The ‘mental’ side of healthy eating

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Replies

  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,400 Member
    TBH I never thought of it that way, I’ll try and up it and see if it suits better, thank you

    Came back after awhile and bingo! OP you got it! If you start to listen to successful people you will learn alot and will get to your goals. The posters on here are the greatest--love the patience usmcmp. OP--she really knows her stuff, look at her success thread, and recomp thread. As I said before, good luck.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,216 Member
    Haha I’ve edited it and have 1700 maybe we will have some success now... thanks guys x

    I think that's definitely a good plan. Based on your other thread I see you're wanting to lose in the neighborhood of 30 lbs. These loss rate guidelines were in another thread I've bookmarked and fit with what's commonly recommended and also meshes with anecdotal conversations I've had with qualified fitness professionals over the years.

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose, set to 2 lbs/week
    If you have 40-75 lbs, set to lose 1.5 lbs/week
    If you have 25-40 lbs, set to lose 1 lb/week
    If you have 15-25 lbs, set to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lb/week
    if you have less than 15 lbs to lose, set to 0.5 lb/week

    Like most recommendations, these are generic and YMMV. Personally, I'm at a stage where I'm trying to lower my body fat percentage purely out of vanity (6'1" male, ~172 lbs, <15% body fat) but still target a 1-1.5lb per week loss with my daily calories, which works out to about 1750 calories (I bounce it around based on a spreadsheet I maintain). Some days I hit that number, and some days I don't.

    You're certainly not alone in dealing with cravings/urges for traditionally "unhealthy" foods. For me it was important to adopt the mindset that extra calories don't just happen, everything's a choice; it's a choice that I am or am not going to have that extra piece of pizza, bag of fritos, cookie/doughnuts in the breakroom. There will always be the need exercise some level of self-control and keep yourself accountable to tell "the devil on your shoulder", as you put it, "No" when you get that urge to eat a whole pizza instead of a few slices, or five doughnuts, instead of one (speaking to past personal experiences). I've also trained myself to recognize situations where I could make food decisions I'd ultimately regret and avoid them. For instance, I typically eat lunch at my desk but frequently run errands or get gas in my car during my lunch period. There happens to be a taco bell next to one of the gas stations I typically go to; if I feel like I'll just wing through Taco Bell if I go over there I'll go to a different station to avoid the temptation entirely. I also carry less cash/change than I used to in an effort to avoid having the means to hit up the vending machine for chips or confectionery goods as well.
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
    I go by the 80/20 rule. 80% of what I eat is healthy, 20% is not so healthy. But all food has some nutrition, and helps me meet my goals. As long as I'm within or close to my calorie goal at the end of the day, I don't worry. I also have a very modest goal of loss, about 5 lbs/month. I'm exceeding that rate for now.
  • sammyj19902015
    sammyj19902015 Posts: 63 Member
    I’ll listen to anyone if they talk to me in a way i like, as I said previously the people that annoyed me have trolled my other posts making out I’m thick and tbh I’m actually not! I just need help in a normal human way :)
  • mca90guitar
    mca90guitar Posts: 290 Member
    Staying on track is the hard part, esp having to log everything I eat gets old after a few months. Is what it is though esp since I now sit all day at work, its more critical now then ever.