Help me!!!!

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RhondaLeeRoss
RhondaLeeRoss Posts: 186
in Food and Nutrition
Here's the deal. I have started my new life style change as of August 1st! And I haven't fallen of the wagon (nor do I ever plan too!) when it comes to the exercising. I am doing the Turbo Fire series and I am on Week 3, Day 4. I am determined to complete this series! Should be done mid December. My goal is to go from 159lbs to 135lbs. Problem is.....I eat like crap! Always have; my whole life! No fruits (other than apples the odd time) and rarely any veggies! I'm all about the taters, cheeses, breads, and oooooohhhhh the chocolate! It is so hard to start eating totally differently but I know if I don't I'm not going to lose the weight no matter how much I exercise! Please get me on the right track!!!! I beg of you my MFP friends!!!!

Replies

  • SiltyPigeon
    SiltyPigeon Posts: 920 Member
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    Weight loss is 10% exercise and 90% what you eat. That being said, you don't need to give up ANYTHING. It's all about portion control. Eat whatever you want... just stay with-in your calorie "budget". After awhile you see which foods are "worth" the calories and which aren't. I eat TONS of veggies now, because they don't have crap for calories... and cooked right, they are actually really yummy! I rarely ever eat fruit because (to me) they aren't worth the calories.

    Good luck! You can do it!
  • Tereztaylor07
    Tereztaylor07 Posts: 200
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    I read the book Diet Free Lifestyle by Robert Ferguson. His plan helped me change my eating. Also, get a kitchen scale. Knowing what a serving of carbs or chocolate is always puts it in perspective for me. You can have MANY more veggies for much less calories.
  • onetwentysomething
    onetwentysomething Posts: 26 Member
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    You can still enjoy those things in moderation!!! Just make sure you track them :)
  • jamiealdridge02
    jamiealdridge02 Posts: 93 Member
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    I know it is hard, but you will never lose the weight unless you eat well. I would say start with a small change this week and add small changes every week. for example, only eat the exact portion of foods this week (even if they aren't the best). Next week replace one snack food with a fruit that you really like, etc., etc. If you give your body time to adjust to new eating, you won't feel deprived and your new "changes" will become habits!! Good luck, also, find some foods you can make that taste like junk food but aren't. I make homemade pumpkin bread that is so decadent, but really healthy. Same thing with a lot of other foods. There is always a healthier version of the junk!
  • flavoid
    flavoid Posts: 11 Member
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    Hi Rhonda,

    don't change up your diet too fast, you may not be able to keep it up, try to transition slowly to a better eating habit, find fruit you like, ( mangos, kiwi fruit, cherrys, plums) or veggies, ( I love roast sweet potato fries, brussel sprouts, snow peas etc).

    cheese and bread are my favorites, so they're my rewards for meeting small goals..
  • trout78
    trout78 Posts: 102
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    The best advice I can give you is to take it one step at a time, one day at a time! Maybe try to add a veggie or fruit choice every couple days. I have found that making changes a little at a time is better then trying to do it all at once, it's less overwhelming! And rememeber, you always have your MFP people for support! Good Luck, you can do it!
  • Rditty25
    Rditty25 Posts: 7 Member
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    I used to be a big junk foodie. I was in love with candy bars (snickers, butterfingers, 5th ave, all of them basically). The way I broke myself of the habit of eating one daily was by substitution. I knew I wouldn't just sit down and eat fruit instead so I bought lots of fruit and bought the Marzetti's cream cheese fruit dip and the chocolate fruit dip. I get a small portion of fruit (if I eat straight out of the bowl of fruit I wont want to stop!) and dip and it satisfies my sweet tooth and has a lot less calories and fat!
  • windybaer
    windybaer Posts: 47 Member
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    I can understand why some people dislike veggies.Truly fresh vegetables from the farmer's market, fixed properly, are better tasting than anything you can get in a restaurant anywhere, and they are better for you. But supermarket veggies of uncertain origin and age, improperly prepared would gag even the most devout Vegan,

    Corn-on-the-cob, picked the same day. Roasted beets and onions, green beans that melt in your mouth. If you've never had them, I understand your reluctance to change.
  • TipMcE
    TipMcE Posts: 158
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    I'm basically going to echo what everyone is saying, but I want to offer my support too. You can do this, just take it slow. Definitely watch your portions and you'll be OK. If you try to find balance in your diet, you'll be able to work in your favorite treats. There are so many fruits and vegetables out there that if you keep an open mind and try different things and different ways of preparing them, you'll find new favorites. And as you start to feel healthier, you're not going to want to eat the junk. No, it won't happen overnight and it may be hard at first but you'll start to get into a groove. But it's not just about eating veggies and fruit. You do need protein, carbs and some fat to keep your body going, especially if you are exercising too. And I have to say when you log the food you eat, it makes you want to be good even if you're the only one who'll see your food diary. If you log your regular cheesy, bready, chocolatey diet for a few days you may be surprised at the calories you're consuming and you may start to see where you can make substitutions or have a little less of something.
  • mynika
    mynika Posts: 312 Member
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    Great job being honest... I love bread so much but what I have started is take a piece of whole wheat pita bread, lightly put a little evoo on it, and add some herbs of your choice, and bake them, I also love chocolate, so occasionally I will take three of the little Dove dark chocolate with Raspberry swirls, and I add it into my food diary, that gives me just a taste, the the dark chocolate is much better for you. Stick with this and you will reach your goal. Just log everything and stay under or at your calorie goal. Good Luck my friend.
  • mynika
    mynika Posts: 312 Member
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    One more thing, in place of regualr potatoes, fries or baked potatoe, try sweet potatoe, or baked sweet potatoe fries, they are really good, and you have your potatoe to help fill the plate. hope this helps
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
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    Try drowning everything in fat free ranch dressing.
  • kylakesgal
    kylakesgal Posts: 952 Member
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    Hi, just take baby steps, add in a veggie or fruit a day. Try something new every week. You might discover you like them. I love veggies and eat a ton of them lol. Usually you can always find healthier options of the foods you enjoy that taste almost as good. Make it a lifestyle change and not a diet....something you can live with the rest of your life:) Potatoes and carbs (pasta) are my weakness but I don't deprive myself. Everything in moderation. Feel free to add me and I'd be glad to help support you along the way. Best of luck to you:)
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Are you logging your food?
    If not, start today!
    Once you have a few days logged you will be able to see where all the cals are coming from and you can start making changes.
    Like the previous posters, I suggest starting slowly, changing one thing at a time.
    Can you replace one unhealthy snack with an apple each day?
    Start having eggs or oatmeal for breakfast instead of toast and sweet stuff?
    TRY some new veggies each week to replace the fries and other dinner sides.
    Cut out sodas or dessert-coffees (you know, those caramel fattocino with whipped cream kind of things) if you drink them with water or tea.
    Slowly these changes will add up and you will see how they add up to a much healther you.

    Oh, and DON'T chose "lose 2 pounds a week". I know we all want quick results but cutting your calories drastically low just gives you a really hard goal to start with and it's not neccessary for most people.
  • saltorian
    saltorian Posts: 192 Member
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    Since you've never eaten "healthy" as far as you can remember, try not to overwhelm yourself to start with. My advice is:

    1) Start small. Try swapping familiar foods with things that are a little bit better for you (like switching to whole wheat pasta instead of the white enriched stuff). Changing everything at once might be overwhelming, so take it slow. You don't need to go from "junk food junkie" to "whole foods purist" overnight. Take things one step at a time.

    2) Get creative. Experiment with new recipes to make healthier versions of things that you already like. There are lots of online recipe sites that can give you ideas. Instead of buying frozen french fries, for example, make your own oven fries with potatoes and cooking spray (just remember that cooking spray is oil -- it's not really 0 calories!).

    3) Sneak veggies in. Since you haven't eaten veggies much in the past, try incorporating them into other foods so they don't seem as threatening. Dice them up small and put them in your pasta sauce, or layer them into a sandwich.

    4) Reach out to friends and family. They might be able to introduce you to healthy options that you never thought of, or teach you how to cook a vegetable that you never tried before. This is especially true if you know anyone who can cook "ethnic" foods. You might discover something really great!

    5) Limit, but don't exclude, your favorite foods. Make sure you get your cheese! Just try to learn portion control (get things in individual packs or portion them out into sandwich baggies if you have to) and make sure that whatever you choose to eat, you truly enjoy it.

    Hope that helps you some!
  • mspix
    mspix Posts: 153
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    I will echo the rest, start small, make little changes at a pace that wont overwhelm you. You can do it! Check out Hungrygirl.com for some great recipes that use swaps of lower fat/calorie items for some of your favorite foods.

    Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • RhondaLeeRoss
    RhondaLeeRoss Posts: 186
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    Thanks you soooooo much to everyone for your posts! It amazes my every day how much support we give one another her on MFP!

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