Hello EC, It's almost 4:00AM here now. My bf and I have gone to a bar yesterday and we ate some fries with bacon and cheddar. And I woke up now, in the middle of night and can't stop feeling guilty. Again. My healthy habits are practically nonexistent. All I eat is pizza, hamburgers, and similar unhealthy foods. I'm not overweight I think, and I don't look fat, but still I know I'm doing bad. Bf and I tried a new diet a few days ago. We said to each other we were going for a walk everyday and start eating more healthily. Just as all times I try to do that, my mind convinces me to stop worrying and "enjoy life". I always trick myself, either by saying "I'm too tired", "life isn't worth if you don't enjoy good tasting food" , "just today, friends are going to that hamburger place" and all sorts of excuses. I can't commit myself to a better diet. I fear diabetes especially as it is common on the family, but I can't convince myself to eat better. When I eat healthy things, I stay hungry, it is like a torture. I'm addicted to bad foods. Help! What should I do to motivate myself? A diary peraphs? What should I eat?
Start out with little steps. Limit your portions and snacking. Introduce just 1 fruit or vegetable to your diet. Instead of getting fries with the burger, see if you can get a salad. Rotate the types of fruit you get when going to the market. Oh, and cut out soda/pop, drink water.
Change does not happen overnight I would start with the small things first. You can always start by introducing the walk first. Then, once this becomes part of your routine, you can make some dietary changes. You'll want to make those small as well. You can slowly cut out what you want to cut out, and explore some more healthy options in the process. Another thing is that cutting things totally out of your diet is unrealistic. You want to keep your goals attainable, so I think that eating unhealthy foods in moderation should be your goal here. Often times, people try to jump into these things too fast, and then they are disappointed that they slip up. You will slip up, but the important thing is that you get back on the wagon and start where you left off. I hope this helps some!
Thanks guys! I will start to walk and reduce the quantity of unhealthy food then. I think making a diary/blog about this could help too. Thanks again! If someone else has more advice, i will be here!
There's a lot to eating healthy, but I'll mention a few things: It helps to have healthy substitutes that still meet your needs rather than having an entirely different diet. If you like salty or crunchy, find a healthy version. Some people think "healthy" means non-fat or low in calories. If you're eating non-fat, your body may not feel satisfied. Eat nuts and healthy oils, like coconut and olive. For example, roasted, salted almonds in small quantities might substitute for fries. Raw is healthier, but that might not have the satisfying junk food feel. If convenience is a factor, there are healthier options. It depends on what sort of stores you have, so I can't suggest something. Like others here said, avoid sugary drinks. If water is boring, try decaf or herbal tea, unsweetened or with Stevia, a natural sweetener without calories. The diary might help, especially if you find a pattern in when you crave certain things and when you feel satisfied. You might also read more about the long-term dangers of a poor diet. Here's a link to an article from one web site with plenty of that -- Insulin Resistance: A Hallmark of Metabolic Syndrome
Junk food is designed to get you hooked. This and the opportunities will make you fall again. To stop the addiction you need to change the way how you think about food. There is good documentaries out there about where fast food really comes from, and also about the dark side of the food industry. And be very careful with sodas. Enjoy them once or twice a week, not everyday. Stick to water or plain tea (home made, not the stuff with sugar they sell). Drink a lot of water. About sports, you could try to ride your bike, or swimming. Walking can turn boring after a while.
Try to start with a few healthy foods that you enjoy and work them into your diet. Eating healthy shouldn't leave you feeling deprived, but you will have to slowly adjust your tastes. I love cantaloupe and strawberries and sweet peppers, so I started with those and slowly added in more fruit and veggies while cutting back on pizza, burgers and fries. Also what really helps me is to allow myself a meal each week where I can eat anything I want. Then if I get a craving during the week, I can tell myself that I'll have that on Saturday. It's easier for me than thinking I can never have it at all.
You could do some activities you like and which you'd like to do regularly, a few times a week. Making it a habit of taking a walk every evening... having a round with the bike... or going swimming regularly, after all you are two and it should be fun together. Do you have a park where you could play ? Like softball... frisbee... You don't say how you prepare your food predominantly, or if you go out a lot. You might think about bread, with healthy toppings. Fresh tomatoes, honey, even beans... Pasta and selfmade soups... etc... have a look here: http://emptyclosets.com/forum/chit-chat/167042-vegan-ideas.html#5 Those are easy recipes. It does not have to be vegan, but it would be with simpler ingredients. Instead of eating out, you could bring sandwiches along. If you eat out, you could try falafel, for example... Pita felafel.jpg Its tasty and even vegetarian. If you like something sweet, you could try cereal... together with brown sugar, or honey... have some fruits regularly... If you feel hungry, you might drink some warm tea. This fills the stomach. And don't overeat. Just eat your fill.
Made some small progress today . I still at some unhealthy things, like pizza ( with a friend) but I didn't get any soft drinks, I got juices instead. Some juices still have lots of carbs, I know and I will think in a way of taking care of that, but I think it was a small step.
wow, that sounds pretty good! but I'm not heading out to get some bacon cheesey fries, as fantastic as it sounds. I think it's about balance and conscious choices. make that conscious decision to each junk food from time to time, and then don't rehash it and feel guilty about it. Just realize that it can't be all the time, and the junk food should be quality junk food, if that makes sense, and not just mindless eating. One area that I've practiced this is donuts. I used to eat lots of donuts, and then would feel guilty. I decided that I would not eat cheap supermarket donuts that just leave me feeling guilty, and that I would only have a donut when it was fresh and from my favorite donut place. well, most times that there are donuts out, somebody brought them from a big box store, and they're not good. I don't eat them. and since I don't live near my favorite donut shop, I only get them a couple times a year, and then I just enjoy them and don't feel guilty. I lost a lot of weight when I stopped putting whatever junk food people set on the table. just little things we can do to deal with the cravings.
Try not to eat out and only buy healthy groceries. Avoid breads or carbs too. Go for proteins and fibres. Also, willpower is something you need to develop over time. Good luck
Just tell yourself you can and will do it, and have the willpower to pull through. ---------- Post added 6th Feb 2015 at 01:23 AM ---------- Carbs and bread are not unhealthy.
Its a good start. You could try to not think too much in categories but just what is healthy... juice should be a better choice... or water... you could try some tea, for example... pizza would not be that unhealthy if you would leave away the cheese... you could ask, but it might be a mixture product, not real cheese. You might try pizza margherita, with onions and some pepperoni peppers, for example. Often people are willing to make a pizza according to your wishes. Bread should be ok if its not pure white bread... even then there should be some wholesome wheat alternatives available. You could try having some fruit every day... and some salad with your meals. hugs
Here's what helped me lose weight (though I gained it back, but I blame travelling in the USA for that): 1) don't buy loads of snacks or sweets. Have only one bag of cookies or chips in the house. 2) stock up on something healthy THAT YOU LIKE. If you hate it you'll just avoid it. Try fruit, carrot sticks, rice crackers... 3) find something sporty you wanted to try. Dancing, kick-boxing, whatever. As long as it's interesting. Don't say you'll run or go to the gym if you hate it. 4) get juices and soda OUT of your diet. Even orange juice has more sugar than cake, unless you squeezed it yourself. 5) DON'T BE HARD ON YOURSELF. The worst thing you can do is make a strict schedule, then fail to keep up and quit. It's better to say "okay, I'll just jog until I'm bored". If it's only 10 minutes, that's alright- you can increase it later. 6) do something like keeping unhealthy food on a really high shelf or writing down how much you ate. It'll be annoying and take so long you'll have time to reconsider.
A good rule to keep in mind, no matter what you eat if you eat too much of it, it becomes unhealthy for you. Keep things moderate. Other than that I find best way to stop junk food is not allowing them to enter your house. Always pick healthier choice... I prefer herbal tea which I can drink without suger over coffee which I can't drink without sugar and cream. I started to use sugar free juice + mineral water instead of soda or normal juice. Also we have very common solution in here, Ayran. You can make it in your home, just scrabble yoghurt with salt then add water to your liking. I like it on thicker side while some prefer it thinner... i.e. with more water.
Thanks guys! White Knight and DuckMcQuacky, thanks, i think i will try the "stock healthy things" strategy, and block most of unhealthy things to enter.
