How do i eat healthy?

Ok, so im not fat in any way but i have issues with high cholesterol (6.7) and now found out i have issues with my insulin.

My doctors have all been telling me to diet and i really should listen to them, I really should.

But i am soo not a fan of salads and veggies. I love my meat and i love a can of coke or two a day.

How do i get my brain into loving what i have not for 31 years? how do i get motivated to start exercising when i dont even feel i have 1hr to spare a day? (full time work, 4hrs travel a day) or am i just making up all these excuses coz im lazy?

Any motiviation speeches please ...

thanks!

I think baby steps, why not try and cut out one thing a day? Or if you are craving lollies have grapes instead. Completey skip the chocolate and soft drink isles when food shopping, if you dont have it in the house its way harder to get a hold of! HTH and good luck!

I agree with baby steps. Cut out one thing at a time. Make your portions smaller of the things you shouldn't eat and have bigger serves of the things you should. Research what a serving actually is (eg, a serve of red meat is supposed to be the size of you palm only, a single serve of cheese is about the size of a matchbox...). Know what is in the foods you eat, look on the back of packaged foods at the lables, most importantly at sugars- fuctose, sucrose, glucose ect..., salts- sodium, fats- trans fats (very bad), polyunsaturated (ok), saturated (bad) ect....get to know what a healthy day of eating is (look at the healthy food pyramid, though that is only a guide!)
It takes time to change habbits of a lifetime. Be patient and do things slowly. It HAS taken a life time to create these issues, it will take time to change your mindset and thinking. They say it takes at least 30days to change an ingrained habbit to a new habbit. Try to replace eating unhealthy foods with doing other things, like going for a walk or reading a chapter in a good book.
Good luck, it will be tough, but your health is much more important than having that sugar rush or whatever it is your body craves. When you do get there, you will feel better for it!!

thank you ladies
i have started drinking some water instead of coke
today i didnt even have a sip of coke!! YAY
but ate hungry jacks though

To quote Nike "just do it". Honestly honey, you're body and mind will thank you for it.

I agree with PPs though, baby steps are the way to go. You can do it!!

Coke is so bloody addictive, that's why you find it hard. Go cold turkey for a week and you won't even miss it. I used to really NEED a glass of diet coke coz I felt so uncomfortable and bloated without it. I only drink water and tea now.
I also HATE salad, would rather go hungry. Do you like roasted veges?
Coz I think that's the tastiest way to do them, eat them with rice and steak or chicken or fish. DH loves veges since I started roasting.
Do you like potato salad? Chuck heaps of veg in that. Peas, rocket, some grated carrot, whatever you can find!

I think the easiest way to change your diet is to learn a new healthy recipe every week. Not necessarily a recipe, but a healthy combination of foods that make one great meal, and just incorporate that into your week, and in a few months you will find it so easy to whip up a healthy meal that you enjoy every night.

Also, if you can, try to make food the one thing you don't get money conscious about. So when you are out shopping, you feel ok to spend a ridiculous $9 on a sandwich rather than $5 on a stunner deal from HJ's..
This really helped me to stop eating fast food.

Alos, just oen week of healthy eating will stop your body craving crappy food. It's really true.
I prefer to go hungry and wait till I get home to eat my leftovers than grab a Mc Chicken. Honestly. But if you saw me a year ago, I was eating fast food like 4 days a week.

Good luck. It helps to envision the fat/sugar oozing out of the food, can really turn you off it.

Hi, do you know what issues are with your insulin? do they mean you have problems processing it? that is insulin resistance? If that is the case, like me, you need to eat only Low GI diet, or medium GI is ok too. Any other diets when having insulin issues do not work, I have tried this for over 15 years only to find that I have insulin issues myself, I can only lose weight on the low GI diet (lost 15kgs before conceiving my first child) Google Glycemic Index and it will come up with the list of foods that are low, medium, high GI. eg, the only rice to eat really that is ok if you have insulin resistance is Basmati rice or wild rice. With bread the best bread to eat is sourdough or multigrain only. My hubbys cholesterol was 7.9 , did they give you meds for the cholesterol? he had to drop all cheese and other fats from his diet, he only is allowed red meat twice a week the rest has to be fish or chicken. Ps, I dont like salads either hon, there is lots of food you can eat that are low GI, there is a new Lo GI potato from coles so you dont have to give up white potatoes anymore. San remo pasta is the lowest GI, dont be fooled by people saying eat wholemeal pasta wont make a difference at all either brown rice, waste of time if you have insulin issues. Happy to send you some links via pm if you want more info.

Coke is sure addictive. TBH, if i dont drink it i get the shakes and very strong craving for it.

But I have also been exercising (trying to run on the treadmill) so it sorta made me think its a waste to run on the treadmill and drink coke.

I absolutely hate water! but i kow its good for me so i gotta start drinking that.

I have started using chicken breast and making some baked chicken breast with yummy baby spinach salad.

Yes Im like you turtleshell, i dont like greens at all!!!!!!!!!! salad is soo not nice!

I think i am getting there. I hope so... all this eating is really for one thing which is to help keep my PCOS at bay so i can have my long awaited baby #2.

1. jump on face book and join a group called Fat Chic Slim for some motivation. We do challenges regularly where you'll get an exercise plan or motivation and plenty of advice. The Challenges (think 4-6 week online program) vary due to the commitments of those running it.

2. I recently read a book called "Mindful Eating" have a read. Very insightful and helpful.

3. Can you afford a nutritionist? They can be well worth it

4. You will only be able to change your eating pattern if YOU want to do it. YOU need to decide that it is something YOU want... only then will you have long last success with that.

Belle, I have insulin resistence. I am suppose to take Diabex XR.

For my cholesterol I was suppose to be on a controlled diet but was avoiding it as it runs in my family (the high cholesterol that is)

Sweetie, I feel for you, I hate having insulin resistance. Big hugs. Diet Coke twice a day is ok hon but dont do the normal coke.
High cholesterol runs in my hubbys family too, Do you use the Flora marg that is especially for lowering cholesterol? definately get it if you dont, it really works well. Tell me what foods you love best and I can share some of my recipes, eg, I do a chicken oven baked risotto, or lamb or beef meatballs, or goulash all can be eaten with basmati rice. You can still do potato salad with those new low GI potatoes in coles so definately find them if you like potatoes. .Pumpkin soup is good. You can lower the GI of the food with green veges but if you arent very keen on veges you can always blend celery, onion and carrot and put them in a bolognaise sauce. what do you eat for breakfast? Cereal is good if you can eat it, I cant I hate the stuff. So I eat sourdough toast with vegemite and butter. If you crave choc eat an apple instead, it takes away the sweet craving. You can still do steak or fish or chicken on a potato or sweet potato mash, just use the low cholesterol marg instead of butter. We make homemade chicken strips or nuggets out of our own sourdough breadcrumbs they are yum, there are sweet potato chips also in the frozen section they are yummy.

ETA: hon is diabex the slow releasing Metformin drug? I was on diaformin before pregnant.

I think it is. I have PCOS, and my FS prescribed it for me after i did the GT test and found i had high insulin resistence.

I do use the flora margarine and have cut down on KFC dramatically (i use to eat it at least twice a week).

I also hate cereal especially OATS!!

Gosh so hard!!!

I think sourdough is a good option as i love bread!

Thank you for the tips!!!

Also, am i suppose to cut down on fruits??

your welcome :) lol i hate cereal too bleugh oats.

no dont cut down on fruit! its great for you, fruit is good hon just try not to eat the high gi fruit alone eg, watermelon or pineapple. if you want it eat with a fruit salad to lower the GI.

Banana is medium GI as is pineapple, best low gi fruit is strawberries apples and stone fruit. Nuts mostly are low GI too if you like them for a snack, I cant eat nuts...

i had trouble with water too - i found either drinking sparkling water or putting asqueeze of fruit into it helped - lemon, lime, orange, pineapple, waermelon - reaaly gives it taste and makes it "special" iykwim?

To make water taste awesome, what I do is make up a jug with slices of lime and some mint leaves and some ice cubes. Keep it in the fridge, YUMMY!

Also, to make salads a bit more interesting and tasty you can make your own dressing with a splash of olive oil and some balsamic vinegar (or just the vinegar on its own) - also yummy!

Just gotta be creative babe - when you're doing your grocery shopping, have a look in the veggies section and pick up some things you wouldn't normally look at - you'll be so surprised at what you can throw in a salad. Baby corn, corn on the cobs, radish, carrots, red onion, baby tomatoes, roma tomatoes, avocados, celery, cabbage (yup, tastes awesome raw!)........ you get the drift!

Grab some skinny hummus and cut up some carrot and celery sticks for snacks. Also, vita wheat crackers are really good too for snacks. Cottage cheese is good too...... I'm trying to think of more for you.
I'll be back hehe.

xxxx