I need opinions for all you health nuts! I have lost weight before using Weight Watchers and on my own....but the past year or so I have allowed myself to put on so much weight by just eating crap. And the more I think about it the more I crave it and the more I eat it....as you can see it's a visious cycle. This visious cycle has put me up to about 210 lbs. So...I have decided to get it together and begin this journey to a healthy life style. I have figured out many of my trigger foods and am determined to stay away from them. I have considered not allowing myself any of the trigger foods for atleast 4 weeks...to break the habit. It seems when I allow myself a little I take a lot , so I figured going cold turkey was my best bet. What do you all think? I would greatly appreciate your advice. Thanks!
Eating Healthy.....Cold Turkey?
- Thread starter deni_rhea
- Start date
Try adding a healhy habit each week. Make an effort to eat fruits for snacks. Add veggies to your lunch and dinner. Up your water intake. Each week add another healthy habit. After 4 weeks you should be eating fairly clean.
On the cold turkey issue - if you know you can't resist something - that may be a good idea. However, in my case, when I don't allow myself cheat foods once in a while I tend to slip up and then binge eat them. Allow yourself treats once a week. I love pizza. Now I have realized I don't have to eat the whole thing anymore. One or two slices is enough.
I've have incorporated these changes into my diet. I now crave things like oranges and yogurt. It took my body about two weeks to detox from all the junk food I was eating. I feel much better now eating healthier. Also, exercising tends to keep me on track too. I hate the thought of sweating an hour with Cathe only to detract from it by eating a whole box of cookies.
Good luck!!!! You can do it!!
:7
On the cold turkey issue - if you know you can't resist something - that may be a good idea. However, in my case, when I don't allow myself cheat foods once in a while I tend to slip up and then binge eat them. Allow yourself treats once a week. I love pizza. Now I have realized I don't have to eat the whole thing anymore. One or two slices is enough.
I've have incorporated these changes into my diet. I now crave things like oranges and yogurt. It took my body about two weeks to detox from all the junk food I was eating. I feel much better now eating healthier. Also, exercising tends to keep me on track too. I hate the thought of sweating an hour with Cathe only to detract from it by eating a whole box of cookies.
Good luck!!!! You can do it!!
:7
Well, I have to say that I knew that I couldn't handle having certain items around and told myself that once I got my eating under control that I could allow myself to have some. Well, it took a few tries to not binge every time I ate the "red light" foods, but I have learned to better control them. I now don't have as much problem with these foods.
Saying that, I must add that sometimes we need to have "red light" food around so that we don't binge because we are prohibiting ourselves from eating them. Sometimes we have that child-like attitude of "I will because I can" and get ourselves in trouble.
I once weighed over 240 lbs and have lost 85. I just had to learn how to deal with this issue on a regular basis.
I hope that something made sense. I am at work and trying to do this quickly.
mikkame77
Saying that, I must add that sometimes we need to have "red light" food around so that we don't binge because we are prohibiting ourselves from eating them. Sometimes we have that child-like attitude of "I will because I can" and get ourselves in trouble.
I once weighed over 240 lbs and have lost 85. I just had to learn how to deal with this issue on a regular basis.
I hope that something made sense. I am at work and trying to do this quickly.
mikkame77
I would recommend that you be careful with cold turkey because if you put too many limits on yourself from day one you could get easily discouraged and feel too deprived. I agree that once a week you have to let yourself have a treat-- what I do is I purchase the low fat alternatives. For example, I could never completely give up deserts-- so I get low fat sherbets and make ice cream cones once in awhile or I get the skinny cow ice cream sandwiches *YUM*. Always check the fat content on items that you purchase.
I find it easier to stay on my normal clean eating regime during the work-week and I tend to loosen up a bit during the weekend. I would advise that you pick up one of Joyce Vedral's books-- she goes into detail about diet in any of her books and it is a balanced plan. She doesnt tell you never to eat rice or pasta again-- which I like because it is realistic.
Anyways, diet and eating clean is very challenging, so don't be too hard on yourself. If you screw up one day and you are feeling bad about it, just remember that tomorrow is a new day-- but dont give up!!!!! We are here to support you.
I find it easier to stay on my normal clean eating regime during the work-week and I tend to loosen up a bit during the weekend. I would advise that you pick up one of Joyce Vedral's books-- she goes into detail about diet in any of her books and it is a balanced plan. She doesnt tell you never to eat rice or pasta again-- which I like because it is realistic.
Anyways, diet and eating clean is very challenging, so don't be too hard on yourself. If you screw up one day and you are feeling bad about it, just remember that tomorrow is a new day-- but dont give up!!!!! We are here to support you.
mogambo
Cathlete
We are all different, but cold turkey works very well for me. When I quit eating junk food, I quit craving it. Now carb cravings are satisfied by a piece of whole grain toast or a few whole grain crackers, or a piece of fruit. I don't keep junk in the house, don't order it in restaurants. If I eat a little bit, I find I want more and it quickly makes me suffer. That's just me, but it works for me.
I have tried this in the past...it never works for me. I usually end up binge eating. I have been doing better in the past few weeks though. I have not been happy with the way my body has been fitting into my clothes so I said, that's it....get this under control now before it gets out of hand. If I am really craving something, I give myself a few minutes before I dig in. I usually get busy and forget about it. If I still want it, I allow myself to have it, but only a little. No more mindless eating from the cheesie puff bag anymore. I take a handful or one or two cookies and put the rest away. Something that I have found works from time to time is drink something hot. I make herbal tea sometimes if I want some junk. It seems to give me a feeling of being full. A friend of mine has gone cold turkey before. She has had success with this. Once she cut out the junk, she dropped 10 lbs. She said it took about 6 weeks to completely overcome the cravings, but once she got to this point, she didn't even want junk food anymore. I think sometimes it just depends on how bad you want to lose that weight or get that trim body. I have just got to the point in the last few weeks that I really want it bad and I have admitted to myself that I am in my 30's now and I cannot eat like I did in my 20's. Bummer, but true. There maybe another reason why you have eaten yourself back up to the weight you are at...is there something else at issue here. Not to get all mental on you, but maybe there is an emotional reason for this. Just a thought. I know I don't eat very well when I am having problems somewhere in my life.
Kim
Kim
icklemoley
Cathlete
Just for fun i thought i'd add my 5 cents in. I really admire the people on this board that can have only 2 slices of pizza or a handfull of crips. Never could i do that. NEVER NEVER NEVER. If i can't have the whole thing i'd rather not bother. However, that doesn't mean i don't eat food like that. I do, i just go for the lower fat options. Ice cream, count me in. Pizza, on yea. Crisps, i think so, but i don't eat the high fat stuff. I find a lower fat alternative. I eat healthy cause i feel better, but i don't think eating healthy means never having sugar or processed food again. Healthy to you might mean unhealthy to me. Its about personal habits and what works. I can eat anything i like as long as its low fat. When i eat high fat food, i gain weight. So i don't eat it. I eat whole, real foods, 50% of the time. Rice, etc...and add in the processed stuff around it. Example, this morning for breakfast i ate baked apples with bananas, apple juice with oats and pecan crumble with half a bagel. Real food and the processed crap. Weight loss isn't hard, but finding a plan that suits you and one that you can live with, everyday, is the hard part. But please remember: before you try some fad diet, look at what the first three letters of diet spell? Scared?