Healthy eating- your biggest challenge?

[Cakes]

I am creating a program to help people adopt healthier eating habits. It would be a tremendous help to me if you all would share with me where you get stuck.

 

So, what are your biggest challenges in improving your diet?

 

Thanks!

[PinkTulip]

Time and stress. I have many days where I just don't have the time to cook and clean up a healthy breakfast or lunch. So it's often cold cereal and leftovers from the night before heated up in the microwave. Also, I'm a stress eater, so when life gets extra stressful, my first instinct is to go get a Coke and some Gummi Bears. It's not good!

[EmseB]

I like junk food. It tastes good, and it's easy and fast.

[VaKim]

Like pp, I love junk! Especially sweet junk. And all the conflicting info on what is and isn't healthy doesn't help either. 

[momee]

Time - it takes a while to make a healthy filling dish and Cost - it is expensive to make a healthy, filling dish

 

Example...

 

Stauffers lasagna and cheesy texas toast (not that we eat that...just in my mind it's a quick meal I personally daydream of serving on lazy days, lol) vs

veggie vegan lasagna and a full salad - much more expensive and MUCH more time consuming

 

Things with preservatives, fillers, and added sugars for taste are what I consider junk food.  YMMV...

I'm trying to stay away from alot of red meats, cheeses and breads.  Leaves me with grass and beans, both of which no one likes!

 

So I guess I should add taste.  Everyone here (except dh and I) would be thrilled with take out chinese because it's filled with oils, sugar, fats etc.

When I make a lentil soup it seems like there is some salivatory letdown that happens in the old folks and the kids. :)

[FriedClams]

I get tired of the same thing - a lean meat, a whole starch, salad and/or steamed veg... Boring. I'm working on adding things to the rotation.

 

I love to bake. I mean LOVE to bake. Not a ton of healthy baked stuff to make.

 

So, I'm working toward no processed food and I'm doing the 100 Days mini challenges. I will use up the whites I have (flour, rice, etc) and not replace them. I'm a label reader now. I'm doing 2 fruit or veg per meal and that's helping. I guess I'm just easily bored and dying to make croissants.

[SamanthaCarter]

Getting the kids to like it or even eat it. Because I'm not making more than one meal, a healthier one for us and a kid one for the kids. 

 

Pushing back on the meat/grain/dairy and pushing for more vegetables. I think what makes this difficult is that it takes more time and is more difficult to plan and execute.

[Seasider]

Budget. Can your program increase our income? Jk!

 

But that is honestly the biggest challenge.

[lewber]

Well I started a few weeks ago and my biggest challenges so far - are the failure to plan (nothing made or easy to make) and I'm hungry - so that means out to eat or fast food. 

That and I still crave junk - mostly potato chips and tortilla chips. I haven't found anything crunchy and healthy that satisfies that yet. 

[datgh]

dh!!!  How do I get him on board other then eliminating him which I really don't want to do!

[JenneinCA]

No one else in my family will willingly eat a vegetable. Even covered in sauce. Or roasted. Or anything.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

I'm a weirdo, I lose my appetite and end up just eating the same thing everyday.I'm a week into Whole30 and I couldn't care less about eating dinner. If it weren't for my family, I'd be done with food for the day. These high-protein low-carb meals satiate me and I haven't really liked any of the new things I've tried yet.

 

Maybe I just don't like cooking and meal prep makes food unappealing...

[Slache]

I used to drink nothing but soda and juice. I had to stop buying them. I bought a water bottle but I didn't really use it until I started working out really hard. I had to make myself know that I was thirsty before I would really drink water, but now I drink more than the recommended amount everyday.

 

I used to eat garbage for lunch because it was easy. Now I always have fresh veggies, hummus, peanut butter, and roasted veggies on hand. That's easy too. It was a simple switch.

 

I give in to about 2 Milky Ways and a small bag of Sweetish Fish around the same time every month. I have a strong will, but if I'm craving chocolate you'd better get me some chocolate or the consequences could be disastrous.

 

Here's what it all boils down to. You are going to eat the food that's in your house, so change the food that's in your house. Toss the garbage and rework the menu. No grease, no sweets. It sucks at first, but you'll start to love it.

 

Also, if we have to stop for food we go to Subway or Jamba. 

 

Hope that helps. :)

[BrookValley.]

I eat too much. I love eating good, healthy food, I just eat too much of it.

[BrookValley.]

Also. I think it's a bit funny your user name is Cakes.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I'm a weirdo, I lose my appetite and end up just eating the same thing everyday.I'm a week into Whole30 and I couldn't care less about eating dinner. If it weren't for my family, I'd be done with food for the day. These high-protein low-carb meals satiate me and I haven't really liked any of the new things I've tried yet.

 

Maybe I just don't like cooking and meal prep makes food unappealing...

 

Ya know oddly I lost weight in culinary school.  I lost the most weight during the pastry and baking rotation.  I lost any desire to eat that stuff.  Or I'd be fine with just a taste because you are supposed to taste your food as you cook it. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

My biggest challenge is not knowing what to believe or who to believe in terms of what is healthiest.  Then second would be sometimes just lack of convenience.  Third would be lousy attitude.  I have a lousy attitude sometimes. 

 

 

[Cakes]

Thanks for the great feedback! Keep it coming, I love hearing the challenges.

 

My name is Cakes, LOL, but it is the nick name of someone dear to me :-)

 

I personally have faced (and still do) many of the same challenges. But in creating my business, it is important to consider what other struggle with not just what I struggle with!

 

NicksMama...I have a love hate relationship with W30. I do not like the restrictiveness of it, but I love the clean eating. I know personally how you can really lose all desire to eat when on W30 but I do believe that the way it forces you to face your mindless eating habits is mostly good. Have you looked at NomNomPaleo? She has a lot of good W30 recipes.

[DawnM]

I'm a weirdo, I lose my appetite and end up just eating the same thing everyday.I'm a week into Whole30 and I couldn't care less about eating dinner. If it weren't for my family, I'd be done with food for the day. These high-protein low-carb meals satiate me and I haven't really liked any of the new things I've tried yet.

 

Maybe I just don't like cooking and meal prep makes food unappealing...

 

What is your go to food for the day?  Inquiring minds would like to know!

[Joyofsixreboot]

Budget, time, ease and our staggered eating times. Due to activities I am often resorting to a crockpot meal I leave for people to eat as they come in. Frankly, unless I'm seving it dh and kids will alternately buy junk, skip a meal or just have a sandwich. He doesn't watch what the kids eat and will happily let 7 yo eat ice cream if it shuts her up.

[lewber]

I'm adding on another issue I have - I don't lose weight and I don't really feel any better :) So why give up all the joy of eating stuff I like when it's not making a difference I can see or feel soon enough. I know it's got to be healthier for me, and if I did it for a year I would probably lose some weight. But when you're in week 2 and you can't see any results yet, it's hard to keep going.

 

Oh, and wine!  :ohmy:

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

 

What is your go to food for the day? Inquiring minds would like to know![/quote

 

I chop loads of chopped peppers and red onions and keep them in the fridge. Every morning I sauté a cup or so of this mixture in coconut oil, then add 2-3 eggs and some mushrooms and scramble it all together. Lunch is either tuna, chicken or leftover protein and as much salad greens, roasted veggies.

 

I miss my beans so much!

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

I'm adding on another issue I have - I don't lose weight and I don't really feel any better :) So why give up all the joy of eating stuff I like when it's not making a difference I can see or feel soon enough. I know it's got to be healthier for me, and if I did it for a year I would probably lose some weight. But when you're in week 2 and you can't see any results yet, it's hard to keep going.

 

Oh, and wine! :ohmy:

I'm right there with you! I'm doing Whole30 with dh and he's already lost 10 lbs! My jeans are as tight as ever...😠😠😠😠

[Laura Corin]

I needed to find a pattern that worked for me.  If I felt deprived every day then I binged.  And excluding a whole food group just made me miserable.  So some kind of alternating diet was the best option.  5:2 works for me; No S is another option.

[Ali in OR]

-stress eating

-too many kid activities in the late afternoon/evening mess with dinner prep time

-I get hungry late afternoon and would love to have an earlier dinner time but that doesn't work for the rest of the family. So I snack too much and then eat dinner too.

-trouble getting enough fruits and veggies in diet.

-I don't like very many veggies. I eat mostly salad for veggies.

-I buy lots of fruit for me and then dh eats it all before the week is up and I get to go shopping again.

-I want to eat 200-400 more calories per day than I really need.

-kids are picky eaters

[SparklyUnicorn]

I'm adding on another issue I have - I don't lose weight and I don't really feel any better :) So why give up all the joy of eating stuff I like when it's not making a difference I can see or feel soon enough. I know it's got to be healthier for me, and if I did it for a year I would probably lose some weight. But when you're in week 2 and you can't see any results yet, it's hard to keep going.

 

Oh, and wine!  :ohmy:

 

Yes exactly.  I don't lose weight unless I nearly starve myself and feel like crap all the time. 

 

For me it is beer. 

 

I do eat fairly healthfully most of the time I think.  But if I actually want to lose weight...ugh...

[regentrude]

kid who is a picky eater

[SparklyUnicorn]

family of picky eaters...yes that is a big one...huge one...

 

 

[ocelotmom]

Availability of junk food at work combined with a stressful, depressing job.

[Cakes]

I'm adding on another issue I have - I don't lose weight and I don't really feel any better :) So why give up all the joy of eating stuff I like when it's not making a difference I can see or feel soon enough. I know it's got to be healthier for me, and if I did it for a year I would probably lose some weight. But when you're in week 2 and you can't see any results yet, it's hard to keep going.

 

Oh, and wine!  :ohmy:

 

This is a tough one, very hard I know. 

 

Here is the deal though, sometimes the body just wants to hold on to weight for a while longer than we would like. Sometimes it has to do with the body regulating detoxification. We hold toxins in our fat cells, they are safe there and do not cause us harm. When we lose weight, our cells have to release those toxins and if that happens too quickly, we will feel pretty lousy. The body tries to regulate that toxin release, until all detox pathways are open and working optimally. 

Usually there is a reason weight loss is slow.

 

Our bodies need good nutrition so that we can operate optimally, that includes detox pathways. 

 

Sometimes we just have to suck it up and do what we know is right (like lacing up and heading to the gym) even when we don't want to. One day we wake up and notice things have changed, our waistline, our taste buds, our energy levels. It can be a leap of faith. Just my thoughts.

 

I am happy to offer insights if you want to share more specifically what your daily diet and water intake look like and what your activity level is.

[Cakes]

kid who is a picky eater

My life!

[Miss Tick]

I get hungry mid-afternoon, and I really have trouble making smart food decisions then. Even if I have a plan, which helps at other times of the day, I just can't seem to reliably resist whatever I can lay my hands on during that time. If I am busy, or out of the house I do much better.

[Cakes]

I needed to find a pattern that worked for me.  If I felt deprived every day then I binged.  And excluding a whole food group just made me miserable.  So some kind of alternating diet was the best option.  5:2 works for me; No S is another option.

 

Usually if you are feeling deprived, you are missing something. 

 

We are all unique and have different nutritional requirements. What works well for some will not work for others. You have to listen to your body and tweak things enough that you are satiated, but not indulging in unhealthy choices. 

 

Care to elaborate on your particular struggle?

[SparklyUnicorn]

Another big one is going out to eat.  I know all the advice.  I just avoid going out to eat much, but the advice is not helpful.  For one thing a lot of restaurants don't offer good tasting better options.  Or those options are a complete after thought.  We have a favorite Chinese buffet.  They do have stuff like salad, but the salad is just iceberg lettuce with some half dead tomatoes.  I didn't go there for that.  Maybe we go there 2x a year though so not a huge deal.  It would just be nice if more restaurants would have better food.

 

 

[DawnM]

stress eating for sure.

 

Ease of the food.....I hate spending a lot of time in the kitchen!

[Laura Corin]

Usually if you are feeling deprived, you are missing something. 

 

We are all unique and have different nutritional requirements. What works well for some will not work for others. You have to listen to your body and tweak things enough that you are satiated, but not indulging in unhealthy choices. 

 

Care to elaborate on your particular struggle?

 

I've never been very overweight, but the pounds came on slowly.  I tried low carb about ten years ago and was disgusted by the amount of meat that was recommended (Atkins).  It made me physically sick.  I stuck with it and lost weight, but I couldn't continue after that and I put the weight back on.

 

I tried a balanced diet with calorie control, and just ended up bingeing.

 

I've been on 5:2 for two years now - I lost 14 pounds and have maintained at a healthy weight since then.  I eat at least five fruit/veg a day, adequate protein and whole grains.  I also eat some sweet stuff but rarely eat savoury fast food - it just doesn't appeal to me.  Last year I had to go on a specialist diet for medical (not weight-related) reasons, but I'm more-or-less back to normal now, although I still don't eat much chocolate.

 

L

[EmseB]

Who mentioned Swedish Fish?! They are a serious problem for me. I *just* got all the ones I got for Christmas out of the house, and by that I mean I ate them.

 

But, that definitely goes to not keeping the stuff in the house. When it's here I eat it, but I don't buy it often.

[Kathryn]

Time - it was a lot easier to make everything from scratch before three kids.

 

Money - organic food is expensive

 

Husband - he buys crap like soda and cookies and pop tarts and chips.

[Rebel Yell]

I am creating a program to help people adopt healthier eating habits. It would be a tremendous help to me if you all would share with me where you get stuck.

 

So, what are your biggest challenges in improving your diet?

 

Thanks!

 

meal planning, grocery list to go along with the meals.

 

Picky eaters/food allergies

 

TOO FREAKIN' MANY POTS AND PANS TO WASH.  I have no dishwasher.

 

And too many steps: Rinse the quinoa. Boil the quinoa, wash/rinse/chop/roast the veggies, cut up the chicken, brown the chicken, remove it from the pan, add the veggies, then add back the chicken (AND WASH THE FREAKIN' PLATE YOU PUT THE HALF-COOKED CHICKEN ON!) now whip up a homemade dressing using 6 bowls, 42 measuring utensils, a chopper, a dicer, a zester, and an immersion blender.

 

expense of healthier ingredients, and varied schedules reqiring most of us to pack lunch and/or dinner at least once/day, including weekends.

[Katy]

I eat too much cheese.  Sometimes I think the only way I will ever get to my ideal weight is to quit dairy.

[FriedClams]

Another one for me is when I'm cooking and eating healthy, I feel like I spend 95% of my time thinking about what food will be ok, prepping, cooking or cleaning up. It feels obsessive. It's not - it's HABIT changing - but it still makes me feel tired and burned out.

[DragonFaerie]

I hate to cook, and I hate vegetables.

[Guest]

Conflicting information. I feel and look good on high protein, low-carb, meaty diet. I watched Forks Over Knives today and learned I'm killing myself with heart disease and cancer. But I have insulin issues--I can't eat a lot of the food FOK says are great. So, lettuce?? Forever?? Idk.

[Guest]

Boredom and stress eating.

[Peaceful Isle]

My biggest battle is actually taking the time, and energy to make a healthy meal. My kids are not really picky eaters. They eat what I make them, but it isn't always good. One day it will be organic home made chicken noodle soup with organic home made bread. The next night it will be canned ravioli and out of the bottle generic applesauce. I am sooo not consistent. :( None of my family is obese. My dh and I are about ten pounds over the "healthy" weight limit, so I would like to lose a little. 

 

I don't know. I really like Sara Lee cakes?? 

[Sunshine State Sue]

sugar

 

eating for emotional reasons:  boredom, loneliness, sadness

[goldberry]

Time, time, time....  I never have the time to make healthy food.  Part of it is that we are not big meat eaters.  So the meat/vegetable thing is fast but doesn't work well for us. We love beans, but you can only eat so many beans.  Every single day...?   So the secondary to not having enough time is boredom.  Because of the short amount of time, the healthy things I do make are not very appetizing.  I am not a natural cook, so I don't know how to "doctor things up" to make them more edible.  We end up having the same thing over and over again until we are all disgusted by it.  

[Cakes]

I get hungry mid-afternoon, and I really have trouble making smart food decisions then. Even if I have a plan, which helps at other times of the day, I just can't seem to reliably resist whatever I can lay my hands on during that time. If I am busy, or out of the house I do much better.

 

It sounds like you may need more protein and fat in your lunch to carry you through to dinner. Both are more satiating and have less impact on blood sugar than high carb foods.

[Cakes]

Another big one is going out to eat.  I know all the advice.  I just avoid going out to eat much, but the advice is not helpful.  For one thing a lot of restaurants don't offer good tasting better options.  Or those options are a complete after thought.  We have a favorite Chinese buffet.  They do have stuff like salad, but the salad is just iceberg lettuce with some half dead tomatoes.  I didn't go there for that.  Maybe we go there 2x a year though so not a huge deal.  It would just be nice if more restaurants would have better food.

 

One approach (my fave) is if you do not go out very often, just relax and enjoy. One crappy meal is not going to undo a week's worth of good healthy eating!

 

If it is more frequent, then yes, you need to find a way to make good choices, which can be challenging.

[Cakes]

I've never been very overweight, but the pounds came on slowly.  I tried low carb about ten years ago and was disgusted by the amount of meat that was recommended (Atkins).  It made me physically sick.  I stuck with it and lost weight, but I couldn't continue after that and I put the weight back on.

 

I tried a balanced diet with calorie control, and just ended up bingeing.

 

I've been on 5:2 for two years now - I lost 14 pounds and have maintained at a healthy weight since then.  I eat at least five fruit/veg a day, adequate protein and whole grains.  I also eat some sweet stuff but rarely eat savoury fast food - it just doesn't appeal to me.  Last year I had to go on a specialist diet for medical (not weight-related) reasons, but I'm more-or-less back to normal now, although I still don't eat much chocolate.

 

L

One of the problems with the low carb approach is that some folks translate that as meat heavy and veggie light. Flip that and go heavy veg and light on the meat and you may have good results. 

 

Not everyone can digest tons of meat, especially people who have done any amount of time on a low fat diet. The bile becomes viscous and is not able to do a good job of emulsifying the fat in a high meat diet.

 

I encourage you to play around with ratios, enough fat and protein to keep you satiated but loads of fresh veggies help too. Anytime your diet makes you sick you need to reevaluate, which you did,  and shake things up. We have been taught to not listen to our bodies!