Week 1 - I think I can Do this

Hi all -

I'm new here. I've been on and off about starting my new healthy life for years now. Then last week, someone made a stupid bet with me and here I am. Maybe that's what I needed?

I told myself that if I stick to this for 1 week then I will join this community and keep going. Today marks Day 7 of my journey, and I can't be happier.

My first week has consisted of:

No sodas
No eating out
No desserts
No junkfood

Homecooked meals consisting of meats, veggies, grains, beans, etc. Everything has been cooked by me. I've eaten a bit of rice here and there, and 1 toast every morning.

I haven't started working out yet. I plan to start that today, but just by the diet change, I am down 3.7 lbs in 7 days. This might seem a lot, but I used to eat a lot of junk so I guess it makes sense. I am NOT starving myself. Here's a sample meal I do everyday, all cooked from scratch:

Breakfast - two eggs, toast, and avocado (half)
Snack - an orange/banana
Lunch - Grilled chicken with green beans/carrots and quinoa/black beans
Snack - yogurt/trail mix
Dinner - Chicken chili

SW: 217.7
CW: 214
GW: 150 (for now)

For the first time in my over 5 years of being overweight again (I had lost a lot of weight before and remained in 150s for a few years then bad breakup and here i am again), I've stuck to something. I feel stronger, I feel healthier, and I feel happier. Something feels different this time and I hope I stick to it. I have a feeling I might this time because just the thought of eating anything unhealthy has become repulsive now. Couldn't believe I turned out down butter chicken and garlic naan yesterday for grilled chicken and roasted carrots.

Just wanted to share this. I got this. :)

Replies

  • Forgot to add -

    I work full time so I've learned to meal prep so I don't have any excuse to not eat healthy. I meal prepped on Sunday night for Monday/Tuesday then Tuesday night for Wednesday/Thursday and Thursday night for Friday.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Welcome!
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
    First of all, remove the word 'think' from your sentence. You CAN do this, so don't start out with the mentality that you might not be able to. ^_^

    Second, you don't actually need to cut out junk food from your diet. You simply need to learn what an actual portion is and stick with that. Cutting out a lot of foods you like usually means you'll backslide because you want to eat them, and when you allow yourself to, you'll eat more than you should. Not saying you shouldn't swap out some for better choices! Junk food is usually high calorie/low nutrient foods, so filling most of your day with lower calorie/high nutrient foods is better for you nutrition-wise, as well as helping you stay full. But no food is bad and forbidding foods for reasons other than actual medical reasons makes this a lot harder than it needs to be.
  • dubird wrote: »
    First of all, remove the word 'think' from your sentence. You CAN do this, so don't start out with the mentality that you might not be able to. ^_^

    Second, you don't actually need to cut out junk food from your diet. You simply need to learn what an actual portion is and stick with that. Cutting out a lot of foods you like usually means you'll backslide because you want to eat them, and when you allow yourself to, you'll eat more than you should. Not saying you shouldn't swap out some for better choices! Junk food is usually high calorie/low nutrient foods, so filling most of your day with lower calorie/high nutrient foods is better for you nutrition-wise, as well as helping you stay full. But no food is bad and forbidding foods for reasons other than actual medical reasons makes this a lot harder than it needs to be.

    Hi,

    Thank you for your advice, I really appreciate it. There's some junk foods though I don't think I need in my life in general, and that's what I've cut out. This includes - sodas, chips, candy,etc. I'm not limiting myself on things I enjoy. I know I enjoy sweet things and spicy things, and I've just modified my likes into healthier choices. So instead of getting my spicy/salty fill from chips/fried foods, I've started to make baked wings with a homemade spicy sauce, or making my chili spicy. For sweet, I turn to oatmeal that's lightly sweetened, or a PBJ small instead of a chocolate molten cake. That's whatI meant.

    And you're right, it needs to be I can! :) I know I will!
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
    dubird wrote: »
    First of all, remove the word 'think' from your sentence. You CAN do this, so don't start out with the mentality that you might not be able to. ^_^

    Second, you don't actually need to cut out junk food from your diet. You simply need to learn what an actual portion is and stick with that. Cutting out a lot of foods you like usually means you'll backslide because you want to eat them, and when you allow yourself to, you'll eat more than you should. Not saying you shouldn't swap out some for better choices! Junk food is usually high calorie/low nutrient foods, so filling most of your day with lower calorie/high nutrient foods is better for you nutrition-wise, as well as helping you stay full. But no food is bad and forbidding foods for reasons other than actual medical reasons makes this a lot harder than it needs to be.

    Hi,

    Thank you for your advice, I really appreciate it. There's some junk foods though I don't think I need in my life in general, and that's what I've cut out. This includes - sodas, chips, candy,etc. I'm not limiting myself on things I enjoy. I know I enjoy sweet things and spicy things, and I've just modified my likes into healthier choices. So instead of getting my spicy/salty fill from chips/fried foods, I've started to make baked wings with a homemade spicy sauce, or making my chili spicy. For sweet, I turn to oatmeal that's lightly sweetened, or a PBJ small instead of a chocolate molten cake. That's whatI meant.

    And you're right, it needs to be I can! :) I know I will!

    If you can swap out junk foods you like for healthier options you also like, then great! Just remember that if you really REALLY want chips, it's ok to go have some. What I do is not keep it in the house, but if I REALLY want some, I go to the gas station and get a single/double serving bag. I get to eat something I want, but I'm not getting a big bag and habit snacking to finish the whole thing in one evening! ^_^;
  • Hotelsma
    Hotelsma Posts: 404 Member
    Well done on your first week. That's always the hardest to get through. Keep us posted in your journey
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,889 Member
    dubird wrote: »
    dubird wrote: »
    First of all, remove the word 'think' from your sentence. You CAN do this, so don't start out with the mentality that you might not be able to. ^_^

    Second, you don't actually need to cut out junk food from your diet. You simply need to learn what an actual portion is and stick with that. Cutting out a lot of foods you like usually means you'll backslide because you want to eat them, and when you allow yourself to, you'll eat more than you should. Not saying you shouldn't swap out some for better choices! Junk food is usually high calorie/low nutrient foods, so filling most of your day with lower calorie/high nutrient foods is better for you nutrition-wise, as well as helping you stay full. But no food is bad and forbidding foods for reasons other than actual medical reasons makes this a lot harder than it needs to be.

    Hi,

    Thank you for your advice, I really appreciate it. There's some junk foods though I don't think I need in my life in general, and that's what I've cut out. This includes - sodas, chips, candy,etc. I'm not limiting myself on things I enjoy. I know I enjoy sweet things and spicy things, and I've just modified my likes into healthier choices. So instead of getting my spicy/salty fill from chips/fried foods, I've started to make baked wings with a homemade spicy sauce, or making my chili spicy. For sweet, I turn to oatmeal that's lightly sweetened, or a PBJ small instead of a chocolate molten cake. That's whatI meant.

    And you're right, it needs to be I can! :) I know I will!

    If you can swap out junk foods you like for healthier options you also like, then great! Just remember that if you really REALLY want chips, it's ok to go have some. What I do is not keep it in the house, but if I REALLY want some, I go to the gas station and get a single/double serving bag. I get to eat something I want, but I'm not getting a big bag and habit snacking to finish the whole thing in one evening! ^_^;

    Ya, when it comes to junk food, I had to retrain my brain to think calories per serving, rather than price per pound.

    My brain still gets stuck in the Completion Compulsion, whereby one bar of chocolate equals a serving, despite the number of servings claimed on the package. However, since my brain thinks one 15 gram Ghiradelli square is a serving, that's what I buy.

    However, there are some trigger foods I just don't keep in the house anymore like Oreos, M&Ms and Girl Scout Cookies.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    dubird wrote: »
    dubird wrote: »
    First of all, remove the word 'think' from your sentence. You CAN do this, so don't start out with the mentality that you might not be able to. ^_^

    Second, you don't actually need to cut out junk food from your diet. You simply need to learn what an actual portion is and stick with that. Cutting out a lot of foods you like usually means you'll backslide because you want to eat them, and when you allow yourself to, you'll eat more than you should. Not saying you shouldn't swap out some for better choices! Junk food is usually high calorie/low nutrient foods, so filling most of your day with lower calorie/high nutrient foods is better for you nutrition-wise, as well as helping you stay full. But no food is bad and forbidding foods for reasons other than actual medical reasons makes this a lot harder than it needs to be.

    Hi,

    Thank you for your advice, I really appreciate it. There's some junk foods though I don't think I need in my life in general, and that's what I've cut out. This includes - sodas, chips, candy,etc. I'm not limiting myself on things I enjoy. I know I enjoy sweet things and spicy things, and I've just modified my likes into healthier choices. So instead of getting my spicy/salty fill from chips/fried foods, I've started to make baked wings with a homemade spicy sauce, or making my chili spicy. For sweet, I turn to oatmeal that's lightly sweetened, or a PBJ small instead of a chocolate molten cake. That's whatI meant.

    And you're right, it needs to be I can! :) I know I will!

    If you can swap out junk foods you like for healthier options you also like, then great! Just remember that if you really REALLY want chips, it's ok to go have some. What I do is not keep it in the house, but if I REALLY want some, I go to the gas station and get a single/double serving bag. I get to eat something I want, but I'm not getting a big bag and habit snacking to finish the whole thing in one evening! ^_^;

    Ya, when it comes to junk food, I had to retrain my brain to think calories per serving, rather than price per pound.

    My brain still gets stuck in the Completion Compulsion, whereby one bar of chocolate equals a serving, despite the number of servings claimed on the package. However, since my brain thinks one 15 gram Ghiradelli square is a serving, that's what I buy.

    However, there are some trigger foods I just don't keep in the house anymore like Oreos, M&Ms and Girl Scout Cookies.

    Yeah, there's a reason I don't keep chips in the house! ^_^; For me, it's not really a 'trigger' food, but I'm a habit snacker. I get the munchies, grab a bag of chips, and one hour later realize i've just about finished it without noticing. So for me, keeping them out of the house means that doesn't happen anymore. I let my natural laziness work for me in that regard; if I get the munchies for anything, I have to get up, go downstairs and most of the time MAKE something. If I'm not actually hungry, that's too much work so I don't. XD
  • lizadaze
    lizadaze Posts: 118 Member
    Keep up the good work and don't give up on yourself. My mantra: Don't try to strive for perfection, but strive for progress. Setting reasonable goals for yourself every week and stringing all your progress together over time = success! I'll send you a friend request and an invite to a motivational challenge and support group that I manage. It is really helping a lot of us keep on track with both long and short term goals. It's called Lean on Me: 12 Week Fitness Goal Achievers.

    Good luck!
  • sadbat
    sadbat Posts: 7 Member
    Iam in my second week now , you can add me .the feeling is awesome and iam confident that with dedication and motivation we can beat out goal
  • samchez0
    samchez0 Posts: 364 Member
    Welcome! I KNOW you can do this. Be careful about limiting yourself too much. I find when I cut everything out at once I will go crazy and binge later on.
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    Welcome! Congrats on getting through the first week.
    Plug your data into MFP and log everything. Eat the calories MFP calculates for you. You'll do great.
    As others have said, cutting out all the junk may make you backslide because you may start to crave it. If you don't miss it, don't sweat it but if you feel a craving, find a way to fit it into your day. You can do it.

    Good luck in the second week. You'll do great.