I've tried to change completly how I eat and what I eat. But I have 2 habits that I can't seem to break. I stopped eating frozen foods such as lean cuisines and healthy choice, and began to start cooking healthier food. I try to eat as much veggies as I can, which usually consisted of salads and a whole lot of canned veggies. Other that the sodium is this bad? I also cant break the habit of my diet coke plus and single serving bags of chips. I consider the chips into my daily calorie allowance but I just dont want this to hurt my weight loss eforts.Does this seem okay?
"Bad" is kind of a strange concept to me. Throughout my weight loss, I made room for the things that were truly non-negotiable. For me, it was dessert. For you, it sounds like it is single-serving bags of chips.
So will you lose as fast as you might WITHOUT the chips? Who knows? But if you give yourself that indulgence, and that enables you to stay on plan longer because you don't feel deprived of the chips, then it will impact your efforts in a positive way. On the flip side, if that "I will budget for and allow myself this bag of chips" starts sliding into "I will allow myself 3 bags of chips a day", it is time to re-evaluate whether it is the best choice for you.
Are there better ways to get nutrients than a single-serving bag of chips? Of course, but you knew that. Maybe when you get closer to goal, you'll have to re-evaluate...for the last couple pounds, I couldn't drop any weight without "eating clean" ie whole grains, fresh produce, and lean meats, and that included my desserts (luckily, I was able to improv some things with whole wheat flour and fruit purees that I love). For now, if your loss seems to be steady and at a healthy rate, I see no reason to change.
People have different opinions about diet sodas. Some people drink them, others don't. There are success stories on both sides of the fence. Personally, they never gave me any issues.
About the canned vegetables. Yeah, it can be a lot of sodium, but you're still getting in some veggies. Better than none. Eventually down the road you might it works out better for you if you get fresh or frozen vegetables to steam. (In fact, they make Steam Bags of frozen vegetables that are convenient & quite tasty. If you'd like to end the can habit you may want to start there.)
Diet Coke & Bag of Chips - Mandalinn's #5 tip is : 5. Figure out what isn’t negotiable to you and plan for it.
If you decide that a diet coke and a snack bag of chips is one thing you want every day, then work around it. Plan it in, work it off. There's no reason why it should hinder your efforts.
If you like the convenience or price of canned veggies, but would like to reduce the sodium you can rinse or even soak the veggies in water to reduce the salt. Drinking extra water also helps get rid of extra sodium in your body.
A lot of the newer research suggests that sodium is only a problem for a small number of people. Even among people with high blood pressure. For example, I have high blood pressure, but my blood sodium levels are very low, sometimes too low, so my doctor actually suggests that I try to get a little extra salt into my diet (I don't like salty or high sodium foods, except for occasionally restaurant chinese food). I generally use frozen or fresh vegetables, but also do buy and use some canned veggies. I rinse or soak.
Another way I love to use frozen veggies, is to use a mix (my favorite are Walmart's stir fry blends especially the asparagus variety and the snap pea one). I throw the frozen veggies in a bowl and add some bottled or homemade light italian dressing (I also add other veggies sometimes such as
chopped onions, bell pepper, celery, or a jar of pickled yellow pepper slices or baby corn....) The frozen veggies thaw overnight in the fridge and the next day you've got a very nice mixed veggie salad. I used to just make it for picnics and potlucks, but now I make it for myself and have salad for three or four days.
I think your original question regarding whether these habits will hurt (I assume you mean slow) your weight loss can be answered fairly simply. Maybe, but so what? Because the BIGGEST threat to weight loss is giving up, and there's no sense trying to be "perfect" (whatever you think that means) if it leads to feeling deprived, frustrated,bored, or hopeless, you will be more and more tempted to throw in the towel.
At some point, you may want to give up your diet coke or chips, or might find new healthier favorites to replace them with, but if these indulgences are keeping you on plan, don't feel guilty.
Thank you for your replies!
I have tried frozen veggies but for some reason I like my canned ones better. I love basically any veggies I find, but canned ones just seem to be easier and less expensive for me.
My love affair with chips and diet coke doesnt seem to be leaving anytime soon. I usually buy single serving bags of chips, Ive tried the 100 calorie pack ones and there just not the same, but I usually pick up about 6 for $2. But I cant keep them in my house anymore. So Im just going to have to get them each day if I want them, because they cant stay here. Yesterday I ate about 2 1/2 bags and alot of my calories came from that.
CountryGirl18, just make sure those are really single serving bags, and that they don't contain more than that. Sometimes the nutrition information label can be surprising that way. They give the data per serving, but then for some foods you find out there's more than one serving in the package.
Yeah this will help you to keep your desired weight and with this if you do some exercise you will get fitness and will never be an over weight person.
The chips and soda aren't doing you any favors... maybe you could reduce it to a treat twice a week?
Fresh veggies are way more tasty than canned or frozen, sometimes I just have a cucumber sliced, or eat a whole red pepper sliced up... it's easier than opening a can.
Will this hurt my weight loss efforts?
Mandalinn got it all in before me!
