How to try to eat healthy?

rl2010 · December 9

Hello again,

I am wondering how most of you started your weight loss journey. From eating out many nights a week I am finding it hard to find foods I like at home, let alone close to healthy. I also need one person meals as wife and kids wont eat would I need to.

How did you begin? If I look for a 2000 calorie plan, that drastically changes what I eat now. I do like some healthy foods but allot I don’t or if I do I will get sick of fast and revert to the place I am in now. Example I can’t stand grilled chicken. Or even baked chicken with lemon juice/salt/pepper. Salads need a
Ton of dressing to hide the earthyness ( if that’s a word). Leftovers I can’t stand either as they are dried out and taste bad. The only chicken I like is chicken parm but that is breaded, fried, then covered in tomato sauce and cheese. Kind of defeats the purpose of trying it for health.

Foods buried in sauce or soups are ok as leftovers.

I do however like fish but the only one in the house that will eat it.

Some vegetables are ok.

Most times I am on the run or get home late. I am not going to start cooking a meal at 9:00 at night.

I have to do something but don’t want to get discouraged again after a few weeks of eating bland foods.

This is probably my last shot at trying something. Now over 300lbs I can’t walk 10ft without being out of breath and the body aches are getting worse. I am developing some sort of breathing issue with constant congestion as well. I need to drop some weight to be able to try to exercise.

Tried the drs and my insurance won’t cover any sort of med( not that I want it).

AnnPT77 · December 9

I'd say start by eating foods you enjoy, or at least tolerate well and find practical, aiming at a reasonable calorie level.

Log that food. Review your food diary every couple of days, and I'll bet you'll begin to notice foods that help you toward your goals, and foods that don't . . . and once you know the calorie 'cost' of some of those you don't enjoy as much, those will be relatively easy to reduce or eliminate. (Reduce = eat less often, or eat in smaller portions.)

Don't make your eating any more difficult than it needs to be to reach your goals. When we're substantially overweight, for most of us simply getting that weight heading downward is the biggest step we can take toward improved health and well being. Yes, nutrition is important, but you can start giving that some thought later, as you get a reasonable calorie level tuned in.

Know that if you are set up in MFP to lose a pound a week, it gives you a calorie goal that's 500 calories daily below what it thinks you'd need to maintain your current weight. If you set up for 2 pounds loss a week, the goal is 1000 below the calories it thinks you need to maintain your current weight. The implication is that if you eat more calories than your goal, but less than those "maintain current weight" calories, you'd still expect to lose body fat, just not as quickly as if you'd hit the calorie goal. Sure, hit close to your goal if that's manageable. But slow weight loss is better than no weight loss, right?

Sometimes people think they need to eat only "diet foods" or "superfoods" or something like that to lose weight. That's not true. Losing body fat is directly about calories. Most people find they feel more full and satisfied when eating relatively more of things like lean meat, fish/seafood, eggs, dairy foods, veggies and fruits. Those foods may also be more helpful for keeping energy level in a good place. But it makes sense to focus on the ones you personally enjoy eating relatively more, and every food doesn't need to be ideal, either.

If you don't want to cook at 9PM, that's fine. Make a plan ahead of time. If you can tolerate it, consider frozen food, or even one of the more reasonable-calorie choices from a fast food place. (Look at menus and nutritional info on the web ahead of time, know which options those are, and stick to them.) If things are OK buried in sauces or soups, find some lower-calorie sauces or soups you can tolerate. There are a range of options.

Certainly, one piece of this is mindset. I wouldn't encourage you to eat foods you dislike, but try thinking of eating in terms of "how can I game my preferences and hit a reasonable calorie goal, without being miserable or constantly hungry" rather than "I hate having to cut calories because it means I need to eat yucky stuff". (It probably doesn't mean that. It sounds like you're a somewhat selective eater, but not full-bore crazy-picky.) Think of it as a puzzle to solve, not as a path to misery, if you can.

For myself, losing from class 1 obese to a healthy weight starting 9 years ago, I did this kind of gradual shift in how I ate, first aiming for reasonable calories eating foods I generally enjoy, and figuring out which foods/timing of eating kept my appetite in reasonable bounds most of the time. Once that was shaping up, I started paying more attention to tuning up the nutrition, first protein, then other things. It was a process, and it wasn't instant. It was more "gradually remodel my eating" than "revolutionize my eating in one jump".

For me, that worked pretty well. I've been at a healthy weight since that loss, after around 30 previous years of overweight/obesity. On top of that, I wouldn't have predicted all the quality of life improvements that came along the way, let alone what they added up to by the time I'd been maintaining a healthy weight for a while. IME, these results were much more than worth the time and effort I invested in getting there.

No one approach works for everyone: I think our tactics need to be tailored to our individual preferences, strengths, limitations and lifestyle. But what you asked is how we started our weight loss. The above is how I started mine, with some advice thrown in about how to think of it if you want to do it in a similar way. It's totally your call, what to do, and how to do it.

I'm cheering for you to succeed!

P.S. I pretty much did what this post describes:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

It may not suit you, but it's an option to consider.

COGypsy · December 10

It's really rough trying to eat more healthfully with a busy schedule. I feel you on so many of the things you said! For me, I still mostly eat out, just with some strong rules in place. I never eat more than half of a restaurant meal, I add vegetables absolutely any time it's an option, and I choose reasonable entrees--even if they aren't what I "want" at the moment. That might be a regular cheeseburger instead of the one with bacon, guac, double cheese and an onion ring. I also don't order appetizers or dessert and on the rare occasion that I allow an alcoholic or other caloric beverage, it's never more than one.

When it comes to eating at home, frankly--I manage expectations. I don't expect home food to be something I look forward to all day. I really only expect it to be not-gross. I despise cooking, so the compromise is that I eat very basically and similarly from one day to the next. My staples are frozen vegetables, frozen meat, and some kind of starch (usually precooked in those 60-second packets). Here's the part you'll like - all of it microwaved with a liberal dousing of some kind of "flavor". I use things like Asian stir fry sauces, bbq sauce, spice mixes, chile sauce, hot sauce, different kinds of vinegars. The other go-to is some kind of protein on one of those bagged salad kits. Those have dressing and crunchy toppings in the kit, so it's automatically flavored, plus they only have to be dumped in a bowl and stirred around a bit.

I've been in maintenance for about 8 years eating this way and more or less ate this way the whole time I was losing. That's probably the biggest difference-- I didn't decide to eat this way to lose weight, I started eating this way because I hate to cook. But it could be adaptable for your requirements.

avatiach · December 10

For me, the key is writing things down. MFP has a nice diary function. If you can be honest with yourself, writing down what you eat, you will be more aware of when you are eating to "snack" and when you are eating when you are hungry.
At first I really did not want to admit that I ate 300 calories worth of...(ice cream, or potato chips, or wine) without even being intentional about *wanting* those snacks.

Corina1143 · December 10

Start where you are.
Add healthy, low calorie things you like.
Instead of thinking about what you can't have, think about what you can.
Chicken parm. Have it. Add a baked potato, salad and a veggie you like.
Big Mac. Have a huge burger patty with sautéed onion and pepper. Think fajitas.
Keep thinking. How can you eat your favorite foods in a healthier way?

HoneyBadger302 · December 10

So, let me start off by pointing out that "healthy" does not have to be "tasteless and dry" which is what is spoken to in the OP. I'm guessing, there is a mental bias that something "delicious" can't also be "healthy" but that couldn't be further from the truth.
A good selection of spices, herbs, and things like the right oils, vinegars, some "spicey" sauces, etc can make that boring chicken breast really pop.
Then, it's going to require a little cooking savvy/learning, but that doesn't mean "complicated." For example, that boring, dry, chicken breast? Pound it mostly flat, cook covered with some chopped garlic (I buy it pre-chopped in large containers cause I use a lot of it), salt, a few spices/herbs you like, and around 10 minutes or when slightly browning on the bottom, flip, and recover and cook until starting to brown on that side.
That chicken breast will stay juicy, soak up those flavors, and you can always top with some low or no sugar (simple ingredient) marinara or pico, sprinkle some grated parm on top, and you just might find that a "healthy" food can be quite tasty!
Brussel sprouts - cut in half, put in large baggie, drizzle olive oil, salt, parmesan, and shake. Place flat side down on a baking sheet - bake until fork tender and drizzle them in blasamic glaze - YUM.
A little maple syrup drizzled lightly over chicken or salmon adds a sweet pop with minimal calories (just be sure to measure/weigh everything). I'm currently sitting here eating a maple pecan chicken breast that is delicious - and healthy.

IMO it's actually harder - but far more important - to weigh and track every lick, bite, or sip of whatever (other than water) that goes in your mouth. You can take some time to retrain your tastes and get used to having to cook. The family might join you in the journey as well

what better gift to give your kids than the gift of a long and healthy life?!

springlering62 · December 10

I found that foods I thought I didn’t like became more palatable- and eventually more desirable- as I lost weight and exposed myself to them.

I don’t mean to sound harsh. I was obese for decades.

Does being obese and all the accompanying health issues sound more enjoyable than giving that grilled chicken another try?

Can you tweak a favorite recipe to make it healthier?

In lieu of high calorie salad dressings you mention, I went with infused balsamics. Right now I’m using espresso as a salad dressing. It doesn’t take much and is comparatively very very low cal. I eventually preferred simple balsamics on salads, as marinades, on stir fries, even on ice creams and cottage cheese, as a dessert. I have a serving or two of balsamic every day and have for years.

Roasting vegetables makes them sweet. I never ever imagined I’d love beets. Now I crave roasted beets with feta. Even better if tossed in a fruit balsamic before roasting.

It’s up to you to step up to the plate, hold your nose, try some new foods or foods cooked new ways. If you try them a time or two and don’t like them, there’s no law that says you have to punish your way through weight loss and maintenance by continuing to eat them.

But I’ll bet you some roasted Brussels sprouts and walnuts, or a lovely squash and ginger soup that you’ll find some foods you do enjoy, which reheat (or eaten cold-roasted vegetables on greens…mmmmmm) which will satisfy your hunger and are a lot healthier.

Are you serious about change, or just pissing and moaning before continuing “as is”, as I did for so so many years?

springlering62 · December 10

Simply start by logging your foods. I found that just doing and learning the mechanics both made me pay attention to what I was eating, but helped/forced me to learn and understand serving sizes, something I had zero inkling of.

Whaddya mean a serving of Double Stuff isn’t the whole package of Oreos?!!!

I honestly had no concept, or if I subconsciously did, wasn’t willing to confront it.

You’ve got health issues. You’ve got a wife and kids to consider. If a bunch of us nattering and battering at you doesn’t make you think, step back and think of them.

I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I do. Losing weight made such a massive difference in my health and attitude, I’d implore you to treat it seriously.

Ask questions, get involved. The folks in these boards are your best resource, your best anonymous holder of hands- if you participate and ask for help.

nossmf · December 10

Eating "healthy" can come later. First step for me was learning portion sizes and using portion control. I still ate burgers, pizza, ice cream and cookies the entire time I lost 50 pounds (and still to this day after years of maintenance), but I ate less at a meal: one burger instead of two, two slices of pizza instead of four, two scoops of ice cream instead of three, etc. If I'm still hungry, this is where I started to experiment with adding veggies to help fill me up.

But one surprising twist was that after a while, two slices of pizza was actually enough, where it used to be just a warmup. How much of that difference was from me being physically smaller and needing less food? Maybe some, but the majority I think came from my brain over time adjusting to the idea that "this is all the pizza, so enjoy it", and that my body always could have been satisfied with just two, it was only my brain that kept wanting to eat more and more to continue to enjoy the taste of it.

Where the brain leads, the body follows.

rl2010 · December 16

Thanks all , been trying not to get frustrated and ignore what help is provided here. Been in a bad mood and not feeling well so I thought I would lay low.

I need to learn portion measuring when getting food out and not carry a scale with me. That is a challenge.

I also need to go find another Dr as this breathing and inability to move mush without gasping for air is getting bad. Probably all related to my weight.

AnnPT77 · December 16

rl2010 wrote: »

Thanks all , been trying not to get frustrated and ignore what help is provided here. Been in a bad mood and not feeling well so I thought I would lay low.

I need to learn portion measuring when getting food out and not t a scale with me. That is a challenge.

I also need to go find another Dr as this breathing and inability to move mush without gasping for air is getting bad. Probably all related to my weight.

I'm sorry you've been going through that: Hang in there! If you keep chipping away at improvements when you can find the energy, I'll predict you'll reach the point where good days outnumber bad ones, and progress will pick up.

One of the things I do when getting food out - only when it would be polite! - is to discreetly snap a photo of my plate/tray with my phone (no flash!), making sure there's something in the photo that will help me gauge portion size later. Something like a fork works well. That helps me estimate/log the food later.

If you're using a food scale at home, over time and with that practice, you'll also get better at estimating portion sizes when eating out. Some of us game-ify the home weighing to help develop this skill, i.e., try to guess the food weight before looking at the scale reading.

Also, maybe you're already doing this, but another thing that many of us do whenever possible is to look at the restaurant menu online and plan what we're going to order even before we even get there. That helps avoid the impulse excessive orders. In the case of fast food places, some of them even have options or substitutions on their web site that aren't on their menu board.

I've also found that sit-down restaurants may be open to variations or substitutions, too. I'm not a big bread lover, so I often order a sandwich without the bun/bread, for example. (Not saying you should do that if you love bread, just giving an example.) Often, they'll serve dressings or sauces on the side so we can use a sensible amount rather than letting the kitchen drench the food. I think it can't hurt to ask most anything reasonable politely, plus understand that some dishes are pre-prepped so not all variations are possible.

Best wishes!

Corina1143 · December 16

The most important thing isn't how you start or where you start, it's THAT you start.
START!

SafariGalNYC · December 16

“How to try to eat healthy” - starts with what you want to achieve.

If you go out to dinner and don’t know portions/ box up half of it. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just start.

I personally started because I was tired of being fat. I started to rethink food quality and my relationship to food. I still fall off the wagon… we all do. Got to keep going.

Try a challenge or group with some individuals that are striving to make some changes. 💪 how about a weekly weigh in challenge ? There are also a few healthy eats challenges in groups. Switch out 1 meal a day with something you will feel good about.

I noticed you also posted something similar with struggling to begin a year ago.

What stopped you from trying this past year? (That’s for you to think on and change.) You are in control.

sollyn23l2 · December 17

Instead of thinking in terms of "eat healthier" break that down into small actionable steps. For example, do you drink full sugar soda? If you do, change to diet or flavored water. Juice? Get rid of that too. Unnecessary calories that don't fill you up and aren't really satisfying anyway. Just doing that will cause you to start losing weight. Do you snack on potato chips, cheetos, etc? Get rid of them. Now you'll lose even more weight. After you're comfortable with that, look at the next step you could take, and so on. You don't have to radically overhaul your diet all at once.

Hobartlemagne · December 17

Imagine buying materials to build a house and since you love shopping you buy too much.
After the house is built, all of the leftover materials you just dump in a pile in the front yard.
So many of us approach food and eating this way.

Think of food as your building materials. Find a balance in the ideal amount of types and total volume.

rl2010 · December 17

I have tried for years to do something. Battling depression and disappointment is what I think is the underlying issue. It’s gotten worse and worse. I am not going to make excuses why I won’t do anything. Just trying to find something that may work that I won’t try for a day and get into that dark place and stop.

2 years ago I went no/very low carb and lost 48 lbs on 4 months only to start eating normal foods and the weight came back plus more in the same time.

Now my breathing/cardio stamina very bad. I mean getting dressed make me struggle to catch my breath. It’s probably my weight. Walking to my car I have to sit for 5 minutes to catch my breath. Forget the doctors. Can’t keep taking days off to see this Dr or this test for them to say nothing.

Alatariel75 · December 17

rl2010 wrote: »

I have tried for years to do something. Battling depression and disappointment is what I think is the underlying issue. It’s gotten worse and worse. I am not going to make excuses why I won’t do anything. Just trying to find something that may work that I won’t try for a day and get into that dark place and stop.

2 years ago I went no/very low carb and lost 48 lbs on 4 months only to start eating normal foods and the weight came back plus more in the same time.

Now my breathing/cardio stamina very bad. I mean getting dressed make me struggle to catch my breath. It’s probably my weight. Walking to my car I have to sit for 5 minutes to catch my breath. Forget the doctors. Can’t keep taking days off to see this Dr or this test for them to say nothing.

Look, it's trite, but true - losing weight is hard. Being fat is hard. Choose your hard.

It sounds like your health and your weight are significantly negatively impacting your life. They're almost definitely contributing to your depression and disappointment.

I have lost a lot of weight in the last 6 months. People ask me about my motivation, and I can't tell them it's because my life has been falling apart, and how I eat and what I do with my body is the only thing I feel like I have any control or power over. It's become my little oasis of "well, at least this isn't going to hell like everything else". Not all motivation has to be positive, and the starts don't have to align to be the right time to take control. Sometimes, it's not motivation, it's resignation that gets the job done. The realisation that you either just plod through, and get it done, or everything's going to keep getting worse.

You've had some really good advice. You don't need to overhaul your entire life, manageable changes can have an impact. But you need to be open to just getting it done.

springlering62 · December 18

If you do need to dump and share, that’s what we’re here for. You can get support here. And it’s anonymous.

But totally agree. Choose your hard.

I found that when I did, and got into the groove of better behavior, the other behavior became hard. Yeah, I ate a giant candy bar last week. But it had been in the freezer for eight months. In the past, I could’ve easily downed two or three of those suckers a day without batting an eyelid. I’m off my foot right now resting it because of arthritis pain in heel and foot. I am literally climbing the walls and complaining “I’m bored! I want to walk the dog!” If I do another stitch of crochet, I may very well stab somebody with the needle.

This wasn’t “me” until I decided “me”
needed to make some hard choices.

You’ve just got to motivate yourself to crest the Hill of Hard and come down the other side as a new “me”.

Is this really what you want for the rest of your life? You’re making a choice here.

All my life, I coasted. Path of least resistance. I’m still not the best at anything, but doggone it, I’m the best Me I can be. and I gave that to myself as a conscious decision.

AnnPT77 · December 18

Alatariel75 wrote: »

rl2010 wrote: »

I have tried for years to do something. Battling depression and disappointment is what I think is the underlying issue. It’s gotten worse and worse. I am not going to make excuses why I won’t do anything. Just trying to find something that may work that I won’t try for a day and get into that dark place and stop.

2 years ago I went no/very low carb and lost 48 lbs on 4 months only to start eating normal foods and the weight came back plus more in the same time.

Now my breathing/cardio stamina very bad. I mean getting dressed make me struggle to catch my breath. It’s probably my weight. Walking to my car I have to sit for 5 minutes to catch my breath. Forget the doctors. Can’t keep taking days off to see this Dr or this test for them to say nothing.

Look, it's trite, but true - losing weight is hard. Being fat is hard. Choose your hard.

It sounds like your health and your weight are significantly negatively impacting your life. They're almost definitely contributing to your depression and disappointment.

I have lost a lot of weight in the last 6 months. People ask me about my motivation, and I can't tell them it's because my life has been falling apart, and how I eat and what I do with my body is the only thing I feel like I have any control or power over. It's become my little oasis of "well, at least this isn't going to hell like everything else". Not all motivation has to be positive, and the starts don't have to align to be the right time to take control. Sometimes, it's not motivation, it's resignation that gets the job done. The realisation that you either just plod through, and get it done, or everything's going to keep getting worse.

You've had some really good advice. You don't need to overhaul your entire life, manageable changes can have an impact. But you need to be open to just getting it done.

That and this:

springlering62 wrote: »

(snip for length)

You’ve just got to motivate yourself to crest the Hill of Hard and come down the other side as a new “me”.

Is this really what you want for the rest of your life? You’re making a choice here.

All my life, I coasted. Path of least resistance. I’m still not the best at anything, but doggone it, I’m the best Me I can be. and I gave that to myself as a conscious decision.

Yup.

For me, I think a key part of succeeding was realizing viscerally, not just as a theory, that I have nearly 100% control over what I put in my mouth, chew and swallow, plus how much movement happens during my day (within any hard limits imposed by disease or disability, of course).

That meant that whether I liked it or not, getting fat and staying fat for years was a choice I made, and kept on making. I was responsible for the consequences.

But that realization was also empowering: I could choose differently. I like the consequences of that quite a bit better.

avatiach · December 18

One other thought—maybe you should tackle your depression first. I know when I am depressed I feel disempowered. Maybe start with therapy and/or medication for depression, then you can tackle your weight.

How to try to eat healthy?

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