What foods have you replaced? What have you eliminated?

@DeguelloTex and @flyingtanuki : Thanks for the input: that makes sense.

My dietary habits were somewhat different from yours. One of my biggest changes in habits was to stop buying food to eat in the car on the way to and from work. I was a classic "secret eater" - hiding receipts, throwing away fast food bags before I got home, buying food with cash so there wasn't a paper trail, etc.

Jruzer wrote: »

@DeguelloTex and @flyingtanuki : Thanks for the input: that makes sense.

My dietary habits were somewhat different from yours. One of my biggest changes in habits was to stop buying food to eat in the car on the way to and from work. I was a classic "secret eater" - hiding receipts, throwing away fast food bags before I got home, buying food with cash so there wasn't a paper trail, etc.

I'm not gonna lie: I don't go to Whataburger nearly as often as I used to. That was my go-to "OMG traffic was so bad and I'm starving and I don't feel like cooking" 2500+ calorie bomb. So I go less often, and usually get unsweet tea instead of a huge Dr Pepper, but, oh yes, I still go.

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I limit my bread intake to once or twice a week just because too much bread makes me feel overstuffed. Haven't eliminated any foods just use smaller portions and make healthier choices.

Replaced - nothing
Eliminated - appx 800 calories a day

~I replaced artificial sweetener with stevia
~reduced soda consumption to one diet soda a day
~coffee creamer from full fat to fat free/sugar free (I'm sure it's LOADED with chemicals so will reduce this)

I try not to keep chips in the house any longer-- it's my weakness-- sweets in the house don't tempt me at all (I keep lots of those for my boys), but bring in the salty chips, and I'm too tempted!

Giving up soda, pasta, sweets, bread, most snacks, and fast food.

Jruzer wrote: »

I'm always puzzled by those who say they've given up "nothing". Maybe I had a horrible diet compared to others, but I will admit to "giving up" lots of things:

- Caramel Bugles
- Swiss Cake Rolls
- Sugar soda
- Cinnabons
- Little Debbies
- McDoubles

along with many other things. Not because I forced myself to "give them up", but because they're not worth the calories to me. I don't occasionally go and get Swiss Cake Rolls from the gas station just so I can say that I didn't give them up. There are other foods that I used to eat frequently - Kwik Trip doughnuts come to mind - that I still do eat, but much less frequently than before. Maybe a few every six months instead of 6-12 per week.

Most of the things people say they've given up I never really ate. I gained weight eating overly large servings of the same kinds of food I eat now (although I used more oil and butter when cooking), plus overly indulgent restaurant meals (I still go out to eat but I don't pretend something I do 1-2x/week is a special occasion that justifies all out indulgence, and that too is a matter of eating less and getting dessert much more rarely, not eliminating foods), plus not ordering Indian when I am tired after work at least 1ce a week (with lots of leftovers for subsequent meals). Again, I still eat Indian food, but more like once a month and I make sure to fit it in my calories.

The only things I've consciously given up are the treats (many sweet, not all) that are around my office all the time, as I was eating those because they were there, not because I really cared about them. The specific foods aren't ones I've given up, but mindless eating and most snacking has been given up by me (most of the time, as I'm a work in progress).

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I've almost eliminted refined carbs like breads and other baked goods. Better for my blood sugar and acne.
Switched from coffee to tea, which I can drink without any added sugar or dairy.

I have not given up anything. I eat waaaaay less sugar (in the form of chocolate/cookies/snack cakes/etc). I eat fast food way less often too. Used to be twice a weekend at the very least, now it's about 3 times a month. I just can't do fried foods as much anymore, it makes me feel terrible the next day.

I've eliminated fruit juice, regular soda, and any other drink sweetened with sugar. I've had to eliminate alcohol due to a medical problem, but I'm really hoping that it's not a permanent elimination. The things I've eliminated are all due to underlying medical issues.

I do a lot of replacement these days. I have replaced regular bread for flatbread or wraps or sandwich thins. I've replaced regular milk in some things with almond milk. I've replaced regular chocolate with dark chocolate. I also now buy ice cream bars so that when I'm craving some it is already portioned out for me. It just makes it easier to stick to my goals that way.

I don't drink much soda anymore...chips and the like are a rarity...I don't eat much in the way of cookies, cakes, and other such sweets. Not that I would never have them, they're just not a regular part of my diet (noun)

I didn't really replace this with that or swap anything out...I just started eating what I feel is a healthier diet for myself. I eat a lot of whole grain oats, legumes, lentils, quinoa, brown rice, potatoes...a *kitten* ton of veg, a few servings of fruit (mostly I like blueberries, cherries, and nectarines...but I'm pretty much resigned to apples in the winter)...lots of fish and shell fish and chicken and lean cuts of pork...some beef here and there...nuts and avocados and olives and olive oil, etc. Generally if I have desert I will have a square of dark chocolate or something.

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I'm one of those people who haven't given up anything (pretty much). My diet was good, my portion control was terrible! Now, the only meal I consider to be different from before is breakfast. I have oatmeal every day, instead of cereals like Corn Flakes, or the sugary alternatives. I also nearly always had toast, butter and jam to accompany my cereal - I've cut my breakfast calories in half, but still feel full. I find I have sandwiches for lunch far, far less now, as I consider bread to be taking up too many calories compared to how sated I feel afterwards. So I've gravitated to soups, salads, and the occasional lunch of crispbreads/crackers etc, but I still have sandwiches occasionally. Dinner though is basically the same foods - chicken, oily fish, occasional red meat, plus veggies and a carb, in a vast range of recipes - just with careful portion control, and a more conscious way of cooking them (I was once very free with oil for cooking, now it's measured or not needed at all, and there's no real difference in the end taste). I also still have fairly regular desserts or ice cream - probably 2-3 times a week.

The one thing I'd say I'd given up would be chocolate - but that's not quite true! I used to have several bars a day, now it's one or two a week. In addition, when I'm wanting a snack, it's fruit or the occasional serving of nuts - I didn't eat too many crisps and salty snacks before (I'm a sweet not savory person), now it's basically never. So you can see how I've gone from well over 2500 cals per day to 1200 calories without that much change in the actual foods I consume, and genuinely very little hunger! Nearly 8 weeks in, and I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that the scale numbers drop every single day - and it makes complete sense when I look at my diet! I wish I'd known this years ago - many years wasted on diets that promised the world and delivered nothing long term!