justkatie
Shy Member
Posts: 10
Jul 6, 2014 13:08:05 GMT
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Post by justkatie on Jul 7, 2014 19:50:54 GMT
How did you do it? I am considering giving up sweets entirely. I have been reading Year of No Sugar which is about a family who totally give up all sugar for a year. I mean everything! I think that's probably too extreme for me. But, I think I can give up desserts. I am about to turn 40 and am 30-40 pounds overweight. I would really like to make a change, but am stuck in a rut. If you've changed your diet for the better, how did you do it? For what it's worth, I eat three meals a day and my portions are not huge, but have a bad habit of eating dessert EVERY day. I know I need to include more fresh veg in my diet. I think a combination of eliminating dessert and adding exercise will do it, but I have a major will power problem. Thoughts? Thanks -k
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Post by compwalla on Jul 7, 2014 19:59:55 GMT
We did it slowly over many years. We started with the easiest thing - no high fructose corn syrup. After about six months of that, we gave up artificial sweeteners. Then soda altogether. Stopped eating fast food. Joined a CSA to add more vegetables to our diet, stopped eating industrial meat, started making meals that were focused on the vegetables instead of the meat, started gardening to grow more of our own food, joined an egg share to get pastured eggs, then got our own laying hens for eggs.
Pick one thing at a time then add more good habits. Leave room for indulgences. Be reasonable about it or whatever you're doing won't last.
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Post by Lindarina on Jul 7, 2014 20:03:46 GMT
Getting an online diary, where I registered every calorie that went into my mouth, was an eyeopener for me. It made it easier to know what changes I had to make.
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Nink
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,955
Location: North Idaho
Jul 1, 2014 23:30:44 GMT
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Post by Nink on Jul 7, 2014 20:05:03 GMT
Getting an online diary, where I registered every calorie that went into my mouth, was an eyeopener for me. It made it easier to know what changes I had to make. I registered with MyFitnessPal and kept track of everything and did walking as much as I could.
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Kath
Full Member
Posts: 446
Jun 26, 2014 12:15:31 GMT
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Post by Kath on Jul 7, 2014 20:08:25 GMT
Start cutting things out slowly, one by one. If you have a bad habit of snacking at night and little willpower at that time, make a rule that no eating after 6 p.m. (or whatever). If you absolutely feel you must eat something, say, at 9 o'clock at night, go to bed instead. I always sleep really good when I'm hungry for some reason.
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justkatie
Shy Member
Posts: 10
Jul 6, 2014 13:08:05 GMT
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Post by justkatie on Jul 7, 2014 20:13:35 GMT
I think I will try an online diary. I have a feeling that I am eating more than I think I am. I really feel like I need to cut out desserts, but I get a craving and it drives me nut! My husband says I am addicted, which I suppose I am!
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sharlag
Drama Llama
I like my artsy with a little bit of fartsy.
Posts: 6,580
Location: Kansas
Jun 26, 2014 12:57:48 GMT
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Post by sharlag on Jul 7, 2014 20:14:59 GMT
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valleyview
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,816
Jun 27, 2014 18:41:26 GMT
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Post by valleyview on Jul 7, 2014 20:31:23 GMT
Start slow and eat for quality. I think starting the day with some protein is important for me. I usually eat Greek yogurt and granola. Pay attention to portion sizes, but do not deny yourself everything - that is too extreme. IMHO Try out different cooking methods and seasonings - switch from vegetable oil to olive oil - add seasonings and flavors other than salt. Every little change leads to the next one.
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Post by bdawnb on Jul 7, 2014 20:37:58 GMT
I did it through Weight Watchers but the thing that helped me the most with their program was learning to track my food. Writing down what I ate, EVERYTHING I put in my mouth every day was so eye opening and really helped me see where I needed to make changes.
Free sites like MyFitnessPal or Sparkpeople are great online places for that if you don't want an organized program. .
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Post by birukitty on Jul 7, 2014 20:41:55 GMT
I started almost 2 years ago. First thing I did was cut out soda and replaced it with water. Cold turkey. After awhile I started craving the water and soda tastes horrible to me-like sugary flat syrup. Next thing I did was cut out fast food. That was harder, but doable. It's actually all doable it just depends on how much you want to change. Let's face it-soda and fast food is not good for our bodies.
After that I cut out processed foods. This of course took time. I didn't do it all overnight. I'd make a list of dinners to make for the week from fresh ingredients (veggies, meat, herbs, olive oil, vinegars,) and I stopped using anything in a can unless it was canned tomatoes or beans or bottled salad dressing. I cut out basically all the stuff the coupons are for-and started shopping for what's referred to as "whole" food. I switched from shopping at our local Giant to only using Trader Joes and Whole Foods. By keeping careful track of the list of dinners and needed ingredients I actually came out even doing this!
Dropped 35 pounds just doing these two things.
Last thing I did was watch the video " Forks over Knives". DH watched it with me and we decided to give vegan eating a try, We dropped meat and diary from our diet. Now this is not what most people do, but we did after watching that video and learning what those two things do to your body. DH lost 20 pounds. I lost 8-I'm in the middle of menopause so it's coming off slower.
I do eat dessert. I still eat sugar, only not the over processed bleached white kind.
For us it's not about the scale. It's that we are healthier than we've been in years. My cholesterol is 187, and that's after only being vegan for two months. But again, you don't have to go vegan. Just start with little steps. Do what's right for you.
Debbie in MD.
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Post by Restless Spirit on Jul 7, 2014 20:44:20 GMT
I was going to tell you what I've been doing, but Sharlag's plan seems much simpler. LOL Really, I'm following my doctors advice. I need to lose about 50 lbs. He recommended using My Plate or My Fitness Pal app to track ALL calories. I am to eat 1200 calories a day - but - I can eat what I want, just try to stay healthy. I chose to use My Fitness Pal. I love it. I manually add in or scan all of my food. For the first few days, I ate what I wanted, staying in my calorie allotment. Then I started paying closer attention to the Nutrition part of the app that breaks down the calorie intake by Carbs, Fat and Protein, plus shows me what my goals for Carbs, Fat and Protein should be. This helped me see that I was really heavy on the carbs. I've slowly been adjusting my eating habits accordingly. I have found that in order to stay within my calorie, carb, fat and protein targets, I eat very little processed food (if any), only reduced calorie bread (once or twice a week - if that), lots of steamed vegetables, almost no beef, but baked or grilled fish, salmon and chicken. I don't eat potatoes, rice, noodles, breads, breakfast sweets, etc at all. I have no control when it comes to those things, so I don't have them in the house! The good news is that I have lost 9 lbs in 4 weeks and for the first time I'm hopeful I will have success in losing (at last!) all of my weight.
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Post by Baseballmom23 on Jul 7, 2014 20:46:21 GMT
I use My Fitness Pal and track my food. Doing that opened my eyes. I try to stick to 1800 calories a day. It makes me really think about what I am eating. I rarely drink soda. I still occasionally have sweets for special occasions. Oh and I bought a food scale to help me with portion control. Everyone is different. I do what I call "learn to eat to my lifestyle" I have to plan for work dinners; we eat out 2x a week (fast food). I have lost 20 pounds. good luck.
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Post by khaleesi on Jul 7, 2014 20:54:26 GMT
Start slowly cutting out one thing at a time or in the case of desserts, start by cutting down from 7 nights a week to 5 and then 3 and so on. If you struggle with willpower, cold turkey may not work. I am currently doing this with soda. I love love love love fountain coke. I am on week 4 and I have cut down from 2 fountain cokes a day to 2 a week. My eventual goal is just 1 a week or 1 whenever but I'm not there yet. Just getting from 2 a day to 2 a week was huge in my world. Start small and keep adding things to it. I also use My Fitness Pal to track everything I eat. It has helped and in those 4 weeks I'm down 8 pounds
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Post by Dictionary on Jul 7, 2014 20:57:59 GMT
Well I stopped with as much processed foods as was reasonable, but I am a person who believes everything in moderation. Right now I rejoined WW to drop about 35 lbs...same 35 lbs I lost after my 3rd kid but I had a thyroid issue and getting older made it harder to lose so it all crept back on.
What I really like now is I am eating a ton of fruit and veggies. WW is teaching me to significantly reduce my carbs. I was always low fat but low carbs which usually means it has sugar I never really considered.
With their calculator you learn things with high carbs cost pts and you only get some many pts a day so you choose wisely. Fruits and Veggies are 0 pts so you can eat as much as you want..thus you learn to eat healthier..and I am hoping it's for the long run.
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Post by Florida Cindy on Jul 7, 2014 21:05:05 GMT
Fitness Pal is a great way to cognitively make better decisions. Perhaps, you don't want to eliminate sweets altogether. Less sugar-perhaps a sweet 1x a week-makes the sweet taste better because you enjoy it more! Just make sure you budget it in your calorie count with fitness pal. I substitute fruit for sweets. I rarely have sweets-even though I used to make sure I had some everyday.
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Post by jackie on Jul 7, 2014 21:08:37 GMT
So all you My Fitness Pal people, have you tried Spark People? I just wondered how the two compared. I'm really trying to make some improvements to my health and trying to figure out what I need to do. I gained a LOT of weight during chemo (which people are always shocked to hear--they think everyone is vomiting and unable to eat but it had the opposite effect on me!). Anyway, I'm starting to get my strength back and I really need to lose this weight that's dragging me down. I'm looking at a couple of things and just wondered how these two apps compare to each other.
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Post by shevy on Jul 7, 2014 21:11:34 GMT
We did it slowly over many years. We started with the easiest thing - no high fructose corn syrup. After about six months of that, we gave up artificial sweeteners. Then soda altogether. Stopped eating fast food. Joined a CSA to add more vegetables to our diet, stopped eating industrial meat, started making meals that were focused on the vegetables instead of the meat, started gardening to grow more of our own food, joined an egg share to get pastured eggs, then got our own laying hens for eggs. Pick one thing at a time then add more good habits. Leave room for indulgences. Be reasonable about it or whatever you're doing won't last. I did the same thing for DH and I. We don't use a CSA or have hens though. But we buy from sources that I've vetted. When I wanted something like dessert or chips, I make them. No instant gratification so I had to think about it and I knew all the ingredients. Best thing though is to start small, a goal or two each 90 days so you integrate them fully and they are habits you keep.
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maurchclt
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,646
Jul 4, 2014 16:53:27 GMT
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Post by maurchclt on Jul 7, 2014 21:13:15 GMT
Another one that recommends WW. Lost 60# and have maintained since 1998. I try not to eat processed foods, eat tons of fruits and veggies. Best plan is Simply Filling, just a great way to eat without counting points.
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Post by shanni on Jul 7, 2014 21:19:47 GMT
Watching this thread. I turn 40 next year and have a good 80 pounds to lose. (How did I let it get so out of control?) I have a goal to get fit for 40, but I'm at a bit of a loss as to where to start. It's just so overwhelming. I like the idea of eliminating one thing at a time. That seems doable to me.
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houseofcurls
Junior Member
Posts: 82
Jun 26, 2014 17:21:12 GMT
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Post by houseofcurls on Jul 7, 2014 21:24:32 GMT
All my life I've never been over 109 pounds. Until sometime in 2008, that is. I gained a few pounds a year until some of my clothes stopped fitting and I was getting uncomfortable in my own skin (ie: my thighs were trying to touch each other!). I got on a scale and saw that I was 131 lbs! No one saw the problem but me, even my doctor thought I was insane. She said I was within normal weight but I couldn't convince her that the trend in increasing weight was my problem.
Anyway, I saw Travis Stork on Dr. Phil , thought he made sense and went out and bought his book, "The Doctor's Diet." I started the diet right away before realizing how different it was from what I was currently doing. Wasn't sure if I could do it cold turkey and almost thought about quitting. I decided that I could at least do it temporarily and quit if I couldn't handle it. The diet consists of lean protein, fruits and vegetables, no sugar or other simple carbs, and no processed foods.
I started the diet, and after a few days I realized that I didn't miss not having sugar. My palate changed so quickly that I preferred the natural flavors over processed. In 4 days I had dropped 4.6 lbs. I couldn't believe it. After a few months on the doctor's diet I tried eating a piece of milk chocolate and didn't even swallow the bite. It was way too sweet for me. I had a little splurge at a restaurant and it weighed me down and made me feel blah. I tried eating a few pepperoni off my kids' pizza and it hurt my stomach. I think I'm stuck eating healthy now!
It's easy squeazy to eat this way, and now DH is trying to get on board. It's taking him a little longer. Can't seem to go cold turkey.
I'm down to 117 pounds now. I can't decide if I'm going to lose more because I look in the mirror and can't see where it's going to come off. I'm sure I looked normal at 106-109. I wasn't a waif. I may try a few more pounds and see what that looks like. Then I'll go on the maintenance plan.
Other nurses at work ask me how I lost the weight as though they're interested and then say "oh," all deflated when I tell them I cut out sugar and white flour. It's really not an ordeal. It's hard to convince people. I have the occasional square of dark chocolate here and there. I'm perfectly happy with that.
But anyway, that's my story. Good luck on your journey. It's worth it!
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Judy26
Pearl Clutcher
MOTFY Bitchy Nursemaid
Posts: 2,971
Location: NW PA
Jun 25, 2014 23:50:38 GMT
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Post by Judy26 on Jul 7, 2014 21:27:04 GMT
My quick tip is to brush your teeth as soon as you finish a meal. For some reason it curbs my cravings and I don't want to ruin that fresh minty feeling I have in my mouth. Weird but it works for me!
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Post by M~ on Jul 7, 2014 21:49:35 GMT
I've been following the Diabetic Diet since August of last year. No, I'm not diabetic. Weigh-in is on Friday but I'll tell you that the size 14 slacks I bought a month ago are loose already. I think I may have hit 60 pounds if not VERY close to it. Honestly, it's a strict diet; however, I DO NOT deprive myself of anything. I eat most, if not all of the foods that I love. I eat candy. HOWEVER, instead of eating HUGE portions, I eat very small portions. Instead of eating 10 candies, I eat 1 piece-and that's not every day. I eat rice, fruits, meat, tons of vegetables. I eat bread (low calorie), etc. I cut out the high fatty, fried foods us Latins love to eat, but I do eat Latin food. I CANNOT do pre-packaged lean cuisine or weight watchers stuff--that's just not how I eat or what I eat. I've also never been interested in processed food. It has made me very aware of what I'm eating; before the diet, I used to sort of graze mindlessly and eat "whatever." Now, since my daily portions are so regimented, I'm VERY conscious of what I eat. Oh, and drink tons and TONS of water. My diet coach (loosely said) is my sister's friend who is a Type 1 diabetic. She taught us the way to eat and it's been great.
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Post by turangaleela on Jul 7, 2014 22:01:58 GMT
I try to drink water at meals instead of milk (unless I'm having a beer; I cannot tell a lie), I cut way back on processed foods, and I've cut 99% of the red meat out of my diet (about 85% of other meats, too). I feel a lot better, but when I get the occasional craving for chips or candy I fight it off for a while then, if I'm starting to obsess, just give in a have a little bit. Nine times out of ten I only wanted a taste anyway.
I try to exercise more and was doing great until summer classes started, dadgummit.
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SweetieBsMom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,741
Jun 25, 2014 19:55:12 GMT
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Post by SweetieBsMom on Jul 7, 2014 22:20:45 GMT
I went cold turkey and did a Whole30 (no sugar, grains, legumes, dairy). I wanted to kill people the first 2 weeks but I felt like a million bucks. I've added a little dairy back in but have remained "clean" on everything else.
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Post by kamper on Jul 7, 2014 22:56:36 GMT
If you are wanting to make a change to loose weight then I would suggest keeping track of your calories in a diary and measure everything you eat or drink. I eat a plant based diet now. I started making the change to this diet about five years ago. I didn't do it cold turkey but, tweaked my diet every so often.
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Post by Really Red on Jul 7, 2014 23:12:18 GMT
My Fitness Pal was truly life changing for me. It made me understand how much calories have to do with dieting. Before, I only had to lose 5 lbs here and there and I did all the fad diets and lost quickly. WHen I had to lose more weight, I did the MFP andit was great. It really changed my attitude about a lot of stuff. Good luck to you!
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calgal08
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,519
Jun 27, 2014 15:43:46 GMT
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Post by calgal08 on Jul 7, 2014 23:16:20 GMT
I'm not overweight, but I've always watched what I eat. A few months ago I started getting v. bad stomach pains, I decided to cut back eating gluten (I'm not totally gluten free, but I only eat a tiny amount of it), I've also cut out almost all sugar. When I want something sweetened I use either honey or agave. Now, I don't crave carbs (this is huge for me), the few times I eat sugar, once I get a taste of it I want more, so for me, it's easier to not start to eat any.
One thing that can help, when you make dinner cover at least 1/2 of your plate with veggies, it's amazing how it fills you up. I also sub veggies for pasta - meatballs over pan seared kale is absolutely delicious.
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Post by genny on Jul 7, 2014 23:17:07 GMT
I'm doing it a little at a time. During the months of April and May as my MIL and nephew were getting sicker and sicker, I ate more and more. MY SIL was staying with us at the time helping care of MIL and we both experienced the same thing. Grief eating. And drinking. OMG we never stopped snacking, and got to where were drinking a bottle of wine every night near the end, sometimes more. It was such an emotional time but we packed on the pounds and fast. Then they both passed away within a week of each other - there was no end in sight for the pain, and therefore the grief eating just kept on. DH piled it on too because he will typically eat whatever is in the house - which was a lot of junk food at the time. SIL went home and back to her life and here we were here trying to figure out how to move forward. Cut out the drinking right off the bat, but not the food. We decided in May that we both wanted to lose weight before our vacation which starts next week. He cold turkey stopped everything processed, sugar, soda, flour...I mean really. I couldn't do it like that, I don't have the will power. I stopped drinking soda all evening long and I allow myself one coke at lunch each day. I no longer keep chips, little debbie cakes and the typical junk food in the house. I drink water all day long, except the coke at lunch, might have juice for a change-up at home at night but mostly water. We eat a lot of fresh fruit - I already grow a nice garden so we have tons of fresh veggies anyway, but what I don't grow I only buy fresh now. We got chickens last year, so our eggs are already healthier.
As of last weekend, I had lost 11 lbs of grief weight! I was so happy! Just in small steps, changing up small things slowly. I have found myself hungry a LOT. But now I'm finding that when we do go out to eat, I can't eat nearly as much as I did before, which is an awesome feeling. I am just simply making better choices and it is showing pretty quickly. I think the coke was a huge factor.
So I would just take small steps - I knew that if I tried to do it like DH is doing it, I would fall flat on my face, binge eat and then give it up all together. DH, BTW, has dropped 16 lbs (although he is going to the gym every night to do cardio, and I only go once or twice a week). I am really proud of his determination and success so far!
Good luck OP, it's not easy, but it IS do-able!!
Edited**put DH's weight loss wrong, corrected now.
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Post by PEArfect on Jul 8, 2014 0:28:13 GMT
My quick tip is to brush your teeth as soon as you finish a meal. For some reason it curbs my cravings and I don't want to ruin that fresh minty feeling I have in my mouth. Weird but it works for me! Does your toothpaste have peppermint in it? Peppermint is a natural appetite suppressant.
I agree with baby steps. Gradually eliminating things from your diet, or substituting with a healthier option.
I could never completely eliminate sugar from my diet. I like fruit to much and feel that it is beneficial to my diet.
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Post by gmcwife1 on Jul 8, 2014 1:51:23 GMT
Start slow and eat for quality. I think starting the day with some protein is important for me. I usually eat Greek yogurt and granola. Pay attention to portion sizes, but do not deny yourself everything - that is too extreme. IMHO Try out different cooking methods and seasonings - switch from vegetable oil to olive oil - add seasonings and flavors other than salt. Every little change leads to the next one. This is how I've been doing it. One of my cravings was Cheetos. But I've noticed that by not eating them I don't crave them. I can't even think of the last time I ate chips, and I really don't miss them. I just started adding more fruits and veggies and removing processed foods when I can. I think for me the most annoying thing is that people think you are 'dieting' when you start eating the way we should be eating. The other thing I don't eat are the frozen meals. They just don't feel 'worth' it to me. I'd rather eat cleaner more natural foods. And I know my cooking isn't full of salt or fat to add flavor
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