Lifestyle Changes and Better Eating

agewitsch1990

I need a little (lot) of help and motivation to get myself going and start making eating changes. I’m 28 and recently had multiple strokes due to an artery tear at the base of my skull. I’m supposed to start out slow as far as activities and start changing my diet. Does anyone have any helpful tips or recipes that are low fat and in expensive?

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middlehaitch

Your motivation, rather determination, should be coming from your medical condition.
As you have been advised, start slow, both with food and movement.

If you have a post stroke team working with you, and you need to lose weight, ask for a referral to a registered dietitian.

If that is not available, put your stats into MFP and have a reasonable deficit. 1lbs a week is good if you have under 50 lbs to lose, 2lbs a week if you have over 75.

For accuracy, get a digital food scale and use it all the time, for all foods.

Log what you are eating now, in slropriate portions for your calorie goal, and, if needed, work on slowly improving your nutrition.

Don't think of food as the good, the bad, and the ugly, think of the nutrient content and how it helps you fulfil your goals while keeping you happy and satisfied.


Walking is a great start, I don't know your previous activity level, but if you are sedentary just try to get 5-10 min in 3-4 times a day. Once that is comfortable, increase your time, speed, or distance.

If you can, do a little resistance work. HasFit and Nerdfitness both have simple routines for beginners. Don't expect to do the routine right off the bat, make that your goal.

I think you need your medical team to work with you closely to make sure you have the best recovery possible.
Don't be afraid to push for answers, and guidance.

Cheers, h.

kommodevaran

I would propose you're approaching this wrong. Healthy eating should be enjoyable. Health issues would be a strong motivation to improve eating and exercising habits. Your particular situation is so particular that you should get instructions from your medical team, not strangers on the internet. If you need to eat low fat, eat low fat. You can and should figure out for yourself how much fat any recipe has - MFP has a recipe builder/food diary that breaks down the calories into macronutrients (fat, protein, carbs). The ulitmate decision is whether you're going to eat it or not, and that is your decision. Food made form scratch can be inexpensive if you can cook, if you know what to look for, where to find it, when it's cheaper, don't buy too much of anything, aren't picky, and eat up everything.

TavistockToad

agewitsch1990 wrote: »

I need a little (lot) of help and motivation to get myself going and start making eating changes. I’m 28 and recently had multiple strokes due to an artery tear at the base of my skull. I’m supposed to start out slow as far as activities and start changing my diet. Does anyone have any helpful tips or recipes that are low fat and in expensive?

Is low fat something your doctors have told you that you need to do?

agewitsch1990

Yes they said to eat a low fat diet no pork, beef, nothing fried, limit sweets, bread, and desserts, and to limit my caffeine intake also. I’m so used to eating on the go due to working full time, going to school full time, and being a mother.

thisPGHlife

agewitsch1990 wrote: »

Yes they said to eat a low fat diet no pork, beef, nothing fried, limit sweets, bread, and desserts, and to limit my caffeine intake also. I’m so used to eating on the go due to working full time, going to school full time, and being a mother.

@middlehaitch has some awesome tools to get you started. I know it can be daunting to have such a big diet haul. There are ways to do it where it doesn't feel like such a struggle.

Before I go any further, I want to preface what I'm about to say and point out that you should be in regular contact with your medical team and a registered dietician. They are going to have all your information and your best interest at heart. That being said, eating healthy and low fat while on the go is possible but it may take some prep work. I always make sure to have mixed greens, grape tomatoes, sugar snap peas, and canned tuna in the house. You can their all this together for a quick, low fat salad with a good amount of protein to help keep you fill. Also, Bolthouse Farms makes tasty salad dressings. Several of them are low or no fat. I didn't look at all of them but it seems like many of their creamy dressings only have 3.5 grams of fat per serving. Low fat cottage cheese and low fat yogurt are also really good for fat meals. I usually do veggies or fruit with my cottage cheese (blueberries and cottage cheese is it of this world!!). Normally I do fruit with my yogurt but I know people will miss a bunch of seasonings in with their yogurt and it is a really good pair for your veggies. You could even look into mixing in a lot fast ranch dressing packet. Instant ranch dip!!

This next one might sound odd at first but it's a game changer. I've struggled with depression in the past and I would frequently not feel like putting together food. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was this: you don't have to put the sandwich together to eat it. If your having a day where things are just not coming together but you need to eat a "meal," have the parts. Grab some slices of turkey, a handful of tomatoes and cucumbers, some lettuce, and a slice of cheese. Squirt some mustard on them and go to town. If you really wanted burritos but don't feel assuming them, burrito bowl!

Also, it may seem like some of your favorite foods are out but it may just require some substitution. I'm assuming that since they said no bread, pasta is gone as well. Wherever you would use pasta, use zucchini or Carrie solid it use spaghetti squash. Also, look into seeing if you can have jello noodles. They taste like nothing but have a texture very similar to speed noodles. Just make sure to speak them while you're prepping everything else and at the end, add then to what you're coming just long enough for them to hear through. Also, romaine lettuce and sanity cabbage are awesome for making wraps. If you need more ideas, feel free to friend me and we can message.

For dessert, I don't have as much advice especially since your supposed to limit it. However, I can say that the outshone frozen yogurt bars are really good. They don't have the peach in my area but the strawberry and blueberry are amazing. 90 calories, 2g of fat, 12g of sugar, 5g of protein. These have helped so much with my ice cream fix. Also, once you get into the swing of it, you may find that things like an occasional mango does the trick. It's relatively high in Sunday but at least you be getting a healthy dose of dinner and vitamins to go with it.

kommodevaran

agewitsch1990 wrote: »

Yes they said to eat a low fat diet no pork, beef, nothing fried, limit sweets, bread, and desserts, and to limit my caffeine intake also. I’m so used to eating on the go due to working full time, going to school full time, and being a mother.

Random but specific rules can drive anybody crazy. If they said low fat, they should specify how low. If they said no pork, no beef, they should say why. When they say limit, they should say how much you can eat of each item and in total in what time.

I THINK what you're encouraged to do, is to improve your overall diet, so that you eat a more nutritionally balanced diet - more of all the nutrients you need, and fewer calories. What they sadly didn't do, was to show you how to make it all go together. Eating on the go typically leads to eating poorly - too many calories and too little of one or more nutrients, and to stress, and to disregard for the food you eat. Cooking and eating at home as a family will, unless you mess it up completely, by default improve your diet, and it will improve your children's diet, and your children's relationship with food. Real food has naturally occurring nutrients, and when you eat a varied and balanced diet, you get all you need. When you get all you need, and feel free to choose, you won't crave so badly all the things you don't need, and you will enjoy the food you eat so you don't overeat. And you will be healthier.

GlowingG

agewitsch1990 wrote: »

Yes they said to eat a low fat diet no pork, beef, nothing fried, limit sweets, bread, and desserts, and to limit my caffeine intake also. I’m so used to eating on the go due to working full time, going to school full time, and being a mother.

Understanding why they gave you those specific rules will help you figure a plan.

Then I recommend using something like weight watchers or slimming world (a UK plan that's also easy to follow) to guide you into making some new choices. If they have said low fat simply to get you to loose weight, consider keto or low carb (look at www.dietdoctor.com) - which have higher fats - and I find easy to eat. Whatever you choose, don't feel deprived. Choose it and enjoy it.

Think about where you want to get to. What will you look & feel like? Is it a clothing size or a weight target? How will things change? What will you be doing when you are lighter? How will your clothes change? What's good about it?

Then figure out what routine you will have - will you eat 3 times a day and have no snacks, or 2 snacks? And plan. That's why a plan like weightwatchers or dietdoctor helps. It's prefigured out for you, and there are recipes.

Then plan so you can shop. Order on line if you can so you don't get tempted.

Cook the same thing for the whole family. Yes ...cook. Get the kids involved too.

Put the bread for the family on a different shelf to the one it used to be on. This will disrupt you enough to help you avoid it.

Get containers that don't leak that you can take preprepped food with you to eat on the go. I like "lock & lock" - not sure what brands you have. Get enough for a week's worth of meals. Get a nice water bottle and a good hot drinks container (look at contigo) and find some teas you'll like drinking or take bouillon or veg soup with you.

If you eat ready made sweet or carby stuff the kids have, change their diet too. Just do it. Don't tell them. Just say we don't have any [chips/cookies/insert calorofic treat of choice here]. Make homemade ice cream with low fat yogurt or cream (depending on yr plan). Use erythritol (a low GI version of xylitol) or stevia for sweetness.

Eat one big salad a day. Make your own dressings - and do different types of salad. Make your own coleslaw. marinade some tomatoes. Look up salad recipes for inspiration on mark's daily apple. Create salads in a jar to take with you (dressing in bottom and layer ingredients so most delicate ones are at the top. Shake and mix when you want to eat.

Get a soup maker and drink a mug of veggie soup a day.

If you eat out, figure out what you will have in advance. Don't be shy about asking them to doggy bag half of it in advance, ordering children's portions, or making changes so the meal fits your plan.

Measure it. Write it down. Track everything on here. Post here daily.

And enjoy the food you eat. You are not going on a diet. You are changing how you eat so you can live better & longer - and see your kids get married and have their own family. Be the fabulous role model for them - that I know you can be.

Exercise; Just walk or swim - slowly. Build up length (and maybe speed if the doctors say its Ok) over time. Again measure and track - with something like a fitbit. What you measure and report will get done - if you put it in the diary. Take the kids with you!