Can't stop eating bad foods

I used to be super motivated to lose weight and was eating healthy but didn't see any results so I gave up and for like the last 8 months I've just been eating junk. I try counting calories but since I'm a student I'm always going out with friends like 3+ nights a week and we always go out for dinner. Sometimes I get a salad or something at a restaurant but all the other food they offer is so much nicer. Do you have any tips for staying motivated to eat healthy?

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Sounds like you know what you need to do. Rest is up to you.

First of all-there is no 'bad' food or 'good' food. Labeling food that way only leads to frustration and failure. I ate out all the time while I was losing weight, and continue to do so now that I'm successfully maintaining. I always look at restaurant websites for the nutritional/calorie info BEFORE I go, and I always walk in the door already knowing what I'm going to order. I pre-log these meals and I adjust my day around them, to make everything fit. You can enjoy eating out with friends and still lose weight, just stay on track with your calorie goals and you're good to go

eta: many times restaurant salads are higher calories than a burger and fries, steak dinner etc. I've seen 1,000+ calorie salads on menus-just because it's a salad does not mean it's a better calorie choice, something to keep in mind

Eat healthy and eat the junk food and go out with friends... make it all fit together in your daily calories. It's that simple. :drinker:

Ask to go to restaurants for a while that have nutritional information online. Some restaurants have a healthy choice section where they list the calories for three or four entries.
Or order a small sirloin steak or piece of fish --baked, broiled, steamed -- low calorie.
Order steamed veggies or something equivalent.
Generally foods that are high calories are sauces, cheese, fried, breaded. Limit breads and deserts and alcohol. You can handle the calorie load three nights a week if you have light lunches.

The only "bad" food, is rotten food.

Sarasmaintaining wrote: »

eta: many times restaurant salads are higher calories than a burger and fries, steak dinner etc. I've seen 1,000+ calorie salads on menus-just because it's a salad does not mean it's a better calorie choice, something to keep in mind

This. Applebee's Chicken Cesar Salad is only 200 calories less than their Three Cheese Chicken Penne! What is that?! When going out to eat I always get the healthier sides, half portions or if those aren't options... (this is where self control comes in) use portion control. Sip water with lemon in between bites, chew slowly. Actually taste your meals & take leftovers hope for the next day.

Edit: typo!

emilyrigh wrote: »

Sarasmaintaining wrote: »

eta: many times restaurant salads are higher calories than a burger and fries, steak dinner etc. I've seen 1,000+ calorie salads on menus-just because it's a salad does not mean it's a better calorie choice, something to keep in mind

This. Applebee's Chicken Cesar Salad is only 200 calories less than their Three Cheese Chicken Penne! What is that?! When going out to eat I always get the healthier sides, half portions or if those aren't options... (this is where self control comes in) use portion control. Sip water with lemon in between bites, chew slowly. Actually taste your meals & take leftovers hope for the next day.

Edit: typo!

A calorie isn't a calorie. Food matters. Go eat 1 1/4 cups of sugar or go drink 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream. Both are roughly 1000 calories. One will fuel your body in a constructive way, the other, well, not so much.

I practically never order dinner-type salads at restaurants, knowing that their calorie load is going to be enormous. For that kind of number, I can enjoy a hamburger and fries on occasion. But more importantly, failure to stick to a plan usually means that what you want right now is more important than what you want in the long run. Maybe you just aren't ready to make this change right now.

tpilews wrote: »

emilyrigh wrote: »

Sarasmaintaining wrote: »

eta: many times restaurant salads are higher calories than a burger and fries, steak dinner etc. I've seen 1,000+ calorie salads on menus-just because it's a salad does not mean it's a better calorie choice, something to keep in mind

This. Applebee's Chicken Cesar Salad is only 200 calories less than their Three Cheese Chicken Penne! What is that?! When going out to eat I always get the healthier sides, half portions or if those aren't options... (this is where self control comes in) use portion control. Sip water with lemon in between bites, chew slowly. Actually taste your meals & take leftovers hope for the next day.

Edit: typo!

A calorie isn't a calorie. Food matters. Go eat 1 1/4 cups of sugar or go drink 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream. Both are roughly 1000 calories. One will fuel your body in a constructive way, the other, well, not so much.

A calorie is a unit of energy. Yes a calorie is a calorie.

I've found restricting my food choices too tightly to be counter-productive. I eat healthy things, with a focus on veggies and non-processed foods about 80-90% of the time. But every once in a while I want pizza, or ice cream, or fries. When I want those things I have them, and fit them into my calorie goals (either by eating smaller meals in advance, or eating small portions of the unhealthy item and adding a bit on to my workout that day).

Anyway, the only person who can motivate you is you. You need to be committed to losing the weight, or being healthier, or whatever it is you want from this. Good luck!

This is exactly why weight loss is so hard. I go out for meals most days. It makes it difficult but not impossible. I order entree size for my main meal, and (if I am drinking calories too) I tend to eat some, but not all of it. I try to order healthy meals but that is sometimes very difficult, particularly when someone else chooses the restaurant. So in that case I look online and see if they publish their menu and add the meal into my daily calorie goal. Hope that helps. Good luck

tpilews wrote: »

emilyrigh wrote: »

Sarasmaintaining wrote: »

eta: many times restaurant salads are higher calories than a burger and fries, steak dinner etc. I've seen 1,000+ calorie salads on menus-just because it's a salad does not mean it's a better calorie choice, something to keep in mind

This. Applebee's Chicken Cesar Salad is only 200 calories less than their Three Cheese Chicken Penne! What is that?! When going out to eat I always get the healthier sides, half portions or if those aren't options... (this is where self control comes in) use portion control. Sip water with lemon in between bites, chew slowly. Actually taste your meals & take leftovers hope for the next day.

Edit: typo!

A calorie isn't a calorie. Food matters. Go eat 1 1/4 cups of sugar or go drink 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream. Both are roughly 1000 calories. One will fuel your body in a constructive way, the other, well, not so much.

A calorie is a calorie.

That is one heck of an argument you're tying to make there. When was the last time you or anyone you know ate 1 1/4 cups of sugar or drank 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream?

bareessentials56 wrote: »

I used to be super motivated to lose weight and was eating healthy but didn't see any results so I gave up and for like the last 8 months I've just been eating junk. I try counting calories but since I'm a student I'm always going out with friends like 3+ nights a week and we always go out for dinner. Sometimes I get a salad or something at a restaurant but all the other food they offer is so much nicer. Do you have any tips for staying motivated to eat healthy?

Motivation is on you. If you WANT to do it you will. If hanging out with your friends and eating out without control is more important, that's what you're going to do. So, it's up to YOU to decide what you really want.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Gotta say, weight loss is a lot easier if you cook. You'll know exactly how much of different ingredients are in your dish, you can decide exactly what you're eating, and it is MUCH cheaper. I used to eat out 90% of the time, and found it pretty much impossible to lose weight. Im sure other people have managed, but I couldn't.

#1 trick to stay on track: Develop a good relationship with food. It's not "bad" or "evil" and if you overeat, it's because you choose to, not because of some inherent quality of the food itself.

#2 trick: Make your calorie goal realistic and eat real food to get there. Cutting 1000 calories from your day just isn't going to work for most people. A small deficit is not only easier to achieve, and less likely to cause bingeing, but also it's healthier as it is less likely to cause you to lose muscle along with the fat.

#3 trick: Sometimes you have to make a grown-up, rational choice to eat over your calories because the situation warrants it. A celebration with cake, a special restaurant, whatever...just make sure it's worth it. Going over your calories because there was a box of Li'l Debbies lying around just isn't the same.

Edit: typo!

[/quote]

A calorie isn't a calorie. Food matters. Go eat 1 1/4 cups of sugar or go drink 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream. Both are roughly 1000 calories. One will fuel your body in a constructive way, the other, well, not so much. [/quote]

I think you are wrong on both counts. A calories is a calorie, because it is a scientific measure of energy.
While both items you mention have energy to fuel the body, neither is more " constructive " ( whatever that means ) than the other. It's just that one is a carb and the other mostly fat.....and I wam curious to find out which one you think is more " constructive ".

Those people that talk about a calorie being a calorie no matter where it comes from are right to a point. However, this idea leads to some very peculiar diets. A tablespoon of sugar is empty calories, the same could not be said of a tablespoon of cream which contains actual nutrients.

85kurtz wrote: »

Those people that talk about a calorie being a calorie no matter where it comes from are right to a point. However, this idea leads to some very peculiar diets. A tablespoon of sugar is empty calories, the same could not be said of a tablespoon of cream which contains actual nutrients.

And if you only consumed this and nothing else in the day, then such nutrient difference might matter. Fortunately, however, many people are able to consume something other than only a tablespoon or sugar or cream in their day. In fact, people consuming an otherwise sensible assortment of foods in sensible quantities throughout their day will not experience any discernible difference between a tablespoon of sugar and a tablespoon of cream. Such comparison is irrelevant and nonsensical.

A calorie is a unit of measure, like the pound, the inch or the furlong. It would be an interesting world if inches varied in length because of what was being measured.

85kurtz wrote: »

Those people that talk about a calorie being a calorie no matter where it comes from are right to a point. However, this idea leads to some very peculiar diets. A tablespoon of sugar is empty calories, the same could not be said of a tablespoon of cream which contains actual nutrients.

Nutrient profile does not determine if a calorie is a calorie.

Again, how many people do you know that eat a tablespoon of sugar? And sugar are carbs so how can they be empty calories?

MrM27 wrote: »

85kurtz wrote: »

Those people that talk about a calorie being a calorie no matter where it comes from are right to a point. However, this idea leads to some very peculiar diets. A tablespoon of sugar is empty calories, the same could not be said of a tablespoon of cream which contains actual nutrients.

Nutrient profile does not determine if a calorie is a calorie.

Again, how many people do you know that eat a tablespoon of sugar? And sugar are carbs so how can they be empty calories?

LOL

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