Replies
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For most things, the solution is giving them up entirely (like cigarettes). With food, you can't do that, obviously. I had an overweight cat, and I knew that if I cut back on his food drastically, all at once, he would drive me crazy with demands for food. I weighed what he was eating, and very gradually cut back on the…
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Different strategies work at different times. Sometimes nothing works. Last night I wanted Red Vines for about 60 minutes, then forgot about them because they weren't in the house, it was dark and rainy, and I was in my PJs. Not having it in the house is my main strategy, I guess. Sometimes I wait until I'm with friends at…
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I decide ahead of time what I will eat and what I won't for a holiday meal (and the amounts). Then I do a food log of it, and see how it totals before the event. It helps me indulge myself a moderate amount. If you're not sure what will be served, you can still set a few guidelines for yourself the day before.
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I track sugar, carbs, and fiber because my focus is not only on calories but also on nutrition. Sugar has no nutritional value so I monitor it to keep myself on track nutritionally. Just a personal preference, knowing that bit of info.
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Don't look back and don't blame yourself over and over again. Be sure you have lots of delicious healthy things on hand to help with the temptations. Just because I ate a huge piece of bread pudding two weeks ago doesn't mean I'm doomed to do it every day, or even every week. I hope you like fruits, vegetables, and roasted…
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If chocolate were my worst craving, I wouldn't have it in the house. That's the theory. My weakness is Kerry Gold butter, slathered on anything. If it's in the house, I overindulge. Right now there isn't any here and I hope to keep it that way.
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I have a lot of days with more than 2000 calories--but ALSO a lot of days of 900 calories. I don't expect to be perfect each day. Some people can eat the same foods in the same amounts every day, but that drives me crazy. I've lost 29 pounds in 6 months and am satisfied with my progress.
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I do water aerobics so don't have that problem. How about an all-cotton doo-rag? Or tennis player's sweat band?
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I used to get 2 Taco Bell chicken chalupas (baja style--spicy) once a year, but haven't done that for 2 years. On hot days, I sometimes drive through for a Burger King $1 diet soda. The pink slime confessions a few years ago almost cured me from wanting national-chain fast food.
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I would sign up for the hospital program, see what it's like, ask what my options are if I don't like it, and then get upset if warranted. I think you've closed your mind to the hospital program without giving it a chance. It may not help you--but it may. It may provide group support and nutrition discussions found in the…
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We have had a few recalls of raw milk in my area, but none of regular milk. The increased risk may be slight enough that you feel comfortable with it--your choice.
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I agree--and I prefer that the meal be lunch (not going to eat a cookie at breakfast).
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If you mean the Atkins diet, I tried it and was so miserable that I knew I could not live like that long term. Now, I'm eliminating 99% of grains from my diet. I feel much better because I can have some fruit and carb-containing vegetables (broccoli, bell peppers, etc), with an occasional WASA rye cracker or KIND bar.
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On days when I begin eating at 1 p.m. or later, I am so much more apt to go off the deep end in the evening. When I have KIND low-sugar bars and raw nuts on hand for snacks (at home and in my purse), I make better choices. Over time, as I learn the nutritional values of my trigger foods, I say no to them more often (but…
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I'm old enough to remember when diet companies gave clients "500 calories per day" regimens. I had to plead to be bumped up to 900. So 1200 doesn't seem way too low for me. My exercise raises the 1200 up to 1300-1500, and that's a lot of food, if you are eating healthy foods, with some sanity-saving exceptions now and then.
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The only way this bread/pasta-lover has been able to eat fewer calories without many carbs has been to increase my fat intake. I'd like to avoid this approach, but it's the only one I've found to work for me. Avocados, eggs, and regular-fat cheese keep me from eating over my calorie limit on many days.
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At first I had my activity level set to lightly active, but after reading some posts, I realized that "sedentary" was the right setting for me (a retired person who watches several hours of TV per day). The posting that linked the level to your occupation, not your other activities, reflects MFP's viewpoint.
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I cut out my smoothies because they always put me over on my carb totals. They were skim milk and frozen fruit, with some maple syrup. You could use 2% milk. One a day, with a variety of fruit to fend off boredom, should help you meet your goal.
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Check out the Activity Level Setting. It tells you what sedentary and lightly active are, so you can pick the one closest to your truth. If I'm remembering correctly, lightly active has an example of a sales clerk or teacher on her feet for a majority of the work day. That's why I chose sedentary. But logging my water…
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You also have to forgive yourself so you can move forward and not dwell on past errors.
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Breakfast: eggs (hard-boiled the night before, or fried today); apple; tea or coffee. Breakfast: low-fat cheese and fresh fruit. Lunch: large salad with a sliced chicken breast, steak, or cheese on top. Lunch: Vegetable soup and glass of nonfat milk, chicken leg, or slice of cheese.. Dinner: large salad with shrimp or…
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If you are eating broccoli and other dark green veggies, and fruits such as cherries, peaches, apples, and berries, you're getting "good" carbs with reasonable carb grams for the nutritional value. If you drink nonfat milk and eat cheese, you're getting some carbs from those, but lots of nutrition too. I limit myself to…
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If you logged exercises, they raise your allowable calories, carbs, fats, etc. Some people ignore these extra calories. I use them, within reason (may use half of them, for instance). The built-in calculator doesn't like you to dip way below your allowable calories, but it doesn't seem to mind a deficit of around 200. It's…
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Buddha's Feast (steamed veggies). Nolan and Heslin have a book, The Diabetes Counter, with a restaurant section at the back. PF Chang's and PEI WEI are listed. It helps me to look up options beforehand. There are the "Eat This, Don't Eat That" series of books, some of which are for dining out--good to have one in the car…
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My family adds clam bits, lemon juice, Tabasco, a bit of clam juice, and a bit of garlic powder. We use it as a dip for raw veggies after it has been in the fridge for a few hours (blends the flavors).
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I understand why you consider it a cheat day. I have a list of foods I avoid, and when I eat them, I consider them cheats. Even if the total calorie value is okay, the foods I chose didn't have the nutritional wallop I prefer in my food. If I ate nothing but Pringle's but stayed within my calories, that would not be a good…
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I have a list of 10 binge food I could have if I wanted them, with the acceptable binge amounts. Having the list, with the implied permission, helps keep me from bingeing most of the time. In the past 4 months I have exceeded 3000 calories 4 times (3 days when I had 4 to 7 KIND bars, all of the low-sugar variety). Since I…
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My Fred Meyer (Kroger) stocks an olive oil labeled "light and fruity." I have used it in baking, and the food did not taste like olive oil to me--just provided the fat needed for the baking process.
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If you have children, it would be worth checking out WIC income requirements (Women, Infants, and Children federal program). In our area, they teach cheap, nutritious cooking, and give you vouchers for the local farmers markets and grocery stores. They are housed in our local Public Health building. We also have a food…
