Forgot what normal food is

Ming1951

I was doing low carb, mostly following Atkins , I lost 46 lbs 3 years ago but then went out to lunch with hubby enjoy a big fat hamburger loaded and homemade fries, after that I gradually starting eating more n more...even though I stayed low carb I'd have more and more cheat days as I didn't see any weight gain, eventually I ws back where I started. I kept trying to motivate myself to get back on I'd have 2 eggs, bacon but during the day I was hungry ate more, nor portion control and wasn't getting anywhere and somewhere I stopped doing all that water 64 oz. I think that was my demise. Since I couldn't get control of myself I started nutrisystem. It is working for me a month and a bit in and I'm down 14 lbs. of course I have 70 lbs to lose. So right now the weight is coming off. I am on 1200 cal. per day but I get a variety of food, snacks and many unlimited veggies, most of all it is teaching me portion control. The food is good to me, the snacks some are good some taste really artificial but I eat them cause they are there, but I don't eat as many as I am even allowed, I'm replacing with an additional veggie which tastes better to me. I am also a senior citizen now so the weight comes off slower and I have bad arthritis, which I am hoping the lower weight will help. I average about 5000 steps per day without trying. This morning I walk a mile for the first time in a long time. This week I will do that every morning. You can do it too. As the others advised...try their advise. You can even cook up some chicken breasts in the evening and just reheat in the morning for a fast protein breakfast, or eggs. Good luck, if I can do this anyone can.

SLLRunner

FrancineDesign wrote: »

It seems like when I decide to eat healthy, nothing is actually healthy. For example. I usually have toast for breakfast but when I try to eat healthy I do better on low carb so toast goes out the window and then I usually have porridge but I hate making it every morning. Then comes lunch. Usually I have sandwiches, a yoghurt and a muesli bar. But more carbs in the bread, sugar in the yoghurt and same with the bar. I then get to dinner and chicken stir fry is the only healthy thing I can think of. So what do I eat that's healthy but not so expensive and time consuming. Shouldn't healthy also be convenient?! Help me guys. What should I be eating?!

I suggest eating the foods you love in moderation. Food type is preference only and has nothing to do with weight loss. You want to support your journey by eating foods you plan on eating for the rest of your life.

smc0170

If you don't want to spend the time cooking, you could invest in a slow cooker. Just throw in some meat, vegetables and broth/sauce in the morning, and you have several portions of warm cooked food waiting for you in the evening.

My wife and I both work full time and have two small children...without the slow cooker who knows what we would eat. Just a little planning goes a long way.

cwolfman13

There's nothing inherently unhealthy about carbs...

Sarahb29

It sounds like you just need to learn how to cook, no offense. There's plenty of low carb food out there if you do your own research and find recipes. Pinterest and Instagram have been very motivating for me, I just plug in "low carb" and whatever vegetable I'm cooking with, "low carb spaghetti squash". Start slow, start experimenting with different vegetables like spaghetti squash, egg plant, broccoli, cauliflower, and play around with different salad recipes. I started with making meatballs, baked chicken breasts with lemon juice, steak, riced cauliflower and crustless quiches (eggs with veggies/bacon/ham in them and baked in the oven). So start simple and then start trying other recipes that interest you.

If you don't want to do low carb or find it restrictive, cool, don't do it.

jor3c

There are no good/bad foods as others have said.
For me I had to measure/weigh everything to figure out what a true portion size listed on the ingredients section was actually. It was a shock to find that what I considered a serving was in actuality 2-3 servings.
Portion size and charting everything as well as trying to eat "healthier" options...more fruits, fresh veges, and less "southern" was helpful and often met with opposition from DH, but for most part I stuck to it for 4+ years until I lost what I wanted/needed.

I couldn't look at the total I needed to lose as to overwhelming for me - so I broke it down to 5 lbs increments...

I would splurge on a donut or such but I would chart it.
I continued to cook some of my recipes, but I put them in the recipe section of MFP and learned what the calorie content was for the portion size.
I eat the "treats" but I chart those so I am aware ... often times I would pass on the "forbidden" just to avoid having to sit and chart it ... it was a great moderator at times for myself.

We all struggle each day...but each day is a new day.
I personally still struggle more so this past year, but I am trying to find the inner motivation & not be so harsh with myself as it is a constant life long pattern I need to remember. There are No easy Quick fixes.

Good luck and remember that small changes do add up over the long haul. Example: a snack of apple and cheese vs. a bag of chips -- try to find "real" food and enjoy it vs. the processed easy to grab items... and over time you will feel better and look better.
Be aware that as you pull yourself off of the processed food/items your body may go through a "detox" like stage - at least I did where I felt like yuk...but in time that ended and I felt better and more energy.

Best of luck! And hang in there!!! small steps but each count.

vingogly

I tend to stick to eating the same things that I like until I get tired of them, then I'll switch to something else. Today I've had for example:

Breakfast: Wheat Chex cereal plus soy milk (actually, I prefer Weetabix or raisin nut bran) -- I sometimes will get a dozen eggs and some bacon and have that for breakfast for a while -- I like a high-fiber tortilla with scrambled eggs, bacon, a bit of shredded cheese and some good salsa for breakfast sometimes

Snacks: apple, two Ak-Mak high fiber crackers with two wedges of Laughing Cow pepper jack, a Fiber One peanut butter and oats bar, cream (half & half) with my coffee

Lunch: three Campari tomatoes, five kalamata olives, Brownberry Sandwich Thins (100cal) with reduced sodium turkey breast, a slice of pepper jack cheese, 1Tb mayonnaise, and grainy mustard, a Jello gelatin cup (sugar free)

For dinner, I'll probably have a Healthy Choice frozen dinner, and for a snack some fruit, Greek yogurt, and a bit of granola for crunch. I use stevia for sweetening things like my coffee and yogurt. That'll come out to about 1600 calories total.

Francl27

You're overthinking it.

All I care about is hitting my calorie goal, hitting 100g of protein, and try to have my 5 servings of fruit and veggies. I don't care one bit about carbs and even less about sugar.

For oatmeal, you can make a big pot on week ends and reheat it though! Or do overnight oats.

lorrpb

I understand what you're saying that reducing carbs helps cut out a lot of calories. I cut back on carbs drastically but still consume 50% carbs which is right in line with MFP macros. I agree that it can be very helpful to monitor carbs & sugar.
I use sandwich thins, low carb wraps, or thinner/smaller bread slices, or only one slice of regular bread instead of two huge slices.
Look for plain yogurt or brands with less added sugar.
I make a double batch of oatmeal & refrigerate the other serving in a microwaveable covered bowl to use later in the week. That cuts down on the cooking.
Hope that helps.

cwolfman13

FrancineDesign wrote: »

It seems like when I decide to eat healthy, nothing is actually healthy. For example. I usually have toast for breakfast but when I try to eat healthy I do better on low carb so toast goes out the window and then I usually have porridge but I hate making it every morning. Then comes lunch. Usually I have sandwiches, a yoghurt and a muesli bar. But more carbs in the bread, sugar in the yoghurt and same with the bar. I then get to dinner and chicken stir fry is the only healthy thing I can think of. So what do I eat that's healthy but not so expensive and time consuming. Shouldn't healthy also be convenient?! Help me guys. What should I be eating?!

More whole foods...lost of veg...some fruit...whole grains...legumes...lentils...whole food starches like potatoes and sweet potatoes...lean sourced protein, etc.

By the by, there's nothing inherently unhealthy about carbohydrates...there's nothing wrong with having some bread...and your porridge BTW is carbs.

I'd say if anything, your diet seems to be substantially lacking in vegetables and protein...

And no...typically "healthy" doesn't translate to particularly convenient...that said, you can eat convenience foods and still lose weight.

You're over complicating that which is not complicated.

savithny

I'm still kind of stuck on how toast for breakfast has to stop because carbs, so porridge instead.

Because unless there's some definition of "porridge" that has changed since I was a wee lass? Porridge is ... grain. With .... carbs. Are we talking "Pease porridge and you'er actually making split pea soup for breakfast? Because otherwise, just buy whole grain bread and toast it!

Lunch - Get a pita or wrap to lower the carb/calorie count, get a no-sugar yogurt, and just don't eat the muesli? Substitute an apple for the muesli bar?

Dinner: stir fry is the only healthy dinner? Why is that? Where did that picture of "healthy" come from? Can't you brainstorm other things to do with chicken and veg? Instead of stir frying them, just grill the chicken and steam the veggies! Or steam the chicken and grill the veggies! Or bake the chicken and sautee the veggies! Or poach the chicken and throw the veggies into the water and have soup? Or poach the chicken and chop it up after its cooked .... or .... or .....

Aaron_K123

I think bread still falls into the category of "normal food"