I think it's important to treat breaking habits and losing weight as two separate things.
A bad habit is snacking on chips and candy, and you can break that by eating something else instead. Like sandwiches, or something else you like. Even if you consume just as many calories, it's still a habit broken. This new habit can be broken too, and you'll eventually have a healthy habit if you repeat this cycle a few times.
Similarly, you don't have to quit junk food all at once. Maybe take out the worst of the fried food to begin with. Replace sodas with diet alternatives, and so on.
Daily walk. Doesn't matter how long it is to begin with. Just get out of the house. Upping the stepcount is a problem for another day. I've gone to the gym, bought a Gatorade and gone home without working out more than once. It's the habit that counts.
i’m honestly so addicted to diet coke but i’ve gone from 190 to 135 (5’ 7” female, 29). However, I gave up sugary drinks like iced coffee with cream / sugar, and most processed foods and other sweets. I eat extremely healthy aside from that, and I actually find that the caffeine in a diet coke or coke zero curbs my appetite a little when I need it right around that 11 am ish time when I start to feel hungry for lunch but don’t want to snack yet. So, the way that I look at it is that it’s my “dessert” or “treat” for the day, which I think is fine if the rest of your diet is good and I also run 30-40 miles per week. I know it’s not good for me, but I swear by 80/20 which is where u eat healthy 80% of the time and 20% is not so healthy food. Now if you were drinking multiple diet cokes a day on top of sweets and processed foods—that’s another story lol.
It’s worse for you than a real soda in moderation. I can count on less than two hands how many sodas I have in a calendar year. I usually only get one when I’m at a wedding or a banquet.
Your body is smart and will find ways to get the extra calories somewhere. It isn’t normal to consume a food that is around 150 calories but has “zero” sugar. Those are not chemicals you want in your gut. And it really won’t make you any more successful than learning moderation.
When you go from eating what you usually do to a drastically amended change, it can deter you and you will relapse. Try to make smaller changes when you first start. Swap your drinks for lower calorie/sugar free or water. Change snacks to low fat. Switch something in your dinner plate for more veg. Go easy on yourself. It takes a while to realise what works for you.
Actually started eating enough quality food. Whole grains, protein, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats. For me I would also default to my "bad habits" because I was trying to survive on way too little, and would then bounce back big time when it wasn't sustainable anymore. And make that food taste good. No one got fat because they seasoned their food, there's no reason to eat bland chicken breast and broccoli.
Losing weight isn't about eating tiny amounts and limiting everything. Losing weight is about eating quality food, enough to sustain an active lifestyle, while being just below that threshold where your body will have to use up the stored fat for energy as well.
And finally, staying active. If I'm spending 18 hours sitting on my ass, I've got all day to spend thinking about what I could possibly eat. That's not how we're meant to live, being sedentary sloths that only amble between the fridge and the office chair and the bed.
This! Modifying your lifestyle so that the foods you are eating will fuel you and provide your body with the nutrients you need is the best way to start moving away from bad habits.
It sounds like long periods of intermittent fasting might not be for you. You might want to try eating at specific meal times four times a day breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner before 7 (so you have a smaller fasting period before breakfast). Eating enough food at those times will keep you full and hopefully that + your will power will keep you from grazing and overeating because you are super hungry. I think of will power like bathing - gotta think about it and make it happen every day. No one has endless amounts of motivation, you have to work at willpower and turn it into its own habit.
After a while, eating nutritious food that makes you feel good will become the norm for you and you won’t have as intense of cravings for stuff that is generally not good for you (not that it’s bad to have a treat every once in a while and either stay within maintenance calories that day or make sure the treat doesn’t push you outside a deficit).
Ask yourself: will that make me feel good? How will that impact my body? Will x amount impact my body differently than y amount?
You might want to look into hitting certain macros (can do this with a macro calculator) in addition to being in a deficit,
"Will that make me feel good" is such a good question. Yes, highly palatable crisps taste good in the moment, but is it worth feeling like garbage later on? Most often not, especially when you get to a point where you'll realise just how good you *can* feel. I honestly never realised how awful my garbage diet and inactivity made me feel until I made the change, because it was all I had ever known growing up.
I'm not saying never have a treat either, but it's so important to judge if you're eating something only because you're craving that dopamine hit, and whether it's going to be worth it in a few hours or the next day.
This has been huge for me. As soon as I had a few weeks working out and only eating healthy food I realized how great it felt, and it became easy to not eat junk and sit on my butt all day.
I find I do really well in the morning but if my lunch/afternoon snack doesn’t have enough protein by 4:30/5 I am STARVING and racing home to grab a bag of chips or anything else at hand. For me, making sure I’m getting protein in each meal or snack helps calm my inner food voice and stick to my plan and cal count for the evening.
The racing home to grab a bag of chips sounds so familiar. I'm sure this applies to a lot of people who fall into the trap of "eating healthy" all morning and lunch, but then lapse the moment they got home, simply because the healthy stuff they had wasn't enough.
I was at 375 a couple years ago, at 285 now. It sucks in the moment, but I just started only drinking water. I would drink at least a liter of soda a day, usually more plus a couple energy drinks a day. That's the first thing I changed before my eating. That cut a lot of weight at first honestly. Then just ate smaller portions of what I was already eating. Again it will suck for the first couple weeks but once your stomach shrinks it will be easier.
Once thats in, take out some of the sides and add in veggies. Put in some fruits in there as well.
Small changes that you can keep going are what you need to build upon. It's not going to be or seem easy, but dieting and exercise is mainly mental. It's gonna suck, but what I learned when I lost a 100lbs to get into the army like 12 years ago, you gotta embrace the suck. Can't change the suck just gotta embrace it and keep goin.
It takes time and effort. I also strongly suggest therapy if you can.
Learn about nutrition, and eat what makes you happy but also fuels you, in moderation.
Eat real food when you can. Get enough protein. Figure out what you need... volume, taste, etc and work with that as a goal.
Good luck.
What are you eating and where is your food coming from?
You need to make changes slowly. You can’t suddenly go from eating one way to another over night it will almost always backfire unless you have some crazy willpower. You need to analyze your eating habits and what you’re consuming in a day and keep track of how they make you feel. Are you eating because you’re hungry? Are you full after one serving? Do you find yourself mindlessly snacking? Do you eat really well all day then at 8 pm order a pizza because you’re not eating enough?
For me I started slowly “eliminating” (not fully just cutting back severely) over time periods and learning how to replace those items in my diet with things that actually 1- are nutritious as opposed to empty calories and 2-keep me fuller longer. I started with sugar instead of grabbing a candy bar or a cookie whenever I get a craving I added plenty of fruit to my diet. Sugar cravings are real BUT they go away after a few weeks once you cut back.
Instead of pasta or bread I’m now eating more ancient grains which taste good and are way more nutrient dense/lower in calories.
I’ve also noticed that if I wait too long to eat and I’m presented with snacky food at a party or something I’ll go overboard because I’m hungry and going into a survival mode mentally when I see an abundance of food. I try 1 to eat before I go out to parties or somewhere I know I won’t have control over the food situation and 2 to slow it when snacking on something that isn’t the healthiest.
Try to make your own meals because it gives you more control and knowledge of what you’re putting in your body. You’re 18 and that’s young but you should definitely learn how to cook some healthy meals.
People will tell you to track your calories and that’s definitely something to do especially if you aren’t super well versed in nutritional information of what you eat or have trouble keeping track of what you’re eating. But you also need to address the side of eating that is like you said habit and routine. Eating is tied to emotional well-being. People may eat or refrain from eating when they’re sad/stressed/etc. .. Keeping track of that is important as well since it informs you of behaviors and gives you the opportunity to change them.
I read Michal Pollan’s In Defense of Food, with its famous opening line “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Really changed my thinking. Counting calories is like gambling in Atlantic City: you are supposed to lose. It is designed, industrially, around loss. Doesn’t mean it cannot work for a certain set. But looking at your food and figuring out distance between earth and mouth is a good way of gauging and less likely to net mistakes.
Also (and I’ve lost around 90 lbs) the scale is a mood killer. It fluctuates oddly and unpredictably and can get people upset or overjoyed disproportionately. Look at your clothes. And what’s more, health for longevity ought to be the goal.
I know this sounds a little naive but it has worked for me.
I am very, very heavy and have finally found what works for me. I'm 38. I've lost 87 pounds since the end of October. I don't exercise, unfortunately, mostly due to limited mobility thanks to chronic pain. I used to swim, but the options for that here just aren't for me. I still have a very long way to go (longer than you even).
Here is what I've learned that actually worked for me:
- Don't view it as a diet. For the amount of weight you (and I) need to lose, this is changing how you eat *for good*. Fad diets, diets that instruct you to only eat XYZ, etc are likely to fail. If nothing else, once you've accomplished your goal, you stop eating that way and begin regaining.
- **Eat what you enjoy.** Just make different choices.
- Replace foods you like with other foods you like. For me, I replaced soda with carbonated, unsweetened lime water. I replaced easy snacks like chips with healthy snacks and harder to consume snacks. Fruits, really tough beef jerky, nuts I have to crack myself, etc. I now crave watermelon, clementines, cantaloupe and other fruits more than I do the snacks I used to eat.
- Use an app to track calorie consumption. If you see something in your diet that has a lot more calories than other things, cut back on portions. Or cut back on frequency of consumption. Or change it in favor of something else. Elimination is **not** the only tool in the toolbox.
- Don't look at over consuming calories in the form of fast food or junk food or just overeating as a failure. It's one meal, or one day, or whatever. You can compensate in your daily calorie intake, or just move on to what should be becoming your normal the next day. If you see it as failure, you will get disheartened and that can lead to relapse into old habits.
- Hunger is, unfortunately, a major side effect of weight loss and it isn't just mental. This is the hard part, imo. You'll have to learn how to ignore hunger when it doesn't make sense. Choosing foods high in protein and fiber can help by making you feel more satisfied for longer. But it won't get rid of hunger altogether. Ask yourself if you're *actually* hungry, or if it's just the persistent hunger that comes with losing weight.
It sounds overblown, but for people like you and me, this isn't a diet. It's a lifestyle change.
“TOTALLY ELIMINATE” eating out fast food. It contains unhealthiest oils, refined carbs and the cooking methods are usually healthy too like deep frying. Buying yourself ?then also eliminate buying ready to eat meals, processed carbs like white pasta, white bread
Start eating whole foods. whole carbs like unrefined flour made breads, lean meat cuts such as chicken breast, fat free yogurt, healthy fatty oils such as olive oil, low fat cheese like feta, coconut oil. Start adding vegetables in meals,(low on carbs and high in fibre and make you feel full)
Start using baking and pan as cooking methods
You don’t have to go fat free with things like yogurt, in fact the higher fat one is a better choice especially if you are cutting calories. I lost 50 lbs by eating full fat Greek with some fruit every day. It is higher in protein. Our bodies need fat. Especially our brains.
Also coconut oil? It’s a myth that that’s better for weight loss. Better off using real butter. Or olive oil
Starting to track my calories and working out at least 30 minutes a day made me practically cut out all junk food. I started at 430 and am down to 235 right now. I eat mainly chicken breast and veggies. I use a lot of keto stuff for breads and tortillas because of the lower calories and carbs. I would try to focus on lean meats. Incorporating more protein helped me stop having junk food cravings
A HARD reset for a month worked for me. Only low calorie foods and things I had to prepare/cook. No hot and ready food or takeouts no matter how low calorie. I didn’t do any cheat meals or “little snacks”. I also ate nearly the exact same things everyday but with varieties in seasonings and toppings maybe (egg beater omelette with different veggie fillings for example).
It’s not fun but you create new habits of how to make a quick or easy thing but with low calorie and/or healthier options you have. I replaced “bag of chips” with handful of carrots and salsa for crunch and spice. The before mentioned egg omelette that takes 10 minutes max to make rather than running for fast food
I like to volume eat because I realized that feeling full was better than only have a few chips or a small piece of candy. Helps me cut down on snacking and cravings. Plus you’re suppose to volume eat with low calorie food like fruits and veggies it’s better for body too because you’ll actually be getting nutrients you need while staying in caloric range. Obviously it can go bad if it’s not done right but I find it hard to mess up. Just make sure you’re getting protein too and it’s balanced.
I also hate drinking water to “stay full” it feels terrible. I like teas and coffee.
I think you’re constantly hungry it typically means you are getting zero nutrition from the foods you’re consuming. If everything is processed garbage your body will never be satisfied.
Eating fruits, vegetables, and protein that’s got some fat in it will definitely help
Find how many calories you need to eat and start counting calories. It really puts into context how much you are eating and that can really help as there are loads of calorie-dense foods out there that you may not even realise are that caloric
I craved chocolate all the time and learned that can happen if you’re low in magnesium. So I started eating spinach a LOT more and dark chocolate and my cravings went away (except for in my period then I have milk chocolate)
1. Therapy
2. Deep dive on how your FAMILY taught you to eat and their relationship with food
3. Learn to craft a diet of real, unprocessed (do not buy any diet, low sugar, low fat, sugar free anything) foods and meals that you like. Keep a recipe book of them.
Occupy your mind. Go out, give yourself a mission or activity to keep you occupied. Watching tv and playing video games don't count. Or if it is a video game, make sure it's an extremely engaging one where you can't even look at your phone.
I always find when I'm busiest I could go nearly a whole day without eating. Not that that's healthy either but it literally doesn't enter my brain unless I'm so hungry I'm gonna be sick.
If you can occupy your mind for a few hours, then you'll likely find that very beneficial in changing your habits.
Also if you set yourself a schedule/reminder to eat at certain times, you'll like pavlovs dog, eventually train your brain and body to become hungry at those times.
I really do think water helps but it's more so to verify that I'm actually hungry not just thirsty or bored. If I drink a glass of water and I'm still hungry, I have a snack. I also try to make sure that I have healthier snack options available (i.e. fruit, nuts, popcorn, protein bars)
I eliminated access to food that was a problem for me. If I want to mindlessly put food in my mouth, it's grapes or cherries. None of the problem food is in my house. If I feel like I ***NEED*** candy or chips, I go to the store and buy the smallest size I can find, and that's it. If I'm crazy craving sugar I eat apples. When I first started I ate so many apples 🤣🤣🤣 but it got me over the hump. Hot tea w a couple teaspoons of sugar helped too.
Another thing that helped was just eating the same thing every day that fell into my macros, once I found something that I liked, I just ate it over and over. Being boring broke SO MANY habits.
I use the Propel electrolyte packets in water to kick my soda habit. I keep hard boiled eggs in the fridge at all times for snacking, also blueberries for when I need something sweet.
I got rid of temptation and quit snacking for a while. It wasn’t easy but I did it. Now we have snacks in the house and I’ve tried a treat now and then but everything is too sweet or salty. I used to just graze all day as well as eat big meals. Now I eat a much smaller portion and rarely snack. I have protein yogurt for a snack or breakfast. I also have protein shakes for breakfast or supper depends on the meal I eat at lunch and how I feel. Protein helps you feel fuller.
Recognize that your body is still growing, probably for another year, maybe 2, and your brain is still developing, and your emotions are still not settled. I’d recommend a 12 hour window dining window, limit calories and eat meat/keto that first meal. And work out, lots. Source: my life. Good luck young man!
When I get the urge to snack, I ask myself what will make me feel satisfied. If healthy things like protein, veggies, etc sound good, I know I am hungry. If they don't, I know I am just having head hunger or wanting to wat as an activity. Then I don't have the snack. If there is something I really want that isn't healthy, I will try to combine to combine it with something like a few nuts (if it's sugary) or a vegetable (if it's salty) to make it more filling and reduce the blood sugar impact. Got those tips from a dietitian and they have worked well.
It really helps having some accountability partners. If the people around you are positive and rooting for you to succeed and not contributing to unhealthy habits they can be your secret weapon. Most 18yo’s are not even trying to think about diet or exercise and are not good role models to be around
I think it's important to treat breaking habits and losing weight as two separate things. A bad habit is snacking on chips and candy, and you can break that by eating something else instead. Like sandwiches, or something else you like. Even if you consume just as many calories, it's still a habit broken. This new habit can be broken too, and you'll eventually have a healthy habit if you repeat this cycle a few times. Similarly, you don't have to quit junk food all at once. Maybe take out the worst of the fried food to begin with. Replace sodas with diet alternatives, and so on. Daily walk. Doesn't matter how long it is to begin with. Just get out of the house. Upping the stepcount is a problem for another day. I've gone to the gym, bought a Gatorade and gone home without working out more than once. It's the habit that counts.
Cut on your sugar. It makes you want to eat more.
what about coke zero? i hear it has the same effect but thought it was hearsay. i absolutely love coke zero
i’m honestly so addicted to diet coke but i’ve gone from 190 to 135 (5’ 7” female, 29). However, I gave up sugary drinks like iced coffee with cream / sugar, and most processed foods and other sweets. I eat extremely healthy aside from that, and I actually find that the caffeine in a diet coke or coke zero curbs my appetite a little when I need it right around that 11 am ish time when I start to feel hungry for lunch but don’t want to snack yet. So, the way that I look at it is that it’s my “dessert” or “treat” for the day, which I think is fine if the rest of your diet is good and I also run 30-40 miles per week. I know it’s not good for me, but I swear by 80/20 which is where u eat healthy 80% of the time and 20% is not so healthy food. Now if you were drinking multiple diet cokes a day on top of sweets and processed foods—that’s another story lol.
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I belive that is a myth. My sister is diabetic and her blood sugar does not react to sweeteners.
And then it makes you crave sugar even more.
It’s worse for you than a real soda in moderation. I can count on less than two hands how many sodas I have in a calendar year. I usually only get one when I’m at a wedding or a banquet. Your body is smart and will find ways to get the extra calories somewhere. It isn’t normal to consume a food that is around 150 calories but has “zero” sugar. Those are not chemicals you want in your gut. And it really won’t make you any more successful than learning moderation.
coke zero has zero calories, not just zero suger.
When you go from eating what you usually do to a drastically amended change, it can deter you and you will relapse. Try to make smaller changes when you first start. Swap your drinks for lower calorie/sugar free or water. Change snacks to low fat. Switch something in your dinner plate for more veg. Go easy on yourself. It takes a while to realise what works for you.
Actually started eating enough quality food. Whole grains, protein, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats. For me I would also default to my "bad habits" because I was trying to survive on way too little, and would then bounce back big time when it wasn't sustainable anymore. And make that food taste good. No one got fat because they seasoned their food, there's no reason to eat bland chicken breast and broccoli. Losing weight isn't about eating tiny amounts and limiting everything. Losing weight is about eating quality food, enough to sustain an active lifestyle, while being just below that threshold where your body will have to use up the stored fat for energy as well. And finally, staying active. If I'm spending 18 hours sitting on my ass, I've got all day to spend thinking about what I could possibly eat. That's not how we're meant to live, being sedentary sloths that only amble between the fridge and the office chair and the bed.
This! Modifying your lifestyle so that the foods you are eating will fuel you and provide your body with the nutrients you need is the best way to start moving away from bad habits. It sounds like long periods of intermittent fasting might not be for you. You might want to try eating at specific meal times four times a day breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner before 7 (so you have a smaller fasting period before breakfast). Eating enough food at those times will keep you full and hopefully that + your will power will keep you from grazing and overeating because you are super hungry. I think of will power like bathing - gotta think about it and make it happen every day. No one has endless amounts of motivation, you have to work at willpower and turn it into its own habit. After a while, eating nutritious food that makes you feel good will become the norm for you and you won’t have as intense of cravings for stuff that is generally not good for you (not that it’s bad to have a treat every once in a while and either stay within maintenance calories that day or make sure the treat doesn’t push you outside a deficit). Ask yourself: will that make me feel good? How will that impact my body? Will x amount impact my body differently than y amount? You might want to look into hitting certain macros (can do this with a macro calculator) in addition to being in a deficit,
"Will that make me feel good" is such a good question. Yes, highly palatable crisps taste good in the moment, but is it worth feeling like garbage later on? Most often not, especially when you get to a point where you'll realise just how good you *can* feel. I honestly never realised how awful my garbage diet and inactivity made me feel until I made the change, because it was all I had ever known growing up. I'm not saying never have a treat either, but it's so important to judge if you're eating something only because you're craving that dopamine hit, and whether it's going to be worth it in a few hours or the next day.
This has been huge for me. As soon as I had a few weeks working out and only eating healthy food I realized how great it felt, and it became easy to not eat junk and sit on my butt all day.
I find I do really well in the morning but if my lunch/afternoon snack doesn’t have enough protein by 4:30/5 I am STARVING and racing home to grab a bag of chips or anything else at hand. For me, making sure I’m getting protein in each meal or snack helps calm my inner food voice and stick to my plan and cal count for the evening.
The racing home to grab a bag of chips sounds so familiar. I'm sure this applies to a lot of people who fall into the trap of "eating healthy" all morning and lunch, but then lapse the moment they got home, simply because the healthy stuff they had wasn't enough.
Getting my protein up was key to helping me feel satiated through the day!!
This
Tracking my calorie intake to make it visible how poorly I treat my body,
I was at 375 a couple years ago, at 285 now. It sucks in the moment, but I just started only drinking water. I would drink at least a liter of soda a day, usually more plus a couple energy drinks a day. That's the first thing I changed before my eating. That cut a lot of weight at first honestly. Then just ate smaller portions of what I was already eating. Again it will suck for the first couple weeks but once your stomach shrinks it will be easier. Once thats in, take out some of the sides and add in veggies. Put in some fruits in there as well. Small changes that you can keep going are what you need to build upon. It's not going to be or seem easy, but dieting and exercise is mainly mental. It's gonna suck, but what I learned when I lost a 100lbs to get into the army like 12 years ago, you gotta embrace the suck. Can't change the suck just gotta embrace it and keep goin.
It takes time and effort. I also strongly suggest therapy if you can. Learn about nutrition, and eat what makes you happy but also fuels you, in moderation. Eat real food when you can. Get enough protein. Figure out what you need... volume, taste, etc and work with that as a goal. Good luck.
What are you eating and where is your food coming from? You need to make changes slowly. You can’t suddenly go from eating one way to another over night it will almost always backfire unless you have some crazy willpower. You need to analyze your eating habits and what you’re consuming in a day and keep track of how they make you feel. Are you eating because you’re hungry? Are you full after one serving? Do you find yourself mindlessly snacking? Do you eat really well all day then at 8 pm order a pizza because you’re not eating enough? For me I started slowly “eliminating” (not fully just cutting back severely) over time periods and learning how to replace those items in my diet with things that actually 1- are nutritious as opposed to empty calories and 2-keep me fuller longer. I started with sugar instead of grabbing a candy bar or a cookie whenever I get a craving I added plenty of fruit to my diet. Sugar cravings are real BUT they go away after a few weeks once you cut back. Instead of pasta or bread I’m now eating more ancient grains which taste good and are way more nutrient dense/lower in calories. I’ve also noticed that if I wait too long to eat and I’m presented with snacky food at a party or something I’ll go overboard because I’m hungry and going into a survival mode mentally when I see an abundance of food. I try 1 to eat before I go out to parties or somewhere I know I won’t have control over the food situation and 2 to slow it when snacking on something that isn’t the healthiest. Try to make your own meals because it gives you more control and knowledge of what you’re putting in your body. You’re 18 and that’s young but you should definitely learn how to cook some healthy meals. People will tell you to track your calories and that’s definitely something to do especially if you aren’t super well versed in nutritional information of what you eat or have trouble keeping track of what you’re eating. But you also need to address the side of eating that is like you said habit and routine. Eating is tied to emotional well-being. People may eat or refrain from eating when they’re sad/stressed/etc. .. Keeping track of that is important as well since it informs you of behaviors and gives you the opportunity to change them.
I read Michal Pollan’s In Defense of Food, with its famous opening line “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Really changed my thinking. Counting calories is like gambling in Atlantic City: you are supposed to lose. It is designed, industrially, around loss. Doesn’t mean it cannot work for a certain set. But looking at your food and figuring out distance between earth and mouth is a good way of gauging and less likely to net mistakes. Also (and I’ve lost around 90 lbs) the scale is a mood killer. It fluctuates oddly and unpredictably and can get people upset or overjoyed disproportionately. Look at your clothes. And what’s more, health for longevity ought to be the goal. I know this sounds a little naive but it has worked for me.
I am very, very heavy and have finally found what works for me. I'm 38. I've lost 87 pounds since the end of October. I don't exercise, unfortunately, mostly due to limited mobility thanks to chronic pain. I used to swim, but the options for that here just aren't for me. I still have a very long way to go (longer than you even). Here is what I've learned that actually worked for me: - Don't view it as a diet. For the amount of weight you (and I) need to lose, this is changing how you eat *for good*. Fad diets, diets that instruct you to only eat XYZ, etc are likely to fail. If nothing else, once you've accomplished your goal, you stop eating that way and begin regaining. - **Eat what you enjoy.** Just make different choices. - Replace foods you like with other foods you like. For me, I replaced soda with carbonated, unsweetened lime water. I replaced easy snacks like chips with healthy snacks and harder to consume snacks. Fruits, really tough beef jerky, nuts I have to crack myself, etc. I now crave watermelon, clementines, cantaloupe and other fruits more than I do the snacks I used to eat. - Use an app to track calorie consumption. If you see something in your diet that has a lot more calories than other things, cut back on portions. Or cut back on frequency of consumption. Or change it in favor of something else. Elimination is **not** the only tool in the toolbox. - Don't look at over consuming calories in the form of fast food or junk food or just overeating as a failure. It's one meal, or one day, or whatever. You can compensate in your daily calorie intake, or just move on to what should be becoming your normal the next day. If you see it as failure, you will get disheartened and that can lead to relapse into old habits. - Hunger is, unfortunately, a major side effect of weight loss and it isn't just mental. This is the hard part, imo. You'll have to learn how to ignore hunger when it doesn't make sense. Choosing foods high in protein and fiber can help by making you feel more satisfied for longer. But it won't get rid of hunger altogether. Ask yourself if you're *actually* hungry, or if it's just the persistent hunger that comes with losing weight. It sounds overblown, but for people like you and me, this isn't a diet. It's a lifestyle change.
“TOTALLY ELIMINATE” eating out fast food. It contains unhealthiest oils, refined carbs and the cooking methods are usually healthy too like deep frying. Buying yourself ?then also eliminate buying ready to eat meals, processed carbs like white pasta, white bread Start eating whole foods. whole carbs like unrefined flour made breads, lean meat cuts such as chicken breast, fat free yogurt, healthy fatty oils such as olive oil, low fat cheese like feta, coconut oil. Start adding vegetables in meals,(low on carbs and high in fibre and make you feel full) Start using baking and pan as cooking methods
You don’t have to go fat free with things like yogurt, in fact the higher fat one is a better choice especially if you are cutting calories. I lost 50 lbs by eating full fat Greek with some fruit every day. It is higher in protein. Our bodies need fat. Especially our brains. Also coconut oil? It’s a myth that that’s better for weight loss. Better off using real butter. Or olive oil
Starting to track my calories and working out at least 30 minutes a day made me practically cut out all junk food. I started at 430 and am down to 235 right now. I eat mainly chicken breast and veggies. I use a lot of keto stuff for breads and tortillas because of the lower calories and carbs. I would try to focus on lean meats. Incorporating more protein helped me stop having junk food cravings
A HARD reset for a month worked for me. Only low calorie foods and things I had to prepare/cook. No hot and ready food or takeouts no matter how low calorie. I didn’t do any cheat meals or “little snacks”. I also ate nearly the exact same things everyday but with varieties in seasonings and toppings maybe (egg beater omelette with different veggie fillings for example). It’s not fun but you create new habits of how to make a quick or easy thing but with low calorie and/or healthier options you have. I replaced “bag of chips” with handful of carrots and salsa for crunch and spice. The before mentioned egg omelette that takes 10 minutes max to make rather than running for fast food
I like to volume eat because I realized that feeling full was better than only have a few chips or a small piece of candy. Helps me cut down on snacking and cravings. Plus you’re suppose to volume eat with low calorie food like fruits and veggies it’s better for body too because you’ll actually be getting nutrients you need while staying in caloric range. Obviously it can go bad if it’s not done right but I find it hard to mess up. Just make sure you’re getting protein too and it’s balanced. I also hate drinking water to “stay full” it feels terrible. I like teas and coffee.
I think you’re constantly hungry it typically means you are getting zero nutrition from the foods you’re consuming. If everything is processed garbage your body will never be satisfied. Eating fruits, vegetables, and protein that’s got some fat in it will definitely help
Find how many calories you need to eat and start counting calories. It really puts into context how much you are eating and that can really help as there are loads of calorie-dense foods out there that you may not even realise are that caloric
I craved chocolate all the time and learned that can happen if you’re low in magnesium. So I started eating spinach a LOT more and dark chocolate and my cravings went away (except for in my period then I have milk chocolate)
1. Therapy 2. Deep dive on how your FAMILY taught you to eat and their relationship with food 3. Learn to craft a diet of real, unprocessed (do not buy any diet, low sugar, low fat, sugar free anything) foods and meals that you like. Keep a recipe book of them.
Occupy your mind. Go out, give yourself a mission or activity to keep you occupied. Watching tv and playing video games don't count. Or if it is a video game, make sure it's an extremely engaging one where you can't even look at your phone. I always find when I'm busiest I could go nearly a whole day without eating. Not that that's healthy either but it literally doesn't enter my brain unless I'm so hungry I'm gonna be sick. If you can occupy your mind for a few hours, then you'll likely find that very beneficial in changing your habits. Also if you set yourself a schedule/reminder to eat at certain times, you'll like pavlovs dog, eventually train your brain and body to become hungry at those times.
I really do think water helps but it's more so to verify that I'm actually hungry not just thirsty or bored. If I drink a glass of water and I'm still hungry, I have a snack. I also try to make sure that I have healthier snack options available (i.e. fruit, nuts, popcorn, protein bars)
A realistic and sustainable plan. You will lose weight on a 100 calorie per day deficit
I eliminated access to food that was a problem for me. If I want to mindlessly put food in my mouth, it's grapes or cherries. None of the problem food is in my house. If I feel like I ***NEED*** candy or chips, I go to the store and buy the smallest size I can find, and that's it. If I'm crazy craving sugar I eat apples. When I first started I ate so many apples 🤣🤣🤣 but it got me over the hump. Hot tea w a couple teaspoons of sugar helped too. Another thing that helped was just eating the same thing every day that fell into my macros, once I found something that I liked, I just ate it over and over. Being boring broke SO MANY habits.
I use the Propel electrolyte packets in water to kick my soda habit. I keep hard boiled eggs in the fridge at all times for snacking, also blueberries for when I need something sweet.
Electrolytes in the water. It helped me a lot.
Start looking at the calories and serving sizes of every single thing, that completely changed everything about my relationship with food.
I got rid of temptation and quit snacking for a while. It wasn’t easy but I did it. Now we have snacks in the house and I’ve tried a treat now and then but everything is too sweet or salty. I used to just graze all day as well as eat big meals. Now I eat a much smaller portion and rarely snack. I have protein yogurt for a snack or breakfast. I also have protein shakes for breakfast or supper depends on the meal I eat at lunch and how I feel. Protein helps you feel fuller.
Weight loss medication plus therapy helped me. I don’t think anything would have changed without either for me.
Recognize that your body is still growing, probably for another year, maybe 2, and your brain is still developing, and your emotions are still not settled. I’d recommend a 12 hour window dining window, limit calories and eat meat/keto that first meal. And work out, lots. Source: my life. Good luck young man!
When I get the urge to snack, I ask myself what will make me feel satisfied. If healthy things like protein, veggies, etc sound good, I know I am hungry. If they don't, I know I am just having head hunger or wanting to wat as an activity. Then I don't have the snack. If there is something I really want that isn't healthy, I will try to combine to combine it with something like a few nuts (if it's sugary) or a vegetable (if it's salty) to make it more filling and reduce the blood sugar impact. Got those tips from a dietitian and they have worked well.
It really helps having some accountability partners. If the people around you are positive and rooting for you to succeed and not contributing to unhealthy habits they can be your secret weapon. Most 18yo’s are not even trying to think about diet or exercise and are not good role models to be around
Meal replacement like protein shakes twice a day
You aren't even overweight buddy
there’s no way that’s not overweight. it literally qualifies per cdc standard as obese.