How to change eating habits?

[Andrew Gubb]

I think maybe this would have been a good question to ask a lot earlier in my diet quest. Fact is, though I can do a burst of stressful self discipline and eat "perfectly" for a little while, this just doesn't stick. I want to know how I can change my habits indefinitely.

I think I've been eating too much because of a sense of "void" as well as a dose of self-hate and a secret desire to destroy myself. Let's say I'm working on that pretty hard, and I think I'm getting the esoteric part of it down (or at least making fine progress). But my physical habits still haven't changed much. Now I want to grab this bitch by the horns and have done with it.

What did you do when you were changing your diet habits?

Searching "How to Change Diet Habits" on google is useless. Someone with a hugely successful personal development blog and a working knowledge of NLP should step up and fill that gap..................... Steve?

(Or just give me three years and I'll do it)

[Peek]

yeah Andrew,

I know what you mean (I guess). It is the search for instant fulfillment that food gives, fat, sugar, salt, are mostly the ingredients that do the trick on your taste buds. And the fact that the stomach is giving the 'full' signal after 45 minutes (give or take) instead of the usual 20.

It is the mindset we have that makes us do that, so ( and this is taking time) we have to create and nourish a mindset that shows us how good, vibrant we are if we life well. Or find a solution that makes us feel the same what food does to our lingering minds.

If anybody has a solution let me know too. I do not mind having bad habits, but this one is too much.

Now where is that bag of potato chips?

Love and take care of thy self

[Eric Roosevelt]

What I try to do is to choose on or two days of the week (e.g. friday or saturday) when I'm allowed to eat some junk food, but eating healthy for the rest of the week. That way I always have something to look forward to, and it feels better than stopping outright. What I've found is that after a few weeks my cravings for junk food have actually been steadily decreasing. Hopefully it'll decrease to the point where I have no cravings whatsoever, or at least very rarely.

On the other hand I don't know what type of changes you'd like to make. Are you thinking of becoming a vegetarian or vegan, or something along those lines?

[Andrew Gubb]

[QUOTE=Eric Roosevelt;354539On the other hand I don't know what type of changes you'd like to make. Are you thinking of becoming a vegetarian or vegan, or something along those lines?[/QUOTE]

I already am; but I'd like to eat less, eat more low-energy vegetables like carrots, and generally stick to the foods I know agree with me. I know I should eat more rice and quinoa and less wheat and potatoes; I should have lots of lentils and avocadoes; and stop snacking altogether. To eat slower and more consciously, with gratitude and enjoyment, rather than trying to win a war against the foodstuffs (so far nothing's ever eaten me back, but I know it's only a matter of time if I don't keep my edge).

That's what I want

[ginkgo]

I am an expert on this but some people do not like when people say this. I am saying this not for you to judge if I am humble or proud, but to consider the information and see if it is expert or not.

As far as the "perfect diet" you would need to eat the perfect combination of foods, in the perfect amounts and the perfect times of the day. There is a way to do this temporaraily and use your willpower. Fasting on pure water fulfills all the above requirements so it is the only perfect diet. It was done by Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Pythogoras and many others.

As far as "having done with it", do you think that it is that easy to go from being an animal to a god. The animal lives by instincts only. Eating and sex were made the most enjoyable things to to do for survival of the individual and of the speces. So it is the purpose of their life and they have no problems with it. The problem is that you have an animal body with those same traits but you have something else or more than that.

That is why humans have all these problems. They are not animals, but posess a human body. This also deals with the purpose of your life which is different than an animal. This is a huge subject but I have a webpage about it called Enlightenment. If you did have an optimal or almost perfect diet, would you then live forever? No, but unlike animals you wonder about this since you are an immortal, eternal being as taught by Socrates.

So if you were Jesus then it would be easy. But to make these changes, do not create a lot of stress doing it since the stress is worse for you than a bad diet. Make little easy changes that are not stressful. Like for example try to chew more since people gulp food without chewing enough (some suggest [not me] to chew each bite 40 times). Also drink as much as much as you want before eating but then do not drink again until at least an hour after the meal is done so as not to dilute the stomach acids.

Notice that you are getting more perfect, but with baby steps. What about digesting fruit with all that water in it. It needs no digestion since it is pre-digested so eat it first on an empty stomach so it can pass through quickly. Then eat other foods 15-20 minutes later. Those other foods will take hours to digest. Eat the healthier foods first since then you have less room in your stomach for unhealthy foods.

These are all easy things to do. For example you have raw fruit first. Then eat a raw salad next. Then after that eat your duck's liver (pate), cooked rat and dog, your chicken neck and back, and then your cakes, cookies and candies. But you can slowly increase the former and decrease the latter. Also do not worry a lot about it since the stress is worse than a bad diet. This is why many with bad diets live a long time-- very little stress. They are all interelated. In fact the stress from trying to improve your diet can make you eat worse.

Again since you have an animal body, your emotions are strongly interelated to the foods that you eat and the sex that you have or do not have. Emotional problems can cause someone to eat so they weigh 400 pounds or they become a rapist. For an animal they are the 2 best things-- eating and sex. But in you there is the struggle between the animal body and divine soul. For Jesus, he appeared to be celibate and did fast for 40 days. Note that it was only after the fast did he heal the sick, walk on water and bring the dead back to life. Note-- I am not a Christian but just commenting on the story about Him.

[James81]

The best way to change your eating habits is slowly, over time. (at least for me it is)

Instead of saying "Monday, I am going to switch a healthier diet," instead decide that you are going to replace one meal (or one habit) with a healthier choice.

For example, if you have junk food around the house (like chips), stop buying junk food and replace it with nuts, yogurts, fruits, etc.

Get used to that change (while still eating what you want for your meals). Then, after a couple of weeks (3 weeks at minimum), replace something else. Instead of eating eggs and bacon for breakfast, eat oatmeal or fruit or whatever else healthy. Continue eating what you want for the other meals, and repeat the process until your diet is healthier.

Transition into it is what I am saying. This is a marathon, not a sprint, so you need to pace yourself.

And allow yourself to cheat once in a while. It's ok to have some junk here and there, just don't let it get out of control.

[WordKeeper]

I heard two fascinating interviews with Dr. David Kessler, former US Surgeon General, on NPR last week. I encourage you to listen and see if his ideas speak to you. If so you might want to read his book.

Mind Over (Food) Matter: Combating 'Overeating' : NPR

[David Cain]

Hi Andrew,

Look into mindful eating. That means eating slowly, paying all of your attention to the act of eating. You'll end up eating less, enjoying it more, and gravitating towards foods that your body appreciates.

I have found this approach to be much more effective than willpower in changing my eating habits.

Here's a great post about how to test the waters with mindful eating, it's actually really easy but it will change the way you eat if you do it.

Your Mindful Eating Mission

He has other posts about mindful eating but this is a great place to start.

[cheropride]

I am on that same path too, honestly I am on a lot of paths of change lately, and what I eat is one of them...

This though has recently been pretty easy for me. I have just accepted and actually want it. In the past I would complain about oh it's so expensive to eat healthy food, or it's to hard, ect. This was my mind set...

Now I am like soooo looking forward to going to Whole Foods tomorrow. Yes, it is more expensive, but not as expensive as getting ill or missing work. Besides, once you have tasted good healthy tasting food, you wont go back... Still trying to get my 10 year on the ban wagon so to speak, but little hard. Just a couple days ago he talked me taking him to Burger King. For the first time, I was thinking thoughts OMG what is in that suff, ah it looks horrible. Heck just a few weeks ago I would told them can you make it two...

It is a mind set, absolutely. Now don't get me wrong, I still have my little things, like my coffee (which I have switched to Organic and cut WAY BACK!! replaced that w/Green Tea). And I splurge w/a glass of Red Wine while cooking... And not to say to that I will never have a beer again.... I heard this said, if it is sacrafice it ain't no fun and you wont do it. So try to make it fun, and look at trying new things. It's not to say you can't NEVER eat what you want, but each thing good thing is ONE MORE GOOD THING you put in your body, and that's a good thing....

Best of luck...

[MissVlo]

Yo!

Changing your eating habits is not easy, but rather than adopt an all-or-nothing approach, it's better to find a moderate balance. It's more a matter of cutting back than doing without entirely. You can soften the impact of making adjustments to your diet by cutting out unhealthy foods gradually. For example, balance your diet over the course of a week, not just one day. If you now eat red meat every day, try cutting back to three times a week. The same goes for foods high in saturated fats, like butter, cheese, ice cream, and high-fat snack foods. The goal should be to reduce your intake of fat so that it represents no more than 30 percent of your total calories. You should eat a wide variety of foods, with the largest portion of your calories coming from complex carbohydrates, especially those found in whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits.

None of this will matter, however, unless you want to change badly enough and really decide to commit to it. Changing your eating habits requires a lot of discipline and hard work, it is not at all easy.

All the best to ya.

[Aware]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gubb

I think maybe this would have been a good question to ask a lot earlier in my diet quest. Fact is, though I can do a burst of stressful self discipline and eat "perfectly" for a little while, this just doesn't stick. I want to know how I can change my habits indefinitely.

I think I've been eating too much because of a sense of "void" as well as a dose of self-hate and a secret desire to destroy myself.)

You sound like me, last week. Self-sabotage - own worst enemy. Why would someone want to destroy themselves? I know exactly what you are going through eating wise. I have come very far in doing a lot to get through it and I am progressing. I have read up on procrastination habits etc., I have perfected my diet, etc. All I can say is KEEP at it, don't give up and just know that you will fall and that you will get back up.

This is a good forum with helpful people and I hope someone can give you a really concrete solution but you need to dig deep into yourself and actually ask yourself what do I want and then go for it. If you really want to change your eating habits you must drown the part that is sabotaging you. Do it, don't try

[Hanselich]

As many here said, changing slow is crucial, beside the fact that you should also somehow follow the changes in your diet by noting down what did you stop eating and what are you eating instead of it. If you are trying to reduce calories input you should also note down how many kcal are you consuming after the change.

[Indiana]

Slow is definitely best. I find the best strategy is not to worry about what you shouldn't eat, but just to focus on increasing the amount of the things you think you should eat.

I've been gradually changing my diet over the last five or six months. I used to be a vegetarian, but started eating meat (organic only) again about six years ago. But I've been heading back towards vegetarianism, and increasing the amount of raw food in my diet.

These days I always have a raw breakfast and often a raw or mostly raw lunch. For dinner I have gradually tried out more and more vegetarian recipes. Until a week or two ago I hadn't made the decision to eliminate meat permanently, but recently I did. (I still eat seafood.) At first I had a few moments of freaking out – "Oh no! I'll never have a delicious roast chicken again!" – but then I stopped and thought about it, and I haven't even cooked roast chicken in about eight months, without ever having made a decision not to. Obviously it's not really that big a deal to me.