Struggle, Struggle

Posted on April 10, 2015

I started getting serious about lifestyle change last August, but I still have not managed to sustainably alter my diet.

I have made regular exercise a part of my lifestyle. I am so close to completing Insanity (Monday is my final fit test), and I'll be starting Insanity Max: 30 right after that. I enjoy running and riding my bike throughout the week, especially on Sundays when there are no Insanity workouts. I walk with my husband in the evenings, I take my mom's dog for walks, I do squats and pushups every hour or so when I'm working. These non-structured activities aren't regular, but they are frequent enough that I consider them to be a part of my lifestyle. Exercise provides momentary highs for me that leave me feeling great about myself, but I can still very easily end up feeling like crap for a week. Why? Because of my relationship with food.

I need to work on cleaning up my eating. I agree that it's okay to indulge (even Shaun T posted a HILARIOUS comment regarding his, er, love for Thin Mints), but my problem is getting back to a healthy diet after an indulgence. No joke, last night I bought the following at Walgreens:

Ice Cream
A bag of Bite Size Snickers
A bag of Maple covered roaste peanuts
Mint Trident gum
Time magazine's special edition "What To Eat Now" which is completely focused on the importance of healthy diets

This was AFTER eating a TON of food at the local pizzaria, mind you.

Do any of you struggle with healthy diets? What have you found works for you?

Comment Now!

Travis

04/10/2015 8:21AM

Great Post. The one thing that has made the most impact in my eating habits than any other is a line from David Wolfe in Hungry For Change. He said: "Just add in the good stuff! Eventually it's going to crowd out the bad stuff." That line was life changing for me, by simply adding in good stuff, the choice for consuming other stuff just kind of fizzled. Keep up the great work.

Regina C.

04/10/2015 8:07AM

....(cont..LOL) easy to make. Steam cauliflower, put in blender, add seasonings, and blend! There's some cauliflower pizza recipes... cauliflower buffalo bites... so many options!DietBet is clearly telling me I've been rambling on for too long now so I'll cut this off now. But I hope that is at all helpful. It's so easy to fall off track and so difficult to get back on. So I've tried my best to just create alternatives for my cravings. Of course I still indulge in the real thing every once in awhile but it's not so much of a crazy binge then, just a one time stop for pizza or a dessert on a holiday. Check out pinterest too if you're not on there.. I've found lots of great recipes on there for healthy eating!

Regina C.

04/10/2015 8:03AM

What's been really helpful for me is finding the healthy alternatives to the snacks I'm always craving.Try Arctic Zero instead of ice cream. It's not as creamy and delicious but definitely works as a substitute for cravings and it's only 150 calories per pint. They sell it at Whole Foods for sure and I recently saw it now in ShopRite so check a local grocery store!I don't know if you do protein shakes but I've also found these to be a great aid in feeding my sweet tooth. I just recently purchased a vanilla milkshake flavor and blended that with just some ice and water and it was really comparable.Also try Quest protein bars! These are SUPER delicious and come in flavors like cookie dough, cookies and cream, chocolate brownie.. mmm. You can get these at GMC/Vitamin Shoppe or any other places like that. Also I started adding cauliflower into my diet in various ways. You can make a cauliflower mash to replace potatoes and it is so good if you season it right and it's super....

Stunning Beauty

04/10/2015 8:00AM

I have found that the more I avoid sugar, the less I crave it. When I do indulge in a sweet treat, but I make it a high quality, satisfying one.

LTuni

04/10/2015 7:56AM

I have binges like that too. The eating leads to frustration with myself and then to more eating. Hard cycle to break. Im trying to learn moderation in indulgence. You said continually active! That's awesome!! Keep at and don't beat yourself up over the food choices. Luckily life has a learning curve!

Les

04/10/2015 7:39AM

I have this theory that if you can get yourself away from it for long enough, one day at a time, you don't miss that stuff. Not that you might not have it again, but it won't be near as enjoyable or disasterous after a vacation from eating it! How else might you approach changing your food habits - clearly purchasing what you purchased to have on hand is not forwarding your efforts! Would some hummus and veggies perhaps accomplished the same need to snack but been a healthier option - or something like that?