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.

Today have eaten:
1 pack of belvita biscuits
1 muller corner
Carton of Asda fresh Carrot, ginger & Orange soup
5 almonds
2 oreo cookies
1 creme egg
Pasta with quorn frankfurters, sweetcorn and red pesto

Not great I know. Was a bit worried about posting as I know it seems as if I'm not helping my own case but I am finding that writing down what I eat helps me to keep perspective and feel in control. Haven't given up on trying to make changes, still off the crisps - will weigh in on Wednesday and see if I have lost anything

Good luck today, *Octopus.

Octopus do keep posting your food diary, it is obviously helping you so don't be put off. It's hard to change everything overnight, so if this works for you then keep going.

I think you're doing great to have cut out crisps. I used to be a crisp fiend- they are my favourite "treat" and I managed to weaned myself off them, so I know how hard it is- well done.

I think if you could think about a different breakfast, at some point, that would make a huge difference to sugar cravings in the mornings. I think a bit of protein is meant to be very good for keeping away sugar cravings, so if you don't like eggs- maybe a plain yoghurt and a slice of toast, or yoghurt and fruit. I've had slices of cheese some mornings, with some fruit. It really does fill you up.

Anyway keep going! Lots of people know they need to change eating habits and do nothing, so well done to you for actually doing something.

Thank you for the encouragement, I am definately not giving up.

Think you are right about a different breakfast, was thinking two pieces of toast (I like the Warnbutons Seeded) with a cheese slice (was going to try and get some lerjamber lights). Know thats processed but it will enable me to control how much cheese easily, also quick to make and this is something I have always found to be a satisfying lunch.

Weighed in at Boots today, unfortunately up a pound so 1 pound lost in total, five pounds to go till my goal weight. Have eaten:

1 pack of belvita biscuits
Muller corner
Container of Asda mediterranean veg soup, absolutely gorgeous and only 186 cals for the lot
5 salted almonds

Realistically will probably eat some chocolate on teh school run. Planning on pasta with tuna for tea and intend to leave it at that.

Just wanted to say well done on the crisps, I take my hat to you, and also keep posting , sounds like its helping you and thats what matters

Ate 7 Yorkie man sized chocolate buttons on teh school run (about 200 cals) and pasta with tuna for lunch. Have also just eaten two activia snack pots which I shouldn't have done. Might give the 5:2 diet a go next week.

Well done Octopus. I'm really struggling with my bad eating habits at the moment too and you've inspired me to make a change as of tomorrow. My aim is for 3 balanced meals and to save one treat until the evening if I need it - as opposed to eating sweet snacks and biscuits throughout the day like I usually do.

Have also given up alcohol, initially for a month, so that will help me with unhealthy snacking too.

Keep going, and well done so far x

Today, have eaten:
Cheese sandwhich, comprising two slices of Warbutons granary bread and 1 slice of lerjammer light cheese
Carton of Tesco Tomato and Chilli soup
10 almonds

Have also eaten:

1 ice cream Mars bar
A Tescos feta and olive slice with some potato wedges
An Activia snack pot yoghurt

Know my weight loss has only been a pound and know it will be slow as I'm not looking to lose loads, but for the first time today feel a bit trimmer

Have also just eaten some olives (prob about 12), but they weren't in oil.

Today:
1 pack of Belvita biscuits
1 Activia snackpot
1 sandwhich made with two slice of warbutons seeded and 1 slice of lerjhammer cheese light
10 almonds
A Teaser bar
pasta with a tomato and chilli sauce and vegi meatballs

Have just eaten 9 aero bubbles (145 cals). Will take a will of iron not to eat them all. Onwards and downwards.

Today:
1 pack of Belvita biscuits
1 Activia snackpot
Salt & Vinegar squares crisps (about 100 cals worth)
Cheese sandwich, made with two slices of Warbutons seeded and a slice of lerjammer light
1 Kelloggs caramel rice crispies square
A Tescos Moroccan crisp bake and some McCain Caribbean wedges, a couple of curly fries
Aim to not eat any more today, but feeling very tired, drained and wound up due to kids tbh. Onwards and downwards, plan to weigh in on Tuesday to see if I have lost anythng.

Just having a cadburys highlights hot chocolate, just want to eat and eat today, but really trying to fight it.

Octopus, can you eat eggs? I wonder if you are getting enough protein.. Also if you are vegetarian you might not be getting enough iron, hence the tiredness. Leafy green veg?

has anyone said how terrible this food intake is? OP, if you have an eating disorder please get help. If you don't:

you say you are a veggie. I can't see any decent veg in this.
you are eating a lot of sugary rubbish; the Activia yogurt, the biscuits, the cakes, the fatty fries, the ready meal (sugar and fat), the sugary 'breakfast biscuits', the sugary low-fat cheese.

almost no decent carbs: two slices of wholemeal bread, that's it.

if you always eat like this you are lacking most basic nutrients. No wonder you feel like death warmed up.

please, please throw away all diet food, it is ALL a con. Low fat means high sugar. Yogurt does have calcium but most brands are high in sugar.

and please, please eat some veg, some protein, some complex carbs, something fresh. Don't do faddy diets (5:2, Atkins, anything that involves paying out money. Do this:

www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/eatwell-plate.aspx

2000 calories a day, 40% good carbs.

move for half an hour a day and then you can have sweets or cakes. If you eat more sweets or cakes, move more.

please think of your kids.

good luck.

I appreciate the advice and what you are saying. No I don't have an eating disorder, I did have nearly 20 years ago and cause of that I will always have to fight binging a bit which I manage to do. Maybe it doesn't seem like it to everybody, but in view of a busy lifestyle (not saying I am a special case btw), I am doing my best.

Today I have eaten:
1 pack of Belvita biscuits
1 Activia yoghurt
1 Greggs Bombay veg roll (250 cals, they are new)
10 Almonds
I'm going out to a friend's house later, so will prob have a bit of a treat.
I've decided against doing the 5:2 diet for now as I think it will make me feel rough cause I do do a lot of walking, mainly out of necessity as I don't drive.
My weight loss has been 3 pounds so far, taking me down to 8st3, want to lose 3 more pounds then stabilise. I know if I go below 8st I look too old, people have told me this before, which is not great when I am heading towards 40.

Agree with special subject, that is really poor eating.
Processed crap, lack of fruit and veg.
You only weigh 8 st so unless you are two feet tall cannot be huge.

I am doing 2 day diet but not the fasting one....I've lost 5 ibs in 3 weeks and am not hungry at all.

Hang on, have just re-read this. You're 5'5" and want to weigh 8 stone? Why?

I have a busy lifestyle. 99% of us on here do. You are trying to suggest you're a special case, actually. We're all juggling work, kids, money, home, partners. We all find eating properly tough, making sensible choices, finding the time to cook, etc. Sometimes we manage it, sometimes we don't. But you are making an awful lot of excuses.

I'm going to try and be kind and suggest that maybe you have fallen into the trap of 'as long as it's not meat, it's ok'. I think that can happen when you eat veggie. But you're a veggie who doesn't even eat veggies! I really hope you have strong ethical reasons for being veggie, and not health reasons because...well...I think you can see where I might go with that one...

I agree with everything special subject says. And, you know, everything everyone else has said. Dump the low-fat, sugar-laden SHITE and the sodding breakfast biscuits. Please. Eat some vegetables, and some fruit. Get some protein. No one is suggesting you have to start getting up at 4 am and baking your own bread or get 3 home-cooked meals on the table day after day but, for the sake of your health (mental and physical), eat some actual FOOD.

Still under NC but I don't know if this will help. I had a chocolate/cake problem. Could eat far too much in one go, was constantly hungry and had low blood sugar so would eat to feel less shaky (vicious circle)
I dumped all sugar and pretty much all carbs. Yes, the first 3 days weren't good but I stuck with it
My entire body shape has changed, I lost 9kg and continuing. Inches off my waist
A typical day for me (and my PT tells me I still don't eat enough)
Scrambled eggs or omelette for breakfast (with butter and spring onions/cheese)
Salad and feta for lunch or soup
Protein shake after work out
Nuts as a snack
Stew/casserole/fish/other protein for tea with sweet potato (mashed with butter) and more veg
I had to spit out dark chocolate because it tasted vile and strawberries are like pure nectar to me now. My energy soared, I can train harder in the gym, my blood sugar is stable. I eat virtually no processed food. Also drink 3L water a day
Once a week I have ONE treat meal of whatever I want (pizza, syrup sponge) I pay for it the next day with a horrendous stomach and go straight back on the wagon

Forgot to add I also have tendency to binge eat. Start by taking a decent multi vitamin everyday and its nearly summer so look at some fruit for a sugar hit if you want, melon, strawberries, raspberries

To be honest, I have decided thats its probably for the best that I don't post on this thread anymore. I appreciate and I am taking on board some of the advice that has been given, for example more protein etc. I know I am not perfect, but I am trying to work with what is sustainable for me without getting in the diet mode and getting too obsessive. I'm sure lots of people could do far better, but lets face it if everyone was completley sorted about food, weight etc, there would be no need for this board. I'm also reaslistic about my weight, the reason I need to be quite low is cause I am small boned and extra weight shows very easily. I cannot help feeling that people aren't as hard on people on this board who have far worse eating/lifestyle habits than me and who are considerably more unhealthy. All in all, think its better that I walk away now, but I am not going to be discouraged from trying to improve.

Definitely don't be discouraged. Even if you only make one change a week and keep it up. I work full time and find prep is the biggest thing, and making sure to have easy to grab things in as well as stuff like fresh soup/batch cook that you can just heat and eat
Good luck

All it sounds like is advice has been given here

Where do you get all the chocolate from? Can't you just not buy it to not tempt yourself?
I'm sorry but it's not healthy at all, and def won't help loose or maintain weight. You feel hungry because there is t much to each meal in the day, from your listing I can't even see meals some days just snacks

Biscuits for breakfast- just have any other normal breakfast will be better! Something like weetabix take 2 mins to eat. Scrambled egg in a mug, 2 mins in microwave.

Fat free yogurt - is a joke. They take the natural fat out and replace with extra sugar or aspartame . Just each natural /Greek yogurt full fat

Gregge/ pastrys/ toast for lunch- really? That's just sugar in disguise or plain carbs - almost anything is better. What about a houmous/ tuna/ salad sandwich? Or some soup? Ready made salad? Combo

Highlights hot choc= sugar and water. At least just buy some decent cocoa if you are going to drink it

All the sugary/ refined choc- that is a huge amount. If you really really can't go a day without then try darker chocolate. Generally the higher the cocoa content the less sugar

Veg and fruit needed as barely there. I would look online at all the types of food you can eat that are easy/ quick with high protein etc to keep you away from sugar.

I know you say time is a factor, but it is for many. I have the same problems. However I can still prep and eat a healthy breakfast/ lunch in 5/10 mins if needed. It isnt gourmet but scrabbled egg/ beans are 2 mins in microwave, porridge 2 mins if soak overnight, cereal seconds to pour, etc. soup ready made is 2 mins, ready made salad, mix in tin fish, add an avocado are all mins to prep.

Octopus, I think we've all just tried to offer advice. If it's sometimes come across a bit harshly then maybe that's because posters have been genuinely quite shocked by what you've posted. People don't tend to mince their words on anonymous Internet forums....

I completely understand that you don't want to get obsessive and go into 'diet mode'. That's totally fair enough. Things is, you're already very very slim and actually teetering on the brink of underweight, so probably 'dieting' shouldn't be on your radar at all. Your focus should, imo, be on eating better food. If you did this, not only would those last few pounds fall off naturally, but you would also Feel Better, which I'm tempted to suggest is at the root of this thread anyway.

You've said in many of your posts that you are exhausted, stressed, wound up etc. I promise you that a change in eating habits, a focus on fresh, real food instead of crappy processed snacks, would do a lot to help that. You say you eat loads and are always tempted to binge. That's partly because you eat foods that send your blood sugar crazy, which makes you crave crap and feel crap. It's a vicious circle.

You're absolutely right, we are none of us perfect. I'm sorry if you've been upset by this thread but I hope you will be able to take something useful from it.