Changes in diet?
 

The other day, I realized that I have made some changes without even thinking about it. Have you all had similar experiences?

I have almost completely given up deli meats. I used to buy the extra lean ham, chicken etc. Now I eat chicken, fish, turkey meatloaf, that I make myself. I freeze the food and use as I need it.

I used to eat quite a bit of Lean Cuisine stuff. I guess I cut back on it because I have so much homemade food available.

I used to drink 2% or 1% milk. I have now switched to non-fat dry milk! I read somewhere that reducing fat content of dairy items is one of the easiest ways to cut calories. I thought, not for me, but it was actually easy.

Mind you, I am not saying there is anything wrong with deli meat, Lean Cuisine or 2% milk - just that I made changes.

I noticed that last night because we had fries and nachos for dinner!

But the fries were sweet potato fries -- tossed in a little olive oil and spices and baked, so not fried at all. And the nachos used ground turkey, light chips and light cheese, and actually very little cheese. The tomato we added was so tasty, and there was a little bit of olive and some lettuce. YUMMY!!

I don't think I enjoyed the full fat greasy versions more than I enjoyed these!
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Changes....chaaaa Nges
 

:carrot:
Gailr42, I was thinking the same thing the other day. I know that this time is different for me because I am more willing to make changes. Coming to this "LAST" effort to lose all the extra weight, I had already made some healthy changes. I have exclusively bought wheat bread for over a decade but when I read I could up my fiber by getting whole grain or whole wheat bread (you have to read the label on that) I made another change about five months ago. At first, I didn't like it and then when I sent my husband to get me some bread and he bought the other, I felt like I was eating "air". I had grown to like the added fiber, it felt like I was eating "something".

I read here about how so many people drink a lot of water. I have bottles of it ice cold in the refrigerator that I have recently begun to "count" and be more purposeful on. When I found out herbal tea could be "counted" I was thrilled. I always have a pitcher of that ice cold in my refrigerator---peppermint is my favorite.

I have been drinking skim milk for almost two decades. My husband has tried to get me to even try 2% and I don't like how it tastes.

Some of these changes have come about because of other reasons other than dietary but I am glad I had them in place to begin with. I am looking for a reduced or no fat "butter" type spread for my toast in the morning. Any suggestions? It is really almost the only fat I have during the day but I do want to make it "quality".:carrot:

Thanks for sharing your tips.:D

pamatga -- You're so right about the willingness to make changes!

As for a substitute for your butter, you could try peanut butter, for a "better fat". Or for less fat, fruit butters (apple or pumpkin, which generally don't have fat -- or at least, not all do), or jam, or even honey! But don't try to completely eliminate fat -- we DO need some in our diet!

I've been changing too
 

I'm not quite up to the cooking yet. I'm not much of a cook. I am noticing how I stop and think before I eat instead of the reflex eating I used to do. I still eat the stuff the family eats but I think about it first and control what I choose and how much. I know that I still have to eat in the real world so I have to plan better. I can still eat fast food but choose salads or smaller portions instead of the Big Mac and fries. Diet Coke does not cancel out calories no matter how we'd like to believe it. Heck I've even given up the Diet Cokes. I've always got water close by.

I'm slowly trying to sneak healthier choices in to the family. A few at a time and they won't notice but will still eat it! :devil:

Now that you mention it...

Some of my habits have become second nature now. Going to the store, stopping at the produce section first... Parking a little farther away from buildings so that I have to walk... Avoiding foods brought into work from co-workers... Cooking with leaner & healthier foods... :lol: Actually COOKING instead of ordering out!

In fact, I feel a little proud that all those changes are ingrained into my head now. Here's to future healthy habits!!!

I just hope I can keep it up - not get bored, or tired of making so much effort just to eat lunch.:lol:

Gail -- It IS a lot of work. I have to plan for my weeks, cook more food, have food to pack for lunch and snacks during the week -- and I have to prep that food so I can take it!

But when I don't do all this work, it's a disaster. I'm very motivated to keep this a priority.

Yes, we've GOT to keep it up. What are the alternatives? To go back to the old ways? No way. All the planning, shopping, preparing, chopping, dicing, cooking, packing, - all of it - is time well spent and more then well worth the effort. I'm like Heather, if I didn't do this, well, my eating WOULD be a disaster. I can't afford to leave anything to chance. Too risky.

As for the original question, I've had made tons of changes, but they were all a conscious decision on my part. I was looking to switch things up. Looking to find healthier recipes and foods to eat and keep my home stocked with. But everything did kind of snowball. One change led to another and then another and so forth and so on. I like it! I love the choices that I make now and then food that I eat.

You bet I have made changes GAIL :yes:

I now have a garage fridge stocked full of LIGHT beer...plus now I can take my shopping cart down the :cheese: cheese asile :cheese: at the grocery store and not throw a :tantrum: tantrum :tantrum: because I don't allow it on my "journey of better choices" as much as I used to!

HEATHER ~...the light-weight nachos sound good! I have just been telling myself I am not :nono: allowed those anymore...I think I can fit your way of making them into my "menu" ~ THANKS!

ROBIN ~not only is all that chopping and dicing time well spent...it :flame: burns off calories! It's a win-win!

Yes! My biggest change is NO DIET (or non-diet) SODA!! That is now on my list of Things Which Are Not Foods!
Cheese - I love cheese. I venerate cheese. And I have been eating much less of it. It has become an infrequent sacrament. When I eat it I mindfully enjoy every bite.
And I used to go out to eat a lot. As a single person, it is easy to do that. But now that is very infrequent also. Maybe only once a month.
Changes, yes!

Sorry to hijack the thread and ask a totally unrelated question, but why is diet soda bad for a diet? I know it is bad, i just don't understand why it's bad for weight loss! Would someone please enlighten me? :lol:

Some people think that the artificial sweeteners in diet soda are not healthy. Some also think that certain artificial sweeteners cause an insulin response, even though they don't contain any calories. And someone did a recent study that correlated diet soda drinking with increased obesity--but this wasn't a cause-and-effect type of study. They don't know whether people who are gaining weight switch to diet soda, and that's why it's correlated--or whether it's something about the diet soda or something that goes along with the diet soda that is responsible.

It comes down to a personal choice, but if you do a search on diet soda, you'll get a lot of information. :)

Jay

Thanks JayEll! That pretty much answered my question, i'll remember to lay off the diet coke in future :)

I know what you mean; it shouldn't be bad for a diet if it contains no calories.
I was drinking a lot of it. I found that it increased my appetite. A lot.
That did not mean that I would eat more as a consequence, but it was kind of uncomfortable to have that feeling of appetite going on all the time.

In general, I find that I feel more satisfied with whole, natural foods, and small amounts of them.

Liquids are my weak point. I like beer, wine, and things that fizz.
But one thing at a time I guess...
Drinking water at work now. Amazes the heck out of me.