How can it be so hard to just not eat something bad???
Ive tried so hard to stop eating pizza hut and white bread and just everything in general that hurts me,.... but i havent stopped!!!! i go thru so much pop, ive preactically gained back everything i lost... i rly feel as if im going to die by the time im 25 .. im rly short and i weigh more then grown men!!! its horrible but i dont no what to do or how to stop.. or certain snacks and brands of food to replace everything with.. when i think i found somehting that is supposably health.. it turns out its not........ i dont know how im going to get out of this.. what do you do? what foods? what brands? any advice or words.. would be rly appreciated... thanks
Sugar and carbs, especially refined ones, can be especially hard to cut out.
I started in baby steps by purchasing ONLY whole wheat bread. Nature's Own 100% whole wheat bread is very good. I don't like the really hearty, kinda dry texture of whole wheat, but N.O. Whole wheat is pretty good.
And with pop, you can either stop it cold turkey, or start rationing yourself.
With Pizza Hut, that one is simple. Don't order it. Don't go in there. Their pizza is REALLY not all that good anyway. It gives me the grumbly guts every time I eat it. If you really like pizza, as a lot of people do, start making your own. Boboli has whole wheat crusts. You can also make personal pizzas out of pita breads. You control the toppings, so you will know how many calories/etc are in it.
Start reading nutrition labels. I've always been OCD about reading them anyway, but read EVERYTHING. Sometimes, just seeing that 1/2 of that candy bar has 260 calories in it is enough to stop me from eating it. Pay close attention to servings per container, serving sizes, calories, fat, etc. Look for those on EVERYTHING you pick up at the grocery. If you're going to be eating out, look up the online nutritional info and plan accordingly.
And finally, don't punish yourself. You have to be able to live with your "diet". It should be something long-term and easy to manage. Granted, when you first cut out that pop, and all the fat etc... it's not going to be comfortable. You might feel the need to eat it, but remember that it's NOT quality for you body. You need healthy foods to far outweigh the unhealthy ones. I treat myself every once in a while as well. I haven't completely cut out sugars, white foods and the like. I just practice portion control religiously, plan my meals so I don't go over my maximum calories (1300-1500 depending on how I'm feeling) and I work out 3-5 times a week.
You'll get there!! The hardest and most terrifying part of losing weight is actually getting into a good rhythm.
And I just wanted to add, in reference to your avatar, you already are a flower. No matter what you look like or weigh, you are still a worthy human being who deserves the best. (and that isn't Pizza hut!! LOL)
Last edited by Pint Sized Terror; 11-29-2010 at 12:41 PM.
You can't sneak that stuff in and expect to rid yourself of the cravings.
Cold turkey. That is the only way if you ask me.
I had to make this hard thing easier. So, I banned the stuff. I didn't make it an option TO eat it. After a few uncomfortable weeks, it was pretty much smooth sailing. It was nothing short of miraculous.
But you must learn to tell yourself no and not give in.You've got to work past the uncomfortable moments.
Make sure you have other good stuff available though- lots of cooked and fresh veggies. LOTS of them. Lots. Lots. Lots. Low fat proteins, FF dairy and some fruits.
Make a plan and stick to it like glue. Like glue. Don't give yourself permission to veer off. Be firm. Set up some rules, some boundaries. Push yourself. Challenge yourself.
Work past that temporary, initial discomfort as your wants and desires for the other stuff dies down and you begin to establish new, healthy eating habits.
Losing weight and lots of it a doable thing for every one and any one, yourself included. But please set yourself up for success, getting rid of the junk, planning out your meals/snacks in advance and practicing discipline.
Push yourself. Give it 150%.
If you want what you do not have, you must do what you have not done.
You've got the control, it's there. You just must start using it and strengthening it.
Be careful going cold turkey, as it could lead to an indulgent episode of binging! I would suggest baby steps as well. Read the nutritional labels of the foods you're contemplating in eating. Know what calorie range is best suited for you and your body, and make an effort to eat within that. I break my calories down per meal just as a mental not to help me stay on track. Example: B=200ca, L=400ca and D=300ca. Exercise at least 15-20 mins per day or three times weekly if that's more reasonable for you.
try not to stress out about being perfect. the food you eat doesn't have to be completely organic, no preservatives etc. all the time. like she said. baby steps may work best. try to make the whole grain substitutions that have more fiber vitamins. think about similar textures, flavors. lots of subs for foods don't look the same, but they have similar taste or texture to your old favs.
examples:
mix in some wild or brown rice into white rice.
as you go along, increase ratio of brown to white. maybe eventually only eating brown, wild, bulgur wheat, whatever whole grains you like. here's a tip, chicken broth or stock, and whole garlic cloves cooked in the liquid with the rice.
whole wheat bread for white and other types of breads, pita, pizza crust, rolls, tortillas(try flat out! it's a type of flatbread, looks like a huge oval tortilla, 120 cal or light is 90cal lots of fiber too.)
use chicken broth or stock in place of oil when you saute, in a non-stick pan. or use tiny amounts of olive oil.
try baking, broiling, grilling instead of saute or fried.
try veggie burgers or fish fillet instead of hamburgers or other fast food. they cook up quick, keep you full for longer, healthier for you. make either in the microwave for just a few mins.
i like morningstar veggie burgers- veggie and california turkey the best.
make your own burritos ahead of time. portion out and frig or freezer for later.
i replace basil in place of some or all of mayo in tuna salad, on sandwhiches etc. adds tons of flavor. or sub in your fav. herb. i also use basil in place of cheese such as in a burrito when it's covered up anyway.
use a stronger flavored cheese so you can use less. use shredded low-fat, i can't taste the difference. weight watchers makes a really good mexican blend of low-fat cheese.
try to use darker green lettuce family veggies.
romaine instead of iceberg
spinach on pizza or thrown in spaggetti, curry, sandwhiches.
i love it cooked with garlic and spagetti sauce.
try other greens collard greens, beet greens, etc cooked in broth/stock instead of pork fat, or use olive oil in place of the meat.
we need to eat dark greens at least a few times a week, but maybe start with once a month trying a new veggie. work your way up.
replace some of the meat with beans in burritos, chilli, soups. we all need more beans. like i always tell my kids, they are a super food! there's a list of 10 or 20 super foods, easily googled. try to eat any of those foods more often.
many chicks swear by replacing regular noodles with spagetti squash 'noodles'. simply use a fork to make strings or 'noodles' of spagetti squash after you cook it and cut it open. very easy to bake it for an hour. you can also microwave it. or use whole wheat noodles. i usually need a stronger flavored sauce for this though.
well, i'm sure i have lots more ideas, but i guess my brain is out of steam. i think you get the idea. more veggies, whole grain. don't believe all the hype and commercials. eating whole grain cheerios isn't going to make us all lose 30 pounds, because it's technically whole grain. although they are better for us than fruit loops.
just try to do the best you can with what you have
Even if you don't want to follow the diet, I highly recommend reading about South Beach Diet. I do NOT follow it but I learned so, so, so much about nutrition for that way of eating, and especially about cravings.
It's one thing to say "quit eating carbs", it's another to know what it means. What can you eat? And I liked having a plan. With this diet, you eat very few carbs (gaining carbs only from vegetables and milk) for about two weeks and then start adding them back again slowly. For me, it takes exactly three days of "clean eating" to rid my system of the carbs so I do not crave them anymore.
Again, I do not follow South Beach. But I definitely recommend reading about it because it teaches you so much about carbs and cravings. I no longer need to cut out all carbs, but I definitely need to cut out my trigger foods. At present those are chocolate and pop. Chocolate is tough because I haven't banned it, so every now and then I have to go to a strict chocolate ban for three days until I get the cravings under control. With pop, I banned it. It's gone. I haven't had a sip in over a year and I do not miss it.
I agree with Robin on this one. The only way that I have lost almost 70 lbs since June 15th is to make very clear, concise rules for myself and stick to them, no matter what.
Pizza and soda cannot buy itself and show up to your door and fly into your mouth. You have the control and the power over your own body and what goes into it. Only you. When you really decide that you want this, and you make the plan to get it, you will make it happen. I don't mean to sound harsh, just realistic. You have to decide if you want to be healthy or if you want the junk food and crap that will wreck your body. It really is just that simple.
Best wishes on your journey.
Hi! As you can see, there are lots of opinions out there! The really good news is that there is not just one right way to this this. The trick is, you have to find A Right Way for you!
Some things to think about:
- can you figure out what types of carby food cause the desire to binge? For example, I don't have problems binging on fruit (which are carbs), but other people do. However, you can't leave me and cake in the same room and expect both of us to come out standing.
- do you want to change your diet all at once or take baby-steps? Some people find that moving from "white" carbs (white rice, bread, pasta etc) to "brown" carbs (whole grain versions) is a great way to go, but they need to build up to it because they don't yet have a taste for the whole grain versions-- mixing the new and old is an example of that.
- what other foods are you willing to "change out" and substitute? What foods can you go 'cold turkey' on?
-what resources do you have to learn about this stuff? The South Beach book is a good idea, but there are other places, too.
In other words, you may have to experiment some to find the system that works for you. But we are here to help and be sounding boards!
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Someone posted recently that their bf would say to themselves "I know what that tastes like already, I don't need it right now" or something to that effect. And that's how I stopped myself from binging like mad the past week. It has helped a bit honestly. I am up 2 lbs from thanksgiving but nowhere near as bad as I've been in the past after thanksgiving- and I know those two pounds are going to drop after a few days of OP eating
I also find the more I stress the harder it is- try to do things to keep your mind OFF of food
I don't know it for sure but I firmly believe that some of the foods we/I crave have something in them that produces craving on craving, nothing emotional, something chemical.
For that reason, I also had to have a list of "I don't eat;s" - technically, on calorie counting I could have them in moderation. Practically, I don't have the ability not to overeat them.
Things I can substitute - wholemeal for white bread, for example, I do.
Be careful going cold turkey, as it could lead to an indulgent episode of binging! I would suggest baby steps as well.
I'm fairly certain AA doesn't teach this method to alcoholics.
The binging that you speak of is most likely caused by allowing the FIRST bite. Because once some people(as seems to be with the OP) START with certain foods, it's very HARD (impossible?) to stop until there's no more of it. IF you ask me, it's that first bite that causes the binging.
If there was never a first bite, then there's no way to binge.
thanks everyone for the advice... im definitely going to be using everything you guys said.... i rly appreciate . it kinda made me rly believe i still have some hope.. so thank yous again!
Gotta agree with rockinrobin on this. The one step I took before joining, was that I cut out soda completely. The result was about 20lbs. without doing much else. Once the soda was out of my system, I was able to think more rationally about it. Good Luck! :-)
You have to find out WHY you do it before you know how to deal with it, IMO.
For me, I was a boredom eater. I would eat when bored, that's it. No emotional attachment to it. For me, I can eat everything in small amounts/calorie counting - whether it is broccoli or chocolate.
BUT that's me.
For some, food is a drug. They cannot just have a little bit of "X". So they make rules for themselves and cut it out - forever, and permanently. If you cannot moderate, then you have two options: continue eating the same, and continue staying the same weight (or more), or cut it out.
Do what is right for you.
If you cannot control your pop, pizza, white bread consumption - then you may need to consider cutting it out completely. You also said you eat things that you think are healthy and find out later they are not. You may want to consider this rule - if you cannot count it (ie the numbers aren't available), then you don't eat it. Period.
Know what calorie range is best suited for you and your body, and make an effort to eat within that. I break my calories down per meal just as a mental not to help me stay on track. Example: B=200ca, L=400ca and D=300ca. Exercise at least 15-20 mins per day or three times weekly if that's more reasonable for you.
900 calories per day is not enough for the average healthy woman. You would be literally starving yourself. The general rule of thumb is to not go below 1200 calories, but you may have to raise that depending on how active you are. I'm fairly active and have been losing as long as I stick to 1300-1500 calories per day. Some days are more than that.
How can it be so hard to just not eat something bad???
but i dont no what to do or how to stop.. or certain snacks and brands of food to replace everything with.. when i think i found somehting that is supposably health.. it turns out its not........ i dont know how im going to get out of this.. what do you do? what foods? what brands? any advice or words.. would be rly appreciated... 
If you really like pizza, as a lot of people do, start making your own. Boboli has whole wheat crusts. You can also make personal pizzas out of pita breads. You control the toppings, so you will know how many calories/etc are in it. 
