How do you stick to your healthy eating habits?

[CinC]

Like Carm, I use a different food tracking app (livestrong) which is on my phone and with it being calorie based, it 'works' for me - it sets a daily target of calories. Something else clicked when I was reading this book:

http://ironman.com/training/books/ingri ... z1mU1tqWXo

and for whatever reason it was, it started to make more intuitive sense. I don't restrict anything from my diet. I don't have any food intolerances and I eat nasty wheat. The DH and I did do a low-glyemic index diet for a while, which had its merits but also drawbacks, and I have a history with significant weight loss in the past and now I tend to track to get to a more lighter/ideal race weight as I do find that when I'm not 'tracking', I will eat empty calories (hello wine and beer and snacks etc) but that's my choice and I then am not shocked when i see that I'm up 5 or 10lbs. The concept of having an allotment of calories per day and when I exercise, I add to that bank and based on what I've eaten, I'm pulling those calories off works in my small head!

I'm a past weight watchers person as well (that's how I lost 100lbs over 15yrs ago) and there are things from that program that have most certainly stuck - there shouldn't be any foods that are 'off limits' - you just have to learn how to manage them. Portion sizes are another huge thing. Also making sure I'm hydrated plays another big role in my hunger or 'precieved' hunger.

The end of the day, the Canada Food Guide has been around for a long time. And there's a reason for it.

[Miss*Smiles]

Also, by throwing out the rest of my jube jubes, I can go back to eating my normal (mostly) healthy way.

[Size5]

In the past few months I've started buying pre-cut fruit trays when I get groceries. Yes, I realize this is lazy and I am buying unnecessary packaging. However, the trays go in recyclying and I actually eat the fruit because it is cut up for me. Small thing that has helped me.

In my house we have a fruit fairy(aka me) that helps us both eat cut up ready to go fruit!

[chunkymonkeymelonhed]

Judging by my waistline and increase in clothing size recently my answer to the question would have to be

"not very well"

[getfit]

Thanks everyone for your great suggestions. After reading through the thread I realized these were a lot of the same principles I've followed over the years, everything in moderation, no eating after dinner. Only problem is, recently there's been a lot more of everything, and not so much moderation So starting today, now that the V-Day treats are gone, I am going to load up the fridge with healthy food. I'm going to try and get back on track and start feeling more in control of what I'm consuming.

[VeloCarrie]

I agree 100% with everything CinC said, and, like her, I belong to the 100 lbs lost club, just from food tracking and exercise.

I also use Livestrong to track my food intake. If you don't want to get into that all the time, try it for a month just to track your intake and portions. It might make you more aware of mindless eating and times/places/foods that you can work on. you can also break down your daily intake of protein/carbs/fat to see where you can improve and if you input your exercise, you can see if you are actually burning off the calories you are taking in.

I also agree with the use of the Canada Food Guide. Researched, proven, peer-reviewed by registered health professionals, such as RDs, MDs, RNs, etc. There aren't a lot of diets or fad diets that can say that out there.

[Joe Dwarf]

For me tracking is key. Eating particular kinds of food is good for your health but for weight loss calories is calories and you need to count them. At least for a while until you get a feel for portion size and what foods are calorie dense. Nuts for example, ridiculous what a handful contains. I use myfitnesspal on my iphone, works very well.

[getfit]

Nuts for example, ridiculous what a handful contains.

Yep, nuts are a slippery slope for me. Dh has been buying lots of trail mix lately and when I know it's in the cupboard I'm always digging into it. I told him not to buy anymore of it for a while (or keep it at work), at least until I can fit into my favourite jeans again.

[a-slow-5]

Also making sure I'm hydrated plays another big role in my hunger or 'precieved' hunger.

The end of the day, the Canada Food Guide has been around for a long time. And there's a reason for it.

This is MY problem. I'm a boredom eater. If I'm doing mundane office work, the first thing I do is look for something to snack on. I've been tracking calories for a while and as a result, have a way better idea of what I can and can't eat to fill that "perceived" hunger (read: boredom!!!) mindset. I also keep a water bottle at my desk and use it all day long!

Otherwise, cooking/eating clean (minimal prepared foods, fresh veggies and fruits, and a good balance between protein, carbs, fats, etc.) has really helped to keep us on track. I find we WANT to eat at home more because we have a better sense of what we are eating!!!

[runfbrun]

I'm so glad I found this thread.

My weight has been back and forth over the last 4 years. I was 290 at my heaviest and 237 at my lightest. I am currently at 258 (down from 272 in March). I had read somewhere that doing something for 3 weeks makes it a habit. That might be true for exercise since I do feel like Im addicted to that after run feeling within a couple of weeks of starting to run again, but with healthy eating it is a totally different ball game.

I dont think it has ever become a habit for me, and unfortunately, I dont think it ever will. It is always going to be a struggle for me, but I have been 'winning' (mostly) over the past month. By nature, I am not a pop drinker and dont really care for potato chips much (thankfully), but the problem is I can eat a frightful amount of food when I 'cheat'. 12" meat-lovers pizza? No problem. Cookie-sheet full of nachos loaded with beef, mozza, sour cream and guacamole. Check.

I just have to tell myself that all is not lost if I eat one unhealthy meal (even if it is well over a 1000 calories). The most important thing is to get back in line for the next meal. I have been eating whatever I want on the weekends, and I realize that if I stuck to my 'weekday' diet on the weekends too, then the lbs would shed a lot quicker. Portion control is something I really need to work on during my cheat periods.

Another thing I feel works for me is if I prepare my meals in advance. If I am hungry, and then start to make something, I'll make too much and eat it all. And probably eat a bagel and a piece of cheese while I'm making the meal! If the meal is already made and I just have to warm it up, it is easier for me to control my hunger for the 2 minutes that the food is in the microwave.

[kat00_ca]

For me, it's a combination of everything. I keep a set amount of pre-packaged snacks in my filing cabinet. If I feel like having junk food, I get up and move around.

The hardest part for me was giving up the coke so what I did was buy a small bottle of coke (414ml) and have no more than 5 sips to ease me off my "addiction" and have just realized that I went more than a week without coke without any craving. That bottle of coke in the fridge was my safety net that has now been thrown away.

I have substituted a lot of white flour/pasta, etc with whole wheat. Sometimes I do eat white stuff only to be reminded how awful I felt and would write it down on a piece of note that I stick to my kitchen wall to remind me the next time I have a craving.

I do treat myself to some junk food but very little. For example, I was craving chocolate for last 3 days and I knew if I didn't do something soon, I was going to binge on them. So, I bought myself a Mars bar yesterday, ate it slowly and savoured the taste and made sure to post it in my food journal to remind me of the calories (240! holy moly) but it satisfied my craving.

Bottom line, if you're craving something, wait a couple of days. If you're still craving it, get just a small amount and move on. This is what has worked for me. Now, after 3 weeks of healthy eating, I have no more cravings for any kind of junk food

I should also add that putting up a grocery bill when I purchased some junk food reminded me of how much I was spending on junk food vs healthy food. Spending a lot of money on those definitely opened up my eyes as well. Of course, this may not work for you if you have a high salary!

[getfit]

Thanks for reviving this thread. I was struggling to stick to my healthy eating habits when I originally started this thread over a year ago. I now have a totally different approach thanks to the dvd Forks over Knives and the book Eat to Live. Instead of trying to eliminate things, I concentrate on eating a plant based diet. I still eat a small amount of meat and the occasional treat, but I plan my meals and snacks around healthy, but delicious food. I focus on what I can eat, not what I can't. One of my biggest temptations was snacking when I got home from work. Now I go to the gym after work and then when I get home I start making dinner right away. If I do have something it's a handful of almonds, some cranberries and carrot sticks. If someone brings in a treat at work I'll still have one, but not 2 or 3 like I used to. Of course I still have my occasional struggles with junk food, but not nearly as bad as before.

[jgore]

Butter tarts are a food group, are they not?

[getfit]

Butter tarts are a food group, are they not?

I knew you were going to chime in I haven't had a butter tart in a very long time. Now that my daughter is Celiac it's harder to find really good gluten free butter tarts. Of course I could just go and buy myself one, but usually we buy them when we're out somewhere as a family.

[NewFinnLoper]

I just started using the myfitnesspal app and it is pretty comprehensive.

Another tip I find is that if I brush my teeth at lunch or after a snack I'm less likely to want to eat anything other than water.

[CAW]

I just started using the myfitnesspal app and it is pretty comprehensive.

Another tip I find is that if I brush my teeth at lunch or after a snack I'm less likely to want to eat anything other than water.

Anything minty is good for this. So chewing a minty piece of gum or sipping on some minty tea will work too.

http://www.wikihow.com/Suppress-Your-Appetite-with-Mint

[JoaniB]

I think the biggest aid for my continuous healthy eating habits is the way I shop for food. I do the outside-in method of shopping, where I hit the veggie/fruit section first (helpfully placed at the entrance of the store) so I fill my cart up with that, then proceed to meats, then dairy, and finally bread and other things. I try to avoid temptation aisles (cookies, chips) and rarely stop at those little sample tables (except for this one time, where I stopped at a stand for Smartfood's Hummus chips because they seemed sort of healthy!).

A large portion of it was discipline; I had to sort of retrain my stomach into believing that an apple could be filling, that a handful of nuts and 100g of carrots were a better morning snack than a muffin, and that I did not need to fill my bowl to the brim with cereal.

The last of it is substitution (and playing mind games to believe it really was as good). I switched out pop and drank sparkling water, oatmeal instead of cereal breads (this led to my mood not plummeting when I got really hungry), and low-fat yogurts instead of regular.

Reducing the number of restaurant visits definitely helped, too!

[Ironboy]

Well, since Goofy I've been indulging in too many treats - a blizzard here, a cookie there, a Peanut Butter cup once too often - and too little running.

I've put on nearly 10# (or more depending on which day you start the measuring and which day you end it) Leading up to Goofy my weight fluctuated between 170# and 175# (usually 172ish), recently I've seen it as high as 185#, but more typically around 182#. So depending, you could say as much as 15# or as little as 7#, so I think 10# is a realistic number.

The biggest culprit is not having healthy options at my disposal, especially at work, because there are few options to buy non-sugary, high GI foods downtown.

So I've decide to bring a veggie tray and make sure my lunch is stocked with good food. If I run out or get hungry, lazy me will be far more likely to go to the fridge and get some veggies than go down 11 floors to buy some junk. If I do go down, I can talk myself into a coffee instead of food, so I should be good.

I'll let you know how it goes.

J.

[Jwolf]

Well, since Goofy I've been indulging in too many treats - a blizzard here, a cookie there, a Peanut Butter cup once too often - and too little running.

I've put on nearly 10# (or more depending on which day you start the measuring and which day you end it) Leading up to Goofy my weight fluctuated between 170# and 175# (usually 172ish), recently I've seen it as high as 185#, but more typically around 182#. So depending, you could say as much as 15# or as little as 7#, so I think 10# is a realistic number.

The biggest culprit is not having healthy options at my disposal, especially at work, because there are few options to buy non-sugary, high GI foods downtown.

So I've decide to bring a veggie tray and make sure my lunch is stocked with good food. If I run out or get hungry, lazy me will be far more likely to go to the fridge and get some veggies than go down 11 floors to buy some junk. If I do go down, I can talk myself into a coffee instead of food, so I should be good.

I'll let you know how it goes.

J.

When did you stop the paleo diet?

[Ironboy]

Oh I haven't really stopped. I've always allowed myself an occasional treat especially family occasions, but in extreme moderation. Since Goofy, it's gotten completely out of hand. I've allowed my mood to dictate my treat selection instead of good sense.

[Ironboy]

Back on the wagon.

Had a clean week last week, until Sunday. My oldest works at Dairy Queen. How cruel is that? It was dead so he texted me to bring the kids over for after supper ice cream.

So we did. I tried and tried to resist, but how can you? At least I had the mini size blizzard with Reese's peanut butter cup. Ironically I didn't find if very satisfying, so next time will be much easier to resist.

Of course on Monday, I caved again and had a frozen yogurt, thankfully they were out of Reese's pieces, so I had almond slivers with the Banana slices instead. Yogurt isn't so bad, but it has a ton of sugar.

That was the end of the binge, I've been good ever since. That was over a week ago. So far so good.

[CAW]

Back on the wagon.

Had a clean week last week, until Sunday. My oldest works at Dairy Queen. How cruel is that? It was dead so he texted me to bring the kids over for after supper ice cream.

So we did. I tried and tried to resist, but how can you?

I don't think I can ever eat at DQ again, thanks to Scotty and one of his officers. They were describing the situation with the porta-johns in Wainwright...particularly how quickly they'd fill with 600 people using them....

The descriptor was "when it starts to look like a DQ sundae poking up out of the hole...."

Use that visual next time you take the kids for a treat. You can thank me later.

[gnu]

Back on the wagon.

Had a clean week last week, until Sunday. My oldest works at Dairy Queen. How cruel is that? It was dead so he texted me to bring the kids over for after supper ice cream.

So we did. I tried and tried to resist, but how can you? At least I had the mini size blizzard with Reese's peanut butter cup. Ironically I didn't find if very satisfying, so next time will be much easier to resist.

Of course on Monday, I caved again and had a frozen yogurt, thankfully they were out of Reese's pieces, so I had almond slivers with the Banana slices instead. Yogurt isn't so bad, but it has a ton of sugar.

That was the end of the binge, I've been good ever since. That was over a week ago. So far so good.

They have frozen yogurt at your DQ?? We don't have that!! But when I think about it, that's probably a good thing...because I would likely do a lot of "at least it's yogurt!" justifications

(and I hear you on the Goofy weight!)

[ultraslacker]

do you guys have Menchies out there?

[Ironboy]

That was the end of the binge, I've been good ever since. That was over a week ago. So far so good.

They have frozen yogurt at your DQ?? We don't have that!! But when I think about it, that's probably a good thing...because I would likely do a lot of "at least it's yogurt!" justifications

(and I hear you on the Goofy weight!)

No, the yogurt was the next day at Freshii.

do you guys have Menchies out there?

Menchies?