how do you eat?

[Warped88 5815]

Speaking of sweets...

 

I was NEVER a sweet (food..lol) person. I rarely had a desert unless it was a special occasion, never ate chocolate, or any candies.

 

Now...I gotta have something at some point in my day. I'm not sure how that got started.

 

Apparently, I've read, it's similar to an addiction: Give it up for a few days or so and the cravings go away.

[Meaghan McLeod 179664]

I am half and half. I love good meals (roasts, turkeys, gravy, pasta) and cook my meals from scratch - rarely eat out. I have an issue with vegetables, but after trial and error, I have found the ones I like, so try to incorporate them into my meals.

 

I love chocolate, but rarely have them, but if I do - its a binge. Chips, popcorn too - not a daily or even weekly thing, but when I do, its a binge. I once gave up sugar, and 2 days later, there I am in a staff meeting with this big cinnamon roll covered with 2 inches of icing. That's when I realized that cutting it out completely doesn't work for me - just keep it in moderation.

 

Now, my Timmies - Large 3 creams and 2 sugars - I will never cut them out. I don't have one everyday, but they are my celebration prize when I do something like have a great workout.

[piano8950 32577]

I really don't care for sugar, so I can comfortably say I don't live to eat sugar.

 

But there are some dishes that are uh-mazing. I definitely live to eat those.

[randyzak 3600]

Avoidance, being smart about changing your lifestyle, and re-programming your taste buds are the keys.

 

Here's how I kicked my junk food habit (I used to eat fast food 10-12 meals out of my 21 meals per week).

 

1. Always shop on a full stomach and with a list (since you'll resist to urge to buy based on hunger or desire);

2. Find someone to cook for (it is way more enjoyable cooking for someone that appreciates your culinary talent than it is to just cook for yourself);

3. Make cooking easy (opt for one pot recipes, or simple recipes with just a handful of ingredients) which helps overcome the convenience of fast food;

4. Slow down your routine in the morning and pause to have a hearty breakfast every day that includes protein and carbs, which respectively helps you feel full and provides you with sustained energy;

5. Get rid of white sugar in your cupboard and switch to raw sugar;

6. Everyone says drink more water, but I can't stand water unless I am dying of thirst; however, I love Perrier and always have that on hand;

7. Stay away from sports drinks (e.g., Gatorade) altogether;

8. Introduce 100% real juice (real the labels very carefully) as your substitute for soda pop, and switch up the juice flavours regularly so you don't get bored of drinking apple juice all the time;

9. I used to balk at the cost of pre-washed salad and precut fruit, but with a busy lifestyle I have opted to buy those things to ensure I have easy quick access to leafy greens and fruit;

10. Go back to the farmer's style of eating -- full breakfast, hearty lunch, light dinner;

11. Throw out all your plates... no, really, the size of dinnerware has increased with the size of the North American diet and the increasing size of the North American waistline! The big plates make you want to load them up, so find a dinnerware set with smaller plates. OK, this perhaps is too drastic, so do #12 instead.

12. Understand the portion sizes that you need to be healthy; for example, one portion of meat is the size of a deck of cards... yup, that's all! Slowly and gradually reduce the amout of food you typically eat so you get accustomed to eating less; your stomach will shrink and you won't get cravings if you do it bit by bit.

13. If you do have a big meal (e.g., that big turkey dinner at Thanksgiving), then go for a walk around the block to help boost your metabolism.

14. Don't go to bed with a heavy stomach, and if you are doing that then try to have your dinner earlier so that your food is well-digested by the time you're ready to sleep.

 

If you are going to make a change, do it in small steps, since you will adapt better. For example, try to skip the soda pop at one meal during the first week and substitute it for juice, or even try drinking only half of that can of pop. The second week, try to skip the soda pop twice. And so on.

 

I now can not stand the taste of fast food or overprocessed food -- it is too greasy and too salty (or too sweet). I have maintained a healthy weight and very good body mass index for over 10 years since making all these changes slowly over time.... and I don't exercise that much either!

[CristyCurves 169032]

Thank you Randyzak for taking the time to post your helpful pointers much appreciated . I'm going to try using them all, todays the start:)