are you guys really happy with the healthier life style? or how do you keep up?

hwendyh · October 2014

I am one of those "lucky" ones that I never really put on much weight no matter how much I eat. I am always borderline underweight and my bodyfat has been always much lower then average women since I turned into a proper women size which is more then 20 yrs ago ( only hit 125+ early this year because of injury and couldn't move for a while but lost it back very quickly.)
Because of this "luck", I developed a horrible eating habit and pretty much a binge eater. I had ice cream, pizza, burger etc for breakfast, at least one or two cakes/deserts after lunch, few packs of M&M or sometimes 12 subway cookies through the day. For the night, 1 veti chocolate chips Frappuccino was a must and at least 3 times Chinese, indian or pizza take away a week for dinner. I hated fruits and didn't eat vegetables very often either. water was like poison to me. the even more horrible thing is I must finish everything until I couldn't eat anymore ... I can go on even more...

After this injury, I had to start regular exercises and was introduced this healthier life style. and I started logging my foods everyday on myfitnesspal website since around 3 months ago even though many times I didn't actually put everything in because of guilt.
I am now eating healthier foods in a reasonable portion and drinking water almost everyday and only eat my beloved junk foods in my usual big portion when I eat out with friends which is normally no more then twice a week.

I would love to able to keep up and maintain this life style. (I am old enough to understand I might be slim but I might still suffer from obesity diseases. )
but my question is " are you guys really happy with this healthy life style? or you just tell yourselves this to keep up?"

I am very happy with my new gym routine and I can definitely carry on for as long as I still can move but I absolutely hate this healthy eating. Apart from my few times a week eating out with friends, now I feel I eat only because I need them to keep alive, and to be able to gym.. but I think about those high cal. low nutrition foods all day long..
and I am struggling to eat only 1 or 2 cookies or few scoops of ice cream at a time. I really feel like having the whole packs/tubs.. and I binge.

how do you guys keep up? or it is just me who had really too horrible eating habit that make it so hard for now...

ana3067 · October 2014

I eat foods I like to eat as long as they fit into my calorie and macro needs, I have a reasonable caloric deficit and weight loss goals (i.e. 1lb/week or less), I only exericse for fitness and body composition, not weight loss..... Basically I don't need to "keep up" because nothing about my lifestyle bothers me.

I'm sure lots of people here would say I'm not healthy because I regularly eat junk food.

Chezzie84 · October 2014

ana3067 wrote: »

I eat foods I like to eat as long as they fit into my calorie and macro needs, I have a reasonable caloric deficit and weight loss goals (i.e. 1lb/week or less), I only exericse for fitness and body composition, not weight loss..... Basically I don't need to "keep up" because nothing about my lifestyle bothers me.

I'm sure lots of people here would say I'm not healthy because I regularly eat junk food.

I agree with this. Mine is set to a 1.2lb a week loss so I don't have to deprive myself of what I want. For example I have just eaten a 7 inch pizza and 1/4 of a garlic bread pizza and I am still in the green.

I enjoy swimming and walking so I don't see it as exercise.

I firmly believe that having fun is the key to sustaining. What's the point of doing it, if it makes you more miserable?

ZBuffBod · October 2014

Once my brain made the connection regarding calories in and out and weight loss, I have been on a roll! I love the consciousness of my new lifestyle. I have been losing an average of 1 1lb per week and I eat fairly healthy...even before I consciously started trying to lose weight. The major change for me was portion control.

I don't know how old you are but when I was in my 20s I was severely underweight. The doctor I saw told me to eat lots of pasta, ice cream etc. I wish I had left it alone and let nature take it's course because at 37 when I had my daughter, I blew up to just over 200 lbs from about 145. I ate whatever because being skinny all my life, I never thought I would end up overweight.

I say that to say, really watch what you eat because it might come back to bite you like it did me. Good luck.

SteveMFP123 · October 2014

The food doesn't bother me so much as I count calories, I'm not on a diet so I can still eat a lot of the stuff I used to, just less of it. The issue I'm having now is I really can't be bothered to exercise, it's becoming a real chore and I'm definitely out of the honey money phase where I looked forward to it. Every day is a struggle to get the work done and it's showing on the scale, I only lost 1lb this week whereas I lost 12lbs the previous 2 weeks.

nxd10 · October 2014

Yes, I'm really happy. I love to eat. I eat whatever I want. But I've learned both that I can really savor and enjoy my food without eating that much and also that when I eat a lot, it makes me feel crappy and less energetic than if I ate less. When I eat out - often - I split something with my husband or take half of it home. I feel gross if I eat the whole thing. My kids - who are skinny as rails - do the same thing. And when I'm really hungry, I eat more.

PrizePopple · October 2014

My clothes are fitting better. My face doesn't look swollen. And even my dad noticed today that my stomach is significantly smaller than it was a month ago. So, yeah, I'd say I'm happy about this change in my lifestyle. In no way would I be offended to have to purchase all new clothes come next summer. :laugh:

Also I'm still eating things I love, but like others are saying I'm eating proper portions. Knowing how much I was eating before is actually kind of nauseating to me now. The last week or so I've been trying to hit all my macros, and that's adding another element to my eating habits that I'd never really paid much attention to before. It's made me realize how horribly inadequate my protein intake was. I've also discovered that I cannot let my sodium intake get too high either.

It's only taken me 33 years to listen to my body. Sadly, I've done a LOT of damage to it already that I cannot reverse.

ronitperman · October 2014

At present I am happy with my eating habits I prefer to eat healthy food and drink lots of water. Sometimes before I was suffering from overeating problem and I eat lots of fast food and gain more fat. I walk every day and doing exercise regularly and it gives me more good results.

cincysweetheart · October 2014

Since weight loss is not your issue and it's simply the diet (meaning the broad term to describe everything you eat) that you are struggling with...Try the 80/20 rule. Where 80% of your food is good, healthy, whole foods. Then 20% can be used for those other things. It may help make it easier for you to stick to it. There is no reason you can't still enjoy those things in moderation. However… it sounds like moderation is difficult for you (I am struggling to eat only 1 or 2 cookies or few scoops of ice cream at a time. I really feel like having the whole packs/tubs.. and I binge.).Perhaps just cutting them out would be easier. That's a personal choice. I chose moderation, but my sister can't stand moderation when it comes to sweets… so she simply chooses to cut all those out. It's easier for her. I have another friend who has some health problems that he can only eat a small amount of meat. But he loved meat so much that moderation was really difficult for him, so he chose to adopt a vegetarian diet. Like I said, it's a personal choice. Whatever makes it so you can stick to it.

But do I like it? I like the results. I like feeling healthier. I like that I don't get the carb crashes after every meal where I just want to take a nap (ftr: I am not a low carber, I just choose complex carbs that don't have that spike and crash effect). I like that I can feel full and satisfied without having to snack constantly. And your tastes will change over time so that you actually DO prefer the healthier stuff. I tried a few sips of soda a few weeks ago and couldn't drink anymore. It just tasted nasty to me… like chemicals or something. And will power is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. For instance, today I was able to pass up free cupcakes (that looked amazing, btw) and ice cream. Neither one caused me a great deal of stress or disappointment or feelings of deprivation.

DawnieB1977 · October 2014

I've never eaten unhealthily so that's not an issue for me. One of my friends commented that I just instinctively go for the healthier option. That's how I was brought up. If I eat junk I feel it...I get bad skin, I feel horrible.

My weight gain has been due to pregnancy. I ate really healthily in pregnancy, just had a bit of a sweet tooth, and ate too many carbs to combat nausea in the first trimester.

I agree with the above, the 80/20 rule. I have a 'treat' at the weekend. This weekend I made a cake, and had a slice of it on Sat and Sun. I prefer to have homemade things.

I took my kids to a birthday party yesterday and ignored all the food as it was just store bought biscuits and crisps and sandwiches made with white bread. The cake was store bought and even my kids (5 and 3) took a bite and said it was horrible. They ask for more of the cake I make!

You could maybe buy those mini pots of frozen yogurt to have as a treat once a day if you need something sweet. (If they sell mini anything in the US lol).

hwendyh · October 2014

thanks for the advise. my problem really is the portion. I am like cincysweetheart's sister, once I start eating junk foods especially sweet, I can not stop... I try to cut them out completely and get miserable. If I have them but can only have a tiny bit of it, I get even more miserable... I will try that mini portion foods idea. ( but I probably need to buy one at a time or I will finish all 10 mini pots in one go !! )

Tim_Simons · October 2014

You can shift to a healthier snacks instead of sweets and junk foods. These are not good for the body in the first place. Consider them toxic foods. Eat at the right time and don't skip a meal. I suggest to eat less for dinner and avoid too much midnight snacks. Keep a healthy body, it shows up on your physique especially your skin. How people see you reflects your lifestyle.

Good luck!

eldamiano · October 2014

"I am one of those "lucky" ones that I never really put on much weight no matter how much I eat."

There is no such person. Either this or you are a magic fairy.

mymodernbabylon · October 2014

I do feel healthier and happier eating more whole foods and exercising. I do still drink and eat the things I love, such as pizza and beer, but not as regularly as I did before. I will keep this up for life as it's easy for me to follow my eating/exercising patterns. I never set myself up to fail in this as I just made small tweaks, especially to portion size.

dakotababy · October 2014

I dont know, I mean I do enjoy vegetables and fruits and eating healthy. I feel proud of myself and grateful that I can do something so good for my body. I think now a days though, I dont really see food as "icky" or "yummy". Food is just kind of there to fuel my body. It can be cake or salad...as long as I hit my calories - I dont really mind where they are coming from.

RaspberryTickleChicken · October 2014

OP is a prime example that thin does not equate to health - TY OP for sharing. (*)

Habit is just something created by repeated behavior over time (think Pavlov dog). Whether that habit is healthy or not we all possess the abilities to re-program or re-condition ourselves.

The key to long term success (at least for me) is be consistent & be vigilant enough so that you form a new habit. The new healthy habit will kick in just as the old, less healthy ones did - quite automatically & without much thought ... eventually.

Good luck!

P.S. - I am elated with my new string of healthy habits & considering how long it took me to get here, I am never looking back.

CipherZero · October 2014

I went from 230 to 156, currently around 165 or so.

I'm never happy, because once I dropped into the normal weight range I was still physically weak. I'm always dissatisfied with something, whether it's the weights I lift, my speed when I run, my endurance, or something else.

It keeps me going and pushes me to be better in some aspect.

Tim_Simons · October 2014

It's so nice to read all these comments. Sharing insights on how to be healthy and having a healthy lifestyle. Really something that inspire me to live a healthy life too. Thanks guys!

wilkimania · October 2014

I guess to begin with I wasn't really happy with the healthier lifestyle, but I think that was just my usual resistance to change, and especially once I understood the difference in my day to day life by eating easier I began to accept it and now I actively enjoy my healthier lifestyle as it's helped me regain a few things that I thought I'd never see again.

willdb76 · October 2014

I'm happy with healthy eating. For me the key is keeping things interesting and tasty. There are no calories in spices and seasoning. Just because food is healthy doesn't mean it has to taste like cardboard. For instance, right now I am thinking about a large juicy rare steak, with a generous and varied salad sprinkled with feta cheese and a balsamic vinegar mustard and (small amount of) olive oil dressing.... or maybe a tandoori chicken with low fat yoghurt and brown rice....

bridgew24 · October 2014

I don't track anymore (I got too obsessive about it, so many more important things to worry about honestly!) and now I just go by my body i.e 'oh *kitten* I've put on a bit of pudge, need to stop hitting the desserts so hard'. And I've taken up a form of exercise I LOVE and love training for. I've never liked my body more.

So if my 'healthy' you mean what should be 'normal'; then yes I do enjoy it!
But note: I don't eat red meat so that rules out a lot of greasy foods, I do love me some cake though. Generally I don't crave anything too bad, I listen to what my body wants to a reasonable degree!

Francl27 · October 2014

I'm fine with the exercise part... it gives me something to do and I feel better on days I go to the gym.

I'm not happy with the restrictive eating. I still eat what I want, but most of the time a 'normal' portion doesn't satisfy me (for sweets, mostly), so it's pretty much a struggle every single day. There are days when a couple cookies or 1/2 cup of ice cream are enough to make me happy, but it's not always the case.

randomtai · October 2014

Portion sizes satisfy me... I eat what I want. I love working out. All around win/win.

nxd10 · October 2014

Both my sons and now I try to follow what I heard of as a Japanese principle of eating until you are 3/4 full. I always feel I'm more full a while after I stop eating than I am when I just finish. So if you stop at 3/4 you should top up well. Works for us.

yoovie · October 2014

its easy to keep up with yourself when you are the one driving

I set a pace that I can handle.

ana3067 · October 2014

hwendyh wrote: »

thanks for the advise. my problem really is the portion. I am like cincysweetheart's sister, once I start eating junk foods especially sweet, I can not stop... I try to cut them out completely and get miserable. If I have them but can only have a tiny bit of it, I get even more miserable... I will try that mini portion foods idea. ( but I probably need to buy one at a time or I will finish all 10 mini pots in one go !! )

All of this screams restriction to me. Even with saying you can eat it, you are saying you can only have mini something.

If I want an entire chocolate bar, I will fit it into my day. I'll probably be a bit hungry that day if I ate the bar in the early part of the day, but I can make it fit into my day.

Just weigh and log things to fit within macros, don't be concerned with where you calories are coming from in terms of "good" vs "bad" food, etc.

I used to be the same way. If I bought a box of chocolate, or when I'd get some for Christmas, I'd eat it all in like a day. I found an old empty box of chocolate, seeing htat like... 2 pieces is a few hundred cals. So easily over 2000 calories and I'd eat it all in a day on top of my normal diet.

now that I don't put ANY restrictions on ANY food other than "I need to make sure I meet my protein and overall calorie goals" I do not have this binging problem anymore.

Francl27 · October 2014

hwendyh wrote: »

If I want an entire chocolate bar, I will fit it into my day. I'll probably be a bit hungry that day if I ate the bar in the early part of the day, but I can make it fit into my day.

That's the problem for me... 6 days out of 7, I just can't 'be a bit hungry'. My hunger makes me weak and sick until I eat something. The last two days have been a breeze, I've been hungry yes but I couldn't care less, it wasn't bothering me really and it was no problem to wait two hours to eat something... and it was super easy to fit a piece of cheesecake in my day - heck I should be able to keep a 300 deficit tonight. I even kept a 600 deficit yesterday, and it was easy too (I ate 1900 extra calories this week end, so trying to make up for it).

But those days are few and fat between... The rest of the time, like this week end, I'm like a bottomless pit. If I eat anything with 'empty calories', even in moderation, it's going to be a real struggle to stay under my calories.

Bloody hormones.

ana3067 · October 2014

Francl27 wrote: »

hwendyh wrote: »

If I want an entire chocolate bar, I will fit it into my day. I'll probably be a bit hungry that day if I ate the bar in the early part of the day, but I can make it fit into my day.

That's the problem for me... 6 days out of 7, I just can't 'be a bit hungry'. My hunger makes me weak and sick until I eat something. The last two days have been a breeze, I've been hungry yes but I couldn't care less, it wasn't bothering me really and it was no problem to wait two hours to eat something... and it was super easy to fit a piece of cheesecake in my day - heck I should be able to keep a 300 deficit tonight. I even kept a 600 deficit yesterday, and it was easy too (I ate 1900 extra calories this week end, so trying to make up for it).

But those days are few and fat between... The rest of the time, like this week end, I'm like a bottomless pit. If I eat anything with 'empty calories', even in moderation, it's going to be a real struggle to stay under my calories.

Bloody hormones.

At least in Sept. and start of October, you were regularly a few hundred below your calorie goal. You said you do TDEE-20%, so you should be eating your full goal. This would honestly probably help with the hunger issue. Especially if you're finding it to be a pattern where you keep switching between being short and then being above your goal.

Also, I find that eating a good macro balance for breakfast and lunch (or first half of the day at least) keeps me from being too hungry even with 6+ hours between meals. I can eat the rest of my carbs at night and not feel all that hungry. I see that your ratios are not always very equal for certain meals during the day, so that could be influencing things. Your breakfast tends to be higher in carbs. I find that for myself, even if my carbs and protein are balanced, if fat is low I will likely be hungry. So I aim to eat a lot of protein and fat in the morning. I've yet to figure out if the same type of balance is needed at lunch too, and if evening should mostly be reserved for minor remaining protein and primarily carbs.

All this being said, when I say "hungry" I mean that slight feeling of maybe wanting to eat. Like if you drink something it could easily go away. If I am so hungry that I wind up being sick, then obviously it means I need to eat, so I would eat.

PokeyBug · October 2014

Erm... It's hard to tire of a lifestyle that makes you feel good. Please, don't misunderstand. I love eating junk food, but I'm not really thrilled with the way it makes me feel. I'd simply rather have the energy that I know comes from eating right and exercising than to feel all blah, like I'm dragging myself through the day, fighting to stay awake and get things done.

RECowgill · October 2014

Yes I truly enjoy eating and living healthy, that's because I found healthy foods I can have in reasonable portions that I actually enjoy eating. They exist, you have to look for them.

This is a plate I really enjoy:

This is also a plate I really enjoy:

So is this:

I used to eat junk food all the time. I still have junk food, but a lot less of it.

I found out that I really liked vanilla greek yogurt, I didn't know it existed. I found out I really like almonds. I enjoy having a high protein diet. I still have my donuts, ice cream and fast food. Its fine to eat that stuff and you can feel satisfied and make progress on your health, just don't make it the only thing you eat, and control your portions. When you make mistakes and eat too much, don't beat yourself up. You can still make mistakes and generally have progress, don't worry so much.

CinthyN · October 2014

Everyday is a challenge. Everyday I wake up in the morning excited that I'll get home from work and jump on the elliptical and burn some calories. Come mid afternoon, i'll e trying to find excuses not to exercise. Once I get home, I fight with my mind everytime to force myself to JUST DO IT. I do feel great after doing it, and I personally thank GOD for helping me make the right choice for that day. As for food, I'm eating clean most days. I pack my lunch to work so I won't find excuses to eat out and go out of control. Do I miss junk food? Yes I do. Do I avoid it totally? No. I allow myself to have 1 cheat day a week, but I ensure I don't go above the calorie count. So yes, everyday is a challenge. But i've been on here for 43 days and counting.

are you guys really happy with the healthier life style? or how do you keep up?

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