In need of motivation

[alipali118]

I am struggling to get motivated....I downloaded week 1 of the NHS choices diet on Monday and since then all I can think about is food! I do have a sweet tooth and I am finding it hard to cut down on sugar. I love granola for my breakfast with natural yoghurt but noticed the granola is high in sugar. My other downfall is biscuits in the evening with a cup of tea. Any tips and advice is much appreciated

[BeccyL]

I'm the same, it dominates my thoughts, what to eat next, feeling hungry etc. You need some distractions to stop you focusing on food - play a game, go out for a walk, watch a film.

My other suggestion is to get a journal/note book so you can write about how you feel rather than acting on it by eating something. Use it to plan recipes, days, note down weight loss and exercise. Again it's the distraction method without totally stopping thinking about it.

With sugar, my stance is all or nothing. I just can't have one biscuit, one slice of cake, I just turn into an out of control animal and eat the lot!! I have a piece of fruit instead which is still sugar but I'm never gonna get out of control eating fruit!! Just one biscuit and I'm back to where I started - treat days don't work for me!!

Good luck, it is hard but once you start seeing the weight disappear that's the best motivator there is xx

[alipali118 in reply to BeccyL]

Good advice thank you We have a very energetic Beagle which helps as he needs lots of walking so I will be doing this everyday from now on - usually we all share taking him for a walk but I will take him everyday regardless. That is a good distraction.

And with regards to sugar, fruit is a good alternative. Once I get into the habit of replacing biscuits and puddings with fruit - it will get easier.

Thank you again for your supportive message. I am more determined now xx

[Sailsalot]

Cutting down on sugar is definitely a good idea, high fibre, low sugar cereals fill you up more. Good that you have yoghurt, Greek yoghurt has more protein, the one I have has 10% which keeps you full up for longer. I also eat fruit in the evenings, or high fibre crispbread with low fat topping such as quark with sliced apple. I don't buy biscuits as too temping and as BeccyL said, very difficult to stop at one! The first week or two are more challenging when trying to eat more healthily but you will soon get used to it. Wishing you good luck.

[alipali118 in reply to Sailsalot]

Thank you! I will definitely look out for the greek yoghurt with more protein.

[IndigoBlue61]

Agree with the others, sugar is very addictive and hard to control, but it just takes a short while (couple of weeks on average) for us to learn new eating habits 😊 i gradually reduced sweet treats, rather than giving up completely, but now feel they aren't worth the calories!! It's a question of what keeps me full for longer, salad sandwich or Chocolate bar??

Good luck 😊 You will find it easier as you get more used to things 😊

[alipali118 in reply to IndigoBlue61]

Thank you Anna, good luck to you also

[NikiA]

I also have a sweet tooth and struggle with biscuits and cakes. I have found that not buying and stocking them in the house really helps. Most evenings when I get the urge to eat biscuits, I simply can't because there's none in the house. To satisfy my sweet tooth, I either eat an apple, a pear or rice cakes, which I initially hated but have gotten used to. After seeing a reply above, I think I might try oatcakes next.

I've also switched to using honey or Stevia in my tea instead of sugar.

[alipali118 in reply to NikiA]

Thank you for the advice. I had porridge with a drizzle of honey on this morning and it was delicious I've also brought some fruit in to work with me to avoid the chocolate bar temptation.

[alipali118]

Thank you for this. The info is great and I will be trying Oatcakes.

[Caz28]

I think starting any kind of new eating plan makes you focus more on food. Do you enjoy shopping and cooking? In my case I turned things to my advantage by taking time to shop, really thinking about what was going in my trolley, checking every label and cooking everything from scratch to avoid any processed stuff. Yes, I think about food a lot these days, but in a more positive and healthy way. Banana or berries with Skyr yoghurt is a good substitute if you fancy something sweet.

Good luck!

[grace-95]

If you've ever made your own biscuits, you know how much sugar and butter goes into them, and factories often increase this amount to try to make theirs taste better than homemade! Little substitutions can work, finding granola low in sugar is very hard, but there may be some out there.

It sounds like at the minute have a very sweet tooth, which you can overcome without having to eat plain toast all the time. Maybe try having a specified time to eat your sweet snacks, e.g. a few pieces of chocolate at 11am, or limiting yourself to 2 biscuits at a specific time in the evening. This way, you'll get a good understanding of exactly how much you're eating.

Granola with natural yogurt sounds like a healthy breakfast, but as you said it may not be. Try substituting some of the granola with chopped fruits, or berries (which can also be high in natural sugars, but are much better for you).