Healthy habits for 2018 - join me?

[lasttimeround]

I need to stop with diets. They don't work for me long term. I'm trying to build up healthy habits. I feel dieting is leading to compulsive overeating when diets end or binges when I fail. I want to get off this track this year. I'm committing to being healthy, or at least healthier, every month this year. I'm going to log a new practice each week or so and monitor if I'm managing to make them stick. Anyone going to join me?

Hi all, please can I join you? I've been dieting for the last 20 years, and while I'm not currently at my heaviest I'm certainly not a healthy weight! So that went well... Am really trying to focus on health and self care now instead of crash dieting and punishing myself - its a work in progress! My habit this week would be to drink at least 8 cups of water/green tea. Won't add weighing myself into the mix as I want my success to be measured in actually achieving the habit, not what the scales say!

Welcome thatsnotmybody I find not weighing myself is returning my sanity. I am feeling better regardless of what the number might say.

What do you put in your green juice lasttimearound?

Linda - the body interpreted the signals you feel for needing water and for being hungry the same way. So it is possible you think you are hungry, but actually need water.

lasttime sounds like you're doing great!

Last week I managed

Water 7/7
Sugar 5/5
Exercise 3/3

So a good week despite mysteriously being heavier today than I was last week. I'm going to clock that one up to hormones and hope it isn't the start of a trend!

This week I'm going for my 5 a day being all veg, and having fruit as well instead of as part of the 5.

Onwards, everyone. We can do this!

Liz - really well done that's a top score! I like your veg goal.

My green juice is half a green apple, celery, a leafy green handful, ginger, and lemon or lime.

I've been seriously upping veg in my diet for a while plus green juice since new year. And oddly my body odour has improved. I have whiffy pits. Or I did. Was really a problem. But it's not so bad now - there's an unexpected bonus.

Hi can I join too? Struggling with very low iron levels at the moment and have zero energy to keep to my rather ambitious New Year’s resolutions. So this week I aim to start simple and drink plenty of water and take my supplements.

Hi greyandgrumpy welcome. That sounds like a good place to start. I recommend liquid iron if you can get it.

I'm just reflecting on the benefits of getting away from the scales. It's helping me appreciate exercise for what it gives me. How I feel after. Rather than trying to work out impact on the blasted scale. I'm aldo working on just focusing on my exercise plan 3x run a week nit endlessly thinking about doing more. Just doing that and doing it consistently. I couldn't go last week as it was icy znd really noticed today how it helps my mental wellbeing. I feel better after.

Hi can I join you all please, I think this weeks habit is also going to be eating at least 5 veg plus a piece of fruit a day.

Welcome yumyum wishing you a good start.

Can I join you? My diet isn't terrible but I've crept up in weight over the past few years and I really need to stick to an exercise habit.
I've started sessions with a personal trainer at the gym and joined My Fitness Pal to track food (I've never 'dieted' so had no idea about calories, and am apparently falling short on both protein and fibre). But I think my 'habit' needs to be more exercise - something every day and gym at least three times a week.

Hi all. Can I join you? I'm overweight and have started and stopped more diets than I care to remember. Including Rebelfit! I'm rubbish at sticking to anything at the moment. I go all or nothing and it's usually nothing. And I drink too much.

I did find the Rebelfit approach interesting and I signed up and paid for two 'missions'. I bought some books on Intuitive Eating and Why Diets Make Us Fat. Haven't read them though!

Drinking more water is something I definitely need to tackle so that will be my first habit. I don't drink much coffee but have about six or seven cups of tea a day.

I need to start exercising again. Am a member of a gym and like walking but have done nothing since before Xmas but I am booked into a spinning class next week.

My eating can be ok during th day but a switch flips sometimes and suddenly I eat crap! And then it's oh sod it and I eat more crap. I am sick and tired of the start, stop and feel like a failure yet again.

I read an article on the Woman's Health Mag page from the US mag about a woman who lost 40 pounds by focussing on nutrition rather than th scales.

Thanks lastime! Succeeded with 5 veg yest, but I forgot the challenge a bit already skipped breakfast this morning and had tea and coffee which I am ok with but doesn't help with veg mission. Anyway saw this thread just now when I di a cheeky mumsnet threads I am on check and it will hopefully refocus me so I can at a scrape meet the target for today.

Cider I can nod along in agreement with so much of your post - good luck with your new drinking more water habit. You too with exercise Patch!

Hello more new folks!
Patch - I really think avoid a too stringent diet. Move more cut the obvious crap out znd be patient. I think quick diets have ended up getting me here. I lost sure, bug gained it all back plus some each time. And my head is screwed up too.

My experience is the same as you yumyum Consistency is what's hard. Doing something not massively difficult or requiring much attention but doing it each day without forgetting. I suspect the secret to long term weightloss lies in the tiny adjustments done consistently over a long time.
Someone listed lots of app above- those might help with reminding you. (Sorr6 can't look it up just now)
Have a good day everyone

Sitting here drinking my water instead of my usual tea at this time. Going into my neighbour for a coffee at 11 though.

And I have ordered myself a diet plate to help focus on portion size and eating more veg. And a diet planner. Not wanting to be on a prescribed diet but want to be able to keep track of all my new healthy habits so even if I have a biscuit I can look back and see that the rest of the day was good.

Wishing you steady going cider. When you signed up for rebelfit did you do the missions? I'm curious as to what they are like

Yes I did the missions. Bronze and silver at the same time which was a mistake. Bronze is all about mindset etc. No dieting as he is trying to get everyone off diets. Some people gain. It gradually moves to nutrition and working out how to eat. Prepping food etc. Silver is more about exercise and you can join mini missions focusing on a specific area of fitness. It's very much his way or the highway and he kicks people out if they question him. Deleted the whole group at one stage and you had to reapply to join by answering questions correctly - one being had you ditched your scales. I lied and got back in. I get where he is coming from - he is very anti the whole diet industry - but not sure it was for me.

Oooh - I was looking at RebelFit - followed on FB and it's interesting reading, but I'm not planning to sign up (I kind-of agree with what he says re. the diet industry but have never tried a diet so don't actually have any first hand experience).

@lasttimeround thanks! I'm never going to be very stringent - I love food! But I think just being aware of eating habits might help me improve them. I've gone 'over' the recommended calories every day so far but I'm hovering around the number my PT suggested so not too worried. It's just made me think a bit - and put back that second packet of crisps!

As for exercise I've been walking when I would usually drive (at least 30 min a day) and am upping gym from 2 to 3 times a week. I'm considering a class of some sort but I have form for quitting after just one or two sessions so we'll see!

@ciderwithbuda - a diet plate sounds interesting - is it a portion control thing? I weighed my cereal this morning and discovered that my usual 'portion' is 2x the 'portion size' they suggest on the packet! The amount of sugar in it is also scary.

cider Rebelfit sounds a bit harsh! Could be good if you are in the mood for it though.

Good you aren't in the I must achieve maximum pounds lost every week mindset patch

There was someone up thread trying to adhere to max sugar guidelines as well. They may come back. I do think cereal is scary - I think without sugar you basically are left with weetabix and shreddies. I remember the moment of standing in a huge asda cereal aisle and thinking that out of the 50 or so cereals on offer only 2 were relevant as actuslly food as opposed yo 'crap that is edible". Now I don't notice the others anymore I found it relatively easy to just stick that into the stuff I don't eat category. I think restricting by portion size always creeps back up again.

Tbh I think my sugar intake is ok but certainly worth watching! It's the amount of fat (even 'good' fat) in things that's taken me by surprise.

I'd forgotten t about shreddies being sugar free - thanks for the tip!

Patchwork - th diet plate is divided into four - half veg, a quarter each carbs and protein. Yes - portion control. I ordered mine from Amazon. Also available from Diabetes UK. Amazon have melamine ones or China. I went for China - don't fancy eating off melamine all the time!

Cereals are a nightmare. I stick to porridge. Not the quick stuff either. Proper porridge. I have with almond or coconut milk, blueberries and a sprinkle of nuts and seeds. In summer I love Greek yoghurt with a chopped nectarine and a sprinkle of nuts and seeds or a low sugar granola.

Hi, mind if I join you?

I have had a restrictive eating disorder in the past, so dieting is off the menu. I want to focus on nutrition, intuitive eating and exercising to feel stronger and more comfortable in myself. I want to cut down on sugar because I do have a tendency to reach for the biscuits (or chocolate or cake) when I'm low or stressed, I also want to make sure I'm getting enough protein.

Iam those seem like really good aims, intuitive eating sounds interesting.

Your porridge sounds delicious Cider!

I am going to have to restrain myself to only pick one habit for Monday, so many bad habbits to tackle Think it is going to be sleep - so in bed by 11.00pm. I am also going to tighten up on the veg by weighing when practical to make sure I am not underestimating. There is no way I can eat 80g of bagged leaves though - 50g so half an average pack will get a portion tick for me, more doable and practical!

Last week's score
Green juice 7/7
Physio 4/7
Veg at meals 6.5/7
Exercise 3/3

Feeling really good. Interested to see what scale will say at end of month. Next habit is to establish set eating times and absolutely no eating in between.

Hope everyone else is doing well.
Hi Iam welcome. [waves]

OK I caved on not weighing myself. I was getting myself in mental knots about what I would decide to do if this approach meant no weight loss. I feel infinitely saner but I'm overweight and that makes me unhappy as well as unhealthy. But restricting seems to equal bingeing. And so on and do on in my head.
So I've weighed. I'm down 3 pounds this month. On a strict diet that might be 4 possibly 5 pounds. But I'll happily take a more moderate loss plus sanity!

That's a good result last. I'm a pound up on last week. Wasn't great on the water after all last week.

So this week - water and no alcohol and using my portion plate and no crap.