regular soda, so so so so many bags of chips. Ugh. And the more crap I ate the more I craved it. Blugh. Well, we move onward and upward, as they say!

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