what have you given up and what have you added

245

Replies

  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    I haven't given up anything. I've added Greek yogurt for the protein but more importantly because I like it (with honey or some other sweetener usually).
  • greentart
    greentart Posts: 411 Member
    Given up indefinitely:
    Soda (diet or regular). Wasn't hard for me and have no need for it.
    Yolks. I'm actually fine eating scramble of egg whites, and don't miss the yolks.
    Fast food. I never ate a lot of it to begin with and would be perfectly fine not eating it again.

    Given up temporarily:
    Alcohol. Will drink again, in moderation, hopefully some time.
    Pasta. Temporarily given up, will eat it again.
    Bread. I can't control myself around white bread, pizza etc. so for now it's gone.

    Added:
    Sweet potatoes
    Grapefruit
    Always liked smoked salmon, but now I eat a lot more


    Why would you give up egg yolks? That's where all the protein is!!
  • sweet2def
    sweet2def Posts: 52 Member
    I have given up all white carbs and milk in place of low carb alternatives to rice and pasta that we have here in the UK, meaning I can pile my plate with more green veggies and lean meats.

    I have more complex carbs wherever I can
  • Meerataila
    Meerataila Posts: 1,885 Member
    All my changes are planned to be permanent ones. I don't really feel like I have given anything up completely, but just switched over and started to prefer different things in some cases.

    I really do not ever eat pretzels, potato chips, crackers, or packaged cookies. I can't pace myself with cookies and I've never cared for those other salty snacks much so I just don't eat them now.

    I used to love ranch dressing, honey mustard dressing, sweet n sour/Polynesian dipping sauce, and mayo. A lot. Like I would eat whatever they were served with (Chick Fil A for example) primarily to taste those condiments. I rarely if ever have any of those (minus mayo which I just eat less of now). Instead I dress up my food with spicy mustard, pickled ginger, kim chi, tomato relish, and/or fresh herbs. I have come to prefer these and they have far less calories.

    I eat a lot more vegetables than I used to, especially different types of greens. I have started to develop more of a taste for veggies I didn't like in the past such as tomatoes, eggplant, and cauliflower. I drink a LOT more water and less diet soda. Although I still have about 3-4 cans of diet soda per week. At one point I cut it out totally for almost 3 months (after a scaled down 1-per-day habit for a year) and I noticed that I had a lot more problems with constipation. That stopped when I reincorporated diet soda 3-4 times a week. I know a lot of people think it's the devil but I am all for whatever works for me!
    In addition to having eggs for breakfast regularly, I actually crave eggs a lot and they are often my pick when I "could" eat anything I wanted due to a calorie surplus. Also nuts (portions that have been measured carefully of course).

    Just a tip if you decide to quit soda again and you aren't a coffee drinker, black coffee is also an excellent cure for what clogs you.
  • accelerashawn
    accelerashawn Posts: 470 Member
    I don't do sodas, fast foods, processed foods, sugary juices, simple carbs, or beer nearly as often as I used to. All of it is counter productive when my goal is to be healthy and fit. I don't deprive myself if I want something though.

    I probably eat more veggies and lean meats than before. I also added green tea extract, BCAAs, and a joint supplement.

    Sure i could stay this way forever. Like i said, if i want something, i'll eat or drink it...but now that I know how unhelpful certain things are, my level of 'want' towards the bad things is quite low.
  • greentart
    greentart Posts: 411 Member
    I would say that I haven't given up anything.
    I've drastically reduced almost to non-consumption: fast food and soda.
    I've greatly reduced: pasta, bread, processed foods, sugar, dairy, and alcohol.
    I've added: greek yogurt, more and varied veggies, healthier proteins, more fruits, and exercise.

    If I eliminate something from my diet, that's unrealistic for the long term. I don't want to be one of those people who lose weight, only to gain it back over 5 years because they couldn't maintain their habits.
  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
    Given up indefinitely:
    Soda (diet or regular). Wasn't hard for me and have no need for it.
    Yolks. I'm actually fine eating scramble of egg whites, and don't miss the yolks.
    Fast food. I never ate a lot of it to begin with and would be perfectly fine not eating it again.

    Given up temporarily:
    Alcohol. Will drink again, in moderation, hopefully some time.
    Pasta. Temporarily given up, will eat it again.
    Bread. I can't control myself around white bread, pizza etc. so for now it's gone.

    Added:
    Sweet potatoes
    Grapefruit
    Always liked smoked salmon, but now I eat a lot more


    Why would you give up egg yolks? That's where all the protein is!!

    And calories. There is less protein in egg whites but still some. I find I'm just as full on three egg whites as I am on three whole eggs, but at much less calories.
  • JustSomeEm
    JustSomeEm Posts: 20,194 MFP Moderator
    I've given up sugar in my coffee on most days, but sometimes I add a little... and it doesn't taste anywhere near as good as it used to. Mostly, nothing has been given up. I just have much less of it than I used to, and often prefer the lower calorie alternatives. Ranch dressing? YUM! But have you ever had steak on a salad with no dressing? Totally amazing.

    I've added running and moving more instead of surfing the web or watching TV while I snacked. And I feel great. I love the way I feel nowadays at a much more healthy weight. :)
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    I've given up: willful ignorance of the lifestyle I was living (too much in, not enough out)

    I've added: personal responsibility and a positive attitude toward eating and exercise (i.e. eating = fuel, exercise = fun and healthy)
  • str8bowbabe
    str8bowbabe Posts: 712 Member
    dt dew...yes I miss it sometimes and I do drink it occasionally now but feel sooooooo much better without soft drinks!
  • Samstan101
    Samstan101 Posts: 699 Member
    I've given up nothing but drastically reduced the amount of fast & processed food plus mindless/ emotional snacking as well as learning moderation.

    Added exercise - lots of exercise. My name is Sam and I am a running addict!
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    Haven't given anything up, just change the amount I eat and what I have added is I move more and pick up heavy things!!! :wink:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I haven't given up any foods, but there are many foods I limit. These are for health reasons rather than weight reasons, though, so I don't plan to change.

    Some I limit to rarely/never eaten, others to occasionally - cake, fatty meats, low fiber baked goods, fast food, pre-made meals/food, partially hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, soda, fruit juice, ...

    Others I limit by the amount I eat in a day, rather than how often - dairy/beef fat, added sugar, salt, saturated fat, ...

    What I gave up was being lazy. And while I do miss it, I hope never to go back to it.
  • PrincessPoquilaPie
    PrincessPoquilaPie Posts: 16 Member
    I will never cut anything completely out. It is perfectly okay to indulge yourself in moderation. Restricting yourself is only going to make it harder.

    My lifestyle changes have included cutting soda out of every day life. If I go out with friends or I am at a family member's/friend's house, I might have one glass or can (this is only maybe once per month or so). I simply won't have it in my house because then I will want to drink it all.

    I have also replaced my binge-triggering foods.
    Pizza has been replaced with tuna salad and veggie chips..
    Fried breaded chicken (nuggets, popcorn chicken, tenders, etc) has been replaced with organic coconut crackers.
    Potato chips and dip have been replaced with fruit, usually grapes.

    Other small, but very helpful, changes I have made also include things like
    I replaced my full fat hellman's with low fat or olive oil based hellman's.
    Microwaveable ("easy access") foods are no longer being purchased. Everything is either raw (veggies, fruit, etc) or has to be made from scratch which helps keep my binging at bay since by the time I finish cooking something I no longer have the craving, resulting in it being packaged and either frozen/refrigerated. I try to eat those things before making something new from scratch so that they're less likely to be around when another binge trigger comes along.

    I have also had to start forcing myself to eat more, smaller meals. Instead of 1 or 2 MASSIVE meals, I've worked my way to around 4 small ones with a handful of almonds after dinner.
  • aarnwine2013
    aarnwine2013 Posts: 317 Member
    I've given up being a couch potato and making excuses for why I was fat and out of shape. I've given up the notion that I can't be fit. I've given up the idea that I can't achieve what I want.
  • dawnmcneil10
    dawnmcneil10 Posts: 638 Member
    I had to give up beef not because it's "bad" food but it's bad for me personally, not really much choice here eat beef and be sick or give it up and feel good. It was really a pretty simple decision but it got me to experiment with many "new" foods.
    Other than that I didn't give up anything, mostly I just found I like some things more than others. Fried food just doesn't appeal to me anymore but if I'm in Maine and fried clams are an option you can bet I'm eating a good portion of them and on the flip side to that I'm determined to walk the beach for at least an hour so I guess you could say I found balance too.

    One of my favorite finds is plain greek yogurt, I use it all the time, mix it with salad dressing, use it in place of mayo, sour cream, add a little vanilla flavor and use it in pancakes, eat it with fruit which is another thing I discovered I was never a big fruit eater, turns out I just needed to make the fruit pretty. I now make up fruit salad using fresh fruit and storing it in glass bowls, it makes me happy to eat it.
  • marchellaz
    marchellaz Posts: 70 Member
    milk chocolate for dark chocolate..still must have chocolate.
  • jadamuriel76
    jadamuriel76 Posts: 58 Member
    Gave up - Soda (not easy) and replaced it with water.
    Added - More veggies, fruits and excercise.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    My diet hasn't changed much in quality, really. I have always loved veggies and fruits, greek yogurt, whole wheat bread (many common white breads taste like rubber to me) , beans and everything one would consider "healthy". I rarely had soda, only when I ate at a fast food restaurant once in a blue moon. I'm a very mild drinker, would have a scotch on special occasions a couple of times a year but that's it. So I really didn't need to give up or add anything. I did not do juices often either, water has always been my primary go-to when I'm thirsty.

    My downfall was candies and chips. I could eat 4000 calories of those in one setting. That and the amount of food I consumed was at least 3-4 times the recommended servings. I haven't given anything up, I'm just more aware of how much I can have of anything on any given day.

    The only thing I had to give up and will never be adding back is guilt. When I eat over my calorie budget I just shrug it off and move on. It was the main reason I failed to lose weight in the past no matter how much I tried. Try to be a perfectionist, fail, feel sorry for yourself, give up.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
    All my changes are planned to be permanent ones. I don't really feel like I have given anything up completely, but just switched over and started to prefer different things in some cases.

    I really do not ever eat pretzels, potato chips, crackers, or packaged cookies. I can't pace myself with cookies and I've never cared for those other salty snacks much so I just don't eat them now.

    I used to love ranch dressing, honey mustard dressing, sweet n sour/Polynesian dipping sauce, and mayo. A lot. Like I would eat whatever they were served with (Chick Fil A for example) primarily to taste those condiments. I rarely if ever have any of those (minus mayo which I just eat less of now). Instead I dress up my food with spicy mustard, pickled ginger, kim chi, tomato relish, and/or fresh herbs. I have come to prefer these and they have far less calories.

    I eat a lot more vegetables than I used to, especially different types of greens. I have started to develop more of a taste for veggies I didn't like in the past such as tomatoes, eggplant, and cauliflower. I drink a LOT more water and less diet soda. Although I still have about 3-4 cans of diet soda per week. At one point I cut it out totally for almost 3 months (after a scaled down 1-per-day habit for a year) and I noticed that I had a lot more problems with constipation. That stopped when I reincorporated diet soda 3-4 times a week. I know a lot of people think it's the devil but I am all for whatever works for me!
    In addition to having eggs for breakfast regularly, I actually crave eggs a lot and they are often my pick when I "could" eat anything I wanted due to a calorie surplus. Also nuts (portions that have been measured carefully of course).

    Just a tip if you decide to quit soda again and you aren't a coffee drinker, black coffee is also an excellent cure for what clogs you.

    Thanks! haha I do drink a cup of coffee every morning and yes I agree it helps with regularity too!

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