I think I just need someone to tell me what to eat..

cordova_chick6

I am having issues with losing weight. I have been trying to eat better (more unprocessed foods) for a few weeks now, been going to the gym almost everyday, we met with a trainer who set up a routine for us. (my husband and I) and I have been trying to ignore the scale because I don't want to get discouraged. but this morning I weighed myself hoping for atleast a couple lbs to be gone. and NOTHING still the same. I understand that as I am (hopefully) losing weight I am also gaining muscle, but I kind of expected some kind of drop. I am the kind of person that can eat the same thing everyday, but I am such a picky eater and have no clue what to eat that it makes things a bit harder. I need a good meal plan or something. my trainer told me to drink 96 fl oz of water a day, (which I have been doing since last week) and that I should only have about 8 grams of fat per meal. (having a harder time with that one) he said that nutrition is the key to weight loss and everything.
is there anybody out there that can tell me what I should eat morning noon and night, and the little snack inbetween?
Please help! thank you!

jrich1

Well can you open your diary so we can see what you have been eating, might be a good start.

TXBlockhead

You sound a little like me but I would love for someone to cook it for me too! :happy:

kk_stephens

You can do protein shakes, good for breakfast, lunch or snacks.

I do string cheese and almonds for snack, or veggies and hummus. Eggs are good for breakfast, any type of fruit or veggies.

I dont do fish but lean beef (naturally grass fed and farm raised, not antibiodics or growth hormones are best for all types of meat -- except fish then wild caught). I do lots of chicken, turkey and beef.
Chicken or turkey salad sand. or a nice big chef salad.

Cottage cheese is good for you too....can mix with fruit -- or I add some pepper to mine.

Hope this helps. I know it can be a struggle. Keep it up, but also remember that the ultimate goal should be health -- not weight loss necessarily. Take a look at pro athletes or body builders.....they can be gorssly overweight but no have much body fat.....muscle weighs much more than fat.

leavinglasvegas

You should probably schedule an appointment with a dietician. That would be your best bet.

But stick to the basics. Steel cut oats for breakfast with some berries and walnuts, salad with protien for lunch (skip the fat free dressings, the fat is neccessary to absorbing the nutrients from veggies), Dinner should be a serving of lean protien, whole grain, and loads of veggies. Snack on raw veggies and your own dips, air popped popcorn, nuts, fruit (in moderation), greek yogurt or cheese (if you do dairy)

Think of your meals as a fraction. 1/4 should be lean protien, 1/4 whole grain, and 1/2 veggies.

Hope that helps.

acstein

I hate weight loss issues after starting with a trainer as well. Try measuring yourself first before fretting about the weight right now. hips, waist, thighs, and calf are the big ones that will tell you if you are progressing. If you are dead set on it being a weight loss, find a nutritionist. Most hospitals have access to one. Also, my struggle was portion control. I was always hungry and could eat pretty much all day. Luckily I love veggies and fruits, so I chose to eat those instead of potato chips or candy bars. I "changed" my diet by simply eating more often. I always tried to limit myself to 3 times a day and I always overate. I changed my food tracker to include 6 two hour sections. I do from 7-9am, 9-11am, 1-3pm, 3-5pm, 5-7pm, and 7-9pm (the gap from 11-1 is the time frame I am at the gym). For me, I was able to readily see that I was going to eat again soon, so I "psyched" myself into eating less each time. Another big one for me was sodas. I love Coca Cola, it was my comfort food. I no longer keep any soda in the house, not even when company comes over. I do treat myself to a soda while eating out, but I usually only eat out once or twice a week. Even then, it is only 1 glass, and then switch to water. However, that showed less than the "time frame" eating. I have lost 4 lbs in 2 weeks with that. Eating is more than just a necessity, it is a mind game when you are trying to lose weight. It's a lifestyle change because you have to choose to do things differently than you did before. I do not change what I eat, I just eat less and more often (which keeps your metabolism going). When I would do the 3 meals a day, I never met my calorie goal. I was ALWAYS over. When I switched to 6 times a day, I am usually under. There are some days that I meet or exceed, but those are far fewer. Some studies have also shown that if you eat less regularly, and higher calorie day is ok. It "shocks" your system into action. We are creatures of habit and so are our metabolism and muscles. It's ok to have a "fat" day as I like to call it, but not everyday.

Good luck, and I hope you find what works for you. Keep trying. It's worth it in the end but it's a hard road to travel.

Families_R_Forever

When my husband first started with his trainer, he lost nothing too, BUT I could totally tell he was losing...INCHES! Finally after a few weeks into the workout, maybe even a month the pounds started to come off.

IT WILL HAPPEN...just be patient. I think what others have been suggesting is the best for food so I won't mention it again...only this one rule of thumb that I use...

"IF IT DOESN'T GROW IN THE GROUND OR DOESN'T HAVE A MOTHER...DON'T EAT IT"

I try to go by this most of the time...it's a good thing to remember.

GooD LuCk!!!

DanOhh

Well can you open your diary so we can see what you have been eating, might be a good start.

Please make your Diary public.

HealthyChanges2010

You can Google meal plans and do the menus exactly how they suggest but I think in the end if we teach ourselves how to set our own meals up we benefit much more in the end. Decide how many cals you are allotted each day, dived by how many meals you chose to eat each day. 3 meals and 2 snacks? 6 small mini meals? That's a good way to narrow down how many cals you'd want to have in each meal. Then be sure to have a carb/protein/fat at each meal or snack time being sure to get in all your veggies and fruit for the day and you should be good to go.

You can always take a look at suggested health sites menus or better yet look at open diaries on here where folks are eating very healthy meals and that will give you ideas as well.

Not sure how long you've been at this but before too long you'll see it really is pretty simple, it only seems complicated when starting out:flowerforyou:

Iffer75

Your trainer could even give you tips on what to eat and what not to eat. When I had a personal trainer, she sat down with me and told me what she wanted me to eat on a daily basis. I am sure he would be willing to help in that area as well, since you are paying him a lot of money to help you feel better about yourself.

I do agree with everyone else's suggestions as well. 5 to 6 meals a day is a must. Water is a must. I am not saying that my food diary is perfect, but you are welcome to look at mine and try anything that I am doing. Right now I am loving every meal that I am eating. I also, don't mind eating the same thing everyday, so that is what I do for at least 3 weeks and then change it up.

Good luck, I know you can do it. :bigsmile:

TenaciousTAZ

Read the book The Zone or google paleolithic eating......robbwolf.com Great insight on nutrition!

kicklikeaGIRL

It's probably not necessary to open your diary (I would never open it up to public criticisms, only to friends as I've seen some pretty awful comments on other posts about people's Food Diaries.) Maybe something that would be helpful would be to give us some more information? What are you eating for snacks? What are you eating for meals? And how many calories are you eating at each meal/snack time?

But, anyways, I think along the same lines as many who have posted here would to...
1) be patient--- its only been a few weeks and typically its harder to lose weight in the very beginning as well as once you reach an "okay" weight. Like right now, I've been stuck for a few months at the same weight, even though I'm working my tail off. It just happens, but as you go along increase your workout intensity, change up your workout schedule, and just keep pushing through. This journey isn't going to be fast. One thing I always try to remember is that it didn't take a week for me to put on this weight, it took years, so therefore its going to take me a while to get it off!

2) eat good foods--- many have already touched base on this too. just because something says "fat free" on the package doesn't mean its good for you. Fresh veggies, fresh fruits, lean meats, whole wheats, nuts, healthy dairy, eggs

3) Avoid too many oils (creamy salad dressings), processed sugars (cereal with large quantities of sugar), sodium filled foods (processed crackers)

4) Remember that fats can be good for you (nuts, natural peanut butter, avacados, EVOO, even cheese) but use them sparingly.

5) Just as someone else mentioned, eating snacks and smaller meals throughout the day can help keep your hunger at bay and help you from overeating at meal time. Also keeps your energy high.

6) Be honest with yourself. From personal experience, it was easy to get caught up in the fact that the majority of the time I did eat well. I would complain and say "But, I eat amazing, why am I not seeing results". Which was partly true, I would eat great during the day, and then maybe get munchy at night and pull out my husband's tortilla chips out of the cupboard and go wild. I wasn't being very honest with myself in the beginning. I figured I could still get away with eating some "bad" snacks even though I did great during the day. And it can be okay sometimes, but not everynight. The weightloss and inches lost will be hindered.

Hopefully that helps. Here are some snacks I typically eat throughout my day (not all in one day of course, but I like to keep a variety so I don't get bored)

1 oz mozzarella cheese
banana
grapes
oranges
1 TBSP natural peanut butter with 1 medium apple (sliced) OR with celery sticks OR medium banana
carrots
celery sticks with 1 oz mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup wheat chex w/ 2 TBSP craisins and 1/2 serving raw almonds
1 serving raw almonds
cantelope
strawberries
green beans (raw, yumm)
pea snaps
1/2 wheat Flat Out with tomatoes spread across, sprinkle of bazil & parsley, & cheese, melted in microwave or in oven
hummus with carrots
cottage cheese
air popped pop corn
greek yogurt w/ fresh berries and possibly sprinkle of granola

kicklikeaGIRL

oops double post

kicklikeaGIRL

Okay, after careful thought I do think it would be beneficial to open your Diary for us to see, that is if you are wanting some real advice. If you think you've got the hang of it and are just looking for ideas, then maybe its not necessary. But, you can open it for current feedback now and close it later if you desire. But, I do agree with what people have said, that opening your Diary will help us get a better idea of ways we can help you improve your diet, if need be. I was wrong in telling you not to do it, just because there are some trolls out there, doesn't mean that the rest of us can't give you some good advice on what you could do better on to help you achieve your goals. :flowerforyou:

Thanks Danohh for helping me realize that it is for the benefit of the individual to open their diaries so that those of us that CARE can help them reach their goals!

kdiamond

Yes, if you open your diary we can give you constructive criticism.

I also think the calories alloted on here are not an exact science and we all have overages from exercise.

I strenously work out like a fiend for an hour+ a day and there is no way I am burning 1000 calories like some of the people on here say they do...I would be surprised if I burned 350, let alone 500 in an hour!!! I think people definitely overestimate their calorie burn thus consuming too many calories!

marymom

.CNN