How your eating has changed

I'm just nosy. :) I wonder what foods/drinks you eat now that you didn't before; are you obsessed with certain foods that you hardly touched before your healthy journey began? What things have you given up or now eat very moderately compared to before? I know we shouldn't feel we have to give up foods but let's face it. We also cannot eat the same way we did either, so instead of eating a pint of ice cream 3x a week, maybe we have it 1x a month.

For myself, I could hardly look at an avocado without thinking blech gross. I almost never cooked with onions, peppers, mushrooms, or spinach, couldn't tell you the last time I had a parsnip, but now I love those foods, buy them weekly and incorporate them into anything I can. I didn't even like plain nonfat yogurt but now I get it and devour it. I don't use cooking oil like I did, but Pam most everything.

I lived on pasta, breads, junk foods including crackers, packaged crap like Little Debbies, candy bars, bakery items I ate by the shovel, all those heavily sugared cereals(LOVE cinnamon toast crunch) and don't get me started on the freezer aisle. :( Anything with lots of mayo, cheese, carbs, sugar, fat.......it was mine. :(

Most of those junk foods I no longer buy, only because I know I have no control whatsoever. I occasionally bake something or pick up something, go crazy for a day/maybe 2, then get right back to it. I limit my cheese, weighing it on my trusty sale, use low or no fat mayo and salad dressings.

I also chew gum all the time now too. :)
«13

Replies

  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,515 Member
    I eat tons of fruit and nuts. Like, 3-5 servings of fruit a day and 2 servings of nuts (for a whopping 320kcals).

    Also, in the last year I gave up aspartame because I started to suspect it was giving me cramps. This means I've been putting agave in my tea. (Gasp!) I've realized that 20kcals of agave makes me happy and is easy to accommodate in my plan.

    I also take a fiber supplement at the end of the day. Very helpful if you are cutting calories!
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    I don't eat foods that are easy (for me) to overeat by thousands of calories on a regular basis now and I don't snack. I do eat a lot of beef now--pretty much for every meal. Hamburger, roasts and steaks are my staples. I've always liked and ate fruits, nuts and vegetables so that hasn't changed.

    Good food habits and proper food are pretty much the only changes that I've kept throughout the years.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I use a lot more volume eating tricks to bulk up my meals (brothy soups, lots of vegetables, etc).

    I eat fruit and grains much less often.

    I am much more selective about my condiment usage.
  • helen_goldthorpe
    helen_goldthorpe Posts: 340 Member
    My diet was never terrible - I gained about 30lb over 10 years so not actually that much above maintenance, it just compounded. So I’m mainly eating the same things with a bit more portion control, and saving the more indulgent things for days when my calorie burn merits it. Less alcohol and a bit more protein. And less grazing on snacks that get left out at work (unless it’s a day when I need the calories!) That’s about it.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
    I just didn’t know what healthy eating was. My Dr. told me when I was young if I wanted to eat healthy I should quit eating fries and chips and have a banana or apple instead. He told me that’s all I needed to do at my age, plenty of time to worry about that stuff later. So I went to McDonald’s for a hamburger and coke, no fries. Healthy by my standards.
    I joined Weight Watchers and they told me no need to eat that apple or banana, it was just sugar, just like a candy bar, so why not just have a candy bar? Yeah! Now I could have a hamburger, coke, AND a candy bar! No wonder I got fat!
    Years later, I went to a dietician who really tried to teach me, and I really tried to learn. I quickly gave up donuts and coke. I cut way back on dessert, candy. I ate the real thing when I did eat sweets, instead of substituting everything with something else with 3 less calories and a sickening taste(another Weight Watchers holdover). I realized nuts are not the enemy and gave myself permission to eat them(I would rather have a small handful of nuts than a whole cake or pie most times). It sounds so weird now, but I figured out that fruits I like (peaches, plums, watermelon, berries, grapes, etc.) are just as healthy as apples and bananas. Through time, I am learning to cook vegetables. I eat more, and better than I did.
  • I eat a ton more protein. I was a bread monster before. I still eat it but not as much. Much more veg now. I’m surprised at how my tastes have changed over time.
  • Staypositive35
    Staypositive35 Posts: 8 Member
    MEALPREP. With me intermittent fasting, i have been doing 18/6 lately and by lunch time i'm really hungry. I go grab a chicken already sectioned up/sweet or red potatoes/and a vegetable. I prep 5 meals. Tuesday/Thursday take my wife to lunch, but go to places i can easily track. I eat the same things alot but if i want something different, i just fit it into my macros......There are days where i will go low on calories i.e. 1300-1500, usually stick around 1800 no higer.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
    I eat the same things I ate before, but now I will weigh them and eat an appropriate portion.
  • CLICit
    CLICit Posts: 17 Member
    I don't drink alcohol anymore which is kind of amazing, I don't miss hangovers or feeling low after. I also eat way less bread and pasta and add vegetables instead. I noticed I'm waking up earlier and falling asleep later, I require less rest time. I barely crave sugar or high fat foods like wings or burgers. I also drink A LOT of carbonated water, I'm permanently hydrated.
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,982 Member
    I'm in the less pizza club, too, for the same reasons - it doesn't seem worth the calories, or rather, 1 or 2 slices just don't fill me up.

    I've cut way back on sweets and mashed potatoes and fries. I've learned a lot of little tricks to lower calorie counts in foods I cook, and I've found that I like greens, parsnips, and rutabaga (still don't like avocado or turnips, though lol)

    Before, I'd sample a donut or two or cookies when someone brought them in, hit the candy bowl and grab 4 or 5 funsize candy bars, but I've learned to look at the calorie count and stay away from them because I find its just not worth it, or if I really want it, I've learned to take 1/4 of the donut, 1 cookie, and 1 or 2 fun size candy bars and make sure to fit it into my day's calorie allotment. I do find that I'm not nearly as tempted by those things as I was before.

    I've learned to go for just a plain, regular hamburger if I want a hamburger at McDonald's, and if I find myself craving french fries, I'll order a happy meal to get the kid's size. That small portion usually does the trick in satisfying the craving. But I eat a lot of salad and chicken in restaurants now.

    I've also switch to using sugar alternatives, such as splenda, truvia, etc. Diet Dr. Pepper instead of regular. Using unsweetened cashew milk in my coffee (unless I'm low on protein, then I use milk).

    The one that I'm still struggling with after 3 years, though, is sweet teas. I can't take a full-blown sweet tea as its always too sweet, but I was getting half-cut. The problem is 1) the calorie counts in the database are usually off and 2)I get mine without ice so that half cut was 1 1/2 cups because I didn't have the volume of ice added in and 3)I tend to drink down a sweetened drink a whole lot faster than I do an unsweetened one, so I was drinking more, meaning spending more calories than I thought on those half cut teas. So I'm back to unsweet, with a half cut an an occasional treat :(
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    My diet was never particularly bad. I've never been one to binge eat or stress eat or eat pints of ice cream, etc. I gained about 40 Lbs over the course of about 8 years pretty slowly and it was largely attributable to a decrease in activity going from an active college student to a more sedentary desk jockey.

    Probably the biggest change in my diet was eating out less, kicking soda, and including more vegetables and fruits in my diet...otherwise, it's not terribly different than it was before. I've cooked at home for as long as I can remember and I did learn that I could cook using less oil than I would typically use for some things...especially sauces.
  • Vjmikesell
    Vjmikesell Posts: 36 Member
    I don’t buy convience foods at all (with the exception of protein bars, store bought rotesseri chicken, sandwich makings for packed lunches, and unsweetened Greek yogurt ) to keep on hand. If I want to mindlessly snack then I have to go through the process of preparing/cooking the item before I eat it. Not having convience foods in the pantry/fridge has helped tremendously. Out of sight, out of mind. This also helps make me more mindful when it comes to meal planning and planning healthy meals ahead- nothing available to just pop into the microwave in my home so meals have to be planned far enough ahead. The only dessert item I keep in my house is honey (for Greek yogurt) and dark chocolate chips (for baking)

    The only drinks we keep at the house is bottled water and sparkling water. I will but Celsius energy drinks/bang energy drinks from wholesale store at beginning of month but once it’s gone, it’s gone until the next month. If I want an empty calorie drink then it’s a big inconvenience to have to drive to the store to get it so we rarely drink anything outside of water.

    We only eat out on Saturday (cheat meal after a double workout) not only is it much healthier to not eat out, but also saves tons of money. The money saved by not eating out through the week (or buying a daily Starbucks/convience snacks) goes toward monthly bootcamp memberships and health supplements such as good probiotics, fish oil, vitamin D, coq10, multivitamins, etc..

    I never really cared much for seafood but actively trying to add wild caught salmon into the dinner plans 1-2 times per week.