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my eating habits suck

skinny mike

Turbo Monkey
Jan 24, 2005
6,415
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so basically my entire life i have been blessed with a metabolism that does not seem to let me gain weight, no matter how much i eat. the problem is that i eat a ton of junk and i wouldn't be surprised if my cholesterol is sky-high right now.

i need some help in getting myself started eating healthier. i've already started to try to cut out soda and energy drinks, but my biggest problem is with junk food. on multiple occasions this year i have downed entire pints of ben and jerry's ice cream in one night and tonight i ate a bag of reese's pieces that i think was about 1000 calories. i'm just always craving something sweet at night so i end up eating a ton of junk. what are some ways that the rest of you battle cravings like these? i try to eat cheese and crackers when possible, but when i eat half a block of cheese in one sitting it can't be that great for me.

keep in mind that i'm a broke college student so i'm limited to what i can get on campus. that unfortunately means that i can't stock up on any fruit or veggies in my room.
 

skinny mike

Turbo Monkey
Jan 24, 2005
6,415
0
Do you have a little frig in your room?
yes, but the reason why fruits and veggies aren't available is because they don't really sell any at the places on campus where they take meal points.

actually one place might, but since so many people eat there the selection is generally questionable.
 

reflux

Turbo Monkey
Mar 18, 2002
4,617
2
G14 Classified
Yogurt. Almonds (my personal fav).

If you find the popular fruits are taken, try eating the not-so-popular fruits. Also, my school (Cal Poly, woot) took student suggestions seriously. If we complained enough about not stocking or carrying a certain item, they at least addressed the issue. Not supplying healthy foods is an issue that they need to take seriously.
 

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
Yogurt is a pretty good way to get something sweet that isn't horrible for you. The less sugar the better. I have come to love the all natural zero sugar straight up sour yogurt, but it takes some getting used to.
I'll second the raw almonds. They are pricey, but a little goes a long way when you've got the munchies.
Drink water when you want soda. Most of the time, you're just dehydrated. If you need the stimulant, coffee is you're best choice. In moderation of course.
Try and pick foods with a high protein to fat ratio. It will fill you up in a good way and it's easy to digest.
Personally, I never eat fruit. I don't need the sugar and I don't really like.
 

Heidi

Der hund ist laut und braun
Aug 22, 2001
10,184
797
Bend, Oregon
I never lived on campus...do you have access to be able to make some sugar free jello? That's another easy way to satisfy a sugar craving, it's cheap too!

I do milder flavors of yogurt with some muesli sprinkled in it Swiss style sometimes to satisfy a sweet tooth too.
 

skinny mike

Turbo Monkey
Jan 24, 2005
6,415
0
yogurt and almonds sound like a pretty good idea. come to think of it, there may be a place on campus where i can get good fruit. i just haven't looked that hard there since i only stop in when i'm in a rush on my way to class.
 

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,335
2,448
Hypernormality
There is a book you need to read. It is called:

'In Defence of Food" and it is by a American guy called Michael Pollan. I haven't read it personally, but I am thinking it might help you out.
 

reflux

Turbo Monkey
Mar 18, 2002
4,617
2
G14 Classified
yogurt + granola of your choice.
If plain yogurt, any granola is okay in my opinion.

If he's eating yogurt with any additional fruit or flavoring, he should make sure that the granola has no added sugar or HFCS (high fructose corn syrup). That's a tough one though, as most granolas come with some sugar additive.
 

BMXman

I wish I was Canadian
Sep 8, 2001
13,827
0
Victoria, BC
When I was living in dorms I bought a lot of dehydrated fruits and veggies...good stuff, healthy and doesn't need to be refrigerated...D
 

AngryMetalsmith

Business is good, thanks for asking
Jun 4, 2006
21,077
9,781
I have no idea where I am
Dehydrated fruits are great.

My personal favorite are California sun dried apricots, they are tangy, but not too sweet.

As with any dried fruit, don't eat the whole bag at one sitting. They can swell up in your stomach.
 

OnePointFive

Chimp
Aug 13, 2007
16
0
Drink water, drink water, drink water......Get my point. Drinking water when you want something else to eat/drink will fill you up and take your mind off of the other crap.
I 2nd the option of dried fruit. I too have a feeling for something sweet after dinner or late at night, get you a bag of dried whatever (craisins, prunes, and peaches are in my cabinet now) eat that instead of the block of cheese or B&J's.
Eat a good breakfast each day w/ fiber and little sugar, like oatmeal. Really try to watch your sugar intake, if you spike yourself w/ a sugar load (like w/ an energy drink or soda) you'll feel good, then drop off and feel hungry again. Minimize this by eating nuts/grapes/yogart/water/tuna, etc. during the day in small portions.
I was 240 lbs in 2005. I weighed myself this morning at 168. Food intake makes a huge difference along w/ good exercise.

Goodluck!
 

Savage_Animal

Monkey
Feb 3, 2008
658
0
Norcal
Get a salad and put a bunch of dried fuit and nuts on it, but watch the dressing. That a good thing cause the salad has lots of fiber and the other stuff is good for you. Plus it tastes great.

Too much of one thing is bad though, so even though everyone is saying to get yogurt, don't just eat a ton of it, but its good in moderation.

Also, in order to NOT eat the bad foods, DON'T have them in your room, then even if you want them, you can't get them. If you need energy for a ride or something, a bannana and the real non-prossesed penut butter will give you a good boost of energy without those harmful energy drinks.

As a side note, stay away from fried foods, don't eat out too much beacuse it is hard to find what they put in the food as well as the serving size. It is best to cook at home so you know what you are putting it your food and how you are cooking it (as hard as this may be).

Hope I could help.
 

mstewar1

Chimp
Dec 23, 2005
11
0
berkeley
Most of this has been said in the thread:
-- eat a good breakfast: some grains, some protein, some fruit, a little caffeine.
-- eat small, quality meals throughout the day (five is good)
-- high quality means some each of carbs (forget the "carbs are bad" crap, carbs are fuel, just eat quality carbs [grains and fruits, not simple sugars such as candy] and protein, and a little fat to make you "feel" full
-- drink water, drink water, drink water. Always have a water bottle in your hand.
-- don't eat after six p.m. This one's key. Have a good meal at the end of the day, then no more. Most grazing takes place in the evening when we're bored or should be doing something like homework... This one gets a pass if you finish the day with a hard ride or workout. Go grab a burrito...
-- all things in moderation -- you can have occasional junk, occasional candy, whatever, but you control the pie hole. Flex your grey matter.
 

Streamline

Spammer Extraordinaire
Jul 9, 2007
333
0
BEER . . . Drink lots and lots of BEER!!
jk try a bowl of cereal. I have your same problem and the actual problem seems to be that you can't sedate the craving. It is even worse for me now that I quit smoking, 2 years and counting and I still crave the buggers. When I get sweat cravings there is nothing I can do, even eating sweets doesn't always do it.
You could also try to get your brain working on something else.
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,376
12,532
In a van.... down by the river
I like the bowl of cereal idea to combat the sweet craving. I used to eat a bowl of cereal for "dessert" quite often in the good ol' days.

Oh - and just keep that metabolism rolling... it may actually stick with you. I'm 37 and still eat pretty much whatever I want without gaining weight.
 

Jettj45

Monkey
Oct 20, 2005
670
3
Butthole of NC
so basically my entire life i have been blessed with a metabolism that does not seem to let me gain weight, no matter how much i eat. the problem is that i eat a ton of junk and i wouldn't be surprised if my cholesterol is sky-high right now.

i need some help in getting myself started eating healthier. i've already started to try to cut out soda and energy drinks, but my biggest problem is with junk food. on multiple occasions this year i have downed entire pints of ben and jerry's ice cream in one night and tonight i ate a bag of reese's pieces that i think was about 1000 calories. i'm just always craving something sweet at night so i end up eating a ton of junk. what are some ways that the rest of you battle cravings like these? i try to eat cheese and crackers when possible, but when i eat half a block of cheese in one sitting it can't be that great for me.

keep in mind that i'm a broke college student so i'm limited to what i can get on campus. that unfortunately means that i can't stock up on any fruit or veggies in my room.
Yeah thats one bad thing about college, there meal plans suck. Thats why I never bought one and always made my own food. I'm sure you can goto a walmart or some local grocery store and get fruit to last you a week to keep in a mini fridge. You just need to slowly stop eating sweet stuff and your craving for them will go away. I usually just snack on oranges, apples, carrots...something like that.
 

skinny mike

Turbo Monkey
Jan 24, 2005
6,415
0
ok well my eating habits have improved somewhat, but lately i have also been eating much more than i used to. i've at least cut soda out for the most part and don't eat extra junk on a regular basis. here's what i had today:

- bowl of cocoa puffs and a sesame bagel with veggie cream cheese for breakfast
- candybar and gigantic thai chicken wrap for lunch
- free cone at ben and jerry's
- 2 pieces of pizza, a small quesadilla, and a salad for dinner
- currently in the process of downing a pint of ben and jerry's mmmmm....


it's a good thing i'm going to the gym tomorrow morning.
 

skinny mike

Turbo Monkey
Jan 24, 2005
6,415
0
Wow... you do eat like $hit. :p
i can't deny that, but when it comes to options that a)taste halfway decent and b)don't give me a case of the $hits, then i don't have many.

on a side note, i'm thinking that i should have gotten a sub as well when i got the pint of ice cream.