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 Regular
Posts: 65
| Lately I've just been thinking I need to take better care of myself and especially eat better! I'm a junk food junkie so I need a plan to follow or tips/tricks :) Anyone? Good books/plans/etc to help guide me? I know the "just cut out crap" approach is a no brained but I need guidelines when I'm making changes or my anxiety will win lol, it's just my personality! TIA |
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  Ms. Marine
Posts: 4627
  
Location: Texas | What do you mean by anxiety? Why are you having a hard time picking out healthy options? |
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 Horsey Gene Carrier
Posts: 1888
Location: LaBelle, Florida | Just being more aware of what you put in your body will help.
Read ingredients and if you can't pronounce them, you probably shouldn't eat them.
My husband has lost 60 lbs over 6 months this past year.
No sugar, very little carbs, mostly meat and vegatables. Meat was grilled or cooked without oil in a copper pan. He bought Atkins protein bars for snacks and lots of fruits/veggies.
He did NOT exercise or he would have lost even more. The only excercise he got was climbing up and down off of large equipment at work and walking on the job which he was already doing.
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 That's White "Man" to You
Posts: 5515
| No candy, pop, chocholate, junk food? There are alot of easier ways to make your self miserable. lol |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 682
Location: Northwest | I'm taking a 5 week "Restart" class and it has a three week sugar detox built into it. I start the detox tomorrow, I'm going to be miserable. Check and see if you have someone near you that does the program. It's called "Restart" and it was founded by Jeni Hall. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| Look into "Dragon Fit" on Facebook. The founder is a friend of mine from college. The ladies in the private Facebook group have tons of great eating ideas - things I never thought about putting on a salad. They lean a little to the "meatless" side sometimes, but I take what I like and leave what I don't, or turn their "meal" into a side dish with a lean chicken breast or tilapia filet.
She also has workout plans and diet guidelines to transition. Plus the Facebook group if you join is great motivation and support. I'm not as active in it as I am in the winter, I need to change that, but I usually scarf my food down before I think to take a picture.
If you stick to it long enough your tastes will start to change and things like sodas will seem insanely sweet and not taste nearly as good as they once did (I still have one once in a while).
Start a magnesium supplement. It takes 11 molecules of magnesium to breakdown 1 molecule of sugar - meaning most of us are deficient due to our diets alone. In humans magnesium deficiency can show up as general fatigue etc. |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| If it has a label listing ingredients don't eat it. Fill your frig with fruits, veggies, meats. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | I agree with what some people are saying. Fruits, veggies, lean meats, and I'll be the odd one out and say carbs too (just gotta get the right kinds). What I do is cut out all of the junk food from your house if you can. If that's really hard to imagine, keep some like one frozen pizza that has a lot of veggies on it, Original Lays chips (only 3 ingredients surprisingly) and one favorite junky food of yours. Then try to switch to healthier options! Instead of white or regular milk chocolate in the house, buy a bar of 72% dark chocolate. Love coffee creamer? Buy the simple ingredient ones and use only one tablespoon per cup of coffee. If your in love with fried food, opt more for baked food! And if you hate veggies or salads (like I do) make them tasty! Add hamburger seasoning to your cooked veggies, make a salad with lean meats of any kind and add other things to it (fork full of cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, black beans). Instead of white bread/pasta/rice, buy whole wheat or whole grain. Try to limit your ice cream intake to once a week or switch to an almond milk ice cream (surprisingly delicious!) I feel like in this "diet" world people are told not to eat too many things and when people do it backfires on them because then they will miss it too much and gorge themselves. Lots of people need to transition themselves into eating healthy over 21-30 days. Some people can go cold turkey but not a lot. You could also try calorie counting "My Fitness Pal" but not all calories are made the same. |
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 Hugs to You
Posts: 7550
Location: In The Land of Cotton | Main thing - don't buy it at the store. Make yourself only get what is on the list and walk out. That is the biggest temptation to people - the store. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| cecollins0811 - 2017-06-14 7:17 AM
I agree with what some people are saying. Fruits, veggies, lean meats, and I'll be the odd one out and say carbs too (just gotta get the right kinds). What I do is cut out all of the junk food from your house if you can. If that's really hard to imagine, keep some like one frozen pizza that has a lot of veggies on it, Original Lays chips (only 3 ingredients surprisingly) and one favorite junky food of yours. Then try to switch to healthier options! Instead of white or regular milk chocolate in the house, buy a bar of 72% dark chocolate. Love coffee creamer? Buy the simple ingredient ones and use only one tablespoon per cup of coffee. If your in love with fried food, opt more for baked food! And if you hate veggies or salads (like I do) make them tasty! Add hamburger seasoning to your cooked veggies, make a salad with lean meats of any kind and add other things to it (fork full of cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, black beans). Instead of white bread/pasta/rice, buy whole wheat or whole grain. Try to limit your ice cream intake to once a week or switch to an almond milk ice cream (surprisingly delicious!) I feel like in this "diet" world people are told not to eat too many things and when people do it backfires on them because then they will miss it too much and gorge themselves. Lots of people need to transition themselves into eating healthy over 21-30 days. Some people can go cold turkey but not a lot. You could also try calorie counting "My Fitness Pal" but not all calories are made the same.
Carbs are absolutely needed to be balanced. Whole grains are they key and avoiding added sugar - your fruits have plenty of sugar in them naturally. Most folks don't have trouble getting the carbs they need, it's making sure they are the right ones.
I make a mix of Quinoa and brown rice and add it to my salad.
Today's salad for example:
Romaine lettuce
Brown rice and quinoa cooked in homemade turkey broth
2 hard boiled eggs
Approx 3oz grilled chicken
Feta cheese
Roasted red pepper slices
Banana peppers rings
Artichoke hearts
Sliced almonds
Olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing |
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 Living within my means
Posts: 5128
Location: Randolph, Utah | I'm trying to pull myself back up on the wagon. I try and shop on the outside isles of the store and look at carb and sugar content in what I buy. I do refuse to give up my fruit, I know it's got sugar but I love watermelon! I started drinking Coke Zero and unsweetened ice tea, started using heavy whipping cream in my coffee instead of coffee creamer with sugar. I haven't lost like other people claim but I do notice a difference. I bought some Keto and I haven't drank it in a week or so, I felt better when I was drinking it. I need to get back.
It's so **** hard to go from eating like crap to being good, but it does make a difference. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 425
Location: California | There's an app you can download onto your phone called " My Fitness Pal" by Under Armour. You can enter the foods you eat, and based off your goals it will tell you how much you need of each food source. If you hit your protein goal, had too much sugar, if something is high in saturated fats or not.
Try to switch up certain things, if you want a potato, switch to sweet potato. White rice, switch to brown rice.
Don't believe in all the "organic" hyphe.
Try to eat wholesome foods. Veggies (greens mostly), Fruits (not a ton, because they can have a lot of sugar content), white meats like chicken, fish and turkey. Red meat is okay some of the time.
For the most part, try to cut out the obvious. Sodas, pastries, basically sugar and flour. and beer if you drink lol the starch just turns to sugar in your body.
Also, lastly be careful with a lot of the "healthy" snack bars. Make sure they have LOW sugar. A lot of them have just as much sugar, if not more than say a pop tart. |
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Expert
Posts: 1599
| Keto. It's the only thing that's worked for me. Moreso the Bulletproof diet. Not really a diet but a way of eating....killed my cravings and has increased my focus and energy BIG time. Lots of FB groups with good info!
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8552
Location: sunny california | for some people it is easier to clean up in stages. first stage would be carbs. get those under control. for 3-5 days I do not restrict calories and yes will eat food not considered clean ( but restrict them). When the carb cravings subside it is easier to satisfy your hunger with a salad. I will use one low carb tortilla or one slice eziekeil bread per day in the beginning. the bread is sprouted grains so it doesn't spike my blood sugar ( tested with glucose meter) I eat this in the morning and then get active right away to burn it up. I also will have one tiny tangerine per day in a green smoothie with beets. |
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My Steak better Kick!
Posts: 1627
Location: trying not to melt | This is my fourth day of clean eating.Im ha ring a hard time with sugar withdrawals.But I know if I do it and can stick it out I will start to feel better.Im going fairly low carb.Stick with it.You can do this |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9991
Location: Kansas | I look for food that is low in sugar, and higher in protein. |
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8552
Location: sunny california | run3 - 2017-06-14 12:05 PM This is my fourth day of clean eating.Im ha ring a hard time with sugar withdrawals.But I know if I do it and can stick it out I will start to feel better.Im going fairly low carb.Stick with it.You can do this
when I first start I will eat power crunch bars to help with the sugar cravings |
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My Steak better Kick!
Posts: 1627
Location: trying not to melt | I may have to try those. I need a ltiile something to help with my cravings |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 629
| You may not want to hear it, but cut out the Coke Zero. I'm not saying its not good, but I promise you, I stopped drinking Soda and switched to water and lost 10 lbs in like a month. it was the best and easiest thing ive done. That was years ago, and now, I will allow myself a soda every once in a while, but i honestly dont like them that much any more. they feel too "heavy"
I did the 21 day fix diet, and while I don't recommend it becaues its just another pyramid scheme and incredibly overpriced, after I did the 21 days, i didn't spend another nickle on it, and continued to make better choices, and ive continued to loose at the same rate i did ON the diet.
Basically the principal of it is eat the right about of servings of each food group each day. Mostly veggies, almost as much fruit, lean proteins, and yes carbs, but the right ones, in moderation (Sweet potatoes, black beans are my faves), easy on the fats, but you still need the healthy ones, like avocados.
I still eat ice cream, I still use coffee creamer. Just start with what you CAN change (for me that was the sodas, and choosing whole grains, and smaller portions, and more veggies) and give yourself a BREAK if you have a bowl of ice cream, or a pizza.
Also, Meal planning helped a TON. start with finding some recipes you LOVE, like a great salad, that is easy to change up, and eat that for every lunch or most lunches, and then work on your dinners. swap white mashed potatoes for sweet. leave out the biscuits. (Those are all examples of my own swaps. I still miss garlic bread with my spaghetti, but its worth it so I dont hate myself for a bowl of ice cream.
Best of luck! It's a TOUGH row to hoe, but show yourself some grace when you slip, and do it gradually. |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| lots of keto reciepe's on facebook they had a mug cake very satisfying for the sugar fix and tons of others |
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 Member
Posts: 11
| I am currently listening to the book "Slim By Design". I highly recommend it! I am so guilty of buying healthy foods and then ending up not eating them and throwing half of it away. It is especially difficult when you live out in the country and don't have grocery store close. The author explains how to set up your kitchen or desk so that the healthy option is the easier choice. He says you don't have to give up things you like, just make them the options you have to work for. For instance in your refrigerator, put the unhealthy foods in the crisper and the healthy food at eye level on the shelf. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 929
| Meal prepping. This works great for the office and then you don't A.) eat junk or B.) spend money at lunches. I also plan out our dinners and prep them if I can, as well. I have not cut out ALL carbs or junk...just lessened what I eat of them. I have lost 43# in 6 months. I am trying to lose 10# more before I take my horse to futurity in July.
A good rule of thumb is: if you can tell what part of what plant or animal it came from, eat it! If not...leave it!  |
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 Three in a Bikini
Posts: 2035
| What works for me:
Breakfast -Yogurt, switch up the toppings for variety.
Lunch -Salad, or sandwich. Bring snacks! Nuts/Cheese/Fruit during the day.
Dinner -Meal prep. If I have freezer meals that I have made, I will 9 times out of 10 go for that instead of eating out.
For clean eating to work for me I have to make it more convenient than any other option. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1118
Location: The South | lopnaround - 2017-06-14 1:39 PM
Keto. It's the only thing that's worked for me. Moreso the Bulletproof diet. Not really a diet but a way of eating....killed my cravings and has increased my focus and energy BIG time. Lots of FB groups with good info!
I'm reading the bulletproof book right now, it's really interesting. My main vice is sugar and I'm sick of being addicted to it! I feel like this might finally be the answer for me. What are the FB groups that you recommend?
P.S. I am a big ice cream lover, and I recently tried Halo Top and fell in love! I highly recommend anyone with a sweet tooth give it a try |
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Living within my means
Posts: 5128
Location: Randolph, Utah | run3 - 2017-06-14 1:46 PM
I may have to try those. I need a ltiile something to help with my cravings
I like to mix cream cheese and sugar free jello with a little heavy whipping cream. It really helps with my sweet cravings.
I let the cream cheese soften then mix a little with HWC, make the sugar free jello and add it slowly while mixing. I like to mix it until it's foamy, let set up in the fridge. |
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Veteran
Posts: 260
Location: Gonzales texas | If you need a plan to help you check out the Cowgirl 7 day jumpstart by Andrea Otley, on Facebook. You can print out the grocery list, the menu and exercises. It's all well organized and very easy to follow. I lost three pounds the first week and I didn't do the exercises ;/ The menu is very healthy. |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| i just made a keto mug cake in microwave, put a little whipped cram cheese on top great breakfast and satisfied me sweet craving. lots of low carb sugarfee recipe's on facebook.
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 Some Kind of Trouble
Posts: 4430
| shelltc - 2017-06-17 6:55 AM If you need a plan to help you check out the Cowgirl 7 day jumpstart by Andrea Otley, on Facebook. You can print out the grocery list, the menu and exercises. It's all well organized and very easy to follow. I lost three pounds the first week and I didn't do the exercises ;/ The menu is very healthy.
This is a really SIMPLE meal plan if anyone is looking... I can never find one with foods I actually like, have heard or, or can find in a small town but this one is so easy to get you started. |
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Regular
Posts: 65
| BarrelRacing4Christ - 2017-06-13 5:54 PM
What do you mean by anxiety? Why are you having a hard time picking out healthy options?
Yes I just get overwhelmed with changes if I feel like I'm not sure what I'm doing and kind of give up! So some guidelines are helpful. |
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Regular
Posts: 65
| OhMax - 2017-06-13 9:26 PM
Look into "Dragon Fit" on Facebook. The founder is a friend of mine from college. The ladies in the private Facebook group have tons of great eating ideas - things I never thought about putting on a salad. They lean a little to the "meatless" side sometimes, but I take what I like and leave what I don't, or turn their "meal" into a side dish with a lean chicken breast or tilapia filet.
She also has workout plans and diet guidelines to transition. Plus the Facebook group if you join is great motivation and support. I'm not as active in it as I am in the winter, I need to change that, but I usually scarf my food down before I think to take a picture.
If you stick to it long enough your tastes will start to change and things like sodas will seem insanely sweet and not taste nearly as good as they once did (I still have one once in a while).
Start a magnesium supplement. It takes 11 molecules of magnesium to breakdown 1 molecule of sugar - meaning most of us are deficient due to our diets alone. In humans magnesium deficiency can show up as general fatigue etc.
This is so interesting I was just recently told to up my magnesium drastically to help wth my migraines too! |
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Regular
Posts: 65
| So I made myself a simple little list as follows:
- Lean proteins, (Beef, chicken, fish)
- Healthy wheats/grains / brown rice
- Veggies & fruits
- Plain Nuts
- Eggs
- Coffee, tea, water
I don't usually eat bananas because I know they're high in sugar HOWEVER if I cut all other crap-carbs and added sugars out and just have natural sugars such as those found in fruits I think I'm doing ok! And that tends to help with the magnesium. I will also start a magnesium supplement; I didn't realize it helped break down sugar!
I'm going to look up the cowgirl 7 day reset too! |
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Regular
Posts: 65
| Fun fact: everyone says to swear off sugar and artificial sweeteners (I have 1 Splenda & 1 tsp of raw honey in my morning coffee.) so I gave up the Splenda and I bought Greek yogurt with no artificial sweeteners... y'all my nose and tastebuds can sniff out stevia a mile away ?? As I type this I'm choking down Oikos "triple zero" Greek yogurt but I think my body just likes the crap ingredients better. Lol stevia is NASTY. |
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Tell It Like It Is
Posts: 22025
Location: Wyoming | I have found the LCHF in conjunction with intermittent fasting to be the easiest for me to follow. However, I still eat fruit and still allow myself some flour products once in awhile because dang it, there is just no replacement for a real tortilla or spaghetti noodles. LOL
This way of eating has worked for me because I don't generally like sweets.
Lots of vegies and proteins.
If I want something bubbly I found I really like La Croix flavored sparkling waters. No sweeteners. Natural flavors. It's also pretty good with Grey Goose if you would like it with a little more kick. Zero carb, low calorie.
I'm down to 138 from 155 and a size 5 jean, and even some of those are getting baggy.
Check out "Taking Out the Carbage" cookbook
or
www.dietdoctor.com |
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OT- clean eating/cutting out junk food/sugary?!