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How do you make a complete 180 diet change?

Nocturnal

Lifer
I have hypertension which is high blood pressure. I need to get it lower. I also have food allergies. I've eaten these foods for my entire life. Things such as kethcup which I use with almost everything I now have to cut out completely. I mean I know if I want to live to an older age I should listen and do it. However, how in God's name does one make a complete 180 from what they're eating to only eating say lettuce, baked chicken, and a banana everyday for the rest of my life?
 
Originally posted by: everman
Go to a dietician.

I concur. They'll give you some good ideas for food besides bananas, baked chicken and lettuce that'll still help with your hypertension.

And good luck.
 
I have a friend that went on Jenny Craig, and she loved it. And compared to what i pay for food, it's actually cheaper!
 
It's all about setting goals for yourself. You know A) you have high blood pressure and B) you MAY need to lose some weight. It's not ALL about the food that you have to eat as well. It's a lifestyle change. It's pretty much either change your lifestyle or die at an early age.

Just set some short term and long term goals that you wish to accomplish. Yeah, I know that sounds dumb, but if you write the stuff down that you wish to accomplish by doing this diet, you will have a better chance of success. Not only that, but exercise is an important part as well. You will see results based on your goals if you take the initaitve to excercise.

About the 180 - yeah, it sucks NOW when you realize you can't go out for fast food or do whatever you usually did before this came to forwishen, but what you can do is make a meal plan that you can go by. Not only that, but write it down! Just plan 4-5 meals in advance, and write them down, so you know what kind of calories you are consuming. Here's a typical 5 meal schedule. You should plan to eat every 3-4 hours, to hedge hunger and impulse eating. Each meal should consist of 400-500 calories. If you set goals and go on a 5 meal plan a year. I bet you reach those goals. I can't stress enough fitting exercise in there, however.
 
lifestyle change, adapt to it, learn how much you need to eat of the foods you need to be eating to keep your mood/healthy/energy up to par.

Hands down go see a nutritionist, you'd have no clue what to do were you to attack this by yourself. Messing with your diet can mean putting yourself through hell that you don't have to go through. Some opt for low fat and end up eating no fat for months on end which messes with hormons and chemical balance's like you would not believe.

Get advice for sure, when people mess with their diets but don't know what they're doing they usually end up with an eating disorder. Trust me, thats no fun to have in your life. Do it the right way.
 
I hear you brother I made the first step today doing a 180.
I have high BP 160/100+ resting, have 3 herniated lower discs, diabetes type 2, and high cholesterol to boot. I said the heck with it and got a excersize bike and am going to change my ways. Since getting hurt I have gotten really sick and made the commentment that no matter how much my back or butt hurts riding that bike that in 2 months I will be doing 2 1 hour sessions on it each day and changing my eating habbit to hopfully make myself a better person. I gained 100 lbs and now upto 400lbs and if I dont do anything im going to get fatter and 6 foot shorter.

Gotta do it and as far as a diet goes I am going to stick with red lean meats and cut out most everything else.

But good for you for making a change and there really isnt anything you can do about the 180 and just do it or you will get 6 foot shorter if you dont.
 
Originally posted by: funboy42
I hear you brother I made the first step today doing a 180.
I have high BP 160/100+ resting, have 3 herniated lower discs, diabetes type 2, and high cholesterol to boot. I said the heck with it and got a excersize bike and am going to change my ways. Since getting hurt I have gotten really sick and made the commentment that no matter how much my back or butt hurts riding that bike that in 2 months I will be doing 2 1 hour sessions on it each day and changing my eating habbit to hopfully make myself a better person. I gained 100 lbs and now upto 400lbs and if I dont do anything im going to get fatter and 6 foot shorter.

Gotta do it and as far as a diet goes I am going to stick with red lean meats and cut out most everything else.

But good for you for making a change and there really isnt anything you can do about the 180 and just do it or you will get 6 foot shorter if you dont.

That's cool. Keep in touch. My BP is the same as yours. I will keep in touch. I will try my best too to stay with it as I do wish to live to grow old with my wife.

 
Take it slow. If you're used to using kethcup with everything try to use it less and see if you can find alternative condiments.
 
Perhaps a 180 isn't the best way to do things. Trying a diet that's totally different from how you're eating now is a sure way to get back into old habits. You can still eat a french fry now and then, but get a small bag of them, and do it once a week instead of supersizing it at every lunch.

As for getting tired of chicken, there are a lot of recipes out there. Surely some of them will be OK for you to eat, and you can add some variety to your meals.
 
Originally posted by: Shawn
Take it slow. If you're used to using kethcup with everything try to use it less and see if you can find alternative condiments.

like hot sauce or (low sodium) salsa!

I recommend going slow, start by cutting out fast food and pop and having a good healthy breakfast and go from there.
 
I recommend a cold turkey approach. I did a 180º turn on my eating habits a few years ago to get in shape, and I did it cold turkey. I kept a memo pad tracking everything I ate (and still do). While you are at it, it will get you in better shape if you truely know and can see in list form, everything you actually eat in a day.
 
Originally posted by: Nocturnal
Originally posted by: funboy42
I hear you brother I made the first step today doing a 180.
I have high BP 160/100+ resting, have 3 herniated lower discs, diabetes type 2, and high cholesterol to boot. I said the heck with it and got a excersize bike and am going to change my ways. Since getting hurt I have gotten really sick and made the commentment that no matter how much my back or butt hurts riding that bike that in 2 months I will be doing 2 1 hour sessions on it each day and changing my eating habbit to hopfully make myself a better person. I gained 100 lbs and now upto 400lbs and if I dont do anything im going to get fatter and 6 foot shorter.

Gotta do it and as far as a diet goes I am going to stick with red lean meats and cut out most everything else.

But good for you for making a change and there really isnt anything you can do about the 180 and just do it or you will get 6 foot shorter if you dont.

That's cool. Keep in touch. My BP is the same as yours. I will keep in touch. I will try my best too to stay with it as I do wish to live to grow old with my wife.

I am all for keeping in touch. And man my butt hurts. This bikes seat has no coushion and neither do I. Yeah go figure a fat butt without a fat but, infact I have no butt 😛 Im all gut and boobs 😱
 
R u trying to lose weight?

Excercise in combination with diet is prolly what your doc recommended.

I think the low salt diet to reduce HT is bullsh!t btw.
 
A few tips from someone who did the 180 a few years ago...

1) Tell everyone you know that you are on a diet. You will be less inclined to cheat in front of them, at least.

2) Only go grocery shopping when you have just eaten.

3) Weigh yourself every day if you are trying to lose weight.

4) Portion control is key. If you go out to dinner, ask for a to-go box immediately. Put half of your dinner in the box and eat the other half. Learn that the taste of the food is really what is enjoyable, not how much of it you eat.

5) Very importantly, learn how to cook differently. I would recommend experimenting with different spices. Gain some expertise in how to use them and you can increase the tastiness of your food without making it unhealthy.

6) Do not go into this expecting to stick to your diet 100% of the time. You WILL stray once in a while, try to learn from it and don't beat yourself up over it.

Good luck!
 
Doing a 180 sets yourself up for failure. Try working, as mentioned, 1 degree at a time. Cut things out, and give yourself time to get used to changes before you go and make another move. If you deny yourself everything, there is potential to feel cheated, and you'll be right back where you were. I know that is how I work. Good luck guys 🙂
 
Originally posted by: KoolAidKid
A few tips from someone who did the 180 a few years ago...

1) Tell everyone you know that you are on a diet. You will be less inclined to cheat in front of them, at least.

2) Only go grocery shopping when you have just eaten.

3) Weigh yourself every day if you are trying to lose weight.

4) Portion control is key. If you go out to dinner, ask for a to-go box immediately. Put half of your dinner in the box and eat the other half. Learn that the taste of the food is really what is enjoyable, not how much of it you eat.

5) Very importantly, learn how to cook differently. I would recommend experimenting with different spices. Gain some expertise in how to use them and you can increase the tastiness of your food without making it unhealthy.

6) Do not go into this expecting to stick to your diet 100% of the time. You WILL stray once in a while, try to learn from it and don't beat yourself up over it.

Good luck!

This is all excellent advice, thank you guys, all of you.

I do overeat. Meaning I eat until I normally feel bloated and sometimes to the point of feeling sick. I am definately going to try and stop this as I believe this is the key to me losing some of my weight. I have never thought about going grocery shopping right after I eat! That's damn brilliant!
 
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