Couple of things that help me/ a lot of people on this board:
Eat full meals, not "mini-meals" throughout the day. Some people like eating small mini-meals 6 times a day, but others find that eating 2-3 full, large meals a day of equal calories to the 6-mini meals person keeps them fuller longer and not thinking about food as much.
Replace your habits with a new habit- don't just try to quit something completely. If you love eating a pint of ice cream in one sitting, completely giving it up probably won't work. Instead switch to a pint of low-calorie frozen yogurt. Later, educe the portion size to a cup. Then start going without it from time to time.
Similarly, start trying to drink diet soda instead of regular. Or take fizzy water and add fruit juice to it. Then work your way towards water, tea, or another low/no-calorie beverage. Break habits down slowly.
Keep regular treats in your diet, deet For most people, cutting out all candy, desserts, potato chips, etc leads to falling "off the wagon." For these people (myself included!) permitting one small serving of foods I love once a day or once a week keeps me from going crazy and keeps me on-plan
(That said, for some they cannot eat certain foods because it leads to a binge, so be aware of that.)
Learn to cook delicious foods. Healthy foods do NOT have taste bad. Foods cooked homemade with fresh ingredients can be incredible. Foods we often consider "bad"- cakes, cream soups, etc- can often be made healthier without sacrificing taste. Learning to make healthier versions of traditionally high-calorie food can help satisfy cravings and help keep you wanting to stick to plan.
Eat LOTS OF HIGH NUTRIENT FOOD! I can't stress this enough. I really think Michael Pollan is spot-on when he says one of the reasons we crave junk food (and are not satisfied with just one big mac, but need to go back for another one) is because most of our food is so poor in nutrients. Something that processed offers very little to our body and it craves more food to crave more nutrients. When I eat whole foods, natural ingredients, with very little processing, I am much more satisfied than when I eat processed, fast food, or junk food.
Also---
Quote:
Originally Posted by mateosmama2005
Late night, fruits or veggies (If you must)...you don't want to eat anything high cal etc before you sleep...
It's an old dietary myth that when you eat calories makes a difference. Even if your metabolism is higher or lower when you digest a meal (such as when your body is at rest), the SUM TOTAL or net of what your body burned throughout the day and what it consumed through food all evens out.
Anectodal evidence if you don't believe me
: Europe, Asia, and South America all eat 9-10 PM dinners and do not have skyrocketing rates of obesity! (Let me know if you want more scientific support than just this correlation.)
The reason eating at night is bad for some people is that it leads to late-night binging or grazing. Not eating after their dinner helps them stay on plan. However, for others who like to eat late it's fine. Just be cognizant of your habits and tendencies.
Good luck!!