I’m struggling to find a way to eat better. any suggestions?

iancutler2023 · April 30

its so difficult! its so easy to just eat whatever and drink whatever but im also struggling getting back in the gym. used to be in there 5-6 days a week! any helpful tips?

sollyn23l2 · April 30

I've found it works best to make the "easier" choices harder by making them less available. Make the "harder" "more beneficial" choices easier by keeping them available in the house I.e don't buy them, don't keep them in the house. It's a struggle for most people. If it wasn't, everyone would already be eating exactly as they feel is most healthy.

girlwithcurls2 · April 30

I log things in the morning, before I've even eaten anything. I need to see what things "cost" me. When I log my breakfast, lunch and a couple of satiating snacks, I realize that there isn't much left in the account for things that are less nutrient dense but more yummy to eat (for me that's crunchy, carb-y snacks and alcohol). If I know I have to log it, I'm less inclined to have it. Sometimes I even log the things I want just to see the number. It's a way to check in with Future Me to see if Present Me actually wants to use calories from those foods and drinks. I get a bit into my own head about this, but it can prevent me actually eating or drinking something that I know I will regret later.

csplatt · April 30

plan what you are going to eat the night before and pre log it all into the app

FibroHiker · April 30

Something I read recently from a body builder really struck me. The individual said they found foods they like to eat every day. Meaning: their diet didn't feel like a diet, they were still enjoying eating.

I have spent the last few months compiling a list of recipes that are satisfying to me and yet still help me to achieve my macros and nutrition goals. If the recipe says four servings then the dish gets divided into four servings and I only eat one. I also have my go to restaurants and meals for when I don't want to cook, but don't want to stray from my goals. I think this has helped a lot to keep me on track.

springlering62 · April 30

Look at your food diary.

Where can you make substitutions?

We use half rice and half cauliflower rice I. Stir fries- a huge calorie savings

Diet sodas, tea or sparkling waters in lieu of soda.

Sugar free syrups, ketchups, etc

Powdered peanut butter instead of regular in smoothies, baked goods, ice creams.

Lower cal/fat cuts of meat. There’s some very low cal cuts of beef and pork.

Low fat cheeses, cottage cheeses, Greek yogurt.

I can make a darn fine cheesecake out of well drained Greek yogurt, egg whites, sugar free syrup, and fruit that has been cooked down and cooled. It’s well under 100 calories for 1/8 of a whole pie dish. My husband gobbles it up. Even if he goes buck wild and eats 1/4 of it, it doesn’t ding his daily goal, and gives him an awesome hit of protein.

Balsamic sweet vinegar as a stir fry sauce or salad dressing.

If we go to cookout, I ask for no condiments on my burger, and add my own low cal mayo and sugar free ketchup at home.

I’ve also learned, I can get by just fine with a quarter serving of mayo or butter.

Substituting margarine for butter can cut calories in half. I’ve also found when maki g things like baked goods, scones etc, I can use 2/3 or even half the butter the recipe calls for, with no significant difference in taste.

I got a quality nonstick (not teflon) pan. I can “dry sautee” meats and stir fries in, with no added oils. They taste just fine.

I made (and still do) it a game to see how I could tinker with meals to make them lower calorie. 👍🏻

Get out there and flex your creativity muscle!

springlering62 · April 30

And who says you have to be “in the gym?”

Walking is just fine. I did plenty of that, created an off-the-sofa habit and then added gym and other workouts when I was better able to view them as a “want to” versus a “must do”.

lisakatz2 · April 30

springlering62 wrote: »

And who says you have to be “in the gym?”

Walking is just fine. I did plenty of that, created an off-the-sofa habit and then added gym and other workouts when I was better able to view them as a “want to” versus a “must do”.

I walk at least 30 minutes per day (usually an hour) and do body weight workouts for flexibility, mobility, and strength. Look them up (Google). You don't need to join a gym to be strong and fit.

AnnPT77 · May 1

iancutler2023 wrote: »

its so difficult! its so easy to just eat whatever and drink whatever but im also struggling getting back in the gym. used to be in there 5-6 days a week! any helpful tips?

I sort of eat whatever and drink whatever . . . but in order to lose weight 8 years back, and maintain a healthy weight since loss, I pretty much rearranged the portion sizes and frequencies of "whatever" until I was hitting calorie goal and getting reasonable overall nutrition most of the time eating foods I enjoy. (I didn't change the range of foods I eat to lose weight. I was already eating some nutrient-dense things to start, though. I still eat some treat foods, just less often or in smaller portions than I used to do.) Life is too short to eat yucky stuff, in my world.

Use your food diary. Log what you eat now. Find relatively easy cuts, either portion sizes/frequencies or by lightening up foods using strategies like Springlering62 up there suggested.

On approach to consider is remodeling your current eating routine, as summarized in the previous paragraph. More details here:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

That won't be perfect for everyone: No one approach is. But it's one to consider.

On the exercise front, any increase in movement burns extra calories. It can be official exercise, or just injecting more movement into daily life at home and work. Find fun ways of moving more, ideally . . . at least things that are tolerable and practical. Sometimes people think exercise has to be punitively intense and miserable in order to improve fitness or contribute to weight loss. That's 100% false. In fact, going with extremes can be counterproductive for fitness and weight loss both.

Being fat isn't a sin. We don't need to suffer in order to expiate it.

neanderthin · May 1

Yeah, the buffet that is American cuisine does have it's downsides, maybe find an offering close enough to walk and maybe don't go back for seconds.

I’m struggling to find a way to eat better. any suggestions?

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