New to this and need a run down

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leeswain23
leeswain23 Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
can anyone give me a run down of what I should and shouldn't eat I find it hard to know what's good and bad unless it's obviously bad. So if any of you could tell me what I should avoid like bread etc what should I cut out I just don't know thanks

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  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Nothing

    It's about eating what you want and learning the appropriate portions

    If you eat too many calories in one meal you have to stop eating as much the rest of the day to meet your calorie defecit

    The process is important, it teaches you about portion size and choices...looking up the calories tells you you can afford 2 slices of pizza for dinner if you have the vegetable stew for lunch or you can have that beer because you have the calories spare. Also teaches you how to make your favourite foods for the best amount of calories

    Eat the right amounts ...weigh and log everything and you will lose weight

    Welcome and good look
  • leeswain23
    leeswain23 Posts: 8
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    Thank you that's helpful iv not had a loss this week so thought I was doing something wrong think j just need to educate my self more. This is all a massive learning curve for me :-)
  • loulamb7
    loulamb7 Posts: 801 Member
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    Read this http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1

    Keep it simple. Focus on getting your calories right first.
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
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    Sounds like you need a basic source for nutrition. I have this book and I refer to it often http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Basics-Nutrition-Elizabeth-Carpenter/dp/1419668552/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423519447&sr=8-1&keywords=basic+nutrition

    Patience is key. It takes time to change habits and see changes. Good luck. :)
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    leeswain23 wrote: »
    Thank you that's helpful iv not had a loss this week so thought I was doing something wrong think j just need to educate my self more. This is all a massive learning curve for me :-)

    It's a learning curve for every one :). If I were you, I'd go to target or Walgreens and buy a food scale (or Amazon). They are pretty cheap. One of the biggest issues people seem to have is under estimating how many calories they eat. This can be remedied by weighing every food you eat. Even prepackaged items can be off. Start there and get used to accurate logging.

    Unless you have a diagnosed medical condition, there is absolutely no need to cut out any foods. A calorie is a calorie. For example if you had to eat 1500 cals (just a random number for the example) to lose 1 lb a week, you would lose regardless if those calories came from eating all bacon or a well balanced (for your preferences) diet (using this word to describe intake, not a specific "diet"). Now obviously the all bacon option is not ideal, but what matters in terms of weightloss is calories in vs out. Hope that helps.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    leeswain23 wrote: »
    Thank you that's helpful iv not had a loss this week so thought I was doing something wrong think j just need to educate my self more. This is all a massive learning curve for me :-)

    The most important tip is to weigh your food on a digital scale, choose the entries carefully from the MFP database, cross check against package and/or google if the entry is starred (a lot of them are wrong go for the ones with most member confirmations), build your own recipes never use a homemade entry

    When exercising eat back 50-75% of the MFP or machine calorie burn estimate.. They tend it overestimate,

    The learning curve is good ...it's what we all need. Don't be afraid to ask questions nor to take the somewhat straightforward advice and opinions you get with a pinch of salt
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    Eat what you always do, only in moderation.
  • leeswain23
    leeswain23 Posts: 8
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    Thank you all so much this is all very helpful xx
  • sherbear702
    sherbear702 Posts: 649 Member
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    Like previous posters have said, there's nothing you really need to "avoid". You just need to learn to make smarter choices. For example, you could have a snack size bag of Cheetos for 140 calories (tasty but not that filling) OR you could have a fat free greek yogurt (filling and 40 calories less than cheetos).

    Switch to stuff like light mayonnaise, light sour cream, 2% milk, 1/3 less fat cream cheese, 98% fat free soup, 93/7 lean ground beef or turkey, boneless skinless chicken breast, seafood, etc.

    You don't have to give up what you love, you just have to learn to eat in moderation.

    P.S. Get a food scale. It's worth the investment if you're serious about losing weight.

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