Not quite ready to diet healthy eating thread

[SlothWithACloth]

I’m not quite ready to go full on diet mode but I want to switch to healthier eating. All the lazing around and eating has left me feeling a sluggish and my jeans are definitely tighter
The plan is to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and veg day, drink 8 glasses of water and have only one ‘treat’ food a day.
Also planning to do daily exercise which will likely be a walk most days.
Daily vitamin supplements are on the cards too as I usually forget.

Jump in to this gentle thread if you think this is for you and we can motivate each other

This sounds good, although I actually don't think I'll be able to do five a day yet, maybe three, at a push.

Walk or gentle run every day sounds amazing.

I defiantly need to do this thanks for starting the thread, have got into very bad habits over Christmas. Sounds like the perfect way to get started. Weather is not making me want to go out for a walk atm but will try to get on board with the 5 a day. I'm also really bad at drinking water so will have to work up to the eight glasses a day.

I’ll join you! I’m following various threads but am not quite committed yet and don’t have the capacity (or inclination) to really go for it until all the Christmas chocolate has been eaten.

I’m eating better meals and not buying any more snacks in order to wean myself of it! And today thinking about doing a 20 minute work out if the baby will let me put him down for that long.

Gentle work out though

Me please - I really can’t face a proper diet on top of homeschooling! However, 90% of the clothes I’ve ordered in the last couple of months have been too tight so I am reluctantly conceding that it isn’t just one shop’s sizing. I am intending to introduce a few changes, but nothing too drastic.

1. No sugar
2. No crisps
3. No takeaways
4. More exercise

I started no sugar on Thursday (after finishing the mince pies) but tonight have had crisps and a takeaway. I’ve done a long walk today, but I am really bad at keeping it up during the week. 5 a day sounds like a great idea - I reckon today I might have had 3, at a push (you probably need to eat a lot more than 3 slices of cucumber to count it as a portion!). Oh, and I ordered vitamin D tablets on Fri and they should arrive tomorrow!

Great! Nice to have people joining in. Good plans too.

Today I had 2 portions of veg with dinner and a pear as a snack so didn’t get my 5 in.
I went for a 8km walk though

Tomorrow I’ll focus on the veg and fruit.

I don't like dieting as well. My way to go is counting calories and healthy eating (no takeaways or delivery, less fried food, more vegetables, etc). I also keep an edited picture of myself on my fridge so that I'd see my future result and stayed motivated (Photoshop or Photodiva will help you with that, if anyone's interested), and have a WaterMinder on my phone. I'm thinking of getting a fitness tracker as well.

I tried dieting and it made me binge so going to stop doing that now. I'm having three meals and keeping things healthy ish.

Today have had a Purition smoothie for breakfast mixed with a banana, and a small pack of the low sugar Nairn oat biscuits which I'm allowed through the day with coffee. Also a healthy tomato soup and wholemeal bread for lunch. Apple and tangerine, for fruit and trying a new Gousto meal this evening.

I'll join, I desperately want to lose weight. I find it hard to eat right due to sensory issues and I also find it hard to leave the house to exercise so think I will try and go back to doing a Lucy Wyndham Read video in the morning. It's good when I stick to it as less than 10 minutes long.

Can I jump in? I'm not overweight but jeans too tight at the moment and because I'm a runner I notice the extra couple of kgs. I already do 16:8 every day, so only eat 2 meals, but need to cut out wine in the week, eat nothing in between meals and reduce chocolate in the evening. Meals to be as low carb as possible. I can't increase the exercise I do because I run 10 miles every morning, dog walk and cycle when the weather permits.

Is anyone else looking to reduce alcohol as well I wonder

I'm going to try just drinking a glass of wine at weekend days (instead of most days!)

Sorry just read others are cutting out wine in the week too

I've been doing the healthy eating thing for the last 3 years or so. I'm past diets because I always end up putting everything back on. Have lost 25 lbs and maintained this weight loss. A diet should teach you long-term healthy eating habits and not just be a temporary solution imo. It's the only way for me to maintain any loss in any case.

I eat 3 sensible meals, fruit/veg snacks and water in between, plus 2 small treats a day. If I eat a bit more one day (e.g. Christmas) I just eat normally again the next. It's not super restrictive and therefore easy to pick up again. No ideas how many calories I eat.

Weight loss was slow (less than 1lb/week) but I was in no rush. Daily weigh-ins kept and still keep me on track.

AngelSings, thank you, that’s really heartening to hear! That’s pretty much what I’m aiming for in the long run - a sensible maintainable diet with proper healthy eating habits. Glad to hear that it does work!

Yesterday work was ridiculously busy, so that combined with first day of homeschooling (I’m in Scotland) meant that I didn’t manage any breakfast and was starving by lunchtime! I ended up eating cheese on toast with cherry tomatoes and an apple for lunch, chicken fajitas for dinner (homemade apart from the salsa - I did make guacamole from scratch!) and had blueberries and raspberries with cream for pudding, plus some random grapes before dinner. So I had apple, berries, grapes, red and yellow pepper, red onions, cherry tomatoes and avocado - not all in whole portion sizes, but a good start! I also did a Metafit workout and a short dog walk - meant to go out again with dog but I was feeling really weird in the evening, probably sugar withdrawal!

Today work should be quieter so I’m going to make porridge with blueberries for breakfast and Cullen Skink for lunch.

Great idea, I’m really struggling with food atm

@AngelSings great to hear it works.

Yesterday was good. I had pepper, onions and mushrooms in an omelette
Tomato and cucumber with lunch
Courgettes and peas with dinner
Pear as a snack

@TooExtraImmatureCheddar love seeing ideas and menus. Sounds good too.

I still forget to drink water. I’m going to focus on that today.

I'm also home schooling and had soup at 12 noon yesterday with the DCs..but then was hungry mid afternoon and ate 2 hot cross buns...was quite stressed too so just going to try and eat lunch a bit later today which might help. I mean it is fine to snack etc but had planned not to be eating those buns. More fruit etc.

Anyway here's for a better day today. Going to have breakfast around 10, lunch around 2, and dinner around 6 and do a 16:8 fasting type thing to see how that goes.

@Orangeblossom77777 sympathies. It’s a struggle so easy to reach for comfort. I ate a bar of galaxy plus two custard creams during the day.
Which is pretty awful when I’m trying to be healthy but this thread helps me to be aware of those kinds of lapses so I can try to avoid them.
Fingers crossed for today.

@SlothWithACloth yes drinking a lot of water, and a large glass before a meal can definitely help with reducing the appetite. Often when we feel hungry we are in fact thirsty apparently, so it's always worth drinking water before reaching for a snack.
I'm so pleased that hot cross buns aren't available where I live I loved them when living in the UK.
@Orangeblossom77777 I know red wine is my downfall so am trying to cut it out completely in the week. If I can reduce overall weekly consumption to 2 bottles over a weekend that will be good for me I hope your 16:8 fast goes well - I've been doing it for ages, a few years ago lost 6kg with 5:2 and fasting is a good and cheap way to lose or maintain weight.
I found a box of forgotten Christmas chocolates which isn't helping to reduce overall chocolate consumption this week.

Red wine is also my downfall and going to try and keep to weekends, know where you are coming from Jemen

I have had banana in the smoothie, made the DCs apple tangerine and banana as well for their snack at the same time. Going to have a veggie stir fry later I think.

I'm trying hard to cook proper meals again after a pot of quick easy options over Christmas etc. Problem I have is I'm so tired most of the time, thank you fibromyalgia, and packing our house so we can move that the thought of food prep makes me feel utterly despondent. We have been having a lot of soup, healthy and quick but I want to reduce my freezer contents also. Last night I made garlicky fondant potatoes and we had baked salmon and tenderstem broccoli and green beans. Tonight I'm making rice with a selection of veggies and ham chunks mixed through.

Fibro here too tough it sucks.

I know sugar/simple carbs and some sweeteners seem to make pain worse for me so I’m trying to cut back on them - but it’s so tough isn’t it, when there’s so little energy to begin with.

I’m trying to cut back on evening snacking by “closing the kitchen” after dinner. And otherwise just actually meal planning including lunches.

Today I’m making a massive bolognese in the slow cooker with loads of veg, and tomorrow a big leek and potato soup. Hopefully there will be lots of leftovers from both that can be frozen

www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/lockdown_health_tips

Just sharing this as seems to fit in well with the thread. Also tiredness here from possibly fibro type stuff along with being on some meds. Doesn't help does it. Trying to be kind to myself today, feeling lazy and unfit. Have not even done the simple yoga and laid in bed instead.

I like the idea of batch cooking and freezing, nice to do in this cold weather. Might try that. I make a nice veggie curry which is cheap and cheerful.

I think I could do this! I am in!