Healthy eating thread, NOT for weight loss?

[NancyEspana]

I know weight can be an indicator of health and it isn't something we should just ignore, whether we are overweight, underweight, healthy BMI but not comfortable with our weight or with a big waist to height ratio etc.

BUT, there are already countless weight loss threads on here, which are fantastic help sometimes, but for me, can sometimes be counterproductive. Not to mention me feeling as if I have been bombarded with diets, slimming clubs, books on weight loss, magazine articles on the way to get beach body ready, since before I can remember. I think I have diet fatigue !

I have been looking for a thread on here for just healthy eating / healthy habits. I really don't want to know what weight anyone else is, or how many lbs they have lost that week, what their BMI is or even what their measurements are.

But, I would really like a place to discuss healthy eating and healthy habits, like exercise, not too much alcohol, drinking more water, getting enough fruit and veg etc, without getting out the measuring tape or weighing in every week.

I appreciate, I sound like a right fussy fecker , but I don't think I'm the only one who must feel this way. But, I haven't come across any recent threads like this.

Would anyone like to join me on here?

Full disclosure: if I so happen to lose weight by changing my habits and making healthy choices, that would be a welcome side effect, but I would be equally happy if I maintained my weight but just made healthier choices and maybe changed shape a bit if I got more exercise etc.

Posting here as I don't know where else to post it basically and also because I think it will disappear from here if nobody responds because they think I'm an arse for posting .

Hello. I am trying to eat less cake and carbs and snacking on cut up apple and carrots! Much more likely to eat these if i cut them up and eat mindlessly in front of tv.

I started yoga a few months ago but felt intimidated as i was the oldest and fattest there, and also the most crap at it. I have a back injury that means i can't twist, and the teacher was super lovely but it just made me feel inadequate.

I've realised feeling inadequate stops me from doing any exercise except walking! Tried couch to 5k and loved the first few weeks, then got competitive with myself and annoyed that I was so slow. So pushed myself and got exhausted. Then stopped. This is a pattern!!

Hi everyone, I'd like to join you if I may. I need to lose a few lb but I prefer to make changes and let it happen, rather than make the changes and obsess about it happening, if you see what I mean.

My big thing is water... when I drink it I lose weight, have better skin, look better in my clothes and drink less sugary hot drinks. Even though I know this and have gone through several successful stints of 2litres a day, I'm still not managing it (or even trying really). So that will be my first step I think...

Thanks for the thread and great tips so far. A bit of self-care really is a lovely thing to embark upon

@Trewser

Does your teacher do a beginner's course? When I first started I found this invaluable. I actually did it twice! This was about 10 or 11 years ago and I still benefit from the teaching I had then. Should say, I have dipped in and out since then, with huge gaps in between. If I'd been going to classes religiously all that time I'd probably be much better at it and be able to do full wheel!

Welcome giddyaunty! YY, it's self care isn't it? That's probably what I should have called the thread!

Hello 😃, I started to get to eat better a few weeks ago. I do need to lose weight but I'm not calorie counting like I usually do.
I cut out eating between meals, the evening is the worst time for me. I'm having a good sized dinner and staying away from the chocolate and crisps.
My biggest downfall atm is Diet Coke, I can easily drink 4 tins a day.
I have bought a new swimsuit but haven't got around to using it yet
I have Lupus and its damaged my lung so I need to be careful what exercise I do, I walk the dog but that's it so far.

@trewser

I have a back injury that means i can't twist, and the teacher was super lovely but it just made me feel inadequate

I don’t think you need yoga I think you need Pilates. A few years ago I did a Pilates mat class near my place. It was run by trained physios and there were a number of people with back injuries. The movements are slow and measured with the aim of building core strength.

Oh yes, good shout with the pilates suggestion^^.

coco, yes, I find late afternoon and early evening the worst for some reason. When my dcs eat, I seem to also be ravenous. This is regardless of what I've eaten during the day, which makes me think it's more a habit than genuine hunger or even a real desire to eat iyswim. Last week, I started having a homemade smoothie in the afternoon which really fills me up and means I'm not hungry till later. I know smoothies have a bad reputation, but I think the liquid on top of the fibrous fruit and veg does more to fill me up than eating the same fruit and veg and drinking the water iyswim. I had to leave my blender at home, but I'm going to try this again next week.

Hello and thanks for this.. I am overweight and would like it to melt away, but 6 months of trying has achieved nothing, so I think I need to stop thinking that way and just live a healthy life. I do exercise, I swim 2 or 3 times a week, yoga once and a long walk every day, but when I tried to introduce a gym routine my swimming stopped!
I know that I feel better if I start the day with porridge and fruit, but I do love a bit of toast dripping with butter and marmalade. Maybe my target should be a healthy breakfast.

Welcome 3dogs .

The NHS website has a Pilates video specifically for back problems.

I did a Food & Nutrition course with FutureLearn a while back and although I can't remember the exact quote, they said "every bite you eat is an opportunity to improve your health", and that really resonated with me. You don't have to start tomorrow or next Monday, but start with the next thing you eat.

The NHS website has a Pilates video specifically for back problems great! Thanks

Hi all!

An ok day here. I'm on holiday, so I'm being far from saintly, . I've had an alcoholic drink every day since we arrived on Saturday, so I'm abstaining today. I'm sure not drinking will help me sleep better and maybe I'll come home from our holiday rested for once, instead of needing another holiday!

We went to a NT place today and spent the best part of the day there. Lots of walking and I even got to have a quick look round the house with my sister while DH took the dcs to play. We don't trust DC2 in houses with that many valuables yet! Definitely feel better having done something vaguely cultural. I know it isn't exactly a health thing, but I think it does wonders for my MH, being able to do things like that. I'm going to try and make time for art gallery trips and maybe even going to the theatre when we get home. Even if I just go on my own. I feel so much better for it when I do things like that.

It's great to recognise what is good for your mental health. I did such a good dance class today, really let my hair down (but then I had to go back to work)!

Alcohol free today and am hoping to continue at least for a few days.

Relatively healthy eating going on but feel really full and I have only had 4/5 a day.

Great point about wholesome activities and filling your kind with beauty and culture! I definitely consider that to be part of well-being in general.

I'm struggling not to hide in the kitchen scoffing, possibly because it's half term here...

Thanks both! Glad it wasn't irrelevant .

GiddyAunty, oh God, I do the hiding in the kitchen scoffing thing when my dcs have been a bit...spirited... all day. My plan is to start cooking and baking from scratch a lot more, as it will mean more legitimate time in the kitchen, I will have some control over what goes into everything, I can get dcs to join in and I think if I make everything from scratch it will lessen the temptation to snarf down biscuits without thinking!

I recommend you watch "Game Changers" on Netflix - your answer is right there!

I don't have Netflix . I'll have to google the summary!

Ooooh it's pro vegan! I am now omni, but I have been vegan and veggie on and off since I was a child. I was vegan long before it was cool . Thanks for the recommendation though.

Love this thread!

I try and drink water (slightly more than wine) and exercise a lot while trying to eat more salad, veg and protein than carbs, very much move more and eat less, I try anyway.....

slightly more than wine! Yes, same. It's a good aim.

I'm thinking of ordering an organic meat box and organic veg box for when we get home. Thinking, decent meat and veg are a good starting point.

Btw, to the pp who suggested vegan, I meant to say that we aim for a plant based omni diet, so a little meat, eggs and dairy, but mainly plants. When I actually achieve this and don't fall face first into the biscuit tin eat more wholefoods, I feel great.

While a healthy vegan diet can be really healthy, I find it all too easy these days, (I'm looking at you Gregg's vegan sausage rolls ), to eat a really unhealthy vegan diet. So this is my compromise .

Hi there, can I join? I know, in theory, all there really is to know about healthy eating, but have had a messed-up relationship with both food and exercise since my childhood (frequently guilt-tripped into overeating, then made fun of for being "fat", resulting in a very unhealthy reletionship with food and height-challenged, so always rubbish at PE in school).

I'm after trying to re-teaching myself to have a healthy reltionship with food without going to either extreme as I have before and to exercise enough to feel fit and toned, but without the aim of weightloss.

Changes I have already made include banning the scales to prevent obsessive weighing and putting a greater focus on moving more and "doing more" in general (she says, while mumsnetting). I always cook from scratch and use veg and pulses to bulk out food, especially mash.

Changes I need to make are cutting down on alcohol and portion sizes, cutting down on sugary drinks, making daily exercise a thing again and drinking more water and herbal tea.

Of course! Welcome Atropa .

Your plan sounds good!

I definitely want to commit to making everything from scratch. I think if I slowed down a bit, by having to cook properly, I'd appreciate my food a lot more. I do have the time if I commit to it. It's just doing it.

Ooh I would love to join this thread, it's just what I need right now. I've had a recent period of illness and have spent a few months eating lots of simple carbs and sugar for convenience/energy/comfort. I've also done no exercise.
I'm feeling better now health wise so I need to start eating well and exercising again.
For me, the key to eating well is eating lots of nutritious food, if I do that, I automatically eat less junk. I'm off work today so have made a good start with scrambled eggs for breakfast. I had hoped to go for a walk this morning but DD woke early and really needed a proper nap in her cot as she doesn't nap well in her buggy. So no walk today.
I also need to make an effort to eat a proper dinner this evening as DH is out and I'm always tempted to skip cooking properly when it's just me. I think I'll have my go to easy dinner of pasta with tomato sauce and tuna but make the effort to defrost some of the seven veg pasta sauce I keep in the freezer for DC so it will be a reasonably balanced meal.
I don't need to lose weight and I seem to have quite a high metabolism so I can eat well, I just need to make an effort to make it nutritious and balanced.
Looking forward to chatting with you all .

Welcome flamingo !

Yes, I'm the same. If I eat proper, nutritious meals, I don't then hit the biscuit tin later. It makes complete sense. Why I don't follow my own advice which I am always giving to dcs I just don't know.

I'm shopping around now for organic meat and veg boxes. A friend has recommended Piper's Farm and Riverford, so I might give them a whirl... I will report back when they arrive next week!

Thanks @NancyEspana. I'm looking at options for lunch and thinking I'm going to go with beans on toast which is far from ideal, I can't face salad when the weather is cold though, I need to make some soup I think, tomorrow hopefully.

Hi everyone and well done on all the healthy choices! I am a soup fan in winter as well, to the poster who can't face salad on a chilly day.

Today I filled up a big flask with water and am heading back to it for a mouthful every time I think about chocolate.

I am going to be well-hydrated.