Don't know how to eat normally??

[weemissnaughty]

So I bop in and out of this site and have been on diets for years - usually slimming world or weight watchers - but I've somehow ended up much bigger than I started! I've now realised I'm either "good" where I go a shop and its all fruit and veg etc or "bad" and its junk/chocolate etc... I genuinely don't think I remember how to eat normally... I'm going for calorie counting this time (and buying fitbit) but I don't knkw what to get from the shops today for the weeks food because I'm always following one strict diet or another???? What do normal people eat that's "healthy" in the sense of normal meals with the odd treat???

 

[Emmaline]

That's an interesting point WeemissN, who is normal?
It's more to do with your likes and dislikes isn't it?
Personally I like fruit and veg but I love bread and that's my biggest enemy because of the carbs.

I would suggest you stop classing yourself as good or bad as that is quite a defeatist way to deal with your problem.. I prefer a day off plan as a blip..we all have them from time to time however hard we try as that's only being human, hey?

I see you have already found your suggested daily quote of calories and for your height that seems quite reasonable.

All the best to you..

Onwards and Downwards!

 

[Minerva]

I found that thinking of food as either 'good' or 'bad' wasn't helpful to me. Obviously, there are some foods which aren't as nutritionally healthy as others (sweets, chocolate, cake...), but everything in moderation is where it lies. I calorie count and that means I have a choice of where to spend those calories - and while I totally could live on cake, it wouldn't be very good for me and I could only have very little per day... so I choose to spend my calories on more wholesome, filling options, trying to make sure I get the nutrients I need. After a while these choices become much easier and by cutting out sugar I no longer want the "bad" stuff. It just doesn't make any sense. I plan ahead and have some days that are marked as "off days" from the regime and to give myself a goal to work towards, so it motivates me to keep going and breaks up the long stretch of dieting.

For shopping - would planning some meals ahead work? Maybe having a look back as some SW recipes or even the Tesco meal planner as they have calorie counts for their meals there? I usually buy some protein (be it portions of frozen fish or fresh chicken) and then plan what would be a fitting side dish (like vegetables / portion of rice), and then decide whether I wanted to curry it, or make a stir fry. Keeping it simple is usually the best way

If I want a treat, I usually buy WW yoghurt pots (only 50 calories each!) or if I really fancy - some fruit, even though due to their sugar content I avoid it as it just makes me more hungry during the day.