Cutting down on Crisps and Chocolate

[Octopus37]

Well I have decided that for this week (day 1 being today) that I am not going to eat any crisps and that I am only allowed one serving of cake or chocolate a day. By serving I mean a small cake or normal size chocolate bar. I am very aware that to most people this probably sounds like overeating rather than dieting, but for me this is as good as it is going to get. I'm not overweight, but I want to drop a few pounds to look my best. I am one of those people who is small boned and not that tall (5ft5) so cannot get away with very much. Hoping that by posting on this thread, I will make myself stick to it, although to most people isn't hard, but I am a glutton and eat loads.
Today I have eaten:
1 pack of belivita biscuits
1 greek yoghurt
2 pieces of cheese on tast (not much cheese)
Some tinned pineapple
A twirl bar
Am planning to eat a tuna and sweetcorn quaesdilla for tea and that will be it. Drinks wise I have just had (as is usually the case) black tea and water). Who's with me as could do with a buddy.

hmm . . you sound like me! I'm also small, but i'm carrying some excess weight after baby - not too much, its doable, but i keep forgetting about healthy eating until after ive eaten!

I am also a glutton - and i live over a pub kitchen so i have chips, crisps, coke and pub meals within an arms reach! Theoretically this also means access to lots of lovely salad - but thats not what i automatically go for.

Today is a new day though so im planning on proper meals and no snacking. Sooo today i'll have toast x2 with butter and a chicken salad for lunch, havent worked out dinner yet . . .

must not drink coke, must not drink coke, must not drink coke . .

Good to know I'm not alone.
So far (realise this doesn't sound good, but trust me I could have eaten more).
A chocolate twist (DH bought it for me)
2 pieces of cheese no toast
3 cups of black tea

Aim is to try not to eat anything else chocolatey/cake like today and no crisps. Also going to walk the mile to get my DS from nursery shortly, do lots of walking which is one good thing.
I really wouldn't worry about the coke, would just make it diet coke, we have to deprive ourselves of enough as it is.

Ive gone and eaten an onion Bahji and mango pitta bread thing - this is what I mean about forgetting! Good luck with the no more chocolate, I can't do one sodding day!

That doesn't sound too bad. I meant limiting myself to one chocolately type thing a day (today's was my croissant twist thing), that is the best I can do. In addition to the above, have eaten:

10 salted almonds
5 pieces of vegetable sausage
Bowl of pasta with sweetcorn, veg sausage and red pesto.
Not too bad for me, but probably awful for anybody else.

Also ate a greek youghurt last night, was really hungry.

Today:
1 pack of belvita biscuits
Piece of melon
Cheese & Onion pasty (massive time famine due to project)
1 cadbury's spoonful egg
Planning on soya meatballs with a tomato sauce and pasta fo tea
Again anybody else would say not very good, but for me not too bad.
Planning to weigh in on Friday to see if I've lost anything

Your doing better than me!

This diet doesn't sound too great really! Like you're depriving yourselves. If you're veggies it's hard though, I concede.

Crisps lead to chocolate, it's the salt needing sugar to balance it out, a kind of boom and bust of the food world. Drink a pint of water before you really feel you need to eat chocolate. Those Freddy choc bars for 20p are good imo, not too much and the chocolate seems good quality. Most choccie bars are really just pure refined sugar, utter rubbish but highly addictive.

I know its not ideal nutritionally and I know I'm addicted to sugar, but have stopped eating crisps. Drinking lots of water, partly due to the heat and it does make a difference. Problem is if I cut my food intake too much and don't eat any sugar at all, I feel as if I have no energy and as I'm sure is the case for most mumsnetters, life is pretty busy and I normally do quite a lot of walking.

Yeah, fair enough. It's addictive because it's not satisfying, you always need more. Almonds are a good substitute for chocolate, I personally recommend chronium piccolate from Solgar to beat sugar cravings, along with Wassen's Magnesium for chocolate in particular. Bananas are good for a bit of sweetness and energy boosting. Walking is very good for getting the pounds off, better than running imo.

Thanks for the advice Professor - the water is a good one, trouble is, like i said earlier, i always forget that im trying to change my eating habits until after ive scoffed something - i too am addicted to sugar

Today I have eaten:
1 pack of Belvita biscuits
I and a half apples
Asda post of roast veg cous cous salad
The crust off a Warbutons seeded batch loaf
A twirl bar
Aiming to eat a tuna and sweetcorn quaesdilla and leave it at that.
Weighed in today, two pounds down, but prob just fluctuation, will weight again next Wednesday.

Have also just eaten a Muller Corner, just feeling a bit cranky and hungry tonight.

Todays:
1 pack of Belvita biscuits
1 muller corner yoghurt (out of multi pack so a bit smaller)
1 pot of Asda roast veg cous cous (depressingly found out that this contains over 400 cals, but not going to count cals as it makes me more hungry and depressed.
Now eating a Wispa bar
Tuna pasta for tea
So, so just cranky with less energy but know I am eating abit less than normal. No crisps since Saturday, quite pleased with that

Tuna pasta aint great y'know, I tried that 20 years ago and wondered why I didn't lose weight. Pasta we know about but tuna is not the healthiest fish, mackeral is better or anything else.

Problem is my kids wouldn't eat mackrel. Admit I have fallen off the wagon today, but am back on it tomorrow. Today have eaten

1 pack of Belvita biscuits
1 muller corner
1 highlights hot chocolate
2 pieces of toast with lemon and corainder humus (reduced fat)
Some vice versas and aero bubbles
Went to Weatherspoons and had their Superfood past, some onion rings (about 6), 2 chips and a pint of Strongbow.
Have just got home and eaten more vice versas, aero bubbles and easter egg.
Know this sounds awful but determined not to feel guilty and also think that surely I am allowed once a week or so to eat what I want.
Tomorrow will be back on track, think writing down what I am eating is helping me keep perspective

Have you tried using My Fitness Pal? It's great for tracking what you are eating, even if you are not "dieting". Makes you aware of calorie values and might make better choices.

Would try myfitness pal, but dont have a smart phone and also I find that the whole calorie thing depresses me and makes me more obsessed. Also I know it would probably tell me I was only allowed about 1000 cals a day to lose weight. Yesterday ate:
1 pack of Belvita biscuits
1 tuna 6 inch sub with Italian bread salad and bbq sauce (no cheese)
Some icing off my DS's cupcake
3 wraps from a Regae Regae meal kit, which included Asda version of quorn, peppers and onions.
A small piece of choc cake when I got home.
Think the biggest thing for me is that I have stopped the mindless picking at crisps and I am actually tracking what I am eating.

Octopus, I've been following your thread and have wondered whether or not to post. What really strikes me about your food is that there is an awful lot of very processed stuff in there. I think it's brilliant that you are trying to cut down on crisps and chocolate, but Belvita biscuits, meal kits, twirls, pasties, muller corners, cake, pasta... They are still packed full of sugar and artificial stuff which will still be stimulating your hunger and making it really difficult not to pick and snack.

You're veggie, yes? Can you get more actual veg into your diet? I can see sweet corn, peppers and onion in your meals this week but that's about it. You dont actually seem to be eating much either. You need to fill yourself up! Do you eat eggs? Eggs, fish, more veg. What about Greek yoghurt and banana for breakfast rather than Belvita biscuits (which despite what the ads say will not keep you full until lunch!) A big salad with some protein and fat (eggs, avocado, fish) for lunch? Nuts as a snack?

I know it's tough and please don't take this as a criticism. Trying to make changes is hard. Good luck!

Hi, thanks for your post, don't think your criticising at all. I know a lot of what I eat is quite processed, tbh its convenience and a complete time famine (which I know sounds like a poor excuse when it is probably the case for everyone else on mumset). I eat fish, but really don't like eggs or bananas. Nuts as a snack are a good idea, have got some almonds. Unfortunately really don't have time to make salad at lunchtime, but a friend of mine has suggested the pots of fresh soup that you can buy in the supermarket, only 3 mins in the microwave, could also be a way of getting more vegis I guess. Don't get me wrong I can and occasionally do make soup, its just that with kids, work everything else, I really don't have time that often.

Today have eaten
1 pack of belvita biscuits
1 small pack of dried apricots
1 highlights hot choc (fudge flavour)
2 pieces of toast (Warbutons seeded batch) with reduced fat lemon and coriander humus
5 salted almonds
Not sure how I will do this afternoon, but planning to cook a stirfry with rice, vegi mince and tomatos.

Also just eaten half a teaser bar and a Cadburys' egg and spoon (obviously not the spoon), prob about 300 calls in total.

It is tough when time's limited. I WOTH full time, have kids, limited budget. There are days ( sometimes whole weekends!) when it's just easier to fall face down into crap, convenience food. Tbh, this weekend has been one of those, so please don't think I'm preaching at you.

But...the thing that I've tried to get my head around is how incredibly important it is to not feed yourself utter shite all the time. Not so you'll lose weight, or get into a bikini or any short-term media-led bollocks like that. But because actually that's what you owe yourself, and your body. Don't feed yourself processed crap all the time, because it's not what you deserve. It's not what your body wants, or needs. It's definitely not what your body functions best on.

You don't feel better after eating a Cadburys egg and spoon, do you? I mean, come on! It's not food, it's a marketing toy! Not only that, but the sugar will make you want more, and more, and more. It is addictive. That's why 'cutting down' is so hard, because with sugar, it's kind of all or nothing...

Don't worry about counting calories (that way madness, and bad food choices, lies IMO). Try to focus on eating real food. If it's advertised on tv, you don't need it, that's a pretty good rule of thumb... Though your fresh soup idea sounds good. The fewer ingredients, the better. You will lose weight, and more importantly you will feel loads better.

God, sorry. I'll stop lecturing now

iI know you're right, just difficult to put into practice. Really admire you if you find time to cook properly all the time, whilst balancing everything else, know I sound lazy. Its true about marketing, just that to be honest I cannot get past seeing chocolate etc as nice food and as a treat. For me, a big part of it is getting past comfort eating cause I am tired and wound up which I am doing my best to do. Onwards and downwards.
Ate my rice and vegi mince stir fry for lunch and some pineapple afterwards.

Hi Octupus. I appreciate it is hard with a young child and work. Been there etc. When you are tired it is easy to reach for the sugary snacks. I try not to keep chocolate, biscuits, crisps or sweets in the house. My kids can have ice cream which I can usually resist as it comes out after dinner when I'm not hungry. I work FT now with three teens and I get by with careful menu planning and occasional cook-ups to stock the freezer.

Have you thought about fasting to break the cravings? I wouldn't have believed this until I tried it myself but I fasted twice last week (trying the 5:2 diet) and can't believe how it has disrupted the bad food habits. Its like resetting your body. On my non fast days I haven't felt hungry and haven't craved sweet things - its like my body is telling me what I need and for once I can hear it.

Have thought about the 5:2 diet, but I feel awful if I don't eat and also think that I would eat loads on non fast days and convince myself that I could eat whatever I wanted to compensate. Think that answer is just to carry on with cutting back, but do more cooking from scratch. I know my food diary doesn'tlook too great, but I know I have been eating less than usual and also have managed to stay off the crisps which hasn't been too difficult.

Weirdly, I haven't wanted to eat more food on non-fast days. I wasn't expecting that - I was expecting to want to stuff myself!