Revamping my diet 100%

ValentineNicole

I'm working on eating better and completely revamping my diet. I know that in the past, I have not had the best habits. Through college, I maintained my weight by eating smaller portions of very poor food choices, and now that I am graduated and in the workforce, the last couple years I've kept that same mentality. I'm working on switching to organic, non-GMO foods and more whole foods and wheat carbohydrates (whole grain whenever possible). Right now, the only change I am making is eating mostly healthier types of foods and tracking everything to understand my patterns. Please keep in mind that prior to this revamp, I would normally eat everything from Cheetos to chocolate, McDonalds for breakfast or lunch a couple times a week, etc. So this alone is a huge step - but I'm ready and want to make the next move soon.

Here's a couple things I notice:

I don't eat much fruit - in fact, even if I purchase it, I avoid it. I've added in some "no sugar added" organic dried fruits in small portions to counter this, and I eat vegetables with no abandon (I always liked those better). Is that okay? Is dried fruit counter intuitive due to the sugar content, or is it good that I'm getting some antioxidants and vitamins/minerals that I may have otherwise avoided? I eat a lot of veggies - mostly carrots, cauliflower, peppers, spinach, kale, broccoli, peas.

My sugar is higher than I'd like. My fitness pal set my goal at 45 grams, and I come in consistently around 70 grams. Organic yogurt "smoothies" from trader joes or protein shakes for breakfast (I'm not much of one to sit and eat for breakfast) are part of the issue; dried fruit is part of the issue; chocolate is still an issue (although better chocolate in smaller doses than usual). What are some suggestions to minimize that sugar content and not feel deprived?

My protein is low. I have difficulty packing leftovers for lunch because my family gets first dibs on the leftovers, and we never seem to have enough left over no matter how much is made. I eat things like tuna, pitas with feta cheese/ hummus, Amy's bean burritos, etc for lunch. I'd love suggestions to keep my protein up. I think with mostly vegetarian lunches (although occasionally tuna) and shakes for breakfast, I'm really low on protein. I barely hit 60 grams most days. Any suggestions on easy ways to add protein in? I'd probably munch on fewer snacks with a little extra protein too

Laurend224

My advice to you would be to start small and slow, making one change, sticking with it for a while, making another change, etc.......

And know that, even if you changed nothing in your current diet, and just eat less of what you currently eat, you would still lose weight.

It doesn't have to be all or nothing, and sometimes cutting out foods can backfire on you.

I wish you luck.

abatonfan

First off, there is no need to completely eliminate "bad" foods. I still enjoy having McDonald's for breakfast, like munching off a nice piece of chocolate in the evenings, and am still losing weight. Even if you purchase all organic and non-GMO foods, you could still gain weight; it's all about calories in vs calories out.

All fruits contain sugar. Dried fruit is simply fruit without all the water, but 100g of dried fruit will have more calories than 100g of fresh fruit because of the lack of water. Unless you are consistently weighing the dried fruit, you can easily go over on calories, because it takes a lot more pieces of dried fruit to feel full compared to fresh fruit.

MFP's sugar goal is really low. Personally, I tend to follow the World Health Organization's recommended amount of added sugar (consuming less than 10% of my calories in added sugar) and don't panic when I go over MFP's recommended sugar intake. Though both natural and added sugar both break down into glucose upon digestion, I personally feel fuller (and have less of a dramatic blood sugar spike) if I ate a piece of fruit (high in natural sugars) than if I drank a glass of fruit juice (high in added sugars). If you're looking for ways to limit your sugar intake, switching from flavored yogurt to a plain yogurt can cut out a lot of the added sugars (19g of sugar in fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt compared to 6g of sugar in a plain yogurt).

In regards to getting enough protein in my diet, Greek yogurt and meat/eggs have become my best friend. I could have 150g of plain nonfat Greek yogurt for 80 calories and 15g of protein and a hard boiled egg or piece of cheese (60-70 calories and about 5g of protein) as a snack and meet about 20% of my protein goal.

jesiann2014

I'm with Lauren. Advise that you slow it down a bit. What's your rush? You've got plenty of time to make lasting changes, right? It's taken you a lifetime to get the habits you now have. Hard to change those in a flash... Plus it's discouraging to always feeling hungry for your comfort foods. I also advise that you not worry so much about your sugar intake at this early stage. I say ditch the dried fruits and eat fresh fruit! As far as organic or not... Well, it's a personal choice but do some research. You may find that the word 'organic' gives freedom to charge you more $...

0somuchbetter0

Just to echo Lauren, I don't think you need to completely revamp your diet 100%. Making such drastic changes tends to backfire and lead to bad choices. Make smaller changes that you know you can live with over the long term. Like she said, you can still lose weight eating all the same foods you've been eating, as long as you have a calorie deficit. But you want to eat healthier, too, so...

If your sugar is high because you're eating lots of dried fruit, yogurt, etc., I wouldn't worry about it too much. You're trying to eat healthier, and that's great -- your body needs sugar and getting most of it from those sources rather than processed stuff like soda and cookies is great.

Tips for increasing protein: protein bars and shakes. "Pure Protein" brand isn't terrible, and they're low sugar. Also cottage cheese and Greek yogurt have tons of protein. I also bake a bunch of chicken breasts on Sundays and just keep them in the fridge to pack for lunches -- I chop them up and add them to salads. Also eggs! Keep hard boiled eggs in the fridge and just grab one on your way to work. Sandwich meats are also good for protein but loaded with sodium. Also for crunchy snacks, go for nuts rather than chips for a little extra protein.

Lastly, don't give up on all your favorite "junk" foods -- you'll feel deprived and then completely go off the wagon when you get a little taste. At least that's what happens to me. I like to factor in a little chocolate or a cookie just to get the extra treats without going hog wild.

ValentineNicole

I love these ideas - thanks guys! I really want to aim to eat healthier for me - because I'm tired of feeling tired, honestly. I know it's a lot of changes to revamp my eating, but I really want that - even more than weight loss. I want to feel good about what I put in my body.

Truthfully, I'm a little skeptical about the organic food industry myself, but it does help ensure that I'm cutting back on the manufactured junk type of ingredients.

But I love the ideas - especially the protein ones! I think those should be easy fixes, and I bet they help me stay full much longer, too. Cheese, hardboiled eggs, grilled chicken, nuts - I can do those easily!

I'm also really glad to hear the sugar outlines are pretty low on myfitnesspal. I feel like I've cut back drastically on my unhealthy sugars, but I still seemed to be over the guideline. 10% of my calories should be easy to do - very few of my sugars are added.

Thank you so much for the advice, all of you. And I promise if I feel deprived, I'll not jump off the wagon - a small indulgence is fine by me