How has your eating changed?

spdaphne
spdaphne Posts: 262 Member
edited November 18 in Food and Nutrition
Hi all!

Just curious, sometimes when we are changing our eat habits, looking back it can be amazing to see how we've changed.

I used to eat more processed food and not cook very much. Over the last 5 years though, I've come to love cooking and have even tried doing more plant base cooking and even can appreciate vegan foods. My body now craves healthy food which used to never happen and I understand better what my body needs when it comes to food.

What about you? What are you happy about that's changed? It can be big like going vegetarian or learning to eat better due to food allergies/tolerances or small like learning to like a particular food or eat less of something.

Replies

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    I eat all the same things I've always eaten - just more of some and less of others.
  • EliseTK1
    EliseTK1 Posts: 483 Member
    My diet has evolved a great deal over many years starting when I was in college. Most recently the biggest change is that I no longer eat ice cream/froyo/chocolate candy every day. In fact, I only eat sweets in general maybe once a week. That's a big deal for me because I've always had such a sweet tooth. I also gave up sodas. I used to be addicted to Coke Zero and Sprite Zero, but now on average I have one diet soda a month.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    I eat less most days of the same things.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    I eat all the same things I've always eaten - just more of some and less of others.

    This for me too - but it can be expanded. I have a meal structure instead of irregular bouts of fasting/grazing/binging, whenever I couldn't follow my "healthy" eating plan, that is. I eat the same things as always, but more home cooked and "original" (not "diet") versions. I love to cook. I love food. I eat more appropriate portions. I'm no longer afraid of eating, or of good food, or of getting hungry, or of gaining weight. I eat everything more regularly - vegetables for every meal, and spread out fat/protein and eat moderate portions of starchy foods. I don't stock up on "difficult" foods. I meal plan, plan grocery shopping, and follow a list. I aim to avoid food waste. I have a goal of only eating delicious things. I can pick up flavors and nuances that I never imagined existed. I enjoy tastes that I used to find boring and/or too strong. I'm happy for all these things.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I cook a lot more than I did in my 20s and I eat a more structured diet in general. Whenever I graze a bunch and eat mindlessly I end up eating more of things I don't care about and gaining weight.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    I am constantly tinkering with my bulking diets to stave off boredom. This time I decided to go almost entirely whole food to avoid my tendency to fulk. I am quite literally consuming 4-6 lbs. of veggies and fruits daily, and that's not even counting the starches. Add meat and my pre/post lift whey and pre-bed casein, and I'm actually shocked that I can cram in 3350 kcals on training days (2850 on recovery).

    My cutting protocol is always the same though.
  • dadsafrantic
    dadsafrantic Posts: 186 Member
    i don't eat conveniently. that means no one handed food i can eat on the go. nothing pre-made as in packaged. i eat smaller portions but usually more components to a meal. i cook everything from scratch or know who did. i eat mostly individual items in a meal, not sauces or stew-like items. i sit down to eat. i weigh everything prior to eating. i'm doing 16/8 intermittent fasting. i enjoy what i eat. i don't sneak anything, if i want a treat i have it and adjust the day's intake accordingly.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,698 Member
    I dropped the handful of cashews I was eating each afternoon. I had determined that they weren't sitting well with me anyway + they were a lot of calories.

    I switched from eating cookies or chocolate after work to cottage cheese and raw veggies. I prefer the cottage cheese and raw veggies ... they make me feel full longer.

    My dinner portions are smaller.

    And that's about it! :)
  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,447 Member
    I am amazed how much butter I used to go thru and how little I know go thru
  • fupthesides
    fupthesides Posts: 71 Member
    Taking a moment to really think about what I am eating and if it meets my goals for the day.
  • botch74
    botch74 Posts: 11 Member
    I've cut as much pre processed food as possible. Which pushed me to a more plant based diet. It's true, fresh is best.
  • MarvinsAMartian
    MarvinsAMartian Posts: 236 Member
    Like others above, I pretty well eat the same things. The biggest difference for me is portion size. I find since I started using MFP I've been more conscious of how much I'm putting on my plate.
  • jmormur
    jmormur Posts: 17 Member
    More vegetables and more awareness of portion sizes. Other than that I eat most of the same foods as I did before.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I cook more (like, way more). I eat less processed food/ready to eat meals/fast food (I can make better tasting stuff for less calories!). Much less bread and cheese and junk food as a whole. Almost no liquid calories.

    I wish I could say more veggies but lately... I'm sick of frozen veggies and fresh is way too $$$.

    Really though, my diet was pretty much 90% high calorie foods, I'm still shocked I didn't end up weighing more than 213 lbs.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    I eat just about the same way I did before I lost weight.
    More calorie and protein aware when I make my daily choices though, I don't log food anymore.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    I changed from having a sweet tooth to preferring savoury.
    I always cooked my meals from scratch but I do vary them more now and am always on the look out for new recipes.
    I'm also very portion aware.
  • jesspen91
    jesspen91 Posts: 1,383 Member
    I eat far more protein and spread my meals out better. I used to eat mostly cereal for breakfast and a soup, leafy salad or sandwich for lunch (often with little or no meat/legumes/dairy) and then would be starving by about 3pm eat a sugary snack or drink a sugary coffee have a huge dinner followed by dessert.

    I realised that by eating more at breakfast and lunch I can control myself better by the end of the day. I now make sure I have included a good protein source with every meal.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    It's night and day. Giving up things that weren't that great anyway was a big chunk. I don't miss or crave cheap junk food or fast food. I don't stuff myself beyond full, I rarely eat processed foods, I've given up milk because I figured out I'm lactose intolerant. Other than the occasional beer, I drink none of my calories.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    We have a farm and we hunt and fish, so lot's of fruits, vegetables, farm fresh eggs as well as wild caught fish/meat were a part of my diet even when I was gaining weight.

    Content wise my diet hasn't changed. Only the amount has changed.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited May 2017
    I use oil sparingly now. I used to press several spoonfuls of extra virgin olive oil into my bread until it was soaking in it before making a sandwich. I also used to drench my salads, hummus, greek yogurt...etc in olive oil. This is not longer the case, I only use a little bit for the taste now. Thankfully, freshly pressed and well stored oil is strongly flavored so even a little bit comes through.

    I also used to eat servings that were too large of some things. I now eat smaller portions in general and more aware and careful when eating something like fried eggplants (it's no longer a "meal", it's a "side" to a more forgiving meal) and nuts (no random all day munching on nuts, single servings as a part of meal and only occasionally).

    I haven't eaten some foods (like salted butter or butter and jam sandwiches and some other things) in a long time. I know I can eat them, but I haven't in years because there is just always something that feels more worthy of the calories. I've basically cut out some foods without meaning to cut them out, and I still don't consider them "cut out". I just don't eat them lol.

    I no longer eat things that I don't care for that much. Stale fries, donuts, most meat dishes...etc are just not worth it to me. I now have a hard rule of "never eating things I don't like".

    Other than that, my foods are pretty much the same.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    edited May 2017
    Only things that I totally eliminated from my diet are sodas. Use to drink 3-4 (and as many as 6 cans a day) plus 3-4 cans of beer on top of that. Really stupid.

    Still drink beer/alcohol and eat some refined sugar/baked goods but FAR less than I did b4.
  • krazy1sbk
    krazy1sbk Posts: 128 Member
    I don't drink my calories (most of the time) and I realized how much I don't really need buns to enjoy a hamburger or a shell to enjoy tacos (taco salad). I only cut out things I won't miss (not ice cream).
  • MsHarryWinston
    MsHarryWinston Posts: 1,027 Member
    I've gone back to cooking and baking. PROPERLY cooking and baking, instead of the easy grab rut I had fallen into because i was always so busy and tired. Now I MAKE time and meal prep. It means I no longer grab all kinds of junk food at work (like a bunch candy bars and chips) because i was too tired to make my lunch before work and slept in.
    I'm also much more mindful of what I put in my mouth and don't give into every random food craving that flits through my head.
  • lioness803
    lioness803 Posts: 325 Member
    I eat a lot more veggies than I used to (though I've never not eaten veggies, broccoli is probably one of my favorite foods and always has been). I used to think protein bars were only for beefcakes at the gym, but now I've started having one daily because I find I need the easy protein boost to meet my protein goal. I don't eat pasta as much because the portion size that easily fits in my calories is depressing.
  • OhMsDiva
    OhMsDiva Posts: 1,073 Member
    I crave veggies, which is weird to me. I always ate veggies, but not on a daily basis and definitely not all day long. I check what the calories of what I am going to eat before I eat it and if I don't think it is worth the calories then I do not bother. I also have to take the time to make sure I have enough veggies and meat for the week.
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
    I still eat what I like but in better amounts. Like @suzysunshine99 said, I don't waste calories on things that don't taste or satisfy that great in my opinion. To me thats things like potato chips, processed cheese, canned foods, white breads, etc. I get to eat 'more' that way and I feel fuller.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    I do cook more, and cook different stuff than I did before, and cook separately for my wife.
    I pay more attention to getting protein than before.
  • crushingitdaily12345
    crushingitdaily12345 Posts: 577 Member
    Proper portions, no soda, almost no bread, or processed foods/sugars... a lot more vegetables...
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