Has anyone here successfully changed their eating habits?

[undeterred]

I spent an hour with a dietician today. I've just gone through a lot of medical testing, most of which has turned out very well except for having "hyperlipidemia" or high cholesterol and needing to lose some weight. My blood pressure is low and I don't smoke or drink but my eating habits suck. I was almost embarrassed to discuss them with her except I figure she's heard it all.

The emphasis is really on changing eating habits, not on changing numbers, and for that I am thankful. There were no lectures, no you'd better get these numbers down or else... but I'm not sure where to begin. I live alone and mostly eat alone, which makes it easier to change and easier to cheat!

[grace0418]

1. You can do it undeterred! I did! Both my husband and I have completely

overhauled our eating habits and we've lost 70 lbs each (with lots of exercise too). We've focused on eating lots of good, minimally processed foods, not diet foods (most "diet" foods make up for being low fat with being high in sugar or some other processed junk). And we definitely do not look at this as a diet, because we plan to eat like this the rest of our lives. We eat every three hours or so and always keep tons of healthy snacks on hand. We still enjoy dessert, and other goodies, just in moderation.

I think the secret is portion control, feeling satisfied and not depriving yourself. It's much better to savor and enjoy a small piece of really good chocolate than to eat a box of Snackwells and still want more. It's better to slowly overhaul your diet than to go on some crazy fad diet that will only leave you either feeling discouraged when you fail or unable to figure out how to keep the weight off once you've done it.

Start by replacing little things in your diet. Use whole wheat pasta and bread instead of white. Bake a sweet potato instead of having mashed potatoes or fries. Make homemade low-fat, veggie-packed soups and have a bowl with your meal. They will fill you up without a lot of calories. Have a spinach and arugula salad instead of iceberg lettuce. Dip strawberries in melted dark chocolate instead of having ice cream with hot fudge. Use mustard instead mayo. Sprinkle some flaxseed meal over your cereal or yogurt. Have a small handful of nuts instead of a high-calorie, low nutrition snack. Keep lots of fresh fruit around and eat it when you have a sweets craving. Have tea instead of juice with breakfast, eat the fruit instead for more nutrition and fiber. Keep a list of power foods on your fridge, buy them and eat them as much as possible. Most of those lists include things like yogurt, soy, beans, salmon, walnuts, flax, oats, berries (esp. the dark ones), dark green leafy veggies.

My husband had to work on cholesterol control as well and added oatmeal, flaxseed meal, and nuts to his diet. I've always eaten these kinds of foods so my cholesterol levels are great, even when I weighed my highest weight.

And most of all find a place where you can ask questions and get support. There are a lot of resources out there. I found that sparkpeople.com was *really* helpful when I was getting started. It's free, FULL of information and doesn't advocate any specific diet- just overall lifestyle changes. The message boards alone are great for finding people in the same place you are who can offer support and guidance.

Good luck and PM me any time if you have any questions.

:hi:



*edit, I accidentally posted before I was done*

[undeterred]

13. thanks, grace!

:hi:

[Shine]

51. Excellent post, grace. Excellent suggestions, too.

:applause:
I'm a big fan of flax seed oil drizzled on steamed veggies! ;9

:hi:

[LeftyMom]

2. I went from a standard american diet to veg overnight and vegan in a few months.

My advice- Just decide what you want to do, do it and don't cheat. It's harder to be realistic yourself about how often once-in-a-while is with those once in a while indulgences than to just not eat them. Pretty soon your tastes will change and you won't want most of the things that will tempt you at first.

[undeterred]

5. Its funny you should say that

A couple things I've given up- one was diet soda after realizing the damage it did to my teeth. All I had to do was say just this once, and suddenly I was back in the store buying 2 liter bottles again.

We have this terrible fat-filled place called "Culvers" in Wisconsin. So that all of us can really LOOK like we come from the dairy state and sit around eating cheese and ice cream all day. Culvers makes the "Butter Burger" with the most wonderful french fries and a "Turtle Sundae": all fatty comfort food. And I'm telling the dietition that this is my weakness and she's telling me I don't have to be harsh with myself and give it up, just don't do it every day. Well, I wasn't doing it every day, but doing it once every 2 weeks is not going to make me lose my taste for it.

So yeah, you have to give it up. Right now I'm eating Havarti cheese and a pear.

[grace0418]

14. I urge you not to completely deprive yourself. Tell yourself that you're giving it

up "for now" then see how long you can go without having it. But don't say "I have to give that up forever" or you'll just crave it incessantly. When you do go to Culvers, take away part of the bun, or cut part of it off and throw it away before you even sit down, or don't have the sundae, or skip the fries. Have a little indulgence may be enough. You may even surprise yourself and find that you don't feel like it anymore. Some of the foods I used to enjoy don't even appeal to me anymore.

I've been surprised at the things I haven't missed. I thought I would go crazy not having ice cream, but I haven't eaten any in at least six months and I've been fine. I also thought I'd miss pasta way more than I have. I still have it sometimes (whole wheat), but I don't crave it too much. But pizza is another story, I crave it all the time. So I either make flatbread at home or I order from specific pizza places that make super thin pizzas without too much cheese. And then I simply have fewer pieces.

[Connonym]

45. But Culvers is sooooo good

I've been thinking about going vegetarian for the obvious health reasons and also because I'm scared as hell at what they're feeding the animals. Giving up diet coke too for the exact same reason as you. Wish I would have done that years ago before my teeth started demineralizing :(

[MAGICBULLET]

3. in my opinion

this is probably one of the hardest things one has to do. it requires more will power than anything else being that most of what is available to us, and most of what is affordable, is just pure crap but very tempting. I would start with following a strict routine and not stray away from it by having heavy snacks between meals. It all really depends on your taste, if you absolutely despise bland foods and are used to lots of condiments or spices then that sort of adjustment may be difficult for you. There are too many specifics to be able to tell you how to begin b/c it all depends on how you cook, how much you cook for yourself and how much you get into the habit of eating out.

[undeterred]

7. I like bland, don't like spicy.

[Lost-in-FL]

4. Might sound like a pain in the... but

the best way to keep your food in check is to get a diary and write everything you eat, even bites of food. That way you really know WHAT you are eating. You'll be surprised of all the crap one can eat in a day. I have lost 38 pounds doing this, exercising and cutting my processed foods and SUGAR! Sugar is EVIL!!!

[soleft]

6. eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full

Most people don't do that.

[reformed_military]

36. Yes, but...

If you eat quickly, you can actually be full before you realize you are. You might need to stop before you are full.

[Beaverhausen]

8. Yes- I'm on Weight Watchers and go to the meetings every week

I have learned about making good choices and about portion control. I have lost 32 lbs in 16 weeks.

You can do it- you have to make up your mind, then get the tools to help. WW works for me.

[Shine]

53. Good for you, Beaverhausen!!

:applause: Well done. :thumbsup:

:hi:

[trof]

9. Yes! And it worked!

I've lost about 40 pounds over the last 14 months.
1500 calorie diet.
Go here to find out about it:
http://walking.about.com/cs/walkoflife/a/dietportions.htm

Basically eating smaller portions and eating more healthy.
It works and no pain.
You really get used to it.

[undeterred]

10. My dietician was naming people who've had weight loss surgery

and gained it back- Randy Jackson from American Idol. I guess you really have to do the work and change your ways to make it stick.

[grace0418]

12. Yeah, I've known a couple of people who had the weight-loss surgery and then

had to have MORE surgery to get rid of all their excess skin because their bodies couldn't keep up with the rapid weight-loss. Sadly, one of them has now gained a lot back. The surgery is great if you are in dire straits, but you have to also learn how to get a handle on your eating and lifestyle or it's not going to work.

The slow way may be loooong and a pain in the ass (it's taken me 10 months to lose 70 lbs). But if you lose the weight and get healthy without the shortcuts, I think you'll be much better equipped to keep yourself healthy in the long run.

[JanMichael]

11. Yep, we became vegetarians

First we got a dog that resembles a piglet....and I googled "piglet photos" and saw how they are forced to live on those "farms."

That was the first meat to go. Couldn't look at Scout and eat bacon, or ham.

Next...was ground beef. The mad cow stuff convinced me that trusting the inspectors who are overworked in the USDA processing plants was stupid. That was easy enough.

Then we read about chickens....how their little beaks are cut off, and they live in dark small boxes, peck each other....you get the picture. I like chickens. That wasn't hard....

We still eat fish, and some seafood. I am beginning to have doubts about that now.

We just do not want to be a part of an ugly cruel world.

There are other things too...no more leather shoes, only local milk and butter from farms where we can visit the cows---organic veggies from the co-op--that are NOT from some big assed "organic" farm that caters to WalMart.

It's really not that hard. This is going to sound stupid, but if you really want to change....quit thinking about your health and force yourself to look at PETA videos. You will be so upset at those animals being mistreated that you will NOT be able to put a bite of that disgusting meat in your mouth. And then you will slowly get healthier as you look outward at your place on the earth. It sounds corny, but it worked for us.

[undeterred]

15. I don't really eat that much meat now

and the dietician wasn't really pushing more meat, just more protein, one way or another.

Fortunately, living in Madison, there are a lot of people committed to alternative diets and we do have a wonderful local farmers market with lots or organic farmers, and this is a great time of year for getting started.

I have a dog too... but he loves meat.

[JanMichael]

17. We tried to talk to Scout about becoming a vegetarian

but, she looked at us like we were insane. ;)

So, she eats Solid Gold Hund 'n Flocken that we buy at the co-op. My wife works at a vet clinic on the weekends as a receptionist while she is in school, and they laughed at her for the doggie hippie diet.

Right to the point of the recalls.....

[undeterred]

19. Well, some dogs love fruits and vegetables

My mothers doberman loves carrots and she begs for apple cores- I think they like the crunchy texture. The doberman actually gets diarreah if you give her meat scraps. I think that's pretty unusual.

But my current dog has no interest at all in fruit or veggies and he loves meat. His current food is made from chicken and oatmeal.

[Critters2]

40. The Beagle is vegetarian, vegan even

more so than me. It's really very easy, and she doesn't know she's not eating what every other dog eats. We even rotate between different brands of veg dog food, to make sure she gets a well-rounded diet. One brand she was eating went on the recall list (though not the veggie food from that company), and I dropped that food from the rotation. Other than that, she's a healthy, happy vegan beagle!

[Flaxbee]

39. also check out the Vegetarian, Vegan and Animal Rights

group on DU - at the top of the page, there is a thread with NOTHING BUT recipes -- some good stuff in there.

[supernova]

16. I've done it several times

I used to do low-fat in the 80s because that was considered heart healthy then.

Several years ago, I did Atkins


Probably the best first move you can makeis go through your cupboards and remove the stuff that doesn't fit your new regime, then replace it with foods on your new plan. That way you won't have old food hanging around to temp you. If you want, you can give the unwanted stuff to the food bank, that way you won't feel like you're throwing it away.

Lately I've realized I have a slight wheat intolerance, so I'm in the process of getting rid of that stuff too.

[VenusRising]

18. One of the best things I ever did

was to stick to the outer perimeter of the grocery store. When you start getting into the aisles, that is where the real processed stuff is and where you are most likely to impulse buy. If you just stick to the outside, that it where all the freshest food comes from.

It was amazing the difference it made in our overall health. The only thing I really go into the aisles for now is sugar, flour, and spices.

Try it once. You'll be surprised at how many alternative, healthy decisions you make.

[undeterred]

21. Honestly, the grocery store is part of the problem

The stores here are ENORMOUS. I am shopping for one person. So I have to park in an ENORMOUS parking lot and walk through an ENORMOUS store to stand in the ENORMOUS line and buy $10-$15 worth of food for a few days. And I am tired, and it just seems so much easier to pull up to a drive up window at a fast food place and be done with it.

I know I need to put more time and effort into this, but eating has become a real drag- I don't even enjoy takeout, I'm just eating to make hunger go away. But using the ENORMOUS grocery store and parking lot is really not fun.

[bicentennial_baby]

23. Learn to cook more!

Come down to the Cooking and Baking group! You can buy plenty of dry goods and freez-able items to make many meals with! :bounce:

[undeterred]

24. there's a cooking and baking group?!

:bounce:

[bicentennial_baby]

27. Here you go!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=236

and Welcome in advance! :bounce:

[undeterred]

30. So have you all heard of

http://allrecipes.com/

I've been getting a recipe newsletter for a couple weeks but haven't tried anything yet.

[bicentennial_baby]

31. d00d, I can give you a brazillion recipe links!

I am the Queen of Culinary Bookmarks! :bounce:

Seriously, if you want help, PM me. I'm a foodie, and very resourceful in that regard. :pals:

[sniffa]

33. eww

that pLace sucks bad. :puke:

series!1!!1!!! they actuaLLy have recipes that say open can, put in pot, cook.

[VenusRising]

35. I use a lot of recipes from that site.

The nice thing is that you can pretty much always find a recipe on the internet that suits your particular tastes.

[Dora]

52. Allrecipes.com has had spotty success with me.

I've had some real stinker recipes from there. I finally gave up on it.

I really like epicurious.com - you can create a recipe file to store recipes, and their search engine rocks. One of the recipes in my box goes back to 1998 - creme brulee french toast (I highly recommend it).

[VenusRising]

25. I guess it doesn't help to say...

but you're getting a nice walk out of the trip. :shrug:

Heidi would probably pelt me with frozen peas if I say that too loud. She hates grocery shopping, too.

We actually go to a butcher to get our meat. All of it is grain fed straight from the farmer. Maybe that in combination with a farmer's market for fruits and veggies would be a good way to go about it.

I wish you a lot of luck, because it's so hard to change habits.

Now, if I could just quit smoking. :grr:

[undeterred]

28. I went to a small market tonight to get fruit and vegetables

and I enjoyed the experience. Its a little more expensive there, but aesthetically pleasing- everything looks and smells good. I guess I have to make it enjoyable somehow and the huge superstore with glassyeyed people and overflowing carts and millions of signs and coupons just makes me want to get out quickly.

[LeftyMom]

26. Do you have any small health food stores? Or a Trader Joes?

TJs is pretty small and most of their stuff is in smaller portion sizes.

[undeterred]

29. There are smaller stores, parking is an issue.

I have to figure out when I can go without getting stuck a couple blocks away. Not that I mind walking, but I don't want to buy more than I can carry.

[Critters2]

42. I hate the huge grocery stores, and avoid them as much as possible

I'm so glad the Farmer's Market is opening next week! In season, I go there first and get everything I can--fruits, veggies, bread, jellies and jams, even dog treats (yes, one local baker makes great vegan peanut butter biscuits that the Beagle LOVES!!). For vinegar (which I use for cleaning) and non-edibles, I often go to Aldi, precisely because it's small. Then, I go to Kroger, but only shop in the Organic/Natural Foods section--for chips and other snacks, flour, veggie foods, etc. I don't wander all over the store.

Anything I can't get in these places, I don't need. I'm even more committed to shopping this way since all the dog food recalls and wheat gluten concerns. I do my best to buy local.

And yes, this effects my diet. I tend to less processed, high sugar, high fat foods this way.

[Burma Jones]

54. Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding......

This is the easiest and most effective thing you can do..........

[lizerdbits]

20. I feel so much better when I eat better

that I could never eat processed food in a box on a regular basis because I would feel like shit. If my vacations involve gatherings with a certain branch of the family I feel horrible at the end because they plan meals focusing on potatoes and desserts with virtually no fresh veggies or fruit. (It's kind of rude to refuse and go get a salad somewhere else.) Anyway, I'm not sure if you feel OK now but you will likely feel better and that will help you stick with it. I also don't crave sweets if I eat well (except during certain hormone episodes). A great filler is veggies of course, and whole grains. I'm really hungry after getting back from the gym so I have a big salad to avoid eating too much of other things. DO NOT deprive yourself! You may find you eat a bunch of other stuff to avoid eating your favorite treat and still wind up eating it. I've also found exercise almost addicting. I love the feeling after doing some weight lifting. If I skip too many days I start to feel like a blob. If you're eating a lot of processed food you must not cook much but maybe you could see if there are cooking classes in your area. That way you can control everything that goes in your food.

Best of luck!

[wildhorses]

22. it can be done --- and it gets easier. good luck to you

you can do it:bounce:

[LisaM]

32. I stopped eating trans fats, and try to avoid high fructose corn syrup

And also NutraSweet. I've lost just a few pounds, but I don't seem to gain weight anymore. I found pop that is made with cane sugar. The only thing I can't seem to control re the HFCS is bread - most has it. So I don't eat too much bread. Just switching from margarine to butter has seemed to help, and the other interesting thing is that with real food, not modified stuff, my appetite seems automatically lowered. Part of the issue with trans fats, HFCS, and aspertame is that they turn off appetite control triggers. I am very slowly losing weight without trying to.

[u4ic]

34. Yes - went gluten and dairy free

talk about a huge change!

It was quite the shock, but I did adapt. There are plenty of alternatives for me - though I did give up bread totally. Rice or bean flour bread isn't particularly appealing to me.

[Coyote_Bandit]

37. Yes

I too live alone and mostly eat alone.

When I started trying to change my habits I thought I would do it gradually and slowly over a period of time. Great theory. Sounds good. Didn't work so well. I still craved the not so good foods and they were there and readily available - and still acceptable to eat. I found it very hard to change by reducing the frequency or amount of not so good foods I was consuming.

I started writing down all the food I ate. It was time consuming to calculate nutrition. I either had to look it up in a book or on a website. Even cut and paste on the PC could become cumbersome.

Eventually I bought some software to use. I monitor my food intake and my exercise now. That has helped a lot. The software came with a good size database but I can enter nutrition information off any label to record consumption of the food. I can also input recipes and get their nutrition information. I didn't realize how poorly I was eating until after I started doing this. Now I know my calorie, protein, fat and carb consumption - and I can break it down further if I want. It takes me about 5 miinutes each day to input.

I've also discovered that planning has been critical. I eat good foods that I like. I know their nutritional content. It makes it easier not to overindulge or splurge on extras.

One thing I did early on was make a determined effort to try new kinds of foods and to learn to prepare the ones I liked. Vegetarian resources and cookbooks were helpful because many vegetarians include a wider variety of spices and healthy foods in their diet.

Good luck. You can do it.

[ThomCat]

38. Every vegan/vegetarian who wasn't raised that way

has successfully changed our diets. :)

There are a lot of people here who are proof that you can totally change your diet successfully.

[RebelOne]

41. I went vegetarian almost 10 years ago.

And I'm still meat-free. Believe me, it makes a big difference in your weight. I have not had a weight problem since I gave up meat.

[Connonym]

47. How do get proper amt of protein? Can anyone recommend an informative

book or web site that gives sound advice on how to configure a vegetarian diet? Especially for my kids I want to make sure they're not lacking in protein and stuff.

[ThomCat]

49. Protein is rarely a real problem.

Unless you're eating a lot of fried starch you won't have a protein shortage. I've been a vegan since I was 20 (19 years now) and I've been instructed by my primary doctor to cut down on protein because I still get too much. Almost everyone eats far to much protein.

The only good advice is to eat a varied diet. If you eat a little bit of a lot of different things you'll get what you need.

[JitterbugPerfume]

43. I have made some major changes

no red meat

lots of fruit and veggies

fat free dairy

nuts and whole grains
NOW

if I could just quit eating so many eggs.

and I backslide occasionally (like last week end)

[supernova]

44. Yes, I switched from low fat

to moderate protein and low GI.

I've let go of wheat and wheat products like bread because I have slight sensitivity to it and it makes me feel awful. Now I stick to protein and low GI fruits and veggies. If I want bread or pasta now, I use gluten free products.

[Lilith Velkor]

46. Yes - from anorexic to eating regularly

I used to set an alarm to remind me to eat, then got habituated.

[Whoa_Nelly]

48. Good news re: reducing high cholesterol

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070430125516.htm

"Pistachio amounts of 1.5 ounces and 3 ounces -- one to two handfuls -- reduced risk for cardiovascular disease by significantly reducing LDL cholesterol levels and the higher dose significantly reduced lipoprotein ratios," says Sarah K. Gebauer, graduate student in integrative biosciences, Penn State, to attendees at the Experimental Biology meeting April 30 in Washington, D.C.

Read mor at link :hi:

[DFW]

50. Just saw this--I have exactly the same thing and almost died from it

I had a few shoulder twinges, and knew my mom had high cholesterol,
so I went to see a cardiologist. He did a stress-echo test, and when
he looked at the monitor, told me to get dressed and to the nearest
cardiac clinic immediately, do not pass go, do not have dinner, but
get my ass there while I was still alive. I didn't feel a thing--have
low blood pressure and do not smoke or drink--sound familiar?

I had two, count 'em, anterior coronary arteries 99% blocked, and was
with a day or two of a massive, and possibly fatal heart attack. The
cardiologist immediately put in 2 stents and told me I was the luckiest
guy in Europe that day. The next day, the brought in the dietician and she
told me the same think--oats, flax seed, no butter, no red meat, no eggs,
no cheese (THAT one hurt).

Since that day, my wife cooks only with olive oil (no more butter) and we
get our olive oil from a private olive orchard in Spain that costs twice
what that same orchard sells their stuff for commercially (we get ours
pure and undiluted, whereas the store stuff is diluted with olives from
Morocco and Greece, as well as who knows what else). My wife is a master chef,
and has made the switch with ease. As for me, I have been so rigid in my
diet that my cholesterol count went down to 67 for my LDL at last count
(from 170 before my near-miss). The doc was so pleased, he allowed me
one cheese omelet, 2 lobsters and one steak--per year. I don't deviate,
much as it pains me to spend so much time in Europe and not be able to
touch the cheese.

I figure--I had my fun, and if I don't watch it, there won't be any more
fun to be had anyway.