[gonnadoitthistime]

I have a tendency to go way overboard with many things, to my detriment, and months ago decided to just change the way I eat, rather than go on a plan. I was eating a lot of salads, just trying not to buy "bad" things at the store. It seems that I have actually gotten in the habit now, happy to say. In the store, I would look at the "bad" things, brownies, ice cream etc, read the content labels, think of another "bad" thing that may be not as rich, go look at that, etc.
I don't concentrate on "diet", just getting the right foods. Now, after a few months of trying this, when I shop, I am automatically thinking of good things to put in salads or stir fries. I occasionally have a little pasta as a cheat, which also helps me from feeling deprived and ordering a pizza LOL.

It seems we all have to find our niche that works, that becomes easy for us to do, some people do so great on structured plans or just calorie counting, etc, but I would always go overboard, then give up.

I would bet everyone on here tried at least 20 different things over the years before finding something that worked and that they could live with long term. Anyone care to share about that?

[neon_zephyr]

The problem with diet plans, in my opinion, is that they feel like punishment. It's the way we think about them. I agree that changing the way you eat is a good thing to do. This has also worked for me. My bad habits, though, are that on the days which really suck, I will just ignore my logic and eat sugary things as a way to stave off that depressed feeling. I don't buy sweets or junk food any more, so now, when I'm in that kind of a horrible zone, I actually have to walk two miles to the store if I want to indulge in something bad for me and carry it back, too. I am less likely to give in to bad habits if I safeguard myself, I think.

I've also realized that having a meal plan for a week at a time seems to help. Otherwise, grocery shopping has no logic. And, if I don't have a plan to follow, either I won't eat at all on a given day because I can't be bothered to make something, or I'll eat whatever is easy and convenient (and generally not healthy).

So, I plan things to avoid impulse choices. I eat scrambled eggs and turkey bacon for breakfast with coffee (milk, but no sugar). I eat soup for lunch. Then, I have a protein bar (Luna Bar, usually) later with coffee or tea. Then, I will eat a salad for dinner (and will try to add chicken to it) with very light or no dressing. Some days, I give in and go buy a chocolate bar or some ice cream, but, I have to go walk to and from the store to earn the indulgence and usually, the easier option of drinking green tea kills the cravings. I'm going to vary this next month, but trying to be strict with it for the next 30 days so that I don't veer off into the land of pasta, pizza, cheseburgers and fries. So, that's my plan so far.