Newbie - Need to lose weight, but don't know how to grocery shop or meal plan, Please Help.

rsclause

Head to the produce aisle to stock up and then get some lean meat or fish. To have more fun cooking it stop by the wine aisle too. Skip the breads and potatoes or reduce quantity of them.

MarissaJean04

Bworms1980 wrote: »

That is definitely something I will have to train myself to do. Besides milk and eggs, I rarely go around the perimeter. I will take a look at the 21 day fix, I need all the help I can get about meals.

MarissaJean04 wrote: »

When shopping for food shop the perimeter where the whole foods are...eggs, milk (almond for you unsweetened), butter (earth balance), Yogurt (Silk makes yogurt Dairy Free), your meats, fruits and veggies. When you shop down the isles you tend to buy stuff that is processed and loaded with sugar. If you would like something to stick with look into the 21 day fix from beachbody the meal plan is easy to follow there is also a cook book that goes along with it called fixate...and no I am not a beachbody coach I've just done and followed the 21 day fix and it worked for me! I can give you the name of my beachbody coach if you are interested!

Not sure if you noticed or not but I gave you some dairy free options in parentheses. My husband is dairy free! Add me as a friend of you want and you can message me with any questions. I know lots of dairy free foods!

zdyb23456

I'm a pro when it comes to meal planning and shopping, but I didn't start out that way! I suggest making small changes to get started. Switch to a healthier breakfast cereal or oatmeal to keep breakfast simple - be sure to watch your portion sizes. Keep lunch simple, a low sodium canned soup or sandwich or leftovers from the evening before.

The harder part is dinner. Get a notepad and jot down 2- 3 meals. Gather the recipes you need to cook these meals. The worst is starting to cook and discovering you don't have something you need. Read the recipe and write down all the ingredients you need to get from the grocery store. Now you have your grocery list. Add anything else you'll need to round out those recipes - like vegetables for sides, rice, or garlic bread, etc.

Now that you have you recipes and ingredients you can choose which days to make those meals. As you get better you can add more recipes to your week. Pick simple recipes to start. Recipes with fewer ingredients will be much simpler to shop for and prepare. Even a box of pasta and a jar of sauce counts

Once you become a pro you can meal plan with very little waste, recreate leftovers into new dishes, cook a whole chicken and make 3 meals out of...stuff like that

jgnatca

@Bworms1980 a Crock Pot is the same as a slow cooker. Some have timers that can turn off on their own. You'll have to check your model. These cookers are designed for meals that are stewed over a long time like stews, chili, bean-based meals and soups, typically about 6-8 hours on low. One enterprising MFP'er suggested using a Christmas light timer to automatically turn off the cooker.

youknowwhyimhere

Look up on YouTube intermittent fasting. Eat nothing but protein and greens. Watch for carbs and I'd say stay under about 50-60 grams. Also try to stay under 1400 calories. As for workout, if you can, start jump roping. Jump rope for 10 mins = 30 mins of jogging. If you need to start off slow, jump rope for 1 min then rest for the next and then start again until you reach about 20-30 mins. I was 6'2-6'3 290 about 6 months ago but I joined when I was 270, I'm now about 253 but that's with me cheating my diet a little lol. Most importantly stay in a caloric deficit and burn more than you intake. Drink plenty water. Good luck!

Bworms1980

I saw the dairy alternatives you mentioned. I use most of them. However, I didn't know about the dairy free yogurt. I'll check around and see if any stores in my area carries it. It's been hard finding dairy or lactose free substitutes that I saw online.

MarissaJean04 wrote: »

Bworms1980 wrote: »

That is definitely something I will have to train myself to do. Besides milk and eggs, I rarely go around the perimeter. I will take a look at the 21 day fix, I need all the help I can get about meals.

MarissaJean04 wrote: »

When shopping for food shop the perimeter where the whole foods are...eggs, milk (almond for you unsweetened), butter (earth balance), Yogurt (Silk makes yogurt Dairy Free), your meats, fruits and veggies. When you shop down the isles you tend to buy stuff that is processed and loaded with sugar. If you would like something to stick with look into the 21 day fix from beachbody the meal plan is easy to follow there is also a cook book that goes along with it called fixate...and no I am not a beachbody coach I've just done and followed the 21 day fix and it worked for me! I can give you the name of my beachbody coach if you are interested!

Not sure if you noticed or not but I gave you some dairy free options in parentheses. My husband is dairy free! Add me as a friend of you want and you can message me with any questions. I know lots of dairy free foods!