suddenly missing "real food"

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shinybonnie
shinybonnie Posts: 357
in Motivation and Support
My husband and I have been "dieting" since April and we have both been very successful. We are trying not to consider this a "diet," but a new way of living. One thing that has helped is that we've found low-calorie alternatives to the foods we like (like, breakfast burritos, for example. We substitute egg beaters, fat free cheese, and low calorie tortillas and save like 200 calories per burrito!). Yesterday, I was at a lunch conference and they served apple pie a'lamode and I thought "I wish this was light ice cream" then I tasted it and thought "no I don't!" This morning, my husband had to go out of town for work and left before breakfast and we were all out of slimfast bars. I called him and asked what he had for breakfast. He said he stopped at McD's and had a breakfast burrito and was telling me how good it was! And I thought, he'll never settle for the sorry excuse for a breakfast burrito I've been making now. Why oh why is there so much tasty food for so cheap out there!!?? *Sigh*
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  • JMAMA
    JMAMA Posts: 298 Member
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    I've seen this quote fly around these boards, "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels!" It is sooo true, stick with it, you can do it!!!!
  • llywyn
    llywyn Posts: 315
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    there are a few sayings that come to mind that are o so true.

    1) Eat to live - dont live to eat. = food is just fuel for your body to run its daily processes. It should not be about what can I get away with but more about what does my body really need.

    2) $2 mcgreasers breakfast = $250,000 heart attack. = simple enough.

    If you havent already, fall in love with your spice rack. A pinch of paprika and white pepper can save any low cal dish. Its really all about the taste isnt it? And when the human palete only has 4(or 5) real tastes it can determine... go for the spicy instead of the salt and fat!

    my .02 lbs.
  • hgirl1021
    hgirl1021 Posts: 115
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    that greasy mcdonalds won't make you happy in the end. sure it'll taste good, but you'll regret it after and have to work so much harder. stick with ur healthy lifestyle and you won't regret the way you look OR feel! good luck!
  • Poison5119
    Poison5119 Posts: 1,460 Member
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    The ironic thing is: McDonalds is about as far away from REAL food as one can POSSIBLY GET! Why would you sacrifice each morsel of real, nourishing, natural food you shopped for and prepared yourself for something that is mass produced, shot through with chemicals, preservatives and fat? McDonalds makes these foods tasty and easy to eat merely to get YOU to eat MORE of them.

    The mindset is what needs to change in order to avoid thinking that you're 'missing out'.. To me, eating food is more about NOT STARVING to death than it is about pleasing my tastebuds momentarily.
  • shinybonnie
    shinybonnie Posts: 357
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    you guys are so smart! Thank you!
  • BrenNew
    BrenNew Posts: 3,420 Member
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    My husband and I have been "dieting" since April and we have both been very successful. We are trying not to consider this a "diet," but a new way of living. One thing that has helped is that we've found low-calorie alternatives to the foods we like (like, breakfast burritos, for example. We substitute egg beaters, fat free cheese, and low calorie tortillas and save like 200 calories per burrito!). Yesterday, I was at a lunch conference and they served apple pie a'lamode and I thought "I wish this was light ice cream" then I tasted it and thought "no I don't!" This morning, my husband had to go out of town for work and left before breakfast and we were all out of slimfast bars. I called him and asked what he had for breakfast. He said he stopped at McD's and had a breakfast burrito and was telling me how good it was! And I thought, he'll never settle for the sorry excuse for a breakfast burrito I've been making now. Why oh why is there so much tasty food for so cheap out there!!?? *Sigh*


    The main reason that I have managed to lose the weight that I wanted to is that I HAVE been able to eat "real" food every now and then. :happy: Through MFP I learned that I just need to "work for it", through exercise, and watching my numbers (MOST of the time.) :wink:
    Before coming here, I tried just about EVERYTHING out there, including hypnosis, (TWICE) but nothing really worked. :cry: I always felt deprived of all the "good stuff" out there, and therefore, could only last just so long, and then I'd cave and be right back to eating all the "goodies" I wanted. :grumble:
    But then I came here, and started my new "lifestyle change", and as long as I "work with my numbers", I CAN occasionally have stuff like Chinese food, a double cheeseburger, pizza, and even homemade icecream! :love:
  • shinybonnie
    shinybonnie Posts: 357
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    Good concept, BrenNew... (the "work for it" idea) I'm going to have to start incorporating exercise into my new lifestyle soon, I can tell.
  • BrenNew
    BrenNew Posts: 3,420 Member
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    Good concept, BrenNew... (the "work for it" idea) I'm going to have to start incorporating exercise into my new lifestyle soon, I can tell.


    Glad you liked my idea! :laugh: And exercise doesn't always have to be awful. (like I USED to think it was! :laugh: ) For my exercise, I walk almost every day, (weather permitting!) I also dance to a fast oldies CD that my husband made up of all my favorite old songs. (Like "Love Shack", Wild, Wild West", "Mony, Mony", "Footloose", and "Gloria") It's free, (unlike a gym!) fun, and I can even watch tv at the same time, so I never get bored! :happy:
    I also now have Wii Fit, and jog to that, which is a lot of fun, and easy too! :smile:
    Besides exercise, when I say "work for it", I also mean that you'll need to make good food choices, (MOST of the time!) eat in moderation, (AGAIN, MOST of the time! :laugh: ) drink LOTS AND LOTS of water, and you WILL lose the weight that you want to! :smile:
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    after a year of making different choices, I realize the food I am eating now is more real than anything I ate prior to this journey.

    I couldn't eat a MickyDs if I was starving now!

    It takes time............but before you know it your body will WANT the good stuff....that being the stuff you are making at home!!

    :flowerforyou: Jeannie
  • tiedye
    tiedye Posts: 331 Member
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    I LOVE mcdonald's oreo McFlurries. Sometimes I crave one for weeks. So, I work out extra hard that day (usually an extra half hour) and cut my calories in other areas and treat myself. (They are something ridiculous like 500-700 calories and huge percentage of fat calories). If i treat myself I usually won't crave one for a long, long, long time. (Mostly because such rich food now gives me a horrible stomachache). Other times I substitute 365 (whole foods brand) organic "oreos" (still 130 calories for 2 cookies but without all the gunk in regular oreos) and crush them into low fat yogurt or ice cream. I've also been known to use vanilla protein powder, vanilla lowfat soymilk, and use two "oreos" to make my post-workout shake. If i treat myself to things I enjoy i'm more likely to stay on track.
  • Wecandothis
    Wecandothis Posts: 1,083 Member
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    My suggestion is to add real cheese to the breakfast burrito's that you are making. It's more calories but the difference in taste is amazing. Use lots of veggies - onions and peppers.

    I honestly think the real cheese will make the difference.
  • shinybonnie
    shinybonnie Posts: 357
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    I think you are right, kurneckc. The difference between ff cheese and "real" cheese is huge
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
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    For the breakfast burritos, use real eggs. They taste so much better, and you only need 1 per burrito. Definitely add some cheese, and I put hot sauce on mine as well. I also add a strip of chicken or turkey bacon (only because I don't eat pork).

    Your food can still be REAL. McDonald's? That's far from real food. That doesn't mean you can't have it once in a while either. If I'm out and about, and I want something from McD's, I'll have it. It never tastes as good as a home cooked meal though. The best "ice cream" I've ever had is Chapman's Vanilla with Caramel and Chocolate Chunks frozen yogurt. Add a banana and a couple of strawberries...oh my god it's sinful.

    You guys need to change your attitude about the food you're eating, and make sure you're eating food that still tastes good. Don't force yourself to eat things you're not going to enjoy. I promise, your body loves you for eating healthy and feeding it the nutritious food it needs to function.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
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    My suggestion is to add real cheese to the breakfast burrito's that you are making. It's more calories but the difference in taste is amazing. Use lots of veggies - onions and peppers.

    I honestly think the real cheese will make the difference.

    After having the most amazing omelet ever this morning, I have to agree with this. At least bump it up to cheese made with 2% (which will save you about 30 cal per serving from the full fat cheese).

    This morning, I made an omelet with 1/2 cup liquid egg whites, 1 egg, 1/4 tomato, 1/8 onion, about 1/4 cup thawed from frozen chopped spinach, about 1 tbs *FRESH* basil, a little salt & pepper & 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese. I almost died when I put it in my mouth. It was so good. And I've only been working at this for 5 days now, so I remember what "real food" tastes like. And this tasted BETTER. The entire huge omelet (I mean, it was huge, seriously. I'm still full 5 hours later) was 250 calories. With 110 of that being from the "real" cheese. But it was sooooo worth it. I saved tons of calories using liquid egg whites & spraying the pan with nonstick spray instead of butter. I do use "real" butter on food, though (okay, it's "light" butter mixed with canola oil, but it tastes like the full-fat thing) and "real" sour cream. Saving a couple calories to sacrifice so much taste just isn't worth it to me. I'd rather spend 5 extra minutes on my bike and really enjoy my food. :wink: It's working pretty well, too since I'm not having cravings and I've already lost 5 pounds (A lot of that is probably water weight, though so I'm not counting it until I see it stay off).
  • margaretthedevil
    margaretthedevil Posts: 215
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    My husband and I have been "dieting" since April and we have both been very successful. We are trying not to consider this a "diet," but a new way of living. One thing that has helped is that we've found low-calorie alternatives to the foods we like (like, breakfast burritos, for example. We substitute egg beaters, fat free cheese, and low calorie tortillas and save like 200 calories per burrito!). Yesterday, I was at a lunch conference and they served apple pie a'lamode and I thought "I wish this was light ice cream" then I tasted it and thought "no I don't!" This morning, my husband had to go out of town for work and left before breakfast and we were all out of slimfast bars. I called him and asked what he had for breakfast. He said he stopped at McD's and had a breakfast burrito and was telling me how good it was! And I thought, he'll never settle for the sorry excuse for a breakfast burrito I've been making now. Why oh why is there so much tasty food for so cheap out there!!?? *Sigh*

    Dear, "real food" comes out of the ground or water and from animals and plants. McDonalds is as about as artificial as you can get. I wouldn't substitute the cheese, eggs, or bread for lower calorie fake food versions. Eat the least processed foods, meaning real eggs, cheese, bread, etc (the stuff your body knows how to process). Every package that says "light" is most likely unhealthier than the "fattening" version that you can make at home and chock full of artificial ingredients that come out of the chemical factory. The quality of food matters just as much as the # of calories consumed.
  • shinybonnie
    shinybonnie Posts: 357
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    After having the most amazing omelet ever this morning, I have to agree with this. At least bump it up to cheese made with 2% (which will save you about 30 cal per serving from the full fat cheese).

    This morning, I made an omelet with 1/2 cup liquid egg whites, 1 egg, 1/4 tomato, 1/8 onion, about 1/4 cup thawed from frozen chopped spinach, about 1 tbs *FRESH* basil, a little salt & pepper & 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese. I almost died when I put it in my mouth. It was so good. And I've only been working at this for 5 days now, so I remember what "real food" tastes like. And this tasted BETTER. The entire huge omelet (I mean, it was huge, seriously. I'm still full 5 hours later) was 250 calories. With 110 of that being from the "real" cheese. But it was sooooo worth it. I saved tons of calories using liquid egg whites & spraying the pan with nonstick spray instead of butter. I do use "real" butter on food, though (okay, it's "light" butter mixed with canola oil, but it tastes like the full-fat thing) and "real" sour cream. Saving a couple calories to sacrifice so much taste just isn't worth it to me. I'd rather spend 5 extra minutes on my bike and really enjoy my food. :wink: It's working pretty well, too since I'm not having cravings and I've already lost 5 pounds (A lot of that is probably water weight, though so I'm not counting it until I see it stay off).

    OOOOoooooh sounds good!
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
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    The ironic thing is: McDonalds is about as far away from REAL food as one can POSSIBLY GET! Why would you sacrifice each morsel of real, nourishing, natural food you shopped for and prepared yourself for something that is mass produced, shot through with chemicals, preservatives and fat? McDonalds makes these foods tasty and easy to eat merely to get YOU to eat MORE of them.

    The mindset is what needs to change in order to avoid thinking that you're 'missing out'.. To me, eating food is more about NOT STARVING to death than it is about pleasing my tastebuds momentarily.

    AMEN!!!
  • shinybonnie
    shinybonnie Posts: 357
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    The ironic thing is: McDonalds is about as far away from REAL food as one can POSSIBLY GET! Why would you sacrifice each morsel of real, nourishing, natural food you shopped for and prepared yourself for something that is mass produced, shot through with chemicals, preservatives and fat? McDonalds makes these foods tasty and easy to eat merely to get YOU to eat MORE of them.

    I would sacrifice my FIRSTBORN for a double cheeseburger and fries. lol! just kidding :laugh:
  • Boston01810
    Boston01810 Posts: 2,267 Member
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    I bet if you ate a double cheeseburger now, after eating clean as you have been for awhile, your body would revolt and the cheeseburger would slide right thru your intestines due to all the fat in it..... So while it might have tasted good to take a bit of it... You wouldn't have liked the outcome (picture it)....

    Eat well... be well.
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    I was reminded of a funny story

    About 2 months into my lifestyle change, my husband came in the front door and asked what's for dinner.

    I announced, chicken, veggies and brown rice.

    He looked like he was going to explode:explode:

    :mad: I

    :mad: WANT

    :mad: MEAT

    :angry:


    Of course I started laughing..........which didnt help. But I bought him a steak for dinner the next night. When he came home the next night he hugged me and apologized. I was forcing him into my way of life because I do all the cooking and buy the groceries.

    Apparently he told the story and work and the guys made him get on the freight scale.............he was down 20 freaking pounds!!!!!! I was down less than 10!!

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