Can't stop eating bad foods
bareessentials56
Posts: 30 Member
I used to be super motivated to lose weight and was eating healthy but didn't see any results so I gave up and for like the last 8 months I've just been eating junk. I try counting calories but since I'm a student I'm always going out with friends like 3+ nights a week and we always go out for dinner. Sometimes I get a salad or something at a restaurant but all the other food they offer is so much nicer. Do you have any tips for staying motivated to eat healthy?
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Sounds like you know what you need to do. Rest is up to you.0
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First of all-there is no 'bad' food or 'good' food. Labeling food that way only leads to frustration and failure. I ate out all the time while I was losing weight, and continue to do so now that I'm successfully maintaining. I always look at restaurant websites for the nutritional/calorie info BEFORE I go, and I always walk in the door already knowing what I'm going to order. I pre-log these meals and I adjust my day around them, to make everything fit. You can enjoy eating out with friends and still lose weight, just stay on track with your calorie goals and you're good to go
eta: many times restaurant salads are higher calories than a burger and fries, steak dinner etc. I've seen 1,000+ calorie salads on menus-just because it's a salad does not mean it's a better calorie choice, something to keep in mind 0 -
Eat healthy and eat the junk food and go out with friends... make it all fit together in your daily calories. It's that simple. :drinker:0
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Ask to go to restaurants for a while that have nutritional information online. Some restaurants have a healthy choice section where they list the calories for three or four entries.
Or order a small sirloin steak or piece of fish --baked, broiled, steamed -- low calorie.
Order steamed veggies or something equivalent.
Generally foods that are high calories are sauces, cheese, fried, breaded. Limit breads and deserts and alcohol. You can handle the calorie load three nights a week if you have light lunches.0 -
The only "bad" food, is rotten food.0
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Sarasmaintaining wrote: »
eta: many times restaurant salads are higher calories than a burger and fries, steak dinner etc. I've seen 1,000+ calorie salads on menus-just because it's a salad does not mean it's a better calorie choice, something to keep in mind
This. Applebee's Chicken Cesar Salad is only 200 calories less than their Three Cheese Chicken Penne! What is that?! When going out to eat I always get the healthier sides, half portions or if those aren't options... (this is where self control comes in) use portion control. Sip water with lemon in between bites, chew slowly. Actually taste your meals & take leftovers hope for the next day.
Edit: typo!
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Sarasmaintaining wrote: »
eta: many times restaurant salads are higher calories than a burger and fries, steak dinner etc. I've seen 1,000+ calorie salads on menus-just because it's a salad does not mean it's a better calorie choice, something to keep in mind
This. Applebee's Chicken Cesar Salad is only 200 calories less than their Three Cheese Chicken Penne! What is that?! When going out to eat I always get the healthier sides, half portions or if those aren't options... (this is where self control comes in) use portion control. Sip water with lemon in between bites, chew slowly. Actually taste your meals & take leftovers hope for the next day.
Edit: typo!
A calorie isn't a calorie. Food matters. Go eat 1 1/4 cups of sugar or go drink 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream. Both are roughly 1000 calories. One will fuel your body in a constructive way, the other, well, not so much.0 -
I practically never order dinner-type salads at restaurants, knowing that their calorie load is going to be enormous. For that kind of number, I can enjoy a hamburger and fries on occasion. But more importantly, failure to stick to a plan usually means that what you want right now is more important than what you want in the long run. Maybe you just aren't ready to make this change right now.0
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Sarasmaintaining wrote: »
eta: many times restaurant salads are higher calories than a burger and fries, steak dinner etc. I've seen 1,000+ calorie salads on menus-just because it's a salad does not mean it's a better calorie choice, something to keep in mind
This. Applebee's Chicken Cesar Salad is only 200 calories less than their Three Cheese Chicken Penne! What is that?! When going out to eat I always get the healthier sides, half portions or if those aren't options... (this is where self control comes in) use portion control. Sip water with lemon in between bites, chew slowly. Actually taste your meals & take leftovers hope for the next day.
Edit: typo!
A calorie isn't a calorie. Food matters. Go eat 1 1/4 cups of sugar or go drink 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream. Both are roughly 1000 calories. One will fuel your body in a constructive way, the other, well, not so much.
A calorie is a unit of energy. Yes a calorie is a calorie.0 -
I've found restricting my food choices too tightly to be counter-productive. I eat healthy things, with a focus on veggies and non-processed foods about 80-90% of the time. But every once in a while I want pizza, or ice cream, or fries. When I want those things I have them, and fit them into my calorie goals (either by eating smaller meals in advance, or eating small portions of the unhealthy item and adding a bit on to my workout that day).
Anyway, the only person who can motivate you is you. You need to be committed to losing the weight, or being healthier, or whatever it is you want from this. Good luck!0 -
This is exactly why weight loss is so hard. I go out for meals most days. It makes it difficult but not impossible. I order entree size for my main meal, and (if I am drinking calories too) I tend to eat some, but not all of it. I try to order healthy meals but that is sometimes very difficult, particularly when someone else chooses the restaurant. So in that case I look online and see if they publish their menu and add the meal into my daily calorie goal. Hope that helps. Good luck
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Motivation is on you. If you WANT to do it you will. If hanging out with your friends and eating out without control is more important, that's what you're going to do. So, it's up to YOU to decide what you really want.bareessentials56 wrote: »I used to be super motivated to lose weight and was eating healthy but didn't see any results so I gave up and for like the last 8 months I've just been eating junk. I try counting calories but since I'm a student I'm always going out with friends like 3+ nights a week and we always go out for dinner. Sometimes I get a salad or something at a restaurant but all the other food they offer is so much nicer. Do you have any tips for staying motivated to eat healthy?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Gotta say, weight loss is a lot easier if you cook. You'll know exactly how much of different ingredients are in your dish, you can decide exactly what you're eating, and it is MUCH cheaper. I used to eat out 90% of the time, and found it pretty much impossible to lose weight. Im sure other people have managed, but I couldn't.0
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#1 trick to stay on track: Develop a good relationship with food. It's not "bad" or "evil" and if you overeat, it's because you choose to, not because of some inherent quality of the food itself.
#2 trick: Make your calorie goal realistic and eat real food to get there. Cutting 1000 calories from your day just isn't going to work for most people. A small deficit is not only easier to achieve, and less likely to cause bingeing, but also it's healthier as it is less likely to cause you to lose muscle along with the fat.
#3 trick: Sometimes you have to make a grown-up, rational choice to eat over your calories because the situation warrants it. A celebration with cake, a special restaurant, whatever...just make sure it's worth it. Going over your calories because there was a box of Li'l Debbies lying around just isn't the same.0 -
Edit: typo!
[/quote]
A calorie isn't a calorie. Food matters. Go eat 1 1/4 cups of sugar or go drink 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream. Both are roughly 1000 calories. One will fuel your body in a constructive way, the other, well, not so much. [/quote]
I think you are wrong on both counts. A calories is a calorie, because it is a scientific measure of energy.
While both items you mention have energy to fuel the body, neither is more " constructive " ( whatever that means ) than the other. It's just that one is a carb and the other mostly fat.....and I wam curious to find out which one you think is more " constructive ".
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Those people that talk about a calorie being a calorie no matter where it comes from are right to a point. However, this idea leads to some very peculiar diets. A tablespoon of sugar is empty calories, the same could not be said of a tablespoon of cream which contains actual nutrients.0
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Those people that talk about a calorie being a calorie no matter where it comes from are right to a point. However, this idea leads to some very peculiar diets. A tablespoon of sugar is empty calories, the same could not be said of a tablespoon of cream which contains actual nutrients.
Nutrient profile does not determine if a calorie is a calorie.
Again, how many people do you know that eat a tablespoon of sugar? And sugar are carbs so how can they be empty calories?
LOL0 -
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Sarasmaintaining wrote: »
eta: many times restaurant salads are higher calories than a burger and fries, steak dinner etc. I've seen 1,000+ calorie salads on menus-just because it's a salad does not mean it's a better calorie choice, something to keep in mind
This. Applebee's Chicken Cesar Salad is only 200 calories less than their Three Cheese Chicken Penne! What is that?! When going out to eat I always get the healthier sides, half portions or if those aren't options... (this is where self control comes in) use portion control. Sip water with lemon in between bites, chew slowly. Actually taste your meals & take leftovers hope for the next day.
Edit: typo!
A calorie isn't a calorie. Food matters. Go eat 1 1/4 cups of sugar or go drink 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream. Both are roughly 1000 calories. One will fuel your body in a constructive way, the other, well, not so much.
If one were about to run a marathon and were not keto adapted, then the sugar would be a great deal more constructive.
It amuses me that some people argue as if by including sugar in your diet, you eat nothing but. By the same token, I guess we should assume that those in keto, or Paleo, LCHF or any other variation eat only lard and nothing but.0 -
Learn how to cook good foods. I used to buy cook books from second hand shops and teach myself from those. When you go out to eat and the only healthy option to choose is a boring salad, of course you are going to choose something else. The trick is in making the food you love with better ingredients. It takes time and practice, but you can do it. First step is stop eating out and start cooking.0
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