I want to change my eating habit but don't want to feel like
MzKym30
Posts: 63 Member
Ok I logged what I ate for breakfast this morning & I could not believe how many cals I had at one setting. I'm doing really good with logging my workouts but not so good on logging what I eat. I know I need to eat heathier but I don't want to feel like I'm on a diet. I need your HELP!!:sad: What has worked for you? Can you guys tell me what you are doing? Have done? All feedback is welcomed!!!!
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Replies
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I don't want to feel like I'm on a diet.
this will happen when you change your mindset from "I'm on a diet" to "this is the way I will live the rest of my life"0 -
I eat everything that I have always eaten, but now I look at serving sizes and calories, I work my day around my biggest meal, so if I am having a big dinner, I log it first thing in the morning and then eat breakfast and lunch around that. I try to keep my breakfast at 150 calories and lunch under 250 calories. This is what has helped me. Good luck to you I hope you find something that works for you
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If you want to really lose weight and improve your health you need to log anything and make make changes to your existing diet. Its only when you see it all put down infront of you that you can see how many calories and how much fat you eat and start to make changes. Good luck hunny it might just be small changes like have cereals for breakfast with skimmed milk it leaves you full until mid day and you will have used less than 200 cals. You will do well if you want to and your in the right place for advice and support. Good look xxx0
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Just don't think of it as a diet. Tracking your food gets easier once you start to become more aware of what (and how much) you're eating. It gets easier to adjust it and then.....YOUR STOMACH SHRINKS.....so you start to adjust to smaller portions. Just hang in there, keep tracking, keep working out and build on it. After about 6 weeks I've been able to get a handle on the tracking and I've upped my workout regime weekly to 2 more times. I know that will take my body and mind a few weeks to adjust and see more results. Be strong sister! You can do it.0
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I do apologise for the spelling I am still half asleep lol. x0
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For me its all about portion control. I still eat what I want, I just measure and log. If you take a look at my diary I don't think it looks like I'm on a "diet" at all, but its working! Good luck, you can do it!0
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I agree with the previous poster. I also have found that I don't really restrict myself from anything. Just learn what a portion size and eat that. Has worked well for me so far! This week has been a little worse than usual, but I have enjoyed pizza and Korean from our fave Korean place....Oh man- gann pung gi and oi chi (kimchi style cucmbers...could eat them all day!)
Anyway- this ISN'T a diet. This is your life. Make healthier choices, learn to incorporate more veggies into the things you love. Find alternatives that you love just as much, but still enjoy what life's got!
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what was your breakfast
mine is often cereal fruit and yog
I change my cereal to one with more fibre and less cals (really filling) I changed my fruit - banana or pineapple to red berries much lower in carbs and cals
and I changed my yog to the same make fat free I lost nearly 200 cals with those changes0 -
Portions, portions, portions!
Buy yourself a little scale for the kitchen if you don't already have one and follow the "serving sizes" that you get on the back of packs.
That's how I have been doing it now. I used to eat enough food in one meal to feed 3 people. I knew I was doing it, and I knew that I was going to bed every night with a stomach as tight as a drum and shocking heartburn.
Just cut your portions to the recommended sizes and go from there. I kept on eating exactly what I always ate, just not as much!0 -
I stared with an iPod touch keeping track of calories and exercise and now I have an android phone that now has a scanner on it. I keep track at each meal. Most days I plan ahead, especially if there is one meal I will eat out, I will check the restaurant website for nutrition to find out what is best to eat. Typing in your food before you eat is ok, it is great to know ahead how many calories you will be eating and if there is too many carbs or sodium.
I agree with all who have mentioned it is a new way of life, not just a diet.0 -
You don't want to diet, you want a life style change. What helped me was I took what I normally ate and laid it out and I took about the same amount of calories of a healthy meal and I realized how much more I could eat of healthy food.
I could have a 700 calorie muffin(I love these apple ones:))
or
(example)
Tuna sandwhich (I can of tuna, 2 slices of bread, 2 tbsp of miracale whip, pickles)
A big salad (with dressing, a BUNCH of veggies)
I could even have something chocolate and still be eating less calories then that muffin
Look at calories like money, if you are going to spend money you want to get the most for it!!
good luck
I've lost 116 pounds, so I know how hard it is but it is worth it!! I promise. Add me If you'd like 0 -
Have to agree, have to change the way you eat, not "diet". Once you clear out the stuff that really gets you in trouble and buy stuff that is filling but less calories it starts to come together. After logging for a few days and looking at the forums I realized that I wasn't eating enough protein so up went the protein and down went the carbs to the RDA. Do some reading on here, there are a lot of what I would consider "personal" approaches but also a lot of good scientifically based opinions. So, keep learning and figure out what will work for you. Ask questions in the right forum and pretty soon a picture will emerge that is yours alone.0
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I've just stopped logging on here, but if you look at my diary for the past, you can see that most of my meals are between 300-600 calories if I make them myself.
Breakfast:
1 egg
Protein Shake(Scoop of Powder, 6 oz chocolate soy milk and tablespoon of peanut butter)
Toast
Butter Spread
Bacon
Lunch:
Turkey Sandwich
Grapes
String Cheese
Snack:
Yougurt
Peanut Butter and an Apple
Just Peanut Butter
Dinner:
Whatever I feel like
That right there runs me about 1600-1700 calories a day... and thats not with exercise.
So it can be done.. You just need to plan.0 -
I agree with the comments above. For me, protein in the morning is a BIG thing. I have 2-3 eggs with 2-3 slices of bacon. Protein will always keep you fuller longer than carbohydrates. I can go with no snack between breakfast and lunch staying full on protein.
I have made NUMEROUS changes in our snacks. Ice cream is now frozen yogurt. Potato chips are now pretzels. Candy bars are now Fiber One bars/brownies I have a snack box that I take and get snacks size ziploc bags and I will buy treats for the week which include the above as well as reduced fat wheat thins, nuts and other low calorie items. I bag them each according to serving size. This is beneficial to me in that when I have a sudden urge for a snack, I can go right to the snack box and know that my snack is already packaged just right and I am good. It helps alot because I am on the go alot as well.
All my life I have been a big meat eater. I have reduced my red meat intake significantly. I actually prefer chicken and turkey over beef now. There are so many meals you can make with chicken! Steamers are wonderufl and low cal and you can actually make a meal of them.
It is AMAZING to be familiar with calories now. I can tell you based on what I eat now that I was easily consuming over 3000 calories a day before making this change. As the earlier post mentions, you STOMACH SHRINKS! At first your body may feel hungry because your stomach is a lot larger having been used to greater consumption. What you will find is that after about a week, you now may find you are not able or feel the need to eat all of your calories because your stomach is shrinking.
As earlier posts suggest, eat what you normally do, just reduce the amount of it. Cut out the burger joints or limit them to once a month as a treat. Subtle changes can make the biggest difference. Good luck to you in your journey.0 -
Eat the foods that you like (within reason) so that you won't feel deprived, just pay attention to portion sizes. Also, try to eat foods that are filling without being high in calories. Breakfast is tough because we're so accustomed to loading up on carbs like toast, bagels, waffles, pancakes, etc. Once I switched to eating high-protein breakfasts with plenty of fruits and vegetables, I felt so much more satisfied.
If you're looking for ideas, try leftovers from the night before (there's no rule that says you can't have chicken for breakfast!), greek yogurt with fruit, or omelettes with plenty of veggies. One of my favorite breakfasts is a hard-boiled egg (I'm not a fan of the texture of omelettes) chopped up in a bowl with some low-fat feta cheese, mushrooms, baby spinach, and salsa. It's incredibly filling and comes to less than 200 calories!
Hope this helps.0 -
The thing I found that worked for me is eat SLOWLY... be constantly in tune with your body, its signals... Don't eat until you are full, eat until you aren't hungry.0
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Eat the foods that you like (within reason) so that you won't feel deprived, just pay attention to portion sizes. Also, try to eat foods that are filling without being high in calories. Breakfast is tough because we're so accustomed to loading up on carbs like toast, bagels, waffles, pancakes, etc. Once I switched to eating high-protein breakfasts with plenty of fruits and vegetables, I felt so much more satisfied.
If you're looking for ideas, try leftovers from the night before (there's no rule that says you can't have chicken for breakfast!), greek yogurt with fruit, or omelettes with plenty of veggies. One of my favorite breakfasts is a hard-boiled egg (I'm not a fan of the texture of omelettes) chopped up in a bowl with some low-fat feta cheese, mushrooms, baby spinach, and salsa. It's incredibly filling and comes to less than 200 calories!
Hope this helps.
I noticed immediately the difference in fullness when i switched to protein over carbs! WOW! So true!0 -
If you don't want to feel like you are on a diet you have to eat and do what is natural.
For most of us, while waiting hours and hours between meals will slow your metabolism...I really believe being fanatical about eating every 3 hours can cause stress on the mind as well and make you feel like you are on a diet..."I'm on a diet, I have to eat my snack, I last ate three hours ago." I pay attention to my hunger cues and eat based on when I am hungry...Sometimes its an hour after a meal, sometimes its 4-5 hours...The body is an amazing thing...Think back to our ancestors when they had times of famine and no food. Their body adapted...So, one of the first things to not feel like you are on a diet is to pay attention and eat when hungry and pay a little less attention to the clock.
Then focus on eating cleaner, non-processed foods. The more you do this, the more nutrients you will feed your body, the less your blood sugar will spike, the less hunger pangs you will have (from cutting out processed, high carb, high sugar foods). You will feel more stable throughout the day, less like you are on a "diet" and like you are tempted to eat junk....It's not food, its junk you are saying "no" to, fill your body with nutrient rich food.
You need to change 1 or 2 things at a time every few weeks...So it becomes a natural part of your routine...Then it won't be so drastic and the weight will start to come off.
I really believe that nutrition is 80% of weight/fat loss and exercise is 20%. If you eat a ton but exercise a ton...but still eat a ton...You will way a ton (or the scale at least won't budge).
Small changes! And consistency. Its what you do MOST of the time, not SOME of the time that causes change.0 -
Have to agree, have to change the way you eat, not "diet". Once you clear out the stuff that really gets you in trouble and buy stuff that is filling but less calories it starts to come together. After logging for a few days and looking at the forums I realized that I wasn't eating enough protein so up went the protein and down went the carbs to the RDA. Do some reading on here, there are a lot of what I would consider "personal" approaches but also a lot of good scientifically based opinions. So, keep learning and figure out what will work for you. Ask questions in the right forum and pretty soon a picture will emerge that is yours alone.
YES! Upping the protein keeps the body fuller longer! Good tip!0 -
For me, my mindset changed to wanting to eat healthy due to some bloodwork that could have been better. I was diagnosed as "prediabetic", I had high blood pressure, and my cholesterol was borderline high--as well as being obese. All of these things are linked to obesity. Now, for me, this reality check made me realize that I could control my eating now----or I could put it off and still have to change my eating, but would have medication schedules and blood sugar testing and taking insulin control the rest of my life.
I am currently testing my bloodsugar twice a day--when I first started it was 4 times a day. Just imagine having to test 2 hours after every meal--no matter what you were doing--no matter where you are. I think for me, I wanted to get control back into my life---and I am getting it.
As for eating, I have not deprived myself at all. I just read labels before buying and get the healthier options and give them a try. Those I have tried have been just as good, if not better than what I was eating originally.
Twelve weeks in, I feel so much better. My energy level is skyrocketing. My confidence is way up, and the best thing is the scale is going down. I noticed that I have not had any problems with my allergies and asthma either due to my lungs being stronger for all of the cardio that I have done.
I will have bloodwork done again in about a month. By that time, my goal is to see my bloodsugar back to normal and my cholesterol back to normal instead of borderline.
Trust me, I know this is a daunting task, but it is well worth it. I know you can do it--because I am doing it now.
Good luck! You can do anything you set your mind to do. Just look at everything you have to gain by making the healthy changes--even if it is a little at a time.0 -
You have to examine what you're eating and make choices about what is more important for your particular personal needs. My battle is with fat intake, for the most part. The more things I'm willing to give up where taste is concerned the faster my body will metabolize what I do give it.
ex. I'm willing to give up creamer and switch to just 2% for my coffee and sub the sugar. That nets me calories in my life I don't really need.
Choosing a good whole wheat bread (mine is aunt milies 12grain fiber for life $3) with extra fiber over the easy white bread in the cafeteria to make a sandwich is worth the extra calories that the whole wheat bread has. Some people give up white sugar and flour and they magically lose 3 lbs.
I stopped drinking 2x a week and lost 3 lbs. Boom, just like that.
To indulge once in awhile isn't going to harm your lifestyle, you just have to be 'good' more often than you are 'bad'. If you struggle for control, sometimes you have to deny direct access. . For some, indulging that one time sets off a chain reaction of bad choices, so some just permanently leave the crap out.
I struggled to justify spending $4 on cookies ready made in the bakery I really don't need to have around in the house, so I have saved myself those cals plus a little cash. I know where to find cookies if I really really need one.
I also tend to cook a lot of my own food so that I have control over the taste quality and factor, and alter the recipes in ways that are healthier (olive oil vs veg or carob vs choc chips) and if I can't I just watch portions as much as I can.
As has been said, use a scale for measuring the serious stuff. If 4oz is a serving of ham, you'd better be sure what 4oz of ham looks like. I had to teach my husband what to plan for when it comes to his carolina rub pork.
Also, if you eat small meals frequently rather than 3 big ones or (eeek) ONE a day (bad Idea). Have access to planned snacks.0 -
first dont see this as a diet.. see it as something you will strive to become for the rest of yourself.
secondly... do what you KNOW that you can do for the rest of your life, taper it to YOUR needs and expect that the more exceptions you make for yourself, the slower your results...but you will get there.
IF you want faster results, you will have to make bigger sacrifices.
follow your instincts, and do what is right for you, this is not a diet, this is self improvement to become a better version of yourself, forever.
You already know how to do it right... do it the opposite way of how you have done it to get to your unhappy body situation.
Obstacles are there to tell us what to do to reach our goals, they serve a purpose.
Everyday will bring change, and you will find that you are so much stronger than you ever thought possible.
Most importantly, ban ALL self doubt... this is a hinderance to your change and progress, carry on even though you are afraid of failing, one day you will realize that it was all in your head, and the burden wasn't so heavy, because you are so much stronger.
And, dont beat yourself up if you go over your caloric number... log it and drink some water move on. Tomorrow is a blank slate remember?0 -
Being on a strict calorie deficit is a diet so it is normal for it to feel that way.
If you want to ease into things and you are in the right mindset about being in this for the long haul then I would start simply by recording what you eat now. Do that for a week then look back through it and look at some of the glaringly obvious high calorie things in your diet. See what you could cut out or substitute and start with just a few things for a week or 2. Then, the next week, take another look and choose another goal of something to change. You certainly do not have to go to eating 1200 or even 2000 calories overnight to lose weight if you are obese. Any changes you make will be a step in the right direction and eventually you will start losing weight (whenever it is that you hit some amount of calorie deficit) and you won't feel so deprived because you won't be cutting everything back at once or trying to eat half or less of the food that you usually eat.0 -
Skipping breakfast saved me 4-500 cals.
Small lunch saves me another 2-300.
Sweeteners in my tea saved me yet another 2-300.
There, that's 1,000 cals i can now have when i actually want them, and have more of the food i actually want
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The only reason that I make lower calorie choices is so I can eat more of what I want. For breakfast I had 3/4 cup of scrambled egg whites and 3 French toast sticks (cause I love them). Then during the day I try to burn at least 500 calories working out so that can be added to the calories I can eat. I adjust everything so that I can have hot chocolate (milk and quick, not that sugar free crap) and a piece of cream cheese stuffed French toast. I've lost 16lbs. I don't deprive myself so that I can be happy and keep going. Good luck. This is a great site, hope it works for you.0
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I eat everything that I have always eaten, but now I look at serving sizes and calories, I work my day around my biggest meal, so if I am having a big dinner, I log it first thing in the morning and then eat breakfast and lunch around that. I try to keep my breakfast at 150 calories and lunch under 250 calories. This is what has helped me. Good luck to you I hope you find something that works for you
~CookiezBaking
first dont see this as a diet.. see it as something you will strive to become for the rest of yourself.
secondly... do what you KNOW that you can do for the rest of your life, taper it to YOUR needs and expect that the more exceptions you make for yourself, the slower your results...but you will get there.
IF you want faster results, you will have to make bigger sacrifices.
follow your instincts, and do what is right for you, this is not a diet, this is self improvement to become a better version of yourself, forever.
You already know how to do it right... do it the opposite way of how you have done it to get to your unhappy body situation.
Obstacles are there to tell us what to do to reach our goals, they serve a purpose.
Everyday will bring change, and you will find that you are so much stronger than you ever thought possible.
Most importantly, ban ALL self doubt... this is a hinderance to your change and progress, carry on even though you are afraid of failing, one day you will realize that it was all in your head, and the burden wasn't so heavy, because you are so much stronger.
And, dont beat yourself up if you go over your caloric number... log it and drink some water move on. Tomorrow is a blank slate remember?
~Vivian_Phoenix
my mantra :plan, log, move and put the fork down0 -
Baby steps! Everyone has great advice! Unless you can change your mindset to lifestyle instead of diet, it won't do any good. If you do everything at once, chances are you will feel overwhelmed and give up. If you plan on making significant changes, do them one at a time. Work on one aspect (portion control for example) for a couple weeks and get used to it, make it a habit. Then take on a second aspect (ie., no "white" starches), work on it WITH the first aspect a couple weeks...then add a third (take a walk)...then a fourth.... and so on. Make the changes gradual and permanent. Much less chance of backsliding into bad habits that way.
Good Luck! :flowerforyou:0 -
Skipping breakfast saved me 4-500 cals.
Skipping breakfast? why would you skip breakfast? Sets you up for the day!0 -
Nothing has ever worked for me, or not for long. And I hate the word diet. The words lifestyle change make me cringe, too. I'm going to try to eat what I want, record every calorie, then figure out how to burn off the extra. No clue if it will work though. I just started yesterday! Good luck, and I'll keep writing those calories down if you do! 0
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I don't want to feel like I'm on a diet.
this will happen when you change your mindset from "I'm on a diet" to "this is the way I will live the rest of my life"
this!
its a lifestyle change, not a diet. i dont not eat anything, just keep the bad things in moderation!
have a salad for your lunch, and do an extra workout, and then tomorrow is another day!0
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