What do I eat??

ramicharowland

I have been eating better than usual for about 2 days now exactly...

Keep in mind my diet has been HORRIBLE hot cheetos, fast food, starch, and liquor with the occasional cooked meal but probably loaded in butter cheese and carbs.. LOL

I have a feeling I am not getting all the nutrients needed.. and I might be starving myself I have been eating almonds like crazy maybe about 24gs protein per day. (3 bags) 2 cups of chicken noodle soup(130 cals ea.) and and pop chips (supposed to be healthy chips popped" about 100 cal per bag 2 bags a day...


If I eat the amount of calories I need but not all the nutrients will I still lose weight??

What am I supposed to be eating?? any perfect meal plans out there??

Do I have to count calories to eat healthy, I think the numbers scare me and I end up not eating enough.. hmmm

ramicharowland

Oh and water of course prob only about 30 oz. a day

sarko15

Short answer, no.

Long answer, you can still lose weight but eat like crap. Weight isn't synonymous with health, or else people with anorexia would be fit as a fiddle. It sounds like you've been eating a lot of processed food, even if it's "better" than before. If you're looking for health, try more fruits and vegetables in your diet, and a little less snacky food. If your soup came out of a can, make your own, it will have less sodium. Almonds are calorically dense and don't count as a balanced meal. Try incorporating more "real food" into your diet. You don't have to completely get rid of the processed stuff you like if it's in your calorie range, but if you're looking for balance that's the way to do it. Weight loss isn't worth *kitten* if it isn't to attain a healthier lifestyle.

livingleanlivingclean

You don't need to count calories to eat healthily, but you need to count calories to lose weight.

You can lose weight eating anything as long as you're in a deficit, but you'll likely be unhealthy and nutrient deficient if you stick to your current options. You'll also likely lose a lot of muscle in the process, and your body will stop functioning properly.

Perhaps try to plan and eat more balanced meals - protein, vegies, a fat, grain/other starchy carbs. They don't have to be fancy or expensive - frozen vegies are cheap and nutritious, you can buy cheaper cuts of meat or buy and cook things in bulk. There is no perfect meal plan - eating is personal. You choose foods you like, in quantities you want, when you like!

There are plenty of threads with great meal and snack ideas - perhaps try and plan a few days and make a shopping list to get prepared for next week?

You don't need to deprive yourself of everything, if you want to allow some calories for your pop chips or other treats, go for it

ramicharowland

sarko15 wrote: »

Short answer, no.

Long answer, you can still lose weight but eat like crap. Weight isn't synonymous with health, or else people with anorexia would be fit as a fiddle. It sounds like you've been eating a lot of processed food, even if it's "better" than before. If you're looking for health, try more fruits and vegetables in your diet, and a little less snacky food. If your soup came out of a can, make your own, it will have less sodium. Almonds are calorically dense and don't count as a balanced meal. Try incorporating more "real food" into your diet. You don't have to completely get rid of the processed stuff you like if it's in your calorie range, but if you're looking for balance that's the way to do it. Weight loss isn't worth *kitten* if it isn't to attain a healthier lifestyle.

Ahhhh that makes sense about the anorexic folks... So basically a meat, veggie and carb per meal? constitutes a real meal?? I guess that is my question.. What constitutes a real meal..Fruit / almonds are a good snack? yes?

ramicharowland

living lean, thanks so much I was confused for a bit.. Very helpful...

livingleanlivingclean

ramicharowland wrote: »

sarko15 wrote: »

Short answer, no.

Long answer, you can still lose weight but eat like crap. Weight isn't synonymous with health, or else people with anorexia would be fit as a fiddle. It sounds like you've been eating a lot of processed food, even if it's "better" than before. If you're looking for health, try more fruits and vegetables in your diet, and a little less snacky food. If your soup came out of a can, make your own, it will have less sodium. Almonds are calorically dense and don't count as a balanced meal. Try incorporating more "real food" into your diet. You don't have to completely get rid of the processed stuff you like if it's in your calorie range, but if you're looking for balance that's the way to do it. Weight loss isn't worth *kitten* if it isn't to attain a healthier lifestyle.

Ahhhh that makes sense about the anorexic folks... So basically a meat, veggie and carb per meal? constitutes a real meal?? I guess that is my question.. What constitutes a real meal..Fruit / almonds are a good snack? yes?

Don't forget fats! They are important for hormonal health and to help your body absorb certain vitamins

I like fruit, yoghurt and some chopped nuts for dessert during the week - I still try to stick to balanced snacks (protein, fat and carbs). Protein would probably help keep you feeling satisfied. Just fruit would make me hungry in about 2 minutes if it satisfied me at all!

RodaRose

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

kommodevaran

You don't need to count calories to lose weight, but you need to eat less than you burn (the amount of energy your body uses) to lose weight. Counting calories is usually a good way to help you eat less than you burn.

What constitutes a good diet or a good meal, is somewhat separate from this issue. An appropriate amount of calories is important. So is appropriate amounts of macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates), micronutrients (vitamins, minerals), and sufficient fiber and water.

There are no perfect meal plans. You could google meal plans if you want to. But maybe you should just start with MyPlate.

lemurcat12

ramicharowland wrote: »

If I eat the amount of calories I need but not all the nutrients will I still lose weight??

Yes.

You will probably feel better and create a more sustainable diet if you also pay some attention to eating healthfully, but you really don't have to do it all at once. Something that might work is to pick a meal (breakfast is easy) and decide what's an easy, healthful breakfast. Think about including some vegetables in your meals. If you think protein is low, add more. If you want to cook more, start by picking a couple of meals and make leftovers you can heat up.

Point is, maybe make small goals that seem do-able and introduce them and then when they seem easy do something else.

If you don't want to worry about anything but calories and weight loss, that's okay too, but remember if you are feeling hungry or low energy changing what you eat some can help.

What am I supposed to be eating?? any perfect meal plans out there??

Millions of meal plans, but they won't be based on your preferences, and you don't need to eat according to them. None of them are perfect, as no such thing as "eating perfectly" exists -- I think get rid of that idea, as it tends to be a stumbling block, can't eat perfect so blew it, might as well forget about trying to eat well this week. Or it's too hard, can't do it.

A decent place to start for just general ideas about how to eat would be MyPlate or the Harvard Nutrition site which I really like. Just read through and get some ideas if you want to learn a bit more about nutrition:

https://www.choosemyplate.gov/

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/

A lot of it is just common sense, though -- think of a meal as some protein, some vegetables (and/or fruit), and maybe something else, like potatoes, bread, that fill out the meal. You cook with a little fat (oil/butter) or add it (salad dressing, cheese) -- balance.

Do I have to count calories to eat healthy, I think the numbers scare me and I end up not eating enough.. hmmm

No, you don't. I don't know what your goals are, and if you don't have weight to lose (or have a lot), you can often just change your diet and start being more mindful and weight will come off. If it doesn't, you could start counting then.

That said, I'm a fan of counting (logging) and think it can be really educational (even if you only do it for a bit). You will better understand how you are eating and what good changes would be if you log for a bit -- or even get started by recreating some past days, although it won't be as accurate. You can also experiment with possible meals and see what they would give you for protein, calories, so on.

Calories shouldn't scare you -- maybe understanding what a good way to eat is, and that it's not good to be too low would help. Think of the calories as a goal to meet, not to be over or under by a lot. Also, it can help with nutrition by letting you try to meet the protein, carb, and fat goals, or to log a certain number of vegetable and fruit servings or stuff like that.

If you have a history with eating too little or EDs, that might be something to consider, though -- I have no reason to think that's so, but just something to mention.