advice for staying on diet

ericar21
ericar21 Posts: 71 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone, i was wondering if any of you guys have any tips or advice for staying on your diet. Working out is not a problem for me but its the eating healthy part seems to be a little difficult. It is so hard for me not to drive through mcdonalds or grab something bad when I'm on the go. How do you fight through it and make dieting a little more interesting or fun?

Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Eat what you want but eat less of it. Track your intake, even McDonalds has items that can fit into your daily intake.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Make a list of your danger points and build a strategy to deal with each one. If a strategy doesn't work try something else.

    For instance if grabbing something on the go is a problem have a stash of healthier alternatives with you until you get home. This might include a yogurt drink, an apple, protein bar, cheese string, or carrot sticks.
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
    If I want McDonald's, I get McDonald's. Do I get it every day? No. Do I supersize everything like I used to? No. But if I want it, I make it fit.
  • samanthachen
    samanthachen Posts: 360 Member
    The best advice I can give, some of the best advice I received in the beginning, was to make sure to keep eating foods you love. Make healthy choices, but don't take away foods you enjoy. Just get a food scale, measure everything, and if you have to (as most people suggest it) pre-log your food each day. Those things will help you stay on track.

    The key to MFP is that it shouldn't feel like a diet.

    Make sure you are getting enough proteins and fats in order to feel satisfied, but don't think of it as a diet.

    I hope this helps. :smile:
  • steph124ny
    steph124ny Posts: 238 Member
    edited February 2016
    I'm much better when I pack food ahead of time. Lunch at work is my nemesis so I'm brown bagging it now...
  • emmycantbemeeko
    emmycantbemeeko Posts: 303 Member
    Planning helps.

    Thinking first in terms of calorie budgeting helps.

    It's a good idea to eat "healthier" in a nutritional sense, but if you're currently eating unhealthy food *and* too much of it, it's okay to tackle the portion part first, before you try to overhaul the actual content of your diet. Doing that will give you a better context for how much you actually should be eating, and you may realize, once you see how unsatisfying it is to get small, sensible portions of junk, that healthier choices hay give you more volume become more appealing.

    Restricting calorie intake takes willpower, and changing what you eat takes willpower. Start with just one of those prongs (and I'd suggest the one that actually affects weight loss to begin with- so how much you eat before what you eat).

    I think a lot of people try to go from "McDonald's every time I pass one" to "nothing but salad" overnight, and that's a recipe for burnout and failure. Facing up to how many calories of McDonald's actually fit your body's needs and then going from there is a smaller, more fundamental step that can help you change your mindset.

    I don't like mcd's personally, but I had some the other day because I was traveling with a friend who really wanted to go there. I made it fit my calories for the day. I just got a lot less volume of food than I would normally, and it reinforced for me that fast food isn't the choice that I'll enjoy the most.
  • i6Shot
    i6Shot Posts: 51 Member
    I'm an adult so I just don't eat the food I perceive to be bad. I'm in control.
  • LARRY2288
    LARRY2288 Posts: 1 Member
    emmycantbemeeko wrote: »
    Planning helps.

    Thinking first in terms of calorie budgeting helps.

    It's a good idea to eat "healthier" in a nutritional sense, but if you're currently eating unhealthy food *and* too much of it, it's okay to tackle the portion part first, before you try to overhaul the actual content of your diet. Doing that will give you a better context for how much you actually should be eating, and you may realize, once you see how unsatisfying it is to get small, sensible portions of junk, that healthier choices hay give you more volume become more appealing.

    Restricting calorie intake takes willpower, and changing what you eat takes willpower. Start with just one of those prongs (and I'd suggest the one that actually affects weight loss to begin with- so how much you eat before what you eat).

    I think a lot of people try to go from "McDonald's every time I pass one" to "nothing but salad" overnight, and that's a recipe for burnout and failure. Facing up to how many calories of McDonald's actually fit your body's needs and then going from there is a smaller, more fundamental step that can help you change your mindset.

    I don't like mcd's personally, but I had some the other day because I was traveling with a friend who really wanted to go there. I made it fit my calories for the day. I just got a lot less volume of food than I would normally, and it reinforced for me that fast food isn't the choice that I'll enjoy the most.

    This is almost precisely what has been successful for me for what it is worth.
  • ericar21
    ericar21 Posts: 71 Member
    thank you everyone! lots of great advice! i did buy a food scale today to help track what and how much i am really eating. I'm going to try to pack healthier food options to grab on the go
  • samanthachen
    samanthachen Posts: 360 Member
    ericar21 wrote: »
    thank you everyone! lots of great advice! i did buy a food scale today to help track what and how much i am really eating. I'm going to try to pack healthier food options to grab on the go

    Food prep is huge. That should help, tons!!! Good luck.

  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    i6Shot wrote: »
    I'm an adult so I just don't eat the food I perceive to be bad. I'm in control.
    There are no 'bad foods'. Anything goes if you can weigh, log and make sure it fits into your daily calories.

    samanthachen wrote: »
    The best advice I can give, some of the best advice I received in the beginning, was to make sure to keep eating foods you love. Make healthy choices, but don't take away foods you enjoy. Just get a food scale, measure everything, and if you have to (as most people suggest it) pre-log your food each day. Those things will help you stay on track.

    The key to MFP is that it shouldn't feel like a diet.

    Make sure you are getting enough proteins and fats in order to feel satisfied, but don't think of it as a diet.

    I hope this helps. :smile:
    Agreed.


  • melonaulait
    melonaulait Posts: 769 Member
    Also, the food you make at home doesn't have to be boring. You don't have to just make green salads and a boiled piece of protein to stay healthy, you could make a McDonald's style burger homemade. Skip all the extra fat and salt that's normally on it and you could even save a few calories.
  • emmam1212
    emmam1212 Posts: 67 Member
    Just find a healthier alternative. If you want to eat out and not have to make something a lot of restaurants with healthy options have carry-out. If you want a burger find a place with a veggie burger or turkey burger that's healthier instead of McDonald's. I found this place with baked sweet potato fries to replace my Wendy's fry cravings and I feel way less bad and it's still fast. Goodluck!
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    So many people fail at dieting because they think they have to give all the foods they like. The truth us, you don't. All you have to do is create a calorie deficit by eating fewer calories than you burn.
  • runningalice
    runningalice Posts: 71 Member
    It helps me by having ally meals prepared at home. So i usually get fast food or unhealthy food when i am in a rush but knowing i have a box (homemade) that i can pop in the microwave on a day when i have no time helps soooo much :)
  • runningalice
    runningalice Posts: 71 Member
    *all
  • Scamd83
    Scamd83 Posts: 808 Member
    Don't buy multi-packs of stuff that can set you off on a binge. Even if the bigger packs are better value for money than smaller packs, just avoid because open packet syndrome is the worst.
  • samchez0
    samchez0 Posts: 364 Member
    Drinks lots of water, keep healthy snack in your fridge and cupboards, don't shop hungry, and take different ways to work and such so you don't go by fast food places.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    Well, first and foremost I would say to give up the notion of being "on a diet." Diets don't work because they suggest that this is only temporary, and then you can return to your old way of eating once the weight is gone. Thats why people yo-yo diet so much. Long term changes in behaviors and habits are what help you lose weight and keep it off. My suggestion would be to come up with an eating plan that you can stick with for life. The great thing about the IIFYM (if it fits your macros) approach is that you eat what you want as long as it fits in your calorie budget. So, if you want a Big Mac sometimes, work it into your budget somehow.
    Planning and prepping meals in advance definitely helps, though. That's what's kept me on track for so long. You might find, as I did, that the more you start cooking for yourself and eating fresher, more nutritious options, the less appealing fast food sounds. Make it an adventure to find new recipes and try new things! Cooking can be fun!
    Also, you aren't perfect. You'll have slip ups from time to time. Learn to forgive yourself for them, and don't let theme be a reason to give up. It's not always easy, but this shouldn't have to be a painful and torturous process.
    Best of luck to you in your journey! Hopefully we'll see you in the Success Stories section!
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Don't make your diet too restrictive. Don't give up all the foods you enjoy. Balance the good and the bad.

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