Hi, My name is Joy, I'm seeking to live a healthy lifestyle and lose weight.

nsemy1 · April 2015

I hope I will be able to get motivation in this forum cos that is what I'm lacking and I have addiction to cereals(of any form). Cannot seem to discipline myself too. I need to loose up to 20kg if it's possible

PeachyPlum · April 2015

Hi Joy, and welcome! Definitely start digging around and reading as much as you can in the forums, you'll learn a lot that way.
I'm sure you don't actually mean you're physically addicted to cereal, but you probably have a hard time controlling yourself when eating it. I get that, I have the same problem with peanut butter, so I've chosen not to have it in the house for now. Is that an option for you?

nsemy1 · April 2015

Thanks for your response Peachyplum. I am reading a lot from here and I'm starting the 30 days walking challenge too.
Yes can't control myself from eating it. I buy them for my kids and end up joining them.
Someone has suggested buying the cup ones which I want to try out.
Has it worked for you? I mean not having peanut around.
Thanks again and I'd appreciate more tips.

PeachyPlum · April 2015

Not buying peanut butter has definitely worked for me - I don't even miss it when it's not here. But as soon as there's a jar in the pantry, I suddenly think about it constantly. In time, I think I'll be ready to buy it again and eat it only in moderation, but I need to strengthen up my willpower muscles some first.
The cups of cereal might work for you if you can commit to only eating one cup at a time!

cosmo_momo · April 2015

I'll tell you now to save you the "WHY DID I NOT DO THIS SOONER" moment. Buy a food scale and use it!!!! It is so helpful to know EXACTLY how much you are eating!

lemurcat12 · April 2015

nsemy1 wrote: »

Thanks for your response Peachyplum. I am reading a lot from here and I'm starting the 30 days walking challenge too.
Yes can't control myself from eating it. I buy them for my kids and end up joining them.
Someone has suggested buying the cup ones which I want to try out.
Has it worked for you? I mean not having peanut around.
Thanks again and I'd appreciate more tips.

Welcome, Joy!

Can you maybe come up with an alternative breakfast that you also enjoy and feel more control over? I find that if I'm looking forward to what I am eating I don't miss the stuff I don't.

lalepepper · April 2015

nsemy1 wrote: »

Thanks for your response Peachyplum. I am reading a lot from here and I'm starting the 30 days walking challenge too.
Yes can't control myself from eating it. I buy them for my kids and end up joining them.
Someone has suggested buying the cup ones which I want to try out.
Has it worked for you? I mean not having peanut around.
Thanks again and I'd appreciate more tips.

Cereal is a tough food for me to keep control of too, and unfortunately I've found that I just can't rely on cereal alone as a meal any more. The portioned cups might be a good idea to try, but I wouldn't be too surprised if you find them to be a bit too small to consider a meal. It can be really eye-opening how the bowl we tend to pour ourselves stacks up to the actual portion!

Over time you'll definitely gain a lot of insight in to portions and be empowered to make choices that fit your preferences while still reaching your goals. I don't eat a lot of breakfast foods, but since starting out I've noticed that for the amount of calories in a satisfying bowl of cereal, I could have a big bowl of oatmeal with fruit or an omelette with veggies that will leave me more satisfied. Trying new things could really open up options for you and you might even find you don't crave the cereal as much. Pretzels were always my "thing" - I have a lot of trouble having just one portion, so I found other crunchy snacks that are more satisfying for a portion and don't have the same urge behind them. If I have them, I try to limit them to single servings while out and about. Now, I haven't had pretzels in the house in ages because I don't like them as much as I used to, and now prefer my other snacks.

You'll hear a lot about not cutting out foods entirely. While I agree that this isn't usually the best route for lasting change, you can change your relationship with specific foods. Rather than being an every day thing, they become a treat. One thing that helped me make that change was substitutions and having a plan if I craved pretzels. I would have some other crunchy snack on hand, and would make myself have a glass of water if I was still craving. Only you can control what goes in to your diet, and with practice and experience I'm sure you'll feel a lot more confident saying no to the cereal.

lemurcat12 · April 2015

lalepepper wrote: »

I don't eat a lot of breakfast foods, but since starting out I've noticed that for the amount of calories in a satisfying bowl of cereal, I could have a big bowl of oatmeal with fruit or an omelette with veggies that will leave me more satisfied. Trying new things could really open up options for you and you might even find you don't crave the cereal as much.

This is a really good point. I find it's really helpful for me to have balanced meals, in the sense of getting some protein, fat, and carbs in all of them (vs. the bagel I used to have for breakfast, or even a breakfast just of oatmeal).

Maybe if you had a little cereal with some kind of protein besides the milk (greek yogurt or cottage cheese are great sources, or eggs, or even some leftover meat from dinner), plus some berries, plus some nuts or something like that you'd feel more satisfied and not feel like eating all of it but still be able to have some. You could even tell yourself that you can have a little more at lunch if you still want it.

But for me in the first few weeks it was also helpful to just teach myself I could change my habits by not eating some of the foods I was in the habit of overeating. I didn't think they were "bad" or would be cut out for good, but they had become a crutch for me, so I wanted to break the habit.

nsemy1 · April 2015

Thanks a lot everyone for you response and encouragements, I have taken on board all suggestions and hopefully will see some changes.

nsemy1 · April 2015

lalepepper wrote: »

nsemy1 wrote: »

Thanks for your response Peachyplum. I am reading a lot from here and I'm starting the 30 days walking challenge too.
Yes can't control myself from eating it. I buy them for my kids and end up joining them.
Someone has suggested buying the cup ones which I want to try out.
Has it worked for you? I mean not having peanut around.
Thanks again and I'd appreciate more tips.

Cereal is a tough food for me to keep control of too, and unfortunately I've found that I just can't rely on cereal alone as a meal any more. The portioned cups might be a good idea to try, but I wouldn't be too surprised if you find them to be a bit too small to consider a meal. It can be really eye-opening how the bowl we tend to pour ourselves stacks up to the actual portion!

Over time you'll definitely gain a lot of insight in to portions and be empowered to make choices that fit your preferences while still reaching your goals. I don't eat a lot of breakfast foods, but since starting out I've noticed that for the amount of calories in a satisfying bowl of cereal, I could have a big bowl of oatmeal with fruit or an omelette with veggies that will leave me more satisfied. Trying new things could really open up options for you and you might even find you don't crave the cereal as much. Pretzels were always my "thing" - I have a lot of trouble having just one portion, so I found other crunchy snacks that are more satisfying for a portion and don't have the same urge behind them. If I have them, I try to limit them to single servings while out and about. Now, I haven't had pretzels in the house in ages because I don't like them as much as I used to, and now prefer my other snacks.

You'll hear a lot about not cutting out foods entirely. While I agree that this isn't usually the best route for lasting change, you can change your relationship with specific foods. Rather than being an every day thing, they become a treat. One thing that helped me make that change was substitutions and having a plan if I craved pretzels. I would have some other crunchy snack on hand, and would make myself have a glass of water if I was still craving. Only you can control what goes in to your diet, and with practice and experience I'm sure you'll feel a lot more confident saying no to the cereal.

Thanks, I'll definitely try out new ideas.

Hi, My name is Joy, I'm seeking to live a healthy lifestyle and lose weight.

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