Healthy eating and living alone
Find a Conversation
Healthy eating and living alone
| Thu, 10-06-2005 - 6:42pm |
I'm hopelessly unable to eat well balanced meals while living alone. No one is there from stopping me from eating whatever I want, including junk food that I cannot stop buying for myself at the market. Before each and every exam I start binging to calm my nerves. I can dicipline myself to study but not to eat properly. I lost 10 pounds over the summer but am gradually gaining it all back plus some. . .

One thing I started doing though was walking in the evening. I recently found a good walking buddy, so we go out at about 7 or 8 every night and walk for a good hour or 2. I find the more physical I am and the more I try to keep myself out of my apartment in the evenings, the less likely I am to eat junk food or whatnot.
But I digress, you lost 10 lbs this summer so congrats!! Perhaps finding ways to be more physically active can help maintain your loss?
Also, one thing i do when I grocery shop is just, don't buy junk food. I find healthier versions of junky stuff- ie this low-fat yogurt based brownie mix (can't remember the name now, but it's in the cake mix section) or chips and salsa or even some sugar free cookies. You may want to try journalling what you eat too- it really helps visualize your eating habits.
OH well, I guess my only suggestion woud be to buy easy stuff that's quick and try to stay away from the junk food. Or, maybe treat yourself to ONE item of junk per grocery shopping trip, that's what I do, usually.
good luck! :)
Cat
Plus I get to go only to places that I like and I get to plan my weekends :~)still I would give it all up for a hug and a kiss a la "Baise de l'hotel de ville"
living alone is HARD on the diet! I live by this motto (because remember when we were younger and we'd want a candy bar when we'd go through the check out line and our parents would say "no") well... I'm an adult now and I get to make the decision. So I pick up a candy bar or any other thing anytime I want... because I can! :p Which is about as healthy as eating fast food everyday!
I feel REALLY unhealthy right now because I've been eating out almost every evening and I just can't do that - I PREFER to eat at home and not that I eat much better but I eat earlier!
Anyway...
Maybe I'm wierd but I enjoy cooking for myself so I find it fairly easy to eat healthy and frankly, most of it is willpower which you will or won't have whether you are involved or not (and I would get upset if I was involved with someone and he told me I couldn't eat something anyways).
You have to look at other factors in your life, stress causes most people to overeat so you have to balance it out. If you feel stressed, go for a walk instead of eating. Maybe make a tape of notes that you need to study, put on some headphones and "workout" to that.
To make it a true commitment you have to change many everyday unhealthy habits, it is hard when you first make the changes but once you get yourself in the routine of something it makes it easier. There is no easy fix.
I like to exercise and the weight that I've dropped so far is my motivation, I was never heavy per se but I was definitely chunkier and out of shape and I never want to be that way again, I just didn't feel good about myself. The key is moderation, you can still enjoy foods you like, just in appropriate portions and you have to exercise, I enjoy exercising now and it also helps me sleep better too.
Then you have to replace your usual snacks with healthier ones if you know this is something you do or try and have something ready to eat when you come home (leftovers, something ready to microwave, etc.). I try to keep Luna bars or nuts or something when I want to munch on something quick. I know better than to surround myself with cookies or something like that because I will devour them in one sitting.
Like I said it takes discipline and willpower and you have to just make yourself do it. You have to make a genuine effort if you really want to change your eating habits, it won't happen by repeating the same routine with the same food.
A lot of times, I'm the same way.