Changes you have made

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  • Meganthedogmom
    Meganthedogmom Posts: 1,639 Member
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    - I almost never drink my calories (unless it's a protein shake or smoothie)
    - I make my own food 90% of the time, rather than eating out
    - I substitute certain things to help with calories, like instead of spreading butter on my bread, it'll be Brummell & Brown yogurt spread, or diet sweet tea instead of regular, or cooking with PAM spray instead of a bunch of oil/butter
    - Dessert is no longer a bunch of cookies, but Halo Top or a yogurt/fruit smoothie instead.
    - Regular exercise
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
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    I have become far more "budget" conscious - I have about 1350 calorie "dollars" to spend every day, so I am paying a lot more attention to how I spend them, giving up calorie dense, unsatisfying foods that really dont make me happy for ones that I truly love and enjoy completely. This means that I rarely have alcohol (nice but mostly meh....) but ALWAYS have chocolate!! I find that a lot of processed foods for me were merely okay, just served the purpose of getting some food into me and the hubs after a busy day at work, but I really enjoy cooking so my reliance on convenience stuff has dropped dramatically in favour of planning and cooking. I have tried to move away from mindless eating out of boredom or using food as a reward or a comfort and taken up some hobbies that keep my mind and my hands occupied. I am not afraid to tell people that I am watching my diet, and I will even tell them I have medical issues (I do, but not related to food) if they try to get too personal about it. I will even lie and claim allergies if I have to get them off my back!!

    I think the biggest revelation about losing a substantial amount of weight was that I am in control of what I consume, and that I dont let circumstances in my life dictate what I eat - I am not eating because my heart is broken - that doesnt fix anything. I am not eating because I am stressed at work, that doesnt fix anything. I am not eating because my kids are making me crazy, because that doesnt fix anything but mostly I am not eating because I have a poor self image or I feel guilty about something or life isnt turning out the way I want it to because...............you guessed it, that doesnt fix anything. The world will still be poopy whether I eat that whatever or not.

    Oh, I have blathered on about this, havent I?!

    Short answer? I had to experience a real, and sustainable change of perspective on life, and on personal accountability.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    More lifting weights, more home cooked meals, more veggies and lean meats, more pasta, more ice cream, more self-love

    Less staying still, less 'diet' foods, less sleep (grr.. not by choice), less guilt
  • Wan718
    Wan718 Posts: 14 Member
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    - Eat less processed and pre-packaged food
    - Stopped drinking - unless it is wine or sugar-free alcohol
    - Have personal trainer and work out 5 times/week regularly
    - Eat out less than 3 times a week (huge money saving tips esp. if you live in SFO)
    - Now I have more workout clothes than regular clothes...
  • Sira125
    Sira125 Posts: 152 Member
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    Cut out artificial sweeteners (even stevia)
    Cut out most added sugars
    Avoid soy lecithin
    Avoid carrageenan

    Take stairs at every opportunity
    Prioritize fruits and vegetables
    Get enough healthy fats and protein
    Weigh food
    Log food and preplanning food when I can
    Leave room for flexibility

  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    Just through weighing, measuring and logging I have become much more thoughtful about the food I prepare for myself and by extension what I see on a plate put in front of my at a restaurant. My portion sizes are much reduced and I prefer it that way now - I went out and had three courses with a friend the other night and boy was I in pain for a while. When I am jonesing for a snack I will consider what's around and what the rest of the day looks like instead of just satisfying my appetite quickly. I work out every day. I don't remember the last time I used my bottle of olive oil, I use a spritz now on a good non stick pan if I need it. I've drifted away from a lot of potatoes, rice and white bread as the easiest calorie dense foods to compromise on in order to balance my day out - have cauli instead of potatoes with stew, then I can also enjoy a whisky later. Breakfast cereal is pretty much gone. I make sure to load up on the fruit or veg portion of a plate. If I can shop for one of the thing I want to treat myself to I will, like getting one big old white kaiser roll from the bakery, but no more big bags of rolls or multiples of things I just can't eat in quantity any more. I plan meals and plan shopping. I look at my breakfast and lunch as fuel to get me through the day and then dinner is something a little freer.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,195 Member
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    Pretty much ... I eat less.

    I haven't drunk my calories since the late 1980s.
    I rarely consume alcoholic beverages.
    I've been active since I could crawl.


    I dropped cashews from what I eat during the day. For one thing, the amount of cashews I was eating was probably up around 400 cal, and for another thing, after a bit of experimentation, I pinned cashews down as the cause for some health issues I was having. So diet or not, I had to drop them anyway.

    I made a slight modification to what I eat after work ... to something with a bit more staying power yet fewer calories.

    I reduced my dinner serving size.

    That's about it. :)
  • madiflake
    madiflake Posts: 4 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    The only real changes I've made have been to reduce/eliminate things that just don't seem worth the calories to me.

    Examples:

    1. When I have rice or pasta, it's an accent to the meal, not the main event like it used to be.
    2. I don't have caloric mixers in my cocktails anymore unless it's a special cocktail that I'm wanting to try -- and then I'll limit myself to one and switch to something else after that.
    3. I rarely have full fat salad dressings.
    4. Candy is very rare (except for dark chocolate)
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    The only real changes I've made have been to reduce/eliminate things that just don't seem worth the calories to me.

    You could also use zoodles or spaghetti squash instead of pasta noodles. I am a HUGE pasta lover, but actually enjoy it more with one of these veggie noodles than with regular ones. They're so easy too!

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