How do you take control of your diet?

[Anonymous]

So, the one thing that I (and I'm sure many others) have been meaning to do -- is take control of my diet. I'm not looking into full on dieting, but I know that I need to just stfu and learn to just eat healthier.
So far, I just opt for the not necessarily healthier option -- but certainly a better option. When I buy things like pasta, I go for the whole wheat pastas. Same with breads/english muffins etc. I'm not down with low fat options either. Like, low fat yogurt for example tastes like sadness. Another thing, I do prefer to cook for myself -- a good thing -- but I'm wondering if the things I'm cooking for myself are necessarily a good and better choice. I cook a lot of hearty stews -- meat and potatoes is what I grew up eating.
I think my main thing, is getting control of my sugar intake. I have such a sweet tooth. The one place I refuse to let go of the sugar is in tea. But otherwise -- and logically -- I know I'd be fine giving the rest up. But I also wonder should that include fruit?
Anyways, how did you learn to take control over your diet? What motivated you to stick to it?

[GraveTruth]

Yep, I took control of it. My motivation come from the need for nutrition for fitness. Eating junk and working out is not even possible. Natually I was looking for protein and lack of sugar and it went from there.

The best way to take control is to write a little bit.
I started with learning about all of the vitmins and trying to get food to get a good intake. It was pretty quick were I was replacing sugar and salty sh... stuff for good stuff. Then when I started looking at ingredient for each Vit E and C I realized that stuff that is suppose to be good is actually LOADED with sugar (Tropico). Then as I grocery shopped I would make a point to not get donuts and try to get more nuts seeds (unsalted) instead.

Fruit has a lot of natural sugar however it's nothing compared to a minute maid drink. Oranges, bananas, kiwi, watermelon, and cantalope are the best, while apples, oranges, and peaches tend to be the worse.

When you change your diet you don't have to go nuts. A switch from potatos to sweet potatos will make a HUGE difference alone. S-pots has Vit A, and b-5, and D. Vit A aids with people in staying thin (for example). Not a huge amount but it helps.

Cereal is alone thing that will make or break your nutrition level. Most of it is loaded with sugar but the stuff that is good, is amazing!

When you start looking at the ingredients of food be careful. Don't get scared. You are going to learn the horrible stuff that companies hide in their stuff. Sometimes they will hide sugar by calling it something else as well. They will have 5 different types of sugar in something.

The worst thing I saw... I looked at Buckley's cough medicine and it listed Petroleum in the ingredients. Yeah, petroleum as in GASOLINE. The put gas in it.

[GoldCobra]

If you do not eat healthy, you will have health problems in the future. Sooner rather than later. There's my motivation.

[sunshinechyk]

It is a struggle and it is ok to gradually cut things out and indulge occasionally. Once you eat healthy for a couple weeks sugar will be too sweet and disgusting for you. It will make you sick. My gut feels so much better when I eat healthy. I don't do the low fat stuff or diet drinks. I'd rather have the real stuff in moderation. Eat whole natural foods. Think caveman... if it has legs or grows out of the ground or on a tree... eat it. Cut out the processed foods like pasta, bread, cheese... sugar. Try honey in your tea.

[electromagnetic]

I used to eat very junky and then complain as to why I saw no improvements physically after months and months of working out. I've always been quite active so I figured eating junk was whatever.

I started getting very serious about physique competitions and that was the biggest thing for me to eat better.
I basically walked around the city with no money. No money meant no buying junk. Packed all my meals and spent hours meal prepping. It was tough at first. It's a habit now.

[TheLawProf]

I just eat whatever I want and regret it later.

[Asker]

omg story of my life

[TheLawProf]

haha