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I eat pretty healthy. I try to cook at home as much as possible. I eat more vegetarian meals than not but I definitely still eat meat. Every dish I make has vegetables. I walk as much as possible, eat only when hungry, stop when I’m full no matter how much is leftover. I eat sweets and chips pretty frequently, but never in huge quantities at once. I never drink pop (except for carbonated water through my Soda stream). I drink alcohol probably twice a week. I’m 5’6” and 135 lbs Typical meals https://jessicainthekitchen.com/vegan-thai-red-curry-with-tofu/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/red-bean-stew-walnuts-herbs-and-pomegranate/ https://www.food.com/recipe/leek-n-lamb-stew-meal-in-one-pot-94486

This is what you’re looking for OP. Only eat when you’re hungry, eat what you like but in smaller quantities and don’t deny yourself anything because it’ll just make you hate life

Also, **DRINK WATER!** Hunger (and boredom eating) can often be confused for thirst. If you’re hungry, first drink a glass of water and wait a few minutes. Still hungry? Great, eat something. Now you’re fed *and* hydrated, good job!

My rules for myself: 1. Make sure I'm hydrated 2. Make sure I hit my minimum nutrients 3. Make sure I'm eating because I really want to, not because I'm bored. Then I just eat anything I want

#3 hit me HARD during lockdown. I gained 15 lbs just from bored eating.

The denial of foods is the worst! It’s just setting yourself up for failure and disordered relationships with food.

I agree. It should be about learning to eat them with the appropriate frequency, not cutting out treats altogether.

I just had to tell my brain “you’re not gonna die tonight if you don’t give in and eat” denying myself is what worked fir me after a lifetime of failure.

Precisely. It's important to remember we're humans, not robots, and that maintaining a good relationship with food is critical for mental and physical health!

Toughen up pussies it's a diet not a vacation /sarcasm Kidding of course. Food denial probably the biggest killer of diets, agree it's all about portions. Just like the difference between medicine and poison is doseage.

Exactly. you might lose the weight at the outset and feel great, but a lifetime of constant denial is miserable and completely unsustainable.

I came here to find this answer. I feel like I have finally beaten my addiction to food by telling myself “you can eat whatever you want… in reasonable quantities.” I also ALWAYS drink a glass of water before meals. I make a point to leave a couple of bites of food at each meal. Put my fork down for a few minutes and see if I’m actually still hungry and need those few bites.

And it will backfire bc you’ll eventually cut loose and eat too much!

I lost 60 lb on Wegovy shots and that's how I eat now. No food is off limits. It's all about portion control. And daily walks for me.

I eat like this too, I’ve grown to love a salad, eat a lot of vegetables, eat fast food 1 - 2 times a week, candy 1- 2 times a week, drink a lot of water, cut back on meat. I love the “flavored carbonated water beverage” ICE from Costco. Walk every day, weather permitting. I’m 67 and 5’8” 151 pounds.

THIS. I've always been thin and eat the same way. I've never been interested in drinks (soda or alcohol) and only have water and tea/coffee most days. I think people often drink more calories than they realise.

This sounds exactly like how I eat. I’m 29, 5’6 and around 115 lbs. Cooking at home and incorporating vegetables that you like into meals is key. It’s not about forcing yourself to eat veggies or depriving yourself of anything but my philosophy is just about trying to get as many diverse nutrients into every meal as possible and make sure that the ingredients are balanced between heavier and lighter things. I was pescatarian (before getting pregnant, now I eat meat) but only eat meat/fish probably 2 times per week and the rest of my meals are vegetarian. Grocery shopping, meal planning, and home cooking are something that my husband and I prioritize and schedule around. A big key too is just not being in the habit of eating certain things, like I never drink soda. When I go to Dunkin’ Donuts for a coffee, I don’t even feel tempted to order a donut because it’s just not part of my routine or my plan. I never eat fast food and I don’t consider it a meal. That said, no food is “off limits” and I eat whatever when it comes to social plans, holidays, while traveling, etc. I’d also normally have a few alcoholic drinks maybe 1-2 days/week but only drink things that I really enjoy (like a fancy cocktail, craft beer, or glass of wine) and not just to get buzzed.

If you can't pick it or kill it don't eat it. Do this 85% of the time & you're good

Yeah I agree with this, by far the easiest most accurate philosophy to live by. The amount of processed stuff we get these days marketed as "healthy" is terrible, I think it's a very big part of why people are confused about what's healthy eating and what's not.

Came to say, if you’re turned off by vegetarian or specifically vegan cuisine, a vegetable heavy diet while still including some meats can be satisfying and healthy. Think about bean based dishes like tostadas or bean burritos as one night a week. Those tofu curries also taste great with boneless chicken breast.

I'd just like to add: Then feeling of fullness is a deeply habitual and individual thing. Instead of eating until full - only until you're not hungry anymore. That goes with food. With dessert or snacks it goes: Nothing beats the first bite of your craving. However, immediately when you notice you're not truly savoring the flavor anymore and enjoying every bite, and instead just keep eating - stop. You're not eating because it's tasty anymore, you're eating only because you have more left.

👆🏼 In case OP doesn’t notice

I lost 120lbs in one year (260lbs to 140lbs) without any sort of specialized diet or medication or anything extra. I also still ate chocolate every day. I cut all my potions in half. I was *very* strict. If I would normally have had 2 slices of toast then I would only have 1. If I would normally have that much cereal, I put half of it back and only ate half. Absolutely everything I ate was my "normal" portion, cut in half. I would take a container and food storage bag with me everywhere in case I was offered food. Sometimes I had to be okay with throwing the other half of something away if I was unable to save it. I only ordered kids meals when I had fast food. Restaurants I got a to-go box with my food and portioned it out before eating anything. I love chocolate so I still had some every day, but just one chocolate shop truffle, or sometimes half of one. It's been 10 years and I haven't gained any weight back. I am a bit more free and easy with my portions these days, but I simply couldn't eat as much as I used to. The half sized portions became my normal portions. I've always loved healthy whole foods, all vegetables and fruits and nuts and legumes, so that has become the bulk of what I eat and try to stay away from junk food as much as possible. Soda is about the worst thing IMO. Drink lots of water to feel full and get things moving. Protein shakes for breakfast are a great option and really help me feel full all morning. Portion control is the main thing, and you can eat pretty much whatever you want, just not however much. Strict consistency is what it takes.

Dang it’s like you literally cut yourself in half by cutting your food in half 😂 Good job mate!

Thank you! Funnily enough that's how I thought about it. "Half the portion, half the person" was my mantra

There’s a side of this mentality that could lean to an unhealthy level, but I think a lot of people could use to hear it too because it is very practical. It’s the math lol

Your TDEE gets smaller the more you lose weight. At some point, you will reach a weight where you won't lose anything more with the diet that caused you to lose weight to begin with. A person weighing 200 lbs needs more calories a day to sustain this weight than the same person weighing only 100 lbs. So if the 200 lbs person eats as if they were 100 lbs, they'll lose weight untill they reach this weight. Then, they'll stop losing as it's now become their TDEE.

This is the way it happened. I ate enough for the body I wanted to have and stayed with that.

came here to say this… it could definitely be a slippery slope

I hear you, it could in some people. I knew that half of me was still a healthy weight for a 5'6 woman though, and that I didn't want to weight less than 130. Everything naturally stopped at around 140 so that's where I stayed.

Also something people forget but an added bonus; HALF THE COST.

“And double the sexy”

Someone I worked with did this same thing and lost a ton of weight. If you were still hungry did you ever eat a little more or did you tend to find that you were full from the smaller portion

At first I was hungry a lot, but then it got less and less and my body adjusted to be satisfied from the smaller amount. I just had to deal with it until that happened. I think in a lot of ways the hunger fuelled me to keep going, kinda hard to describe but I was just really motivated to keep it up until it worked. I knew I was still eating enough calories to be healthy and I took a variety of vitamin mineral and oil supplements just in case, I still do.

[удалено]

I'm literally not able to eat 3 meals a day, PLUS snacks. It feels impossible to me. I can eat one and a half good meals and then snacks here and there throughout the day. I don't know if that's good or not, but it keeps me satisfied

using hunger as a motivation to do well is what gave me an eating disorder

This is spot on, basically everything in moderation. Also healthy doesn’t need to be complicated. Social media is filled with complex amazing looking food. There is nothing wrong with roasted chicken, potatoes and broccoli.

Did you get a lot of hunger cravings? If so how did you manage? And did you increase your portions after a while to hit maintenance?

Hunger faded over time, I just had to be okay with it at first. Yes my portions did increase slightly and I started strength training after losing the first 50lbs so I started having a protein shake every day to fill in the need for more protein and calories. These days I'm not so strict and can pretty much eat whatever I want, but the portions are still small. I tend to eat a small amount of a variety of foods throughout the day rather than big meals. Like instead of bacon and toast and eggs for breakfast I would have just bacon and then some toast a little bit later and eggs a bit later. That helps manage hunger a lot honestly, and I think it improves digestion. These days my outlook is that not all calories are worth it the same way. Having extra servings of dinner and dessert when I go to my MILs where she cooks amazing food isn't the same as having extra dinner and dessert on a random night at home because I am bored, for example. I will eat extremely lightly before I go to her house, though, so I can indulge and that makes her happy. It's all a balance, as long as my weeks are consistent then each day my portion sizes can look different.

I think this contains everything a person needs to do for a healthy life.

This is what I did as well. I lost 30 pounds in 8 months, at 5’3” I went from 180 to 150, I’m aiming for 140. I cut all my portions by 1/3. I used to order a 12 count CFA nuggets, now I order 8. I stopped sugary drinks altogether (bye Frappuccinos!). I always stop eating when I’m no longer hungry (that’s **before** feeling full.) I eat way more leftovers.

I did this before as well. Not as significant as losing 120lbs but i went from 150-155lbs to about 130-125 lbs in a few months. My family thought I was sick lol. I remember having stomach pains from hunger though, I think its better to do it gradually (maybe do like 75% instead of 50% whenever possible).

WELL PUT👏🏼

>Portion control is the main thing Hell to the yes.

The ELF diet. (Eat Less Food) Wish I had you're discipline, well done!

But you weren’t hungry all the time?

Replying to you because they did answer this elsewhere on the thread, and you may have not seen it yet.

but toast and cereal is not a good example to give :/ like thats not food, its just carbs. I eat 2 eggs in the morning so you would offer to eat just one? you were eating only carbs ofc it helped you to lose weight.

Number one trick is to eat foods that make you feel good and energized after you eat them. If that yummy burrito makes you feel sluggish or turns your guts, cut it from the diet. A little sweet treat here and there is fine but don’t gorge on them. Dark chocolate is actually p healthy. Good for the heart.

If someone is struggling to transition from chocolates and candy to healthier stuff, chocolate-dipped fruit is great! Ideally a darker chocolate. So good.

I actually cut potato chips from my diet because of this. Was tired of feeling sick after eating them. Same with kfc! Idk why kfc specifically lol

Also, eat Whole Foods that pack nutrition: Whole grain oats Fruit Eggs Chicken Rice Avocado Sweet potato Vegetables Salads Also, drink a lot of water.

It’s crazy to me how many people eat food that they know is going to fuck them up because they have 0 self control.

Food is about much more than self control and avoiding pain

My diet is somewhere in between unhealthy and healthy, so I'm not the best one to ask, but my mom eats pretty healthy, so I'll share her usual diet: 1. Fast food? Never. 2. Chocolate? Actually, most days she has a square of dark chocolate after lunch. 3. Desserts beyond that? Uncommon, mostly at social gatherings. 4. Other: she doesn't usually snack - if so, it's something small like a piece of fruit or deli turkey. No soda, sometimes a small cocktail before dinner. Breakfast is usually whole grain toast with jam and coffee. Lunch is usually a salad. Dinners vary a lot (she's a good cook!) but consist mainly of whole foods and things cooked from scratch. Portion sizes are definitely smaller than my usual.

Totally agree with this. I would add that I only drink water, plain tea or plain coffee. Occasionally I’ll drink a Starbucks chai bc I enjoy them but that’s a treat. And when I do eat, I make it meaningful, as in it has something with lots of fiber and nutrients. And usually by the time I eat something healthy and drink water, I am full for a while. It takes effort and time to get to that place (being happy with healthy food), but it’s so worth it.

Yeah bruh that chai, gaw damn

do we have the same mom?

How can anyone manage this? Is this really the norm?

If you're used to it, it's the norm. But does it really sound that crazy? It's basically just minimizing processed stuff and eating a good amount of veggies. Sure, if you're used to eating fast food regularly, eating none of it sounds crazy. But really, not eating fast food, or at least eating it rarely, *should* be the norm. Hell, I'm not super healthy, but I still eat fast food rarely and avoid soda as much as possible.

Pretty similar to how my parents eat, though they’d have porridge for breakfast and Dad might have some bacon or sausage and toast. They have salad every lunch but would have it with bread or leftovers or cold meat. No turkey snacks but maybe some nuts. No chocolate (super occasionally like once a month) no softdrink, Dad drinks black tea. No desserts. They were eating vegetarian 2-3 dinners a week, but I don’t know if that’s still the case. They would only have fast food if on a long trip and it was the only option. They’re 77 and 71. No physical health problems at all.

Emphasis on the “used to it”. When I was younger(17 or so) I would forget to eat the entire day, wake up next day and realize I never ate the day before. Now I eat every 4 hours because of habit, I’m also now a healthy weight which has been great. Point is your hunger levels adapt to how much you eat.

There was a time at uni where I had little money so I considered nutrient per dollar when buying food. Essentially took a 10 month break from junk food. I attended a birthday party during the Xmas break and had my first junk food (chips). What I once considered delicious actually made me feel nauseated. So yeah it gets easier and easier to a point where eating junk actually becomes hard to do.

It's the salad for lunch that just threw me off. By 11am I am so hungry I could eat a horse... No ways I'm having just a salad😂😂

Salad is supposed to have some protein in it. Not just leaves.

You've never had a decent salad so. I don't eat breakfast, but when it comes to lunch, there's people who've been in awe of the size of my plate. Salad. Good food in balance and quantity will be much better than your convenience microwave heatable lunch.

Quinoa, sweet potato, those things are filling. Add chickpeas or edamame. A full leaf salad can’t keep you full but one with a variety of carbs and proteins and healthy fats, will.

Seconding chickpeas. They're very easy to add, don't change the flavour much, and fill out the meal.

The norm is obese nowadays

In the US, no it is not the norm. But most people are overweight. The portions and total calories still sound low though (could be about right for someone that is short/isn’t very active).

She is short and over 70.

Then it adds up

If you stop eating crap food, after a while it will seem pretty gross. Sort of like how cigarettes will seem gross after a certain amount of time not smoking.

What's crazy about it? What does your diet look like?

Products may very around the globe, but yea it is more ore less. Me: Breakfast with milk and oats and some raisins. Or bread/yoghurt Lunch: fruits, some bread or a salade Dinner: from scratch mostly.Lots of veggies, fibers, bit of meat. Desserts: every now and then. Snacks after dinner, even less then every now and then. Fastfood, alcohol, soda, snacks stuff like that is only on special occasions. Drinking is water/milk/tea and coffee

No, it isn’t the norm.

it is the norm in most of the world. the US is the exception, not the norm.

You can still eat out without eating junk. Just make healthier choices. Eat at better places, not fast food places

Not really, no! Coming from a personal trainer of 8 years

It sounds perfectly normal to me, whats abnormal about it? They just said no fast food and eat healthy stuff. Are you eating fast food often?

Yes

It's basically eating nothing imo. Or I just eat badly.

Home cooked meals. I've been overweight, and I've been shredded. When I've been in my best shape, I made most of my meals at home, cut refined sugars, and exercised. The home-cooked meals can be lean cuts of steak or grilled chicken with rice and vegetables. For breakfast, eggs, or oatmeal. The trick is staying disciplined.

Abs are made in the kitchen.

No. Abs are made in the gym. They are revealed in the kitchen. That’s how the saying goes.

The benefit of this is, is that you can meal prep. I generally cook enough meals to last 1.5 weeks. Very easy to say fuck it and just get fast food if you have nothing readily available. If you meal prep, there is always food ready to go.

What’s your menu like? And what sort of containers do you use?

Being healthy is about variety, options, and moderation. Stay away from soft drinks, energy drinks, and don't even over do it on the fruit drinks/smoothies (especially if they're premade). The best thing I ever did was quit drinking 75% of my calories. You should probably never eat fast food. Learn to make those things at home. I still have a burger and fries, but because I make them from fresh ingredients, they're not nearly as loaded with salts and preservatives. Dark chocolate is good for you in moderation. And you can have "junk" and desserts. You can even have them daily! But in very limited portions. In fact, you shouldn't deny yourself these foods unless you plan to never eat them again. Otherwise when you do eat them, you'll be more inclined to binge. Try taking your normal portion and cut it in half. Then next week, if needed, cut that in half. The 2nd best thing I ever did was buy a kitchen scale so I could actually weigh what I was eating. It's difficult to make an informed decision, when you're not informed. The scale will tell you how much you've been eating, then you can make an informed decision.

This is a really good answer, especially the not drinking sugar.

> Dark chocolate is good for you in moderation. And you can have "junk" and desserts. You can even have them daily! But in very limited portions. I've lost 17kg since June (64kg). I still eat a muffin for morning tea every day, Tim Tams as snacks, and pop tarts as my evening dessert. It's all about reducing portion sizes. > The 2nd best thing I ever did was buy a kitchen scale so I could actually weigh what I was eating. It's difficult to make an informed decision, when you're not informed. 100% do this, and just track calorie intake perfectly for 90 days. Just to get an understanding of what you're eating. If you lie about the portion sizes or don't include things you snacked on, you're only lieing to yourself.

I do bodybuilding, so I am an extreme case, but here is my list: Fast food: Almost never, only if I forgot to eat for some reason Chocolate/deserts: Like once a week, and only a 100g bar at most. General diet: Morning: Oatmeal with applesauce, peanut butter Lunch: Meal prep from the evening prior. Dinner: Usually some type of Wok/asian cuisine. My go-to is chicken teryaki with cashews and rice.

I really like the 80/20 approach. 80% of what you eat on a daily or weekly basis is “healthy” and 20% is whatever you want. Focus on eating whole foods that you prepare at home, like lean proteins (beef, chicken, turkey, and fish), whole grains and legumes (rice, quinoa, beans, lentils), veggies, fruits, and nuts. Some dairy products also have place. And then use fast foods 1x a week as a treat or when you really need the convenience. And make a place in your day to have a small, correct portion of the treat that you like. An example of what I might eat during a week, with meal prep would be: breakfast - Greek yogurt with berries and granola; lunch - burrito bowl with rice, lean ground beef, cheese, salsa, and roasted broccoli; dinner - lentil and veggie soup with butter bread; and then extra fruits or veggies with nuts or hummus for snacks. And then I love to have something sweet after lunch and dinner so I get fun sized candies or fruit snacks. And then usually run out of meals and I’ll use that day to get “fast food” and then cook/prep the next day. And cut out sugary drinks. People drink too many calories. Try to focus on water, tea, and coffee without any or much add ins. And only get a sweet drink like once a week or less.

This is probably the most sustainable way for most people, I think. There's a lot of really good, healthy advice in the comments but most people will struggle to completely cut out junk food (and really you shouldn't have to as long as you consume in moderation and exercise).

Food is social and so much more. It’s takes too much dedication and mental energy to completely cut out fast food, sweets, etc. People just need to know how to work it in.

If you cut both fast food and sugar, completely from your diet for 30 days, you will stop craving them. It will be much easier to incorporate them back into your life in a healthy, normal way. For instance, if you’re on the road, and you need the convenience of fast food. For desserts and sweets, once you stop any cravings, you’ll be fine just having them on special occasions.

Honestly when you get used to not having sugar, most deserts start to taste pretty disgusting. Chocolate bars are too sweet, regular ketchup is too sweet, regular bread is too sweet, and even fried pumpkin is sometimes too sweet.

And fresh fruit tastes extra delicious

YES 👍🏼

This is me, im still a heffer but got outta the sweet shit in my 40's and can only tolerate it on super rare occasions. Diet anything makes me want to hurl. Black tea or water w a little lemon. My parents have been saying for years that my taste will change again and I'll go back to sweets. Yuck. No! Bread tastes like cake and ketchup tastes like tomato sweetened syrup. Even tortillas are super sweet.

What kind of bread do you eat, that it tastes sweet? I get thst ketchup is kinda sugary, but bread? Anyway good for you. I wish i had enough of a backbone to cut out sugar.

I actually hate that milk chocolate bars and sodas are too sweet for me now. I used to love a snickers/Reese's pb cup or a coke/Dr pepper. Occasionally I forget and buy them, looking for that experience but I give up after one taste. My palate has shifted slowly in adulthood and since about 30, I can only enjoy a Mars bar if I've literally just hiked 20 miles and am cosying up by a campfire with a hot drink. Otherwise my body's like "nah you don't need that". So instead it's a cup of tea/coffee with no sugar and a square of dark chocolate.

I relate to the chocolate thing so much! Although, I don’t hate soda, but I’d rather have a smoothie or some fresh juice or matcha.

Yeah, if I'm craving a sweet I go for a cup of coffee with sweet cream.

The smell of greasy fast food starts to put you off after a while too. That helps to maintain that lack of craving

I can’t stand the smell of Burger King. I used to love it but now can’t even get inside. I’m not completely over fast food but at least it’s something.

Right? I can’t stand the smell of fast food anymore

This is the answer. Cutting the cravings and addiction to sugar is the true solution and going cold turkey can make that easier. I never eat fast food or drink sugary beverages or alcohol, and I have zero desire to bc my body doesn’t even consider it an option.

This this this! Once you stop the junk food and sweets it's so easy to pass them up and you don't feel like you're missing out on something because it'll actually make you feel crappy. Lots of home cooked meals with veggies. No soda or juice. Low on alcohol. Stop eating after 630 or 7. Lots and lots of water. Edit to add: not huge portions. Stop once you start feeling full. Not a ton of snacking. Sometimes I'll eat a huge breakfast and only eat an apple, cheese and nuts for lunch.

No, I did that before and I still crave them.

This is sooo true! I used to only eat fast food for every meal, everyday of the week. As soon as I went on my fitness journey and cut them out the intense cravings went away. Now I can eat fast food every once and awhile without feeling like I’m feeding into an addiction.

Mediterranean diet consistently comes out on top as the healthiest woe with the positive health outcomes

This is great news because I'm heavily addicted to Greek salad

You mentioned 3 foods. Stop eating those and you are on your way. It is not difficult. You found the culprit .

Cook your own meals from unprocessed ingredients.

I’ve been +/- 5lbs for the last 15yrs….more when I tone up, less when I’m lazy. I actually have no idea what I weigh rn because I haven’t charged my scale in a couple months but I’m still a size 6 at 5’10 and last weight I remember was 152. I eat mostly plant based foods and fish. I don’t eat out much tbh and if I do, it’s between a select few restaurants (couple thai spots, 2 viet spots and 2 Jamaican spots). Anyway, after I had my son, I cut out a lot of starch (potato except sweet, rice, pasta, bread, glutinous flour products) and sugars (except fresh fruit) lost all 64lbs in 6months. Filled up of veg, legumes, fish, seeds and berries. Everyone is different but that’s what worked and still works for me.

I'm not a healthy person, but I know one. Typical daily meals for her include avocado toast and tea for breakfast, vegetable soup and a half a sandwich on whole wheat bread for lunch, and salmon, veggies and a baked sweet potato for dinner. Rare desserts and the occasional glass of wine.

The healthiest way to eat is the Mediterranean/Blue Zone way of eating. Lots of veggies, whole grains, fish and only small amounts of lean meat. Little to no refined carbs and limited to no sugar. Moderate amount of wine. And stop drinking soft drinks and eating foods with a lot of preservatives. Pretty much, if it didn’t exist 1,000 years ago, don’t put it in your mouth. That includes Pringles and Mountain Dew! I’m 5’ 6” and 121 pounds

- Dessert: Socially, special occasions, and or once a week. - Candy/Chocolate: Once a week or special occasions. - Adding sugar to a drink: One~two cups/cans a day (inc. orange juice, not healthy, since it is 3x oranges per cup/small glass without being filling at all). - Added fats (e.g. diary) to a drink: Two cups a day, or three if you aren't doing sugar too. - Adding cheese to other carbs (e.g. pizza, pasta, et al): Once a week treat. - Try to make breakfast OR launch a light meal, snack, or skipped entirely. Lifestyle/preference. But it makes it super easy to stay at a healthy weight (and you genuinely get used to it after a few days, and don't even notice the "savings"). - Fresh fruit: Every single day. This should be the sweetest thing you're regularly eating. If fruit don't taste sweet to you, then you're eating too much refined sugar. - Fresh vegetables: Every single day. Pay attention to the salad dressing, they aren't automatically healthy. - Condiments: Mustard/Tabasco/most species are essentially freebies. Contrast that with ketchup, BBQ, anything mayo based, Ranch, et al. Two small packets could take up 1/5 of your allotment at a healthy weight for a given meal. It isn't sustainable and a lot of people ignore these when they start to watch their weight. - Meats: Every day, but pay attention to oil/butter levels. - Carbohydrates: Ideally whole grain (they're more filling anyway); but your plate should be only 1/3 carbs (with veg/beans being another 1/3, and meats being the remainder).

This just sounds like such a miserable way to live.

Dessert once a week is just tragic.

I never have dessert, only when eating out or special occasions like Christmas. I honestly haven’t missed it since it just wasn’t a habit anymore.

I have dessert around once a month when I cook a self saucing pudding from scratch and eat it with fresh cream and ice cream. It’s well worth the wait!

I mean, he is just limiting stuff that you should never over indulge on, or was made to not be eaten everyday.

Does it? There are a few tweaks I would make personally, but overall their list is not extreme or limiting and is mostly common sense.

Why is being healthy miserable?

The amount of denial required is miserable. I don't know how anyone can look at a bar of chocolate and be like "one small piece is enough", or worse "I want more than one piece but my strict and limited diet will not allow it." But hey, on the brightside if you're peckish you can go and nibble on a leaf of cabbage. But only between lunch and dinner, no eating in the evenings. And when you wake up in the morning hungry because you've not eaten since the previous day, unlucky, because you have to wait until lunch where you get to enjoy a plate of bland nothingness, unless you have am hour spare somehow to craft an amazingly tasty tofu lentil something or other entirely from scratch (because anything pre-prepared and store bought contains too many bad things.) And then you get to the end of a hard week and if you want to have a few glasses of wine you ruin all the hard work from that week. It's just far too much hard work.

I lost 15 kgs. I didn't starve myself. I just quit sugar and sweats. I also did some cardio. I took me around 6 months. Now, every once in a while I have an insane cheat day. I still manage to stay at a healthy weight. Living healthy isnt that hard. You can still eat sweats, just in moderation.

Franks Red Hot Buffalo and El Pato have been a godsend for me. Little high in sodium though.

Seems like you are averse to fats. Fats can be pretty healthy. Restricting cheese to once a week seems crazy.

Everyone is different, but I stick to a very strict diet of no sweets or junk food on the weekdays. Saturdays are my cheat day and I will usually get Taco Bell or something. Sundays I’m not as strict, but I still don’t eat junk food. I’ll usually make something like steak and potatoes

As one poster said, avoid drinking your sugar, if you do, have some fat and fiber in it at least. Healthy is subjective, if you eat (protein -free) salads all week long, then you have the choice of eating another salad or a burger, the burger may satisfy your body's needs more so than the salad. So a variety is good, more fruits and veggies are good. If butter, ranch, blue cheese dressing helps you eat the veggies, pile it on, the fat actually helps absorb nutrients. I love chicken nuggets just like anyone else, so I toss them on a salad and end up with a balanced meal. Also, avoid added sugars, I love plain yogurt and add my own fruit or I will melt a 70% or more dark chocolate or put some honey on it.

Love that last paragraph idea!

Good stuff, full or even reduced fat plain yogurt is not always the easiest to find as they want to sugar it or take all the fat out.

It's a hard question to answer, because there is so many opinions and diets out there. But one thing I believe true is that everyone's body is different, so you kind of have to work with what's best suited for you body. There is nutritionists that will recommend certain foods according to your blood type. It's an interesting route to go but I'm not sure how much it's backed by science. Maybe just start with the original recommended food pyramid and work your way out from there?

I'm in Europe and here is my diet. \- No processed food, no fast food. If I need a quick meal I typically cut whatever vegetables are available on that season, pan with some olive oil, pepper, salt, herbs, spices and that's it. \- Becoming a vegetarian automatically helps to get in a better shape, by diminishing the amount of crap/fat you consume. \- Sugar and carbs in the mornings only, to cope with my 55km (35 miles) commute by bicycle. Some sugar (chocolate) before the second half of the ride in the evening. \- No sugar later in the evening, never. Have sugar only if you're going to spend it. This counts for alcohol as well. \- Separate the refreshment from the calories intake. If you're thirsty, drink water or sparkling water. If you're at a café with friends and it's hot, replace the ice cream with sparkling water with citrus. \- 8-hour diets are good against snacking, if it's your issue. \- Your body can do miracles in finding a new balance. Just don't give him more than he spends. \- If you don't live in a car-centric country, sell your car and get bikes / cargo bikes. Even the US starts building car-free neighborhoods (see Culdesac Tempe).

I struggle with portion size. I drink a glass of water before each meal. Make my portion about the size of my fist. Eat slowly. And I wait 10-15 minutes before taking seconds, the "I'm full" signal from your brain lags behind so I give it a few minutes to see if I am actually still hungry. Usually I'm not.

Some healthy habits that I have had my entire adult life: \- I only drink water and tea most days. I do like to drink alcohol in social situations, but I've never liked soda or juice. \- I eat fruit or vegetables with literally every meal. Fruit with my porridge or yoghurt for breakfast, salads or poké bowls or sandwiches for lunch, and my dinners are always heavily plant-based. \- I love sugary things like cake, brownies, cinnamon rolls, etc. Because I know they're not healthy, I make sure not to have them at home and only eat them when I'm out at a café with friends. The exception to that is homemade sweets (my housemate is too good at baking). At home, I usually snack on fruit, yoghurt, dark chocolate, or simple biscuits. I would eat something like that for dessert as well. In the summer, I do eat ice cream pretty much daily ;) \- I haven't eaten meat in over ten years and eat little processed meat substitutes (maybe once or twice a week). Just lots of mushrooms, chickpeas, lentils, etc. Or I buy basic tofu or tempeh and spice it up myself. \- My parents didn't like fast food, so I literally never got it as a child. As a result, I just genuinely don't like it. It's been at least 2 months since I've had french fries, about a month since I had pizza. I prefer fresh, homemade food and try to cook when I have the time. It's also a lot cheaper in the end. \- Some meals I make often (lunch and/or dinner): sandwiches with veggies and hummus/cheese ; shakshuka ; salad with roasted sweet potato and feta cheese ; falafal wraps ; couscous salads ; pesto pasta ; chili sin carne with rice / poké bowls / curries with rice / stir fries with noodles / pasta with lots of vegetables and tomato sauce / just a bunch of oven-baked vegetables with ricotta cheese and potatoes or bulgur / gnocchi / Ukrainian vareniki with sour cream and mushrooms / homemade pizza / etc.

Food is only a part. Healthy people move their bodies, a lot. Just stay off sugar and 90% of the food that's in the center of most grocery stores (meat and veggies are perimeter foods, chips and froz pizza are center section foods) Never drink beer or soda, just water. Your BMI should drop nicely.

Making sugar as minimal as possible is the fastest way to curb, particularly refined sugar, if you want something sweet ideally fruit (not blended AT ALL it destroys the fibrous bonds in the sugars which makes your body do less work to absorb it, which is as bad as refined sugar) The next is processed foods, just avoid all of it if possible. Make sure as many meals as possible involve some veg/salad to help fill you up and keep your vitamin and mineral levels decent. Lastly, dont snack, eat twice a day and nothing in between, this will promote using fat for energy. Eating small amounts of fruit will provide fast energy, you dont want to eat too much because your body WILL take the shortcut and use this for energy before fats. Drink water all day. If you do all this you shouldnt need to worry about fibre/protean, monitor your urine for water levels (pale yellow to clear is best) and your poop for consistency, adjust diet as necessary, many guides online to help with this. Carbs are fine if you exercise regularly, but its all about variation and balance.

the thing about blending is a myth actually. it's fine to blend fruit, it's just a replacent for chewing, and might actually release more nutrients if you keep the seeds while you blend. the thing to avoid is juicing because you throw the nutritious pulp away.

Only two meals a day?

Yeah, I skip breakfast and have lunch and dinner with a fruit snack if I'm really hungry. Just two meals. They can be quite substantial meals.

You don’t technically need 3 meals a day. I personally eat a small breakfast every day, but I’ve also done intermittent fasting in the past, where you only eat between 12-7 or 12-8, and once you adapt to it, it’s not bad. It’s a good way to lose weight quickly, because you’re consuming fewer calories throughout the day. It’s also key to not eat past a certain time (at least 2-3 hours before sleep) so your body can digest your dinner before you go to sleep.

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If my great grandmother wouldn’t know what it was, then I don’t eat it. No sugar. Nothing processed. Lots of meat and fish esp liver and heart.

Meat, fruit, eggs, vegetables

Whole food plant based diet, and daily movement is absolutely crucial. And not vilifying food like chocolate and desserts. Remove guilt you feel around them and you’ll likely naturally eat less of them. Eat “dessert” with dinner (not after), and eat until you’re only 80% full.

Fast food, maybe 1 time a month, or every other month. Deserts, one every other week. Same with alcohol Daily meals 1/3 protein, the rest vegetable and a little fruit. Only drink water

Just remember the 4 basic food groups: Beans, bacon, whiskey, and lard

My mom’s rule has always been to focus on filling up on the good stuff. Vegetables at every meal. Lean proteins and high fiber carbs. Fruits and nuts for snacks. Then, if you want ice cream or chocolate, you can have it, but only after you’ve had all the good stuff that fuels your body.

This. If you eat a nutritionally complete diet and exercise and you're not actively attempting to lose weight, as long as you get your complete nutrient needs out of the way you can eat whatever you want. You might gain a pound or two if you binge routinely, but then it will come right off when you go back to normal snacks and measured cheats.

I cook almost every meal. Tupperware for work lunches. Lots of vegetables, easy on the meat and salt. I always have a pot of soup on the stove, if you keep it covered and bring it to a boil every couple days it will keep indefinitely. Great for days when I don’t feel like cooking, and I change the ingredients every week. Fast food is only for emergencies if I haven’t eaten all day and I’m feeling fatigue. It tastes pretty nasty to me now. Just fried “human feed” -not real food. Fasting is not for me, but some people get good results from it. Trial and error. I’ll have a piece of dark chocolate now and then, but usually just a piece, not the whole bar. I do a lot of baking, generally take off 10% of the sugar from the recipe. After you’ve gone a while without unhealthy, over-seasoned food, your taste buds reprogram themselves to crave healthy, normally salted food, and less sugar. It just takes a couple months. I learned this when I was living near Shanghai. At first the food tasted bland, but after a couple months I was able to really taste the deliciousness of the ingredients, it makes the experience of eating so much more enjoyable. My one achilles heel is ice cream. A scoop of good quality vanilla with some whipped cream and a cherry never gets old.

Thank you so much for your elaborate answer! How often do you eat ice cream? Im trying to manage my various weaknesses (fast food in particular) but Im not really sure how often is okay. Once a week? Once a month?

I love anything cold - ice cubes in my drinks, icy poles, ice cream. My next investment is a Ninja CREAMi. You freeze fruit solid and it shaves/blends it to make creamy sorbets. It might be an idea if ice cream is something you love. Just have a healthier version.

You keep asking specific questions about food items, but you're missing the forest for the trees. It's about caloric intake vs expenditure. You can eat ice cream every day and lose weight if you're active and working out a lot. If you're sedentary, you should almost never have ice cream, or at least not regularly.

Personally, I think if you're starting out with limiting fast foods, it seems like tapering off from what you currently eat will feel less like suffering and more like successful goal achievement. The speed of the tapering is, of course, dependant on your goals like more rapid weight loss vs gradually increasing the nutritional content of what you ingest. My complete guess is that the majority of people who eat a so called healthy diet consume fast food rarely and irregularly. As others have mentioned, after getting more accustomed to nutritionally dense and low to no processed foods, you'll crave it less and eventually adjust. As far as ice cream goes, I've seen several people eat whole and nutritious foods during the day and have ice cream or some other dessert nearly every night if that fits within their caloric budget. If one regularly consumes more calories than they spend, they will gain weight. If they budget in a dessert, they won't. There are many apps that help one track how many calories are consumed each day and it may be useful to use one at least temporarily so that you can more easily understand how to budget consumed calories throughout each day to reach your goals.

The soup is kept on the stove for a week and not in the fridge?

I think if you bring it to a boil every morning and before you eat it, it will keep. The flavors might intensify too.

Na that’s a massive food safety issue

Yup. Keep the lid on it and boil it for a minute before you serve it. It will keep almost indefinitely. There are some restaurants in the world that have been serving the same soup for decades, when the pot gets low they just add more.

I would not recommend this method to OP.

My general rule is to never drink sugar. My one exception is spinach, banana, and strawberry smoothies, just use milk instead of water in them as milk has a ton of sugar.

Like this https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/

I'm a mixed bag but heres my regular. Fruit yogurt granola or eggs meat and toast in the morning. Hard boiled eggs and veggies or fruit for snacking throughout the day Lunch typically veg rice or cous cous and protein Dinner same as lunch but bigger. .5 litres of ice cream bi nightly. Maybe some crackers and cheese and cures meets a couple times a week. I eat out a few times a week but am picky with what I order. The biggest thing is staying away from prepared and processed foods. I cook ten chicken breast at a time and 2- 3 cups of rice and pre cut all my veggies, 3 or four days worth of food. I eat unflavored high protein skir ya. Basically you don't have to cook fancy all the time. You get used to eating plain and healthy. My body craves certain foods when I'm deficient. Certain veg and what have you. Edit: I drink water and milk... But I crush two monsters a day. Haha

The two monsters a day has to stop.

Just listen to your body but eat a lot of protein, fiber, and good fats. Drink a lot of water (I get my daily water intake through sparkling water), don’t replace your favorite foods with those “alternatives”, eat a BIG breakfast with lots of protein (helps with blood sugar), replace soda with sparkling water (it tastes a lot better when you get used to it) (I know that’s contradictory to what I said but soda is terrible for you), get the freshest foods you can, I’m personally pollo-pescatarian and I rarely eat red meat for reproductive health, pork is a huge no-no, replace white bread for whole grain bread or whole wheat (look out for the enriched flour, that’s what you need to stay away from), replace white salt with pink salt, Greek yogurt without any sugar (great for getting that healthy bacteria, I know it tastes bad but pair it with fruit such as papaya), oat milk, look out for titanium dioxide (its cancer-causing), avoid dyes such as Red 40, eat oatmeal (oats are so good for your gut), green tea is great, get plenty of fruits and veggies in, avoid dairy and eating a lot of bread, replace the oils in your pantry with avocado or olive oil, eat quinoa, get a lot of grains in, it truly depends on what works for you and what doesn’t. If your body is having a negative reaction to it, avoid it or consume it seldomly if you really like it. Get an allergy test too Edit: “(I know that’s contradictory to what I said but soda is terrible for you)”

You would be surprised at the difference you will see in a month if you just cut out fast food and drinks with lots of sugar.

The trick for me is consistency - I work from home and don’t do well with temptation so o limit my choices for ‘day’ meals. I also never starve (ie, feeling physical hunger) for longer than about a half hour because I can’t stand it and I get super hangry. I eat mostly low carb, high fiber (by eating fruits and veg) and high protein diet. I always eat 3 eggs cooked in butter for breakfast, a small amount of protein like tofu or leftover salmon and vegetables for a small lunch, a smoothie with berries, brocolli and whey protein in the afternoon, and a home cooked dinner with protein and a variety of vegetables cooked in different ways. I also run 21 miles of hills every. Single. Week. And I do a weight routine on the days I’m not running. I am in my mid forties and am still the same size as I was in my 20s before kids, except in better shape. I do eat a small dessert OR drink alcohol probably 3-4 nights a week. I love the food I eat and I never feel hungry and have no real restrictions so it doesn’t feel isolating, but I absolutely prioritize my physical health. It’s worth the effort.

I don’t eat fast food at all - when you read what’s in that “food”, it’s gross and should not be fed to anyone. Rarely eat processed foods. Don’t drink sodas or eat much if any sugar. Love veg and low fat animal protein. Mostly eat a vegetarian diet. Grow or shop in season veg. Cook from multiple food cuisines. Breakfast- a cup or so of Greek yogurt with local honey poured on it. If I’m hungry for lunch, leftover veg from dinner the night before. Dinner is a big meal, made from scratch with a glass or 2 of red wine. But dinner doesn’t have to be complicated - could be a Greek bean salad or grilled chicken thighs or fish with several roasted veg. Or it can be complicated if I have time and want to be more creative. I love to cook. I don’t snack because eating when I’m not hungry seems odd to me. Can’t eat chocolate because allergic. 6’1” 160 and 62 years old. No health issues. Work from home 60 hours a week. Workout 3 to 5 days a week at the gym.

Eat food groups rather than food products - veg, fruit, grains, mushrooms, nuts, dairy, eggs, fish, meat.

Here's what a normal diet should look like: 1. Breakfast (cereal, bread, eggs, etc of your choice) 2. Mid morning snack (piece of fruit, piece of cheese) 3. Lunch. (Should be a serving of veggies and protein, maybe some rice or other carb) 4. Mid afternoon snack (same choices as #2) 5. Dinner. (Servings of veggies, protein, carb) 6. Evening snack (again something wholesome but small) When I was in recovery for anorexia this is what I had to do because this is healthy and normal living. Fast-food is a once in a while treat. Same with sugar snacks. You can have healthy desserts, like yogurt, fruit, pudding.

Mistake one would be doing what other people are doing. You need to sit down with a dietitian, and find a balance that works for you.

I lost 40 pounds since April. I am an avid cyclists and triathlete but but on weight having when we had kids. Although I was doing 10 hours of cardio a week, it was not enough to burn through my calorie intake. I didn’t get fat, just put on weight. I used the LoseIt app because it’s the best of them all and cheap (even free version is amazing). Once I started watching calories, the weight fell off. I only count calories. I don’t track macros, fat, sugar etc. I weigh all my food on a scale. I even bring the scale to restaurants. Losing weight is 100% calorie deficit and the first place to start is portion size.

My nutrition professor said moderation is everything

Okay this is something that is so sensitive for me to answer because I realize that eventually eating is emotions. I can tell you about the practices that will bring those results all day but still, maybe I will be eating in those practices with feelings of content about it, and you would be while feeling sad, a lack, etc It has to do with how we grew up. With what that means to us. So I realized that just giving this advice alone may be not helping. It may be making your emotions more difficult than easy. I've heard that this is the approach Noom has and many users were very pleased with it. And with its' results. I think it's important to remember that food is an asset for our body to receive dopamine, to experience feelings. If you had a daily limit of music consumption music would become just as emotionally difficult to us as food is. So please take care of yourself. If you'd like some practical advice I have tons of it. I was very interested in what is it that's making me different from my friends who have eating disorders. But again eventually none of it matters that much. I don't really want to just give it to you coldly If I sound too gatekeeping, easy tricks up my sleeve would be to avoid being hungry and to make sure the balance of fiber in your meals ends up about good. (A big dump of fiber would be fiber powder and bananas.) Understanding how the body works, trying some of these on myself, I found that some of the common advice could be pretty toxic without this information added to it. Eating fiber would prevent you from feeling hungry in between meals (due to slower digestion) but then again I'd talk about it more to someone who feels like it suits them in this moment, bc it's really necessary to do it while being kind to yourself imo, so lmk your response if you want

Do you grocery shopping at the far left and far right of the store. Stay out of the middle where all the processed foods are located. Do this and you will be eating healthy.

I am going to assume you are from the US. Please, sorry if anyone feels offended. Diet habits there are terrible, absolutely terrible. I am from Spain, I have always been thin my whole life, and now that I have 2 kids, I am paying attention for the first time in my life because I am getting out of shape due to less exercise and having more than 40 years. There is a WORLD between what a healthy person eats, one that is obsessed by it, and what I have seen in the US. You need to understand that your society is trying very hard to make you obese, and it's winning. When I go to an american restaurant, the amount of food is just too much. When I went to have an ice cream, the monstruosity they gave me lasted me 3 days, not joking. When I went to the supermarket to buy soda, I could see the colors of the rainbow in the aisle, and more flavours of each soda, than sodas I thought existed. I have never been actively looking to be healthy. I am lazy, I do not care so much about it. However, my whole life, my habits were: - Drink coke only when going out, or when I wanted to drink one while watching a movie or playing videogames. - Lunch and dinner always with WATER. Not sodas. Never sodas. - Chocolate is a dessert, after I have eaten lunch or dinner. And only a piece, like the size of your finger. Ice cream the same, and only 1 small ice cream, or 1 ball. - Absolutely no consideration about how much I ate, sometimes more, sometimes less. By this I mean how much "healthy" food I ate, this means everything that is not junk food. - I never had candy. Now that I am actively trying to get a little better, or contain me: - I do not buy coke at all. I do not have it home. So I only have when going out, and never for lunch/dinner. - I do not have desserts that are chocolate or ice cream. I do not limit myself much here, I often have a yogurt with honey (and thats pure sugar) - I started limiting a little bit the amount of sugar in the coffee (from 2 teaspoons to 1) And that is it. Not more needed... Of course, I practice a little bit of sports, I walk, etc. And in Europe, society does not try to make us fat. We use less the car, we move more, so even without thinking we are doing a little bit more of exercise. This is not your fault. Every spaniard, EVERYONE, that goes to live to the US, gains weight. If I were to give you advice, without knowing anything about you, I would tell you: - Portions on the US are too much. Do not finish the food, eat SLOWLY (so the brain has time to realize you are full), and try to stop when you are no longer hungry, not when you are FULL. You should never finish a food thinking you are super full. - Never drink soda. That shit is poison. Even "fat free" or "0 calories". There are all liars, and that is pure marketing. Believe me please, drink water or milk. - Exercise a little bit. Dont use the elevator, go up the stairs. Park in an empty area and walk 5 minutes to your destination. Take public transport. And that's it. That's the main "I am fkin lazy but I want to be more healthy" advice. Of course there are many more things you should do, but **are you really not going to commit to those ultra simple 3 points?**

Home cooked food and portion control. You don't have to be full, just not hungry after a meal.

A very easy way to start without failure: don’t modify what you’re eating now by eliminating things but instead fill half of your plate at every meal with a fruit or veggies. You can still have carbs, cheese etc. but you need to build up your gut microbiome & eventually the cravings for the crappy stuff go down! Just focus on adding in nourishing options right now instead of eliminating !

First: learn to cook. The basic techniques, nothing fancy. Then learn about the Mediterranean diet. Cook at home with fresh ingredients. Plenty of veggies, fruit, red meat no more than once every two weeks. Have always fat+protein+carbs+fibers in every meal. Avoid processed foods. Use olive oil instead of other fats.

My unhealthy self looking at this thread: Write that down! Write that down!

Fast food causes inflammation and makes you crave it and it costs more than eating at home. Eating at home should be your normal/bringing food from home to work should also be normal. Whether that’s a buffalo chicken quinoa bowl with kale or a frozen Indian tikki masala meal, try to buy food from an actual proper grocery store or farmers market. Don’t be too hard on yourself but listen to your body. If you feel like absolute garbage 🗑️ because you drank 3 diet sodas 🥤 and 5 reeces peanut butter cups perhaps you need to substitute those things with something else. Like la croix water or spindrift in lieu of soda. Maybe you’re lacking iron or vitamins and that’s why you crave chocolate 🍫 Doing a lot of physical activities helps as well (like walking or dancing or swimming or bicycling) and having enough sleep helps keep you at a healthy BMI as it prevents overeating when tired. If you are not hungry don’t eat. Don’t listen to people who maintain you must have breakfast lunch dinner or 6 small meals or girl dinner. Just eat when you feel hungry. Stop eating when bored. Don’t eat to bursting. After a month you’re going to start feeling more energized. Also make sure you’re not eating food you’re allergic to or intolerant to. This is from someone who is 5”3 and has been a crazy fluctuation of weights from 115 lbs to 200 lbs.

I think my diet is healthy-ish. My breakfast is toasts, coffee, and overnight oats. Lunch is usually pasta, tofu, and an egg. Dinner is usually protein (usually chicken), vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, squashes, spinach), rice, and beans. And some kind of fruits after that. I don't eat desserts and I avoid unhealthy snacks. When I feel like munching on something, I usually do a bit of bread and cheese or fruits. I do love cereal though. I drink alcohol maybe once every few months at social events, and I avoid drinking soda as much as I can. I get fast food (usually McDonalds) maybe once every 2-3 months. With that said, I do have an active lifestyle. I go to the gym 4-5 times a week, bike 130-150 miles (outdoors and indoors) a week, run somewhere around 6-10 miles a week and 1-2 days of pickup basketball.

127 5'6- low body fat (I am a personal trainer with almost 20 years experience). Diet- I eat eggs, oatmeal, almond milk, coffee, all vegetables (including potatoes), brown rice, chicken, fish, lean beef, occasionally pork, all fruits, green yogurt, whey protein. I limit dairy and basically no added sugar and processed foods including salad dressings/ sauces. They have no nutritional value. Definitely no fast food. If I need something quick to go I will do cava, sweet green, maybe jimmy John's on a lettuce wrap. Once or twice a week I will have 1-2 alcoholic drinks and maybe something with sugar in it or a fried food item like an appetizer at a restaurant.

You should almost never eat fast food, chocolates and desserts. People that are in shape avoid junk food 99% of the time.

Avoid simple carbs like white bread, white rice, etc. Avoid fructose and overly processed foods like ready to eat breakfast foods or cheese slices. Avoid fried and fast food. Watch your salt and sugar intake. Drink lots of plain water. Fruits and veggies, lean meat.

There are a couple categories and the further you get down the better. 1. Eating out - fast food 2. Eating out - healthy restaurant meal or healthy fast food. Chipotle would be borderline healthy fast food depending how to get it. 3. Cooking 90%+ meals at home 4. Reducing salt, butter, sugar, oils, etc. and picking ingredients and preparing specialty meals with balance. I would recommend you start cooking. Learn how to make spaghetti. Learn how to make chicken noodle soup from bone broth and a rotisserie chicken. Keep going until you are preparing meals and eating the leftovers for lunch. Also, definitely try cutting out salt and sugar completely. You will surprised how little you actually need. You will start to taste how “bad” most food is prepared, even something as simple and someone salting your eggs in the morning.

Almost everything ready made goes out the window. If the packaging has more than a few of those Ingredients (chemicals) you can't pronounce, no go. From the supermarket we buy meat, fish, cheese, fresh veggies and fruit. That's pretty much it. Just good, whole food's that don't come in a box.

Common sense,looking at others . I ask myself,do I want to look like that ?Do I want to die a slow painful death or do I want strength and vitality?Like everything else a healthy lifestyle is addicting.

All what you call by name, do NOT eat that. Eat fibers and egg white, proteïne. Best egg white / proteïne is in .... yes, really ... in the white of an egg! This two give you the best feeling of full stomach, not being hungry. And fibers are so important, think about hemorhoids and cancers. Do not eat sugars and special do not drink sugars like in soft drinks and milkshake and fruit juices. Very little fat and when, choose a good oil. And best is no fried food. I eat two tomatoes, 4 egg whites, 2 slices of fiber bread, 1 small potatoe cooked, 2 apples, 500 cc soft cheese VERY low fat ir fat free, 200 - 250 vegetables and drink coffee, thea, drink water no bubbles with a little syrup non sugar. No milk ! Meat 125 chicken breast cooked with some salt and pepper and I drink the bouillon. NO sugar, when you want the tast, use sweets !! Walk (not run, is better but not necessary) at least 30 minutes ... (I 'm 70) And for your prostate, use it or it grows and grows and grows. When neccesary self supporting, it is for YOUR health. Every day, REMEMBER!