Diet and food choice discussion?!!

KkBlowin25

Ok,
So clearly its a Good idea to eat the lean foods, the fresh stuff lots of fiber enriched foods .. But what about those days in between pay check's or the hard times.. Is it ok to eat the bad carbs. Starchy foods if you stay within a calorie deficit?..and also including excersize. Thought and opinions, please no rude comments.

Dreamcrusher16

The way I understand it is calories are king. Obviously better quality foods will be better for you, but that's not always the real world. If you're trying to lose set yourself at a 20-30 percent calorie deficiency. Then set your macros within the calorie limit. Then it takes time and consistency. It won't happen in a straight line. Set a realistic timeline. You will lose weight through a calorie deficiency and you exercise for fitness. That's my two cents anyway.

serindipte

While it isn't the recommended way to go about it, you could lose weight by eating nothing but cake and ice cream as long as you are eating fewer calories than you burn. The "bad carbs" are just calories when it comes to weight loss. Do try and meet your protein, though. That helps protect your muscles.

usmcmp

Overall it's calories. I personally would have some nice starchy foods along with protein because of a fullness factor and it helps stretch your money further compared to all out vegetables and protein for a week followed by a week of spaghetti and ramen. There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating bread or pasta or any food (unless you are allergic to it or have a medical condition). Stop thinking of foods as good and bad.

The reason to pay attention to eating adequate protein, vegetables and fats is for health and body composition. You can have anything, just focus on moderation.

livingleanlivingclean

You have to eat in a way that suits your preferences, including budget. There are plenty of threads and websites aimed at people eating on a budget that might help you.

I don't aim for "lean" food - fat is not evil, in fact, it's necessary for health and body functions. Nor do I eat enriched fibre food - I just eat food that naturally contains fibre.

What is a "bad" carb? The organic sweet potato that pillaged your wallet? Or the handful of candy? Eating doesn't have to be on the extreme of nutrition - you can find a happy medium by being creative if money is tight.

You will still get results by sticking to your calorie goal. Do it by making the best choices you can whilst not putting yourself in a position of financial stress because of idealistic rules about what "healthy diet" is.

KkBlowin25

Thanks all! Im doing very well aside from this bump were going threw and breastfeeding demands. I appreciate the feedback!

serindipte

I'm a single mom on a limited income, myself. To stretch my $ and eat relatively well, I do a lot of frozen veggies and bags of chicken breasts (you could do thighs, instead, if you prefer). I get the better lettuces and all when I can, but iceburg works in a pinch. A bag or two of carrots and pack of turkey and you've got a decent salad. Throw in some broccoli, cucumbers, if you can or whatever is in season for you and you can make it stretch even further.

One of my grocery stores offers a bogo sale once per month. This is when I stock up on meats, as much as I can.

WinoGelato

What are examples of "lean foods" and "bad carbs"?

If your goal is to lose weight, you can do that eating any foods as long as you are in a calorie deficit. What I usually recommend is:

1. Set up MFP with current stats, a goal weight and a reasonable rate of loss. For less than 50 lbs to lose that's 1 lb/week. For less than 25 lbs to lose,0.5 lb/week.
2. MFP will calculate a calorie target for you with a deficit built in.
3. Eat a variety of foods within that target aiming for those that provide nutrition (macro and micro), satiety (fill you up) and enjoyment (helps with adherence).
4. Log everything accurately and honestly, ideally using a food scale.
5. Exercise if you enjoy it, eating back at last a portion of calories.
6. Be patient and consistent. Monitor and adjust based on actual results.

Absent a medical condition, there's no reason to avoid any kind of carbs, starchy or otherwise.

rileysowner

KkBlowin25 wrote: »

Ok,
So clearly its a Good idea to eat the lean foods, the fresh stuff lots of fiber enriched foods .. But what about those days in between pay check's or the hard times.. Is it ok to eat the bad carbs. Starchy foods if you stay within a calorie deficit?..and also including excersize. Thought and opinions, please no rude comments.

There are no bad carbs. For weight loss it is all about calorie deficit. Yes, nutritious foods are better in many ways, but they will not speed up your fat loss if the calories are kept the same. Frankly the whole good food, bad food way of thinking is wrong headed. Better to look to strive for mainly nutritious foods while not getting worried about the less nutritious choice mixed in with them. Also, often frozen veggies (the ones that is just veggies flash frozen) are more nutritious than fresh because unlike fresh, they don't sit around long periods of time. They come off the field and are frozen at peak freshness preserving the vitamins and minerals.

KkBlowin25

Thanks all! I have lost 50 lbs altogether since having my last baby 8 months ago. I still have 25 pounds left to go. But times have been a little ruff and I'm eating a lot of what everyone else is instead of the chicken and veggies that I was sticking to. Just needed a little insight about it. I wish to still lose the remainder of the weight even while having to eat more of the breads and pasta. Thank u all!

Lounmoun

KkBlowin25 wrote: »

Ok,
So clearly its a Good idea to eat the lean foods, the fresh stuff lots of fiber enriched foods .. But what about those days in between pay check's or the hard times.. Is it ok to eat the bad carbs. Starchy foods if you stay within a calorie deficit?..and also including excersize. Thought and opinions, please no rude comments.

What is your goal?
Do you have a medical condition that requires you to eat a specific diet?

Weight loss is about calories.
Carbs are not bad for you.
If the choice is no food at all for days or weeks or cheap instant ramen it is healthier to eat the ramen. It isn't nutritionally packed but it will keep you alive.
There are lots of low budget foods that are good to keep on hand- powdered milk, tuna, eggs, peanut butter, rice, pasta, oatmeal, dry beans, lentils, potatoes, onions, carrots, flour, frozen vegetables, bread

Lolalikeslolagets

If you have access to farmers markets fruits and veg are cheaper, brown rice and beans go a long way, oatmeal, pasta, eggs. Meat is expensive, delicious but probably should be a in moderation kind of thing anyways... I'm one to talk, I have a hard time sticking to a budget, but I think creatively one can come up with some cool tastey meals with very little. My kitchen is stocked with dried beans and pasta, spices, freezer full of meat and vegetables but I still go to the store to buy things I crave... hard habit to break., our bodies are pretty tough though OP if you're worried about nutrition ...

Lolalikeslolagets

Btw, David Chang is all about the ramen - Instant ramen.. make your own stock and add an egg and some meat and greens or whatever and you have a $3.00 meal that's awesome!

Dreamcrusher16

I would say you might need to be careful restricting your diet if you're still breastfeeding. Maybe there's someone more qualified than me on that topic.

lorrpb

Instant Ramen and starchy carbs alone won't keep a person properly nourished, even if they can lose weight eating only that! Nutrition during weight loss DOES matter.