What food changes have you made so far?

Colorscheme
Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
It's a new year, and a lot of us are making changes to the way we eat in an effort to lose weight.

Recently, I stopped buying frozen meals. Not because I think they are bad for me or anythng, but because they're pricey. On sale, Lean Cuisines are 2 for $5. When they're not on sale, they're $2.99-$3.99 a pop. And I bought about three a week. That's about $36-$48 a month. Since I have Nutribullet and make smoothies every day, I'd rather take the money I'm saving from not buying frozen meals and use it on fruit and veg for my smoothies.

I also stopped using Crystal Light packets because I find that I like water just as much without anything in it. And I don't think all the artifical sweetener and citric acid will be doing my teeth any favors.

Replies

  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    None really. Once I realized that as long as it fits into my deficit I really didn't have to change much. The one big change I made last year was just bringing in my lunch daily.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Regular soda to diet or water, because I'd rather not drink my calories. Other than that, nothing.
  • jbird1569
    jbird1569 Posts: 2 Member
    I'm trying to eat clean, if it has ingredients I can't read, I don't buy it. It is a challenge.
  • tracefan
    tracefan Posts: 382 Member
    I try to cook more. It's healthier for one, and I tend to make things that I can eat for the week. I definitely eat healthier
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    I stopped with Lean Cuisines, too. I was buying them for the reward codes, but they don't do that program anymore, lol. I could get them for $2 each, which was pretty good.

    But I got tired of them, and they didn't do a great job of filling me up. Plus the $10-$20 I would spend on them each trip is better spent on supplies for batch cooking.

    I just picked up a couple plates to take in to work - don't have enough at home to bring any in, so hit the dollar store - and that will give me more options for bringing in warm food for lunch. Easier to heat on a big plate than in a small container.

    Outside of that, I've recognized what foods just aren't worth having in my house (most cookies, especially Oreos) and just don't buy them much, if at all anymore.

    ~Lyssa
  • ekahnicole
    ekahnicole Posts: 216 Member
    edited January 2016
    I gave up basically any drink with calories in it except coffee (I have one cup every morning). Other than that I haven't really "given up" anything except most fast food, but even then I'll still have the occasional item from a fast food place every few months or so. I will say though there are A LOT of foods I never buy anymore but there's a difference to me between not stocking up my own pantry with certain things and saying "I'm never touching this again!"

    A post above me mentions oreos and that's a good example, I haven't bought oreos in years (except for maybe those little 100 calorie packs of the mini ones) but have I eaten oreos at all since I started eating healthier? Most definitely. (In fact I had some white chocolate dipped oreos during Christmas)
  • Chezzie84
    Chezzie84 Posts: 873 Member
    I haven't made any food changes except portion sizes, I eat in moderation.
  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
    I haven't dramatically changed anything. Only thing I can think of is that I have cut back on alcohol, but that is more due to having more responsibilities this year.

    I meal prep more often though, which makes it easier to log during the day. I cook waaaay more often too. I used to hate it. I actually really enjoy doing it now.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    Not food, but getting back on track with meal planning. I don't eat horribly when I don't plan, but my macros are better when I do.
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    ekahnicole wrote: »
    I gave up basically any drink with calories in it except coffee (I have one cup every morning). Other than that I haven't really "given up" anything except most fast food, but even then I'll still have the occasional item from a fast food place every few months or so. I will say though there are A LOT of foods I never buy anymore but there's a difference to me between not stocking up my own pantry with certain things and saying "I'm never touching this again!"

    A post above me mentions oreos and that's a good example, I haven't bought oreos in years (except for maybe those little 100 calorie packs of the mini ones) but have I eaten oreos at all since I started eating healthier? Most definitely. (In fact I had some white chocolate dipped oreos during Christmas)

    Yup, that's exactly what I did! Someone brought in some chocolate covered ones - and I took one and savored it. It's too easy for me to eat an entire row without even thinking about it, so it's easier to not have them in the house rather than try to control myself eating them.

    Maybe if I have fewer treats overall, I can pick them up, but I much prefer chocolates so odds are against that happening while I live by myself.

    ~Lyssa
  • Jetamu96
    Jetamu96 Posts: 963 Member
    edited January 2016
    I've made loads of changes but honestly don't miss my old eating habits at all.
    - I've given up fizzy drinks completely. I drink lemon water before breakfast, detox tea after lunch and green tea in the evening. I also make sure I get my 2 litres of water a day. My only "treat" drink is hot english breakfast tea with honey and soy milk (it's honestly so good!).
    - I don't eat crisps or fast food or ready meals. I'm a student so I have to watch my budget but i'm cooking a lot more and trying to make healthy choices that are still delicious.
    - I allow myself one small treat a day. After dinner I have something sweet (chocolate or a biscuit or something like that). It helps keep me on track and means I'm not getting cravings. Right now i'm obsessed with mini sugar-free dark chocolate ice cream cones (only 77 calories each!).
    - I've been having oatmeal for breakfast every day. I'm making it fun though, yesterday I had it with berries, today it was double chocolate, tomorrow lemon, honey and rosemary.
    Basically I've got it in my head that this time I'm going to do it. What's really helping is experimenting in the kitchen and having fun with new recipes as I couldn't stick to a bland, boring, tasteless diet! I have so much more energy now and all this new food i'm trying is better than what I used to eat!
    For the first time in my life i'm actually looking forward to weighing myself ^^
  • AmazonMayan
    AmazonMayan Posts: 1,168 Member
    I've always eaten a wide variety of foods and love almost all veg and fruit and tofu and lean meats and whole grains and etc. all the stuff that can save calories.

    My thing was stepping back from some high calorie processed items that I really didn't even like very much (has a tldr explanation) as well as making my portions smaller. Much smaller.

  • ridge4mfp
    ridge4mfp Posts: 301 Member
    I gave up any drinks with calories except as a rare treat when I have extra calories. I haven't had french fries in months, gave them up for roasted potatoes with lots of seasoning made at home. That's about it.
  • starwhisperer6
    starwhisperer6 Posts: 402 Member
    Mostly I have only given up the mindless snacking. I do try to eat slower, I use chopsticks when I can.
  • fugaquedimicator
    fugaquedimicator Posts: 10 Member
    I'm giving up eating out. I don't have the budget to do that anymore, plus I don't need food that I didn't put the time into making for myself.
  • teresa_0219
    teresa_0219 Posts: 1 Member
    I have cut back from many things... Soda, alcohol (mostly beer) I think that has made a huge difference, sweets ( chocolate & ice cream) fried foods (chicken wings) I have a 2 month old & I am back to my pre pregnancy weight but my goal is to lose 10 more pounds by summer. I think it will be possible as long as I stick to what I eat on a daily now, I do give myself a cheat day once a week but I don't overdo it & I plan on starting to excercise around March all I do now is go for walks 2 times a week.
  • sparklyz
    sparklyz Posts: 2 Member
    I am eating a lot more cheese
  • Lynzdee18
    Lynzdee18 Posts: 500 Member
    I gave up bread and crackers and white potatoes and rice. And ice cream. And wine. It took a while but now I don't miss them. There are so many other tasty and more nutritious foods to enjoy. I have started to LOVE hard boiled eggs, greek yogurt with 0 calorie sugar free Mrs Butterworth's syrup. I was missing Noosa yogurt for a bit, had it as a treat....but the last time I ate one, my tummy was upset, so off that as well.

    Basically I try to avoid eating anything that doesn't give me nutrition and appeal to my taste buds.... No more eating just for the sake of filling my mouth....
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    I've made absolutely no food changes in terms of the things I eat. I just eat more of some things and less of others, according to my calorie/macro needs for the day.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
    I eat a lot more fiber now. I realized I was only getting 13-15 g /day about six months ago, and changed several of my choices daily to hit 25+.
  • amipersin
    amipersin Posts: 8 Member
    So far I have given up any drinks with calories (much rather eat my calories then drink them) except for my morning coffee :)

    I have cut down my serving sizes A LOT! I find if I log my food before I eat it then I go into eating my meal knowing I can only eat this amount, but also know that if I am still hungry I still have calorie room for certain things, And just knowing what I can or can not eat has made a huge difference, I could very easily eat 2-3 servings of pasta when I didn't care and walk away feeling awful, now that I am weighing my food and know I can generally only have a half serving I am quite satisfied with it :)
  • SyllyReth
    SyllyReth Posts: 59 Member
    I have started adding in a lot more veggies, and swapping out sweets for fruit. I love fruit, but I'm not big on veggies, so I am trying it with baby steps. I'm proud of the fact that last week I managed 1-2 servings of veggies every day. I know that isn't what it's *supposed* to be, but it's a really big change for me. Other than that, I really haven't changed much else.
  • kz_dc
    kz_dc Posts: 23 Member
    I've gone largely to keto, so I've given up most bread, starch, sugar, etc. But I do enjoy a treat now and again. Last night, I split a molten lava cake with vanilla ice-cream after dinner at a restaurant. However, I don't keep such things in the house, enjoy them them when I've a lower-than-usual calorie day, and it's really worth it, taste-wise, to me. I don't feel bad splurging on a half of a really nice dessert now and again. But that means something that's made fresh, often hot, and won't mean an almost-full bag of cookies in my pantry afterwards!
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    My friends and I were just having this conversation yesterday. It's not so much about "giving up" anything, as we've just gotten pickier about what we're willing to use our calories on. Some changes make it easier to fit in the things you really want. I only use low-calorie bread, skip pre-packaged cookies but enjoy home-baked stuff, use unsweetened almond milk instead of skim milk, try to get more protein in my day, to name a few.
  • billy_mireles
    billy_mireles Posts: 14 Member
    Did the whole reduced carb for 3 months (50 g and less) and lost roughly 40 lbs. First week or so sucks! Especially during your workouts but tend to get used to it. I changed my diet to a carb night with 1 night I can eat any carbs but within a 6 hour period than back at it for another 10 days. Sticking to roughly 35 g of carbs for post workouts only. I'm enjoying this one at this moment
  • ElJefeChief
    ElJefeChief Posts: 650 Member
    I stopped emphasizing low-carb eating, except when it's an easy way to lower calorie counts in favorite foods (like, if I'm making chocolate chip cookies, I think they taste the same if you sub splenda for sugar).

    Somewhat related to the above, I eat a lot more sugar food and junk food than I used to (yes, I still eat fruits and vegetables daily). Which is kind of fun.



  • talismanicmagic
    talismanicmagic Posts: 36 Member
    I've given up soy milk in my coffee. It was making me feel blah and I was drinking up to 200 cal a day. I'm happily enjoying my coffee black.

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