A Good Starting Plan?

WeighOfRachel

Hubs and I are back at it again, but this time, I'm having a very hard time figuring out recipes and grocery planning. Does anybody have any great advice, tips/tricks, or websites that you found helpful when you were starting out?

ladyhusker39

My best advice is to not overhaul your diet right away. Start by logging what you eat now. Don't even do a deficit at first. After a couple of weeks of logging start looking at where you can easily start to cut calories. Still don't change what you eat, just work on cutting down on how much you eat. See where that gets you in terms of a deficit.

Once you do that (I'd say for 4-6 weeks or so), if you'd like to work on eating healthier, start looking at where you can swap out foods/ingredients from what you already eat. Go a little bit at a time until you find a sustainable balance at a deficit that will reasonably get you to your goal.

It will take a little time up front, but since you're starting over you've already put some time into whatever didn't work before. It will save you time, frustration and discouragement and should help you stick with your plan in the long run.

Best of luck to you!

malibu927

Eat the foods you enjoy within your calories. Focus primarily on nutrient-dense items, but don’t deprive yourself if you want a treat and can eat it in moderation. You don’t need any fancy meal plan. As for websites to find new meals, Skinny Taste is one I always see recommended, and of course Pinterest. If you don’t have one, I recommend purchasing a food scale so you two will know exactly how much you’re eating (if you’re great at estimating, more power to you! But not everyone is.).

quiksylver296

ladyhusker39 wrote: »

My best advice is to not overhaul your diet right away. Start by logging what you eat now. Don't even do a deficit at first. After a couple of weeks of logging start looking at where you can easily start to cut calories. Still don't change what you eat, just work on cutting down on how much you eat. See where that gets you in terms of a deficit.

Once you do that (I'd say for 4-6 weeks or so), if you'd like to work on eating healthier, start looking at where you can swap out foods/ingredients from what you already eat. Go a little bit at a time until you find a sustainable balance at a deficit that will reasonably get you to your goal.

It will take a little time up front, but since you're starting over you've already put some time into whatever didn't work before. It will save you time, frustration and discouragement and should help you stick with your plan in the long run.

Best of luck to you!

All of this! Great post!

TavistockToad

WeighOfRachel wrote: »

Hubs and I are back at it again, but this time, I'm having a very hard time figuring out recipes and grocery planning. Does anybody have any great advice, tips/tricks, or websites that you found helpful when you were starting out?

i would find some pals with a similar calorie goal as you for ideas.

other than that, make a weekly menu, which in turn makes shopping easier as you know what you need for each meal. we do this at home for our evening meals, and then buy a selection of cold meats and salad etc for lunches.

kommodevaran

There are no magic recipes. You plan your grocery shopping on what you're going to cook/eat - sometimes you'll use recipes, other times not. The ingredients list is your shopping list. You can eat what you like. If you want this to be permanent, as in that slightly overused/-hyped term lifestyle change, you actually have to eat what you like. Start with what you're already eating. If you want to lose weight, you just have to eat less. Any recipe can be tweaked to have fewer calories, by reducing portions, or balancing ingredients differently, or both. You can eat smaller meals, or fewer meals, or both, or stop eating inbetween meals. What you have to change, depends on what habits are problematic, and how big impact the habit has. Find out what your hurdles and advantages are. Do not just pick up new habits at random - you don't want to create a bigger problem.

iamthemotherofdogs

ALL of this ^^, and I would start looking for recipes using foods you enjoy that are healthier than what you may currently be eating. Getting excited to try new stuff or combinations always helps me. Pinterest has kept me motivated many a time.

Giving myself goals, also. Like, once I reach my first goal, I'm rewarding myself with a tattoo.