Micros first

Kdp2015

I’ve lost a fair bit of weight...mainly living off tea and biscuits but it’s not left me feeling that healthy (surprising huh?)
Anyway, I’m quite close to maintenance and my new plan is to focus on eating as much real healthy food as possible (yes I know biscuits are not imaginary, yes I know I should have started this way)
I’m planning to still eat the snacks I enjoy but will try my best to eat healthier options first.
This seems to me a lot more difficult than losing weight, if anyone had any experience or inspiration I’d be grateful!

cmriverside

Yes, well it obviously would have been better to have learned about nutrition as you were losing, it would have made maintenance so much easier and it's one of the reasons we continue to tell people that yes, you can lose weight on biscuits and tea, but for health and nutrition it's important to hit those macros (and micros to some extent.)

So I would say, focus on hitting your protein goals every day and getting 4-6 servings of fruit and/or vegetables. That's it to start. When you have that down, you can focus in a bit more. Have a bit of protein, fat, and carbs in every meal and snack.

Kdp2015

cmriverside wrote: »

Yes, well it obviously would have been better to have learned about nutrition as you were losing, it would have made maintenance so much easier and it's one of the reasons we continue to tell people that yes, you can lose weight on biscuits and tea, but for health and nutrition it's important to hit those macros (and micros to some extent.)

So I would say, focus on hitting your protein goals every day and getting 4-6 servings of fruit and/or vegetables. That's it to start. When you have that down, you can focus in a bit more. Have a bit of protein, fat, and carbs in every meal and snack.

Thanks, I do understand what I need to eat - my significant others are very well fed, I just come way down in my list of priorities - I need to somehow motivate myself to be healthy (which I know is ridiculous)

Kdp2015

I do really like to goal and focus idea - I might set myself mini challenges each day

cmriverside

Kdp2015 wrote: »

I do really like to goal and focus idea - I might set myself mini challenges each day

Have you been logging your food? If not, start today. That's the very best goal to make part of your routine.

Kdp2015

Yep, been logging for a while

ceiswyn

What fruits and vegetables do you actually like? What protein-rich foods do you actually like?

Trying to eat things you don’t want is a) a hiding to nothing and b) a really bad habit to get into. So I’d suggest starting out by trying different fruits and veggies, both raw and prepared in different ways (eg roasted, steamed, mashed with butter), and finding out which you actually enjoy eating

kommodevaran

I think plans like that are really unrealistic; whatever prevented you from eating a well-rounded diet before, is that obstacle gone?

quiksylver296

Good luck. Based on your previous posts, I hope you have finally found a sustainable way to lose/maintain weight.

tinkerbellang83

This might be helpful in terms of helping you choose foods to adjust your macros as you want them.

apullum

I wouldn't focus on counting micros (i.e., vitamins and minerals) unless you have a deficiency. A well balanced and varied diet will at least put you close to your micro targets, and if you have a medical need for a supplement, you can take one.

Instead, I would just think of eating a wide variety of foods with an emphasis on fruits, veggies, and lean protein. Start small, maybe with just one serving of fruit or veg a day, and gradually work up to it. Remember that fruit and veggies come in lots of forms, so a salad, dried fruit, smoothies, frozen or canned vegetables, applesauce, vegetable soups, etc. can all count. For example, I made soup this week, and when it was done I threw in a lot of spinach. The spinach wilts down, so that even a pound of spinach didn't seem like that much and didn't overwhelm the soup.

kimny72

Kdp2015 wrote: »

cmriverside wrote: »

Yes, well it obviously would have been better to have learned about nutrition as you were losing, it would have made maintenance so much easier and it's one of the reasons we continue to tell people that yes, you can lose weight on biscuits and tea, but for health and nutrition it's important to hit those macros (and micros to some extent.)

So I would say, focus on hitting your protein goals every day and getting 4-6 servings of fruit and/or vegetables. That's it to start. When you have that down, you can focus in a bit more. Have a bit of protein, fat, and carbs in every meal and snack.

Thanks, I do understand what I need to eat - my significant others are very well fed, I just come way down in my list of priorities - I need to somehow motivate myself to be healthy (which I know is ridiculous)

Maybe you could be more specific about what you are finding difficult? Because you've said you know what you should be eating and I think you are saying you're in a household where others are eating these foods. So I guess I'm not sure how or where "motivation" is a problem. Not diminishing your issue at all, just not really following!

Kdp2015

tinkerbellang83 wrote: »

This might be helpful in terms of helping you choose foods to adjust your macros as you want them.

Thank you that is helpful

Kdp2015

quiksylver296 wrote: »

Good luck. Based on your previous posts, I hope you have finally found a sustainable way to lose/maintain weight.

Erm thanks, I guess very few people get it right first time huh!

Kdp2015

apullum wrote: »

I wouldn't focus on counting micros (i.e., vitamins and minerals) unless you have a deficiency. A well balanced and varied diet will at least put you close to your micro targets, and if you have a medical need for a supplement, you can take one.

Instead, I would just think of eating a wide variety of foods with an emphasis on fruits, veggies, and lean protein. Start small, maybe with just one serving of fruit or veg a day, and gradually work up to it. Remember that fruit and veggies come in lots of forms, so a salad, dried fruit, smoothies, frozen or canned vegetables, applesauce, vegetable soups, etc. can all count. For example, I made soup this week, and when it was done I threw in a lot of spinach. The spinach wilts down, so that even a pound of spinach didn't seem like that much and didn't overwhelm the soup.

Thanks that’s helpful too (I’m anaemic but other than that blood all ok )

Kdp2015

kimny72 wrote: »

Kdp2015 wrote: »

cmriverside wrote: »

Yes, well it obviously would have been better to have learned about nutrition as you were losing, it would have made maintenance so much easier and it's one of the reasons we continue to tell people that yes, you can lose weight on biscuits and tea, but for health and nutrition it's important to hit those macros (and micros to some extent.)

So I would say, focus on hitting your protein goals every day and getting 4-6 servings of fruit and/or vegetables. That's it to start. When you have that down, you can focus in a bit more. Have a bit of protein, fat, and carbs in every meal and snack.

Thanks, I do understand what I need to eat - my significant others are very well fed, I just come way down in my list of priorities - I need to somehow motivate myself to be healthy (which I know is ridiculous)

Maybe you could be more specific about what you are finding difficult? Because you've said you know what you should be eating and I think you are saying you're in a household where others are eating these foods. So I guess I'm not sure how or where "motivation" is a problem. Not diminishing your issue at all, just not really following!

Thank you I’ve had lots of helpful replies so don’t stress

emmamcgarity

Start where you are. If you currently don’t eat any vegetables, try adding one or two a day for a few days. Once it’s more natural, introduce another change. Don’t feel like you have to change everything at once.