Cheezits, cheetos, goldfish...anything cheesy and delicious! I'm a sucker for snack foods. Not so much chips (although if there's an open bag of doritos I won't shy away) but cookies, crackers and cheese, dips, etc. So to avoid these foods I don't buy them. Which means my "interaction" with them is at parties or social gatherings. And those I usually give myself a break because I know I'd be unhappy if I restricted myself to the point of not being able to enjoy those foods on the rare occasion that I can have them.
Not having things like that in the house is definitely a great strategy!
A banana is a healthy food that screams eat me! I love bananas. So to make it feel a little more decadent I add a little bit of PB and some mini chocolate chips. Still a healthy snack because I control the unhealthy stuff but then it feels like s sweet treat to me. I also love hummus and carrots, cuties, strawberries, asparagus. I'll happily eat those things.
Oh, bananas. Bananas are such a perfect food to always keep around the house!
Oh wow - the list of foods that tempt me are long! The most dangerous of all are "handful" foods. Foods that you can grab a handful of and eat right out of the package. This includes virtually all crackers and chips, plus things like m&m's and chocolate chips. I always say - just measure it and then eat it, but 90% of the time I just grab a handful and then have no idea how much I just ate.
"Handful" snacks are definitely hard! Have you tried making pre-portioned snack baggies so that you always know how much you're having? it's a lot easier when things are already measured out and you don't have to measure right before you eat!
Other foods that I love, like pizza, ice cream, fancy alcoholic (or virgin) drinks I use the strategy of having a free day once a week. Has anyone ever read the book Body for Life? I read it years ago and followed the plan for 12 weeks and had great results (one of the few times of my life that I was at a healthy weight), but then in the middle of the next 12 weeks I got pregnant and sick as a dog! Now it doesn't really fit into my lifestyle since I'm cooking for a family. Anyway, he was a big proponent of a free day and it always worked for me. You can only eat so much in one day so it's not disastrous on all your excellent efforts during the week. If instead I had a treat or two a day, I think I would do more damage. Maybe it's mental, but it's easier for me to say no to the Starbucks mocha latte on Tuesday when I know I can have one on Saturday. Sometimes I end up having one, sometimes I don't, but the option is never more than 6 days away!
I've never read that book, but I've heard of the idea of having a "cheat day" once a week. I'm honestly afraid of it (my theory is that if I have one free day, what's to stop me from having a free day the next day too), but it really seems to work for some people, and I'm glad it works for you!
I have a few foods that I have a hard time staying away. Malley's chocolate is one of them. Thankfully they are not in the regular stores. They have their own and they are not around the corner from me. I only buy them at Christmas and Easter when I buy then for gifts for the kids. I did buy chocolate covered pretzels the other day when I got the kids theirs for Easter. I only eating a few at a time and sharing them with the kids so they will be gone quicker. I am also a big pop drinker. I don't drink coffee so pop is my caffeine. I stopped drinking it for a month + last year so I am going to try it again. They that I do this is my not buying it. I also love the doughnuts from a shop close by me. I take my kids on Sundays after church. I use it as an incentive for them to behave. I need to work just letting them pick out a doughnut and for me not too. I also love Chipolte. I used to go several times a week. I started to get a bowl since it is less calories and I only get the rice, steak, tomato salsa and a very little bit of cheese. It is only like 400 calories so I can make it work with my calorie without going over. However it is still not the best. I have not had it since the E-Coli out break and not sure when I will go back.
I stopped drinking soda (which is what we call pop in my neck of the woods
) a few years ago, and it made a big difference for me! It's definitely hard to give up, though, especially if you need the caffeine.
I've never actually been to Chipotle (it doesn't work for my particular dietary restrictions), but that's one of those places that gets a reputation for being "healthy" fast food. Which seems like an oxymoron ... but like you said, there are some things that aren't as bad.
All the cookies, all the cakes, all the bread, all the pastas. I wish with all my heart I could have the same feeling I have about bread about vegetables instead. *sigh* I don't have a strategy to stay away, but I am looking for loopholes to keep them in diet... So far, that has been allowing myself a sugar-free cookie or two at night if I have the calories available. No loophole on the bread yet, although I have been reading about this cloud bread phenomenon I may have to try. But I learned a good trick from Blue Apron last week to help me cut back my pasta portion. They had us add sliced cabbage to the pasta mix and it served the purpose of a secondary noodle almost. So it seemed as if I had a big bowl of pasta to eat, but in reality it was about half noodles, half cabbage. I was super full and didn't feel like I had missed out on the pasta portion at all. So this can help me moderate my pasta intake in other dishes.
Oh, pasta. Two big bowls of pasta is one serving, right?
I like the idea of using cabbage as a secondary noodle! We acutally had zucchini noodles in my house last week ... I think that's something else that can work to help cut down on the pasta portion. Adding in some other pasta-like texture is a good way to cut down on your pasta!
I forgot the healthy foods. I love salads, cucumbers, celery, peppers (any color), carrots, broccoli and asparagus. The problem with them is I have to prep them. I can't just grab and go. I am horrible at prepping for the week. Something my husband and I are working on. Some weeks are better then others.
Prep is definitely hard ... but it's great that you're working on it! I know someone else suggested it, but I really think that buying some pre-cut veggies may help. Just be careful, because I've found that sometimes the pre-cut veggies spoil a little more easily.
There are lots of foods I know I shouldn't even start eating because I won't want just one serving! I'm hoping that I won't always feel that way, but for now, they are just easier to completely stay away from. For me at this point, they are things like cheez-its, ritz crackers and a good dip and other things like that. I sometimes feel like I could eat a whole box of them, and I know that is just ridiculous!
Staying away from foods like that is definitely a good strategy. Maybe with time you'll find a way to have a little at a time, but until then ... if you can live without them, just don't have them in the house!
As far as healthy foods, I'm just getting started on my new way of eating, so haven't gone too far away from the basics, but one thing that I discovered that I'm loving is a homemade egg sandwich. I was eating one of the frozen jimmy dean delights breakfast sandwiches each morning for breakfast (I know, not the best, but better than what I had been eating lol). I got out my pampered chef egg cooker and now use it each morning to cook one egg and put that with a slice of cheese on a thin bagel. I love it - I feel like I could eat it for breakfast and lunch each day, but I'm not sure what the whole dieting stance is on eating eggs now, so I figure one a day is plenty lol! But, it's cheap, quick and filling, so for now, it's my go-to breakfast.
I don't know what the "official" stance on eggs is, but I think this sounds like a great breakfast. It starts you off with lots of protein, and if it fills you up, that's perfect!
I need to back in this but my schedule is just insane.
I need some mini challenges to get back on track, anyone have any suggestions?
Have you tried a step challenge? A lot of people find that setting a step goal for the day helps keep them active!
Also ... if you're trying to work on what you eat, I've found that one meal at a time really helps me. One week I'll focus on breakfast, then the next week I'll focus on lunch ... it's not perfect, but it's a great way to start small!
Hi friend!!! Our hostess for March (Sarah) said she would be posting some mini-challenges, so I think you found the right place!! If I don't see you around when the first one gets posted, I'll send you a PM or find you on the Budget Board!! Do you have a Fitbit? I know some of the folks here are "friends" on the Fitbit challenge!.............P
The first mini-challenge will be going up tomorrow ... hopefully this will help people get a jump start!
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Okay, it's almost Jeopardy! time, so I have to stop now. I love how active the thread is ... but it sure makes it hard to stay caught up! Oh well, there are worse problems I could have
), so Sun-Thurs nights I don't really even think of it! And the tortilla chips I keep in the house because they are a favorite of DS..... but I know better than to even have ONE.... because it is impossible to stop!
Hopefully today is a better day and you don't have any reasons to eat your feelings!
And being sick is one of the worst things for my weight loss: I tend to be incredibly hungry when I am sick (unless I am so sick that I lose my appetite) and also lose all self control because: Eating does make me feel better - not just emotionally, but physically. And then I can't move. I am still under 2000 steps today and here it is already 2:30pm... And I missed Wednesday's and today's run because of that lousy cold!!
