At what point... did you ditch the bad foods?!?
- Thread starter Heidisue
- Start date
Fit_mommy
Cathlete
Hi. It's unrealistic to think that you can just one day toss all the bad stuff in your cabinets/fridge/freezer and replace it only with only healthy food all at once. Start replacing the bad with good alternatives a little at a time. You'll get there...and don't think you have to be perfect either. 
thebratee1
Cathlete
I did it little by little. I ditched the foods with HFCS and cut out the foods with more than 5 grams of sugar. Thought I was eating pretty healthy foods until I saw how much sugar was in them. Once I cut back on the sugar, I saw a difference in my abs. Now I buy more fruit to have as a dessert at night.
Regina
Regina
lioness
Cathlete
It is a process that continues over time. I started about 12 years ago and made changes along the way. I cut out the usual stuff (fast foods, chips, ice cream) in the beginning after I started really looking at food labels and realized what I was eating.
Take it slow. Make a list of all the unhealthy stuff that you eat. Take 1 unhealthy food and find a healthy replacement for it. I finally gave up boxed cereal last week.
Take it slow. Make a list of all the unhealthy stuff that you eat. Take 1 unhealthy food and find a healthy replacement for it. I finally gave up boxed cereal last week.
isuretri
Cathlete
Just like with quiting anything (like smoking), you have to WANT to do it. If you don't decide that this is what you want, then you probably won't do it. Unlike most of the others, I quit all my bad "snacking" habits at once. I did give myself a treat of sugar free pudding and fat free cool whip on occassion. I also had a cheat meal once a week where I could eat anything I wanted BUT it was just one meal, not a whole day! Once you realize that you start feeling better, you will not want the junk food as much! Well, at least I didn't!
kathryn
Cathlete
ITA! It also takes a while to adapt your taste buds and to ween yourself from the artificial stimulation many 'edible substances' (should we even call some of them food?) provide.
I used to be a junk-food junkie through adolescence and high-school. When I went to college and got involved with a food co-op and started reading about nutrition and health , I not only became a near-vegan vegetarian (then vegan), but changed to eating primarily whole foods (some people may call that 'clean eating' now, but I don't like that term) . Easy to do back in the mid-70's, when not a lot of processed vegetarian/vegan food was available.
I've had ups and downs from there, and sometimes get back into eating junky food (especially since it's so easy to get vegan junk food nowdays!), but some things I used to consume all the time (like Pepsi or American white bread) I find positively repulsive now.
I sometimes think of how the teenage me would view how I eat now, and she would probably find some of the things I eat (green smoothies? whole-grain sprouted bread? quin-what?) as yucky as I find what she used to eat!
I find that educating myself, and reading about health benefits of whole foods (Dr. Fuhrman, Brendan Brazier, raw-food authors) helps keep me more on track.
Also, if you can think of food as fuel, and that everything you consume becomes part of you and goes to build your future body, wouldn't you rather fuel yourself with healthful, good things than with something that offers perhaps momentary pleasure (yum!) but may actually have a negative affect on you? Take care of yourself the way you'd take care of an expensive sports car: give it the best fuel. Not like you'd treat a junker you don't care about, giving it the cheapest fuel possible.
janiejoey
Cathlete
I use to eat chocolate and chips (not together). I decided to make a rule for myself and not have them in the house. That's what started my better eating habits.
It does take a long time and doing it little by little helped me. But, if I knew all the things that were a problem for my body all at once, then I would have treated it like addiction to cigarettes and would have done it all at once. Took me many years to figure out all of it. I was ready, just didn't know a few things.
For instance guit drinking milk and replaced it with soy. Found out my body didn't tolerate soy. Now I make my own almond milk and use that instead. I reuse the curshed almonds by dehydrating them and use them on the outside of cut bell peppers. And place them in the oven. Yum!
Replaced butter with avocado. That was an amazing find. Replaced sugar with organic sugar or fruit, honey, real maple syrup or aquavi. That one also was a big find. I do limit it's use, a lot!
Buying fake meat such as hot dogs, hamburgers, sausage... (usually made from soy) didn't help me at all, I just gained weight. That one took forever to figure out. No wonder I felt like $hit all the time!
I don't care what people say, for me using High Fructose Corn Syrup just makes me have an endless craving to eat more. It's addictive and I'm glad I'm off the stuff. I Read labels and stay off processed food. Easier said than done. I still eat on occasion pizza from the store. Really no excuse, but I get so busy I don't have time to cook. I have to work on that.
I have retired and make a lot of my own stuff. Sourdough bread, yogurt with a live culture, grow my own vegie garden, pesto, ketchup...
It takes time I guess to figure out what your body will tolerate, what is good for human consumption, so I read a lot and try to figure out what is best. Very confusing sometimes out there for sure.
Anyway, that's my story. A very long process.
Janie
It does take a long time and doing it little by little helped me. But, if I knew all the things that were a problem for my body all at once, then I would have treated it like addiction to cigarettes and would have done it all at once. Took me many years to figure out all of it. I was ready, just didn't know a few things.
For instance guit drinking milk and replaced it with soy. Found out my body didn't tolerate soy. Now I make my own almond milk and use that instead. I reuse the curshed almonds by dehydrating them and use them on the outside of cut bell peppers. And place them in the oven. Yum!
Replaced butter with avocado. That was an amazing find. Replaced sugar with organic sugar or fruit, honey, real maple syrup or aquavi. That one also was a big find. I do limit it's use, a lot!
Buying fake meat such as hot dogs, hamburgers, sausage... (usually made from soy) didn't help me at all, I just gained weight. That one took forever to figure out. No wonder I felt like $hit all the time!
I don't care what people say, for me using High Fructose Corn Syrup just makes me have an endless craving to eat more. It's addictive and I'm glad I'm off the stuff. I Read labels and stay off processed food. Easier said than done. I still eat on occasion pizza from the store. Really no excuse, but I get so busy I don't have time to cook. I have to work on that.
I have retired and make a lot of my own stuff. Sourdough bread, yogurt with a live culture, grow my own vegie garden, pesto, ketchup...
It takes time I guess to figure out what your body will tolerate, what is good for human consumption, so I read a lot and try to figure out what is best. Very confusing sometimes out there for sure.
Anyway, that's my story. A very long process.
Janie
RapidBreath
Cathlete
Like the others have said, I did not do it all at once. I started with soda, I switched to any natural soda and then to iced tea with sugar and now I drink hot tea with a little honey or unsweetened. (Peach spice is good.)
I switched to only products without HFCS. That made a big difference in my appetite. I no longer felt hungry the whole time.
The other thing that made the difference for me was keeping a food journal and a weight log. I would watch how foods I had eaten the day before effected my weight, my GI tract or my athletic performance. I stopped eating foods that always made me gain weight. These were KFC (worst offender!), donuts (or anything with a dough conditioner), commercial meats (beef/chicken seemed to be a problem.) and corn oil (anything cooked in corn oil makes me fat.) Its not that I magically don't want to eat them, rather its that I really don't want to gain more fat and I really don't want to feel ill. MSG was a major problem for me, it gave me terrible headaches. Frozen yogurt put weight on me. So, all flavored chips/cookies/crackers are out. It also made me fat too.
My food log also helped me find foods that helped. For example, coconut oil is my best friend because it improves metabolism. If you get cold hands/feet you might try that, Spectrum brand is best.
It has taken me several years and I'm not perfect at all. Today I was good but over the weekend I had some tings and I had a home made brownie. It was tasty but I paid for it with today's weigh in (up two pounds) But, at least I know what happened!
I switched to only products without HFCS. That made a big difference in my appetite. I no longer felt hungry the whole time.
The other thing that made the difference for me was keeping a food journal and a weight log. I would watch how foods I had eaten the day before effected my weight, my GI tract or my athletic performance. I stopped eating foods that always made me gain weight. These were KFC (worst offender!), donuts (or anything with a dough conditioner), commercial meats (beef/chicken seemed to be a problem.) and corn oil (anything cooked in corn oil makes me fat.) Its not that I magically don't want to eat them, rather its that I really don't want to gain more fat and I really don't want to feel ill. MSG was a major problem for me, it gave me terrible headaches. Frozen yogurt put weight on me. So, all flavored chips/cookies/crackers are out. It also made me fat too.
My food log also helped me find foods that helped. For example, coconut oil is my best friend because it improves metabolism. If you get cold hands/feet you might try that, Spectrum brand is best.
It has taken me several years and I'm not perfect at all. Today I was good but over the weekend I had some tings and I had a home made brownie. It was tasty but I paid for it with today's weigh in (up two pounds
) But, at least I know what happened!
Heidisue
Cathlete
You all are so awesome and inspiring! I want to be just like you!! I am hoping to toss out some of the bads and go from there little by little. I know it's going to be hard. Lately I have really noticed how much I have been snacking and the kind of foods I have been snacking on. I am trying to make better choices. Thanks for sharing. You all are so strong.
When my gallbladder started acting up in December. The pain kept me away from any food with fat in it. So, no pizza, no cookies and no junk. Had my gallbladder out three weeks ago and everything tastes so different! The pizza and chips are soooo salty that I can't eat them. However the ice cream still tastes good! Hopefully, I can continue to eat this way!
angie_nrs
Cathlete
I am certainly no expert in this area, since I typically eat what I want....clean or not. I am not very disciplined with my eats. I find that I usually eat the junk when I'm hungry, which is usually at about 3pm or 8pm. So, I try to remember to eat healthy things at that time that fill me up like oatmeal, bananas, nuts, etc. I have to watch portion control, but I always feel better about myself if I at least overeat on healthy options.
I know it has been said over and over and over. But it really does start at the grocery store. If it's not in the house, you simply can't eat it. So.....be good at the grocery store, and you HAVE to be good at home. For me that means to make truly mindful decisions about what I put in my cart. It's hard for me to do because I base a lot of my decisions on price, but I really have to change that mentality when grocery shopping. It's also difficult to do with camping season upon us. Summertime is a struggle for sure! But if you have made up your mind, nothing will stop you.
I find that I usually eat the junk when I'm hungry, which is usually at about 3pm or 8pm. So, I try to remember to eat healthy things at that time that fill me up like oatmeal, bananas, nuts, etc. I have to watch portion control, but I always feel better about myself if I at least overeat on healthy options. I know it has been said over and over and over. But it really does start at the grocery store. If it's not in the house, you simply can't eat it. So.....be good at the grocery store, and you HAVE to be good at home. For me that means to make truly mindful decisions about what I put in my cart. It's hard for me to do because I base a lot of my decisions on price, but I really have to change that mentality when grocery shopping. It's also difficult to do with camping season upon us.
Summertime is a struggle for sure! But if you have made up your mind, nothing will stop you.
Fit_mommy
Cathlete
OMG I wish this happened for me! I always WANT the bad stuff. It's a daily battle for me but I have learned to love healthy foods too and constantly remind myself of how much better I look and feel when I eat healthy as opposed to eating the junk. I still have my "cheats" such as last night's pizza dinner
but these cheats are the exception, not the rule! 
nancy324
Cathlete
I agree with Dee Dee. Whole Foods, Fairway, Trader Joes. These stores and many others are filled with yummy delicious healthy foods. This season, I could eat a quart of blueberries in one sitting. You do have to work up to it slowly, though (for me, it's been gradual over the course of about 25 years). My DH is trying to transition from a "typical American" diet (which I call an "all brown diet") and his system cannot handle a fraction of the amount of fiber I am used to eating every day. After awhile, it just becomes a way of life and you don't think about it anymore. My idea of a "fast food" dinner is an Amy's Bowl, which takes 5 minutes in the microwave. The ingredients are organic vegetables, brown rice and tofu in tamari sauce and it is very tasty. I always keep a few in the freezer for when I need a quick meal and I'm pressed for time.
luvsdaleekids
New Member
The first thing I did was to cut the diet Cokes and artificially flavored waters and switched to water. This was NOT easy for me, as I was a 4/day diet Coke drinker. But I just didn't buy it in bulk at the supermarket. Immediately, my skin cleared up and became softer, acne/breakouts on my body were GONE... I do not believe in depriving myself, so I will have 1-2/wk maybe, but it's not an urge like before.
Then, I committed myself to eating ONE healthy meal a week (you're probably wondering what I was feeding my body!!!). Just ONE. Salad, chicken without skin or something like that, etc. Slowly, my body just regained more energy and just felt *good.*
With supermarket trips, I just didn't buy snacks or bought pretzels or low-fat versions (I am a high fat aficionado). There are many flavors and textures that I enjoy, and if it wasn't around I just didn't eat it.
Fast forward 9 months, and I love eating healthy because I can pretty much eat whatever I want and not feel bloated. I started working out in January as part of a New Years resolution and have lost 15 lbs and am down from a size 8 to a 2/4.
It's a lifestyle change. I don't think of it as "cheating" anymore. I will treat myself to something fatty and sweet every once in a while, but it's like shopping for a new purse to me. Not every day, but a treat once in a while. You have to love the lifestyle or else it won't work. Good luck!
Then, I committed myself to eating ONE healthy meal a week (you're probably wondering what I was feeding my body!!!). Just ONE. Salad, chicken without skin or something like that, etc. Slowly, my body just regained more energy and just felt *good.*
With supermarket trips, I just didn't buy snacks or bought pretzels or low-fat versions (I am a high fat aficionado). There are many flavors and textures that I enjoy, and if it wasn't around I just didn't eat it.
Fast forward 9 months, and I love eating healthy because I can pretty much eat whatever I want and not feel bloated. I started working out in January as part of a New Years resolution and have lost 15 lbs and am down from a size 8 to a 2/4.
It's a lifestyle change. I don't think of it as "cheating" anymore. I will treat myself to something fatty and sweet every once in a while, but it's like shopping for a new purse to me. Not every day, but a treat once in a while. You have to love the lifestyle or else it won't work. Good luck!
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MidgetDogg
Cathlete
Took me a few years to "get it". I would read about everyone eating clean here and think it was silly. I didn't eat a lot of snack foods and stuff, but I did eat processed. Then last year I had to drop some weight and started using Cathe's Nutrition software, Livestrong and reading a whole mess of stuff on clean eating and cut out all the processed stuff. I had the best results I've ever had and learned to cook a little bit. I did still drink a lot of diet cola and slowly saw that pizza was creeping into my diet as a regular meal. A friend got me to try Shakeology, so I added that in as a meal everyday and within 2 weeks my diet cola and pizza cravings were gone. I'm 2 months pop and pizza free. And because I'm pop free, my daughter is now too. That's a big bonus!
I definitely don't feel deprived and I don't find it a bit difficult to do. It's a bit more expensive and time consuming, but some of my favorite meals are ridiculously easy and fast.
I definitely don't feel deprived and I don't find it a bit difficult to do. It's a bit more expensive and time consuming, but some of my favorite meals are ridiculously easy and fast.