Alright folks.. I have a serious problem. I work in a town over half an hour from home and so it is difficult to eat healthy when I am here and so I often find myself looking at Taco Bell, Burger King, Sonic, Jack in the Box, Pizza Hut, McDonalds (I won't touch McDonalds with a 10 foot pole) and Subway. I'm actually worried that I will go back to eating what I used to before I lost all of this weight. I've considered just picking up a bag of chex mix and some tea/water and just munching all day and avoiding going out for lunch..but that is not enough and I will eventually get sick of it. Does anyone have any good tips on what I should be doing? I know Subway is the best bet for me probably..but I can't afford that all of the time...that and I tend to still get cheese and mayo on my sandwiches.. Keep in mind all I did was cut back to lose this weight so I really have no perfected eating habits and because of that I am still prone to pizza, burgers, burritos..etc :help:
do you have any pics of when were fatter? carry one with you next to your cash, or debit card. So, before you pay you see the old you. I tried this and it works
Maybe you could prepare a healthier lunch and take it with you to work? If you really do get the cravings, maybe allow yourself to eat fast food once a week instead of all the time? Eating out is always a problem for me, but for some reason I've found that after a while of eating healthily, eating things like fish and chips or pizza etc doesn't really make me drool as it once did. I'm not adverse to eating them now and again of course, but I'd hate to make a habit of it.
A couple options. 1. If you have a "space" at work - a desk, a locker, a cubby, whatever - feel free to bring in food. This is something I've done in the past, and it's worked great. The Chex Mix idea is fine, but don't stop at one item - bring in several different things. That way, you havea choice what to munch, and you'll be less likely to get sick of them. If you have access to a fridge, that opens up the possibilities even wider. pretzel sticks carrot sticks other cut fresh veggies apple slices sugar-free pudding cups crackers 100-calorie microwave popcorn bags 2. If that'd be a pain, you might try the fastfood establishments. I actually quite like the grilled chicken salad at Burger King (sans dressing), for instance. And the veggie burger (without mayo) is quite good, too. If you want to go that route, decide to try out one healthy thing at each restaurant. (Except Sonic, who I don't think HAS anything healthy. ) Maybe you'll find something you quite like. Lex
Most of the time, fast food is an impulse buy. You're in a hurry. They're convenient. The best solution is to plan where you're going to eat ahead of time, put it on your schedule or make a lunch/dinner date to meet a friend at a healthy place that you've chosen. And- once a week or so- schedule a treat day at the fast food restaurant of your choice, if you really like it. Food shouldn't be a punishment/reward thing. It should just be a planned part of your day, just like going to school, going to work and anything else that you do. Don't rely upon hunger, habit or whims to decide where and what you're going to eat.
i would find a good granola bar, or breakfest bar, instead of chex mix. Chex mix is not necessarily better for you, as it tends to be a butt load of salt with some crunchy bits thrown in. granola bars or something similer can provide you with better sources of energy and nutrition, and fiber can help you feel fuller faster. Don't know what it is about fiber, but it just seems to end hunger pains. that way, you will be less tempted by the evils of a delicious, mouth watering, double cheese burger at BK... DAMN! NOW I WANT FIVE OF THEM!
I've only found two options that have worked for me. Most of the time right now, I don't eat lunch at all. I have a good breakfast in the morning, and a decent supper in the evening. To make this work, a few years ago I took up drinking coffee - black. There are two advantages; black coffee has zero calories so I can drink as much as I want, and caffeine is an appetite suppresant so I don't feel hungry. I know not everyone agrees with this philosophy - they would suggest that it's better to nibble throughout the day rather than one or two major meals - and I can see the merits in that, but not eating lunch at all works just fine for me. And the thing is, I find it sustainable. The other option is what Lex suggested, to bring your own food. If you're on a tight budget you can always make a sandwich with lean shaved ham (not cooked ham) and freshly sliced cheese (not a processed cheese slice) on whole wheat bread (fills you up more); use mustard but no mayo. Or whip up some salmon or tuna with a few chopped green onions and diced celery for flavor and make a sandwich. Bring along some baby carrots to nibble with the meal and you'll feel full. In fact I like to "accessorize" my sandwiches with fresh fruit - it's an Italian trick that works very well; have a couple of fresh strawberries, some blueberries or blackberries, or slices of apple or pear (my favorite!) with your sandwich. They go surprisingly well together! Drink water with lunch. This is stating the obvious, but water has zero calories and in sufficient quantities it will fool you into thinking that you're full. Once again it's a habit that you can keep well past any weight loss period. Plus if you bring it from home, it's pretty much free! The surprising thing is that if you plan ahead and prepare your own healthy food for your lunches, you'll probably be paying about as much as a fast food meal. A loaf of bread will last a week, and fresh fruits or veggies are pretty cheap, especially if you're flexible and you buy what's in season or what's on sale. Pretty much any fresh fruit or veggie can accessorize a sandwich. My strongest advice would be to stay away from fast food altogether. There is nothing in it. And don't lure yourself into having it as a "treat", because that elevates it to the status of a reward, and it's not a reward. You have to think of it as toxic (which it pretty much is). Instead think of a lean sub at Subway as a treat or as an alternative to bringing your own food. If my own experience is worth anything to you, I can say that once you embrace healthy eating and get past prepared foods like pizza, burgers and burritos, and once your body starts to get used to eating the stuff it was originally designed to eat, you will never go back. Your body simply won't let you. Your cravings for burgers, pizza and burritos will just go away on their own. I will not touch fast food anymore, and not because I have some kind of magic willpower - it literally makes me sick when I try it, because my body has been detoxified and I can feel the difference. New eating habits are not hard to form; just a few weeks of pure healthy eating and you'll be able to feel the difference.
best advice in my head right now is to make a food time table for your self (food weekly timetable) like how other memebers said; plan ahead for what to eat for lunch; and hit the gym aswell
