Eating all wrong...

good job! yeah, id stay away from the soda!!! that stuff will kill ya! the only diet soda that i think taste ok is diet root beer, but even that is not healthy! what i found that i really like is the crystal light lemonade!!! its so good!!! as for my caffiene headaches, i take a shot or 2 of esspresso every morning, that detours me from going to starbucks and getting a 1500 calorie foofoo drink, or driving through burger king for a king size coke! All im doing is trying to eat and drink as raw as possible, and then adding in some quick frozen lean cuisines... i figure if i can fill up on lettuce, tomatoe, peppers, onion, cucumber, etc, with some oil and vinigar... then it wont leave me with the hunger that will lead to junk

Hang in there it sounds like you are heading the right direction. I could tell you all the whole foods I love but I am guessing you will need to find your own. There is some great stuff out there that is healthy so hang in there.

I hear ya....I was a HUGE soda drinker and I just don't really like the diets and I am not a huge fan of the water packets..I'd rather drink plain water, which I actually like BTW...but even I want variety and want to eat/drink what I like...the key is portions and moderation...I think splitting pepsi in half is a wonderful idea!

Even the steak poster wrote that they love steak so just eat it in moderation rather than cut it out. If you cut out everything you like/love you are just setting yourself up to fail...can you imagine yourself going the rest of your life without soda? I can't. It may be bad for you, but a little bit every now and then shouldn't hurt.

"Maybe allow yourself a pepsi as a reward for doing a set of exercises, or set up a limit of say one every other day"

Hopefully this doesn't sound harsh, but I'd try and build non-food related rewards into your program, like making time for a relaxing bath or something else you enjoy. I used to reward myself for having a good week at the gym with ice cream, but that's like taking 2 steps forward and 1 step back! It's healthier (and more sustainable) to keep your rewards completely separate to your food.

The danger with soft drinks (even the diet ones) is that there are lots of artificial sweeteners and other stuff in them that isn't good for your body, even if you are sticking to your calorie goal. From the perspective of "getting healthy", I'd be trying to cut down your soft drink intake as much as humanly possible - once you get used to not drinking them all the time you'll realise how sugary they really are!

I've been scared to comment much on these forums as people seem to shoot others down quickly on some subjects - hopefully this will be taken constructively :-)

Best of luck!! :-)

Hey angela..I totally agree! I was just observing that if one really likes soda then cutting it out completely while healthy really ins't satisfying and if you are not satisfied then you will at some point blow it off. Soda's are horrible for you. I am the first to agree and I stopped drinking a ton of them, but I still allow myself one now and again because while I want to be healthy, I also want to enjoy myself. It would be like a chocolate lover not even allowing themselves one single hershey kiss. Especially if someone was willing to make very good changes in other things, but want to keep one vice in moderation.

open up your food diary and maybe we can help more- a swap this for that kinda thing. I love it when people help me! :happy:

In all being said ....portion control is a big thing...

yesterday I had a low point in my diet diary. I ate over 900 cal over what I need to be eating. Soda tastesvery good but is very bad for you. I'm sure you know that already lol. I just really got addicted to the taste! I quit it and it was almost like quitting cigarettes. But once I got past the first couple of days it was okay. I still occasionally indulge in pepsi max or coke zero now and then but water is the ultimate go to. It fills me up without any calories and I don't care about water weight; that's lost through sweating and going to the b-room. I know you're struggling a little bit as I am. I'm a stay at home mom and I have a fiance who can literally eat whatever he wants and not gain a lb. My thing is getting rid of the bad ting sI eat and eating alot of healthy things instead of a little bit of not healthy foods. I've also got to get off my butt and work out or no matter what I eat, it's not going anywhere! Good luck to you. Hope you are successful in your ventures!

I was a HUGE soda drinker before I started this journey!(4-5 a day). AND I would drink 3-4 coffees a day! Now I have 1-2 cups of coffee in the morning and MAYBE one in the afternoon if I'm really dragging! How I stopped drinking soda is I bought a large insulated cup with straw (holds approximately 3 cups) and I keep that filled with ice water (I hate luke-warm water) and I carry that around with me everywhere I go! It's always within reach! Now I drink 9+ cups of water everyday. I still have the occasional soda when we go out to eat.

As for eating better, try to ditch all of the junk foods, chips, cookies, etc. And try skinnytaste.com for some great recipes! I love this web sight. She has recipes for everything and they all taste great. Don't rely on prepackaged meals or 'diet' snacks. It's better to learn to prepare your own meals and snacks, that way you know exactly what you're eating!

My last bit of advice, LOG EVERYTHING!! Even if you have a bad food day, log it! It will remind you to do better tomorrow! I hope this helps! Good luck on your own journey!

We bought one of those Soda Stream machines (I think thats what its called!!) It can carbonate any drink and is great when I am looking for something sweet. I usually mix half fruit juice and half water and then carbonate it. It tastes like an orange pop but is way less sweet and has way fewer calories than drinking pop. It feels like cheating without actually cheating!!

This is exactly why I tend to avoid drinking any calories - there are the occassional exceptions, especially for alcohol but otherwise, I've found that it just leaves me hungry and although my calories might look ok, I'm not really feeding my body what it needs. Case in point, last week I decided I just had to try the mint hot chocolate at Dunkin Donuts. Well that was 300 caloires I could've put MUCH better use to.

OP, I think this is the case for you. If you need energy, try eating a good breakfast with a lot of protein and complex carbs like a couple eggs with 100% whole wheat toast.

It's a tough habit to break so try not to be to drastic, just take it one day at a time. Good luck!

Try Polar's flavored seltzer - it is zero calories and bubbly so it will remind you of soda! Cut out the coffee....I know it's hard, but you'll feel better. I do 1 cup from home in the morning and add 1 tbs of flavored creamer, then if I want something hot during the day, I switch to a flavored tea.

As for food, I see lots of good responses from others and agree that the high calorie items should be replaced with lower calorie items, that you can eat more of throughout the day.

I viewed your diary. A couple of suggestions. Don't drink your calories. If you must have juice in the morning, invest in a juicer and fresh squeeze (a mix between fruits and veggies such as spinach or kale). The burrito, try putting the ingredients over a bed of leafy greens instead and ditch the tortilla. Those things pack in the calories...and the carbs. Replace the rice with quinoa, its a complete protein and even though it is technically a seed, its placed in the whole grains category. Also you MUST eat breakfast. Replace that juice with a bowl of oatmeal(not the packaged sugary kind- but the old fashioned kind you cook on the stove with some fresh fruit. Cut out all animal products- replace your meats with tofu, tempeh etc. and your dairy with almond, rice or soy milk. Cream and Half and Half also pack in calories (not to mention meat takes days to digest and just sits around in your belly). Try recipes from www.vegangela.com for some REALLY yummy ideas.