How to keep healthy habits?

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leah_l_s
leah_l_s Posts: 1
in Motivation and Support
I've been trying to train myself to have healthier habits lately. Instead of just cutting calories to lose weight, I'm working to eliminate my poor eating choices (like eating Doritos and M&Ms for dinner) and replace them with nutritious foods that will help me sustain a healthy body in the long run. I've been happy with the progress I'm making, but tonight I ate an entire bag of cheese popcorn and it's hard not to give up. I realize it's just one slip-up, but it feels like I'll never change my relationship with junk food.

How do you stick with your food goals and resist feeling hopeless?

Replies

  • Pristess
    Pristess Posts: 19 Member
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    Plan for your weaknesses. Enter your food plan before you eat. Allow for a serving of the foods you crave a few times a week, measure out a serving onto a plate, and enjoy.
  • travslst
    travslst Posts: 5 Member
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    i ask for help on social media lol, as silly as it sounds, it feels good to have my friends holding me accountable! and i always try to take a bite of whatever it is im craving, that has seemed to help me. Also, a frined told me recently to cry dill spears when i am craving sweet, somehow they curb the urge, and it has worked so far for me! good luck!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I used to eat like that. MFP has changed how I think about food.

    Now: I enter food before I eat, usually plan one day ahead, make sure I have or will get all the ingredients I need. I make every meal enjoyable, choosing only foods I like, focusing on variety. I never starve myself, but accept the feeling of true hunger before a meal. I will eat junk-ish stuff occasionally, but on the whole, I prefer home cooking now.
  • runfoorun
    runfoorun Posts: 314 Member
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    Good advice from kommo. I enter my meals ahead of time usually so I know what I'm going to eat. If I leave it up to my mood or cravings I'll eat junk. I plan to keep an open food diary on here and enter everything honestly to keep myself accountable. Good luck!
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
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    It'll take time. Be patient with yourself. First of all… log everything. Including your slip ups. In fact, especially your slip ups! Make sure you know what you are actually putting in your mouth. You can still eat your cheese popcorn (or whatever), but it'll become purposeful instead of just mindlessly munching. Second...Don't try to cut out all the "junk" all at once. Try just making one change. Preferably the one you will find the easiest. That one small victory will help your confidence and your motivation. Once you feel comfortable with that… you can change one more thing (the next easiest one). Over time your body will change it's preferences and it's cravings as it gets used to eating healthier food. Then when you do have your cheese popcorn… you'll be more likely to be satisfied with less or you'll find that you really don't like it as much as you thought… or rather you'll find that your body doesn't like it that much.

    But be patient. It takes time… but it is possible!
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,741 Member
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    Planning, as others mentioned, goes a long way.

    I know I have a crazy sweet tooth and if all things were equal I could see myself having cookies & milk for dinner daily, or eating a bunch of chocolates for lunch.

    MFP helps me look at each day kind of like a puzzle w/ the macros and calories, and I fit something sweet into every day, but try to make sure it's not more than 10-20% of my total intake. To some that is probably still an alarmingly high percentage but I find that for me personally it's pretty easy to do that and I never feel deprived. When it comes to the other 80-90% of what I eat, I'm happy with lots of high quality nutritious stuff and don't find myself going to "filler" items (for me that would be something like crackers). Makes it way easier. JMHO.

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