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So I've struggled a lot in the past with trying to eat healthier and lose weight, always ending up failing and falling back on my old habits. Last September I decided to try just making a few small changes and so far it's worked great. I know that my current habits are far from "ideal", and I've been attacked online for them before, but they've worked really well for me so far.
My biggest "pain point" was soda, I would often go through 4-6 cans of soda a day, sometimes quite a bit more than that. I had tried limiting myself to 1 or 2 sodas a day, and even tried quitting cold turkey a few times but it never stuck. I'd have one cheat day, and then just completely fell apart.
I ended up switching from soda to sparkling water. Of course, the only brand I found that I liked the taste of had sucralose, so not exactly "healthy" like some of the other brands of flavored sparkling water, but I like the taste and it was able to completely kick my soda habit. Even when I occasionally have a soda like when traveling or at a restaurant, I don't fall back and I actually find myself drinking less soda when I do drink it (i.e. at a restaurant I used to get 4-5 refills easily, now when I rarely have a soda at a restaurant, I only get one refill if at all.
After that switch I've made a few more; rather than trying to avoid fast food all together I just go for healthier options, small things like grilled chicken instead of a burger or fried chicken, a side salad, soup, or chili instead of french fries.
I switched from Ranch to Italian dressing for my salads, started getting meal delivery kits to limit how often I went out to restaurants, started getting slightly smaller portions at restaurants, switched from regular mayo to light mayo, and switched from the regular "sweet snacks" (things like Hostess, Little Debbies, Ice Cream Sandwiches, etc) to the "healthier" options (100 calorie packs, Skinny Cow, etc)
I know that most of these things aren't exactly "healthy", but they are "healthier" than what I was doing before, and I have seen results. Best of all, I've been able to maintain it for 4 months now, and that's a personal record.
Does anybody have any other tips or suggestions of small, incremental changes to make?
My biggest "pain point" was soda, I would often go through 4-6 cans of soda a day, sometimes quite a bit more than that. I had tried limiting myself to 1 or 2 sodas a day, and even tried quitting cold turkey a few times but it never stuck. I'd have one cheat day, and then just completely fell apart.
Regular or diet soda?
I lost lots of weight while drinking diet soda.
Regular or diet soda?
I lost lots of weight while drinking diet soda.
For me it was regular soda, I had tried switching to diet and to things like Coke Zero or Dr. Pepper 10; DP10 I was able to do for a little while, but I always ended up craving the real thing and would fall off the wagon. Diet I could never get into the taste.
But regular to diet soda is like what I'm talking about. Small changes that while it might not be the "best" or "healthiest" is still better than the alternative, and can potentially help people who are trying to lose weight.
The flavored seltzers took a while for me to get used to too, but it was worth it. Artificial sweeteners give me cravings for the real thing, unfortunately. A few months after I eliminated them it became a whole lot easier to eat right. I just bought some Soliel brand Cranberry Raspberry flavor water that is wonderful.
You don't tell us what your main meals are. But as far as snacks, I think I'd substitute a piece of fruit for the 100 calorie/skinny cow snacks just a couple times a week if I were you.
So I've struggled a lot in the past with trying to eat healthier and lose weight, always ending up failing and falling back on my old habits. Last September I decided to try just making a few small changes and so far it's worked great. I know that my current habits are far from "ideal", and I've been attacked online for them before, but they've worked really well for me so far.
My biggest "pain point" was soda, I would often go through 4-6 cans of soda a day, sometimes quite a bit more than that. I had tried limiting myself to 1 or 2 sodas a day, and even tried quitting cold turkey a few times but it never stuck. I'd have one cheat day, and then just completely fell apart.
I ended up switching from soda to sparkling water. Of course, the only brand I found that I liked the taste of had sucralose, so not exactly "healthy" like some of the other brands of flavored sparkling water, but I like the taste and it was able to completely kick my soda habit. Even when I occasionally have a soda like when traveling or at a restaurant, I don't fall back and I actually find myself drinking less soda when I do drink it (i.e. at a restaurant I used to get 4-5 refills easily, now when I rarely have a soda at a restaurant, I only get one refill if at all.
After that switch I've made a few more; rather than trying to avoid fast food all together I just go for healthier options, small things like grilled chicken instead of a burger or fried chicken, a side salad, soup, or chili instead of french fries.
I switched from Ranch to Italian dressing for my salads, started getting meal delivery kits to limit how often I went out to restaurants, started getting slightly smaller portions at restaurants, switched from regular mayo to light mayo, and switched from the regular "sweet snacks" (things like Hostess, Little Debbies, Ice Cream Sandwiches, etc) to the "healthier" options (100 calorie packs, Skinny Cow, etc)
I know that most of these things aren't exactly "healthy", but they are "healthier" than what I was doing before, and I have seen results. Best of all, I've been able to maintain it for 4 months now, and that's a personal record.
Does anybody have any other tips or suggestions of small, incremental changes to make?
Ditch the store bought dressings and make your own. Store bought dressings are loaded with unhealthy ingredients. Italian dressing is one of the easiest. Just Google homemade Italian dressing and pick a recipe that appeals to you.
I'm also attaching a good recipe for Ranch dip or dressing when thinned with HWC (heavy whipping cream).
Drink more water, ok to consume soda but only in moderation. Eat a more balanced nutrient dense diet, stick with the smaller portions like you said and meal kits are always a great way to stay on track. And you just need to get out and get more active. Even if it's to walk around the block for 10-20 minutes you have got to be more active.
Drink more water, ok to consume soda but only in moderation. Eat a more balanced nutrient dense diet, stick with the smaller portions like you said and meal kits are always a great way to stay on track. And you just need to get out and get more active. Even if it's to walk around the block for 10-20 minutes you have got to be more active.
Plain water is by far the hardest thing for me, and I'm not sure why. The last time I tried to switch to only plain water I ended up being hospitalized for dehydration; I just can't bring myself to reliably drink if water is all that's available. That was the third time I ended up in the hospital being dehydrated I know water is the healthier option, but before I switched to flavored sparkling water my choice was basically soda or dehydration. Now my choice is soda, sparkling water, or dehydration. It's not the healthiest option, but it's the healthiest option that works for me personally.
The flavored seltzers took a while for me to get used to too, but it was worth it. Artificial sweeteners give me cravings for the real thing, unfortunately. A few months after I eliminated them it became a whole lot easier to eat right. I just bought some Soliel brand Cranberry Raspberry flavor water that is wonderful.
You don't tell us what your main meals are. But as far as snacks, I think I'd substitute a piece of fruit for the 100 calorie/skinny cow snacks just a couple times a week if I were you.
Yes, I have also substituted fruit for many snacks. Apples, Clementines/Mandarins, and hard boiled eggs are now my primary snacks, but when I'm craving something sweet, having the "unhealthier" options that are still better than a standard Twinkie or Ho-oh is great. Basically if I still had the Little Debbies in the house, I know I'd eat them. If I tried to cut out entirely and go to exclusively fruit, I'd eventually break down when I go grocery shopping and grab a chocolate bar or a box of Tastycakes and probably eat the entire box. At least that's what's always happened in the past.
So I've struggled a lot in the past with trying to eat healthier and lose weight, always ending up failing and falling back on my old habits. Last September I decided to try just making a few small changes and so far it's worked great. I know that my current habits are far from "ideal", and I've been attacked online for them before, but they've worked really well for me so far.
My biggest "pain point" was soda, I would often go through 4-6 cans of soda a day, sometimes quite a bit more than that. I had tried limiting myself to 1 or 2 sodas a day, and even tried quitting cold turkey a few times but it never stuck. I'd have one cheat day, and then just completely fell apart.
I ended up switching from soda to sparkling water. Of course, the only brand I found that I liked the taste of had sucralose, so not exactly "healthy" like some of the other brands of flavored sparkling water, but I like the taste and it was able to completely kick my soda habit. Even when I occasionally have a soda like when traveling or at a restaurant, I don't fall back and I actually find myself drinking less soda when I do drink it (i.e. at a restaurant I used to get 4-5 refills easily, now when I rarely have a soda at a restaurant, I only get one refill if at all.
After that switch I've made a few more; rather than trying to avoid fast food all together I just go for healthier options, small things like grilled chicken instead of a burger or fried chicken, a side salad, soup, or chili instead of french fries.
I switched from Ranch to Italian dressing for my salads, started getting meal delivery kits to limit how often I went out to restaurants, started getting slightly smaller portions at restaurants, switched from regular mayo to light mayo, and switched from the regular "sweet snacks" (things like Hostess, Little Debbies, Ice Cream Sandwiches, etc) to the "healthier" options (100 calorie packs, Skinny Cow, etc)
I know that most of these things aren't exactly "healthy", but they are "healthier" than what I was doing before, and I have seen results. Best of all, I've been able to maintain it for 4 months now, and that's a personal record.
Does anybody have any other tips or suggestions of small, incremental changes to make?
I don't know why anyone should be attacking you for your choices. The worst offenders are former dieters, preaching about 100% healthy eating all of the time. Sorry, it doesn't work that way in the real world and if you've spent years being overweight and eating all the wrong things, it's just not that easy to "eat healthy" all of the time and make healthy choices all of the time. Changing old habits takes time, and as you said, it's all about the small steps. Hell, you may never be willing to give up soda, sugar, whatever.
And guess what? That's fine.
As a formerly obese middle aged woman, (5'10, over 220 lbs at my highest) I can tell you that I had been through enough failed diets to know what really works for me long term. I'm sure people will criticize some of my eating choices (i.e. my daily sweet treat, my daily dessert, my weekly cheat day) - I don't care. The fact is by including such things in my diet, I haven't reverted to my overindulging, hyper-sugar eating, food obsessed self in over three years. So yes, I will continue to eat my 100 calorie sugary snack and my 100 calorie daily dessert. It's my treat to myself and I just make adjustments elsewhere. Weight loss and weight management is really about calorie management.
My suggestions is: be aware of portion sizes and servings. try and also limit hyper-salted foods (restaurants are really guilty of this). There are these little 6 oz cans of soda. If you crave soda so much, you should try and train yourself to make do with ONE small can and that's it. My body doesn't do well with "cold turkey". More effective is teaching my body to set limits and stick to them (i.e. I will drink one mini can of soda per day/eat one treat per day/etc.). After awhile, you won't crave a larger amount, since your body knows that it isn't being "deprived". You have to figure out what foods are very important to you and how to integrate them into your daily calorie budget. Some foods are so calorie/sugar/fat laden that the portion size would be unrealistically small. Those foods I just eliminate altogether and relegate to cheat days. try and add less processed foods into your diet (i.e. whole grains, fruit, vegetables). Meat portions are supposed to be small. In all honesty, folks should be buying the kid sized burgers. For more nutrients, eat a (small) potato with skin on and try other types of potatoes (like sweet and red). How about beans? Very filling and can be easily cooked.
Flavor your water. (lemon juice, small dash of fruit juice, etc.) I drink nothing but water, and as an added bonus I don't have any wrinkles, lol.
Exercise. Start off slowly, increase as you gain stamina. Also, I've found the cardio is lousy when it comes to real burn. Don't be afraid to pump some iron!
Don't be afraid to experiment when it comes to diet. Ultimately, it comes down to "eat less" regardless of how it's packaged. For best results, also "move more".
If you're being attacked, then you're in the wrong forums. Just avoid those. Find one that is more supportive.
I stopped drinking soda years ago. I don't even remember why, but it was a conscious decision. Sometimes I'll steal a sip from my spouse's glass, but I like water, so that's what I usually drink.
I move more. A lot more. I used to be practically inactive, glued to the computer day and night when I wasn't at a sit-down job at a desk.
I'm still glued to the computer at night, but during the day I am either at a stand-up job that has me walking and bending and stretching (retail), or riding my bike, or walking. A lot of walking. Our mailbox is 8/10 of a mile away from the house at a community postal station, and if it's not raining, I walk there and back to get the mail 5 days a week.
It's not a lot - but it's a LOT more than what I used to do and that makes a profound difference in my health and weight.
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