Food Plan

I am 55 years old and it seems like dieting gets more and more complicated. I know people might say, it's not a diet, it's a life style change but that's a diet! LOL! Is anyone here on a food plan? I count Marcos some days are good, some not so much. I am looking for a good marcos food plan but it seems like the market is so saturated with Keto that there's no room for anything else. If someone knows of a book or plan please let me know! ❤❤❤❤

Replies

  • chriscolh
    chriscolh Posts: 127 Member
    edited February 2020
    I've been trying to change my way of eating (aka "diet" ;) ) to make it into a sustainable healthy lifestyle, but sometimes I get overwhelmed by the process. I (like you) went looking for a meal plan to help me find recipes that I can incorporate into my day that are balanced and I found one that I really like. They do a 7 week meal plan for each season along with suggested workouts and ideas for prepping food so you don't get too overwhelmed. It was kind of expensive (for me), but they do have sales every now and then that help, and the digital downloads are less expensive than the books as well. You can go to their website and download a week's worth of menus for free to see if you like it, then go from there. Sometimes I feel like they incorporate a bunch of their products into the recipes so you feel like you have to buy them, but I've found substituting your favorite variation works fine (such as whatever peanut/almond butter you have in your pantry instead of the gourmet nut butters they sell) - although I do like their protein powders. Google "clean simple eats" and see what you think.
    (Ugh - I just read through this and it sounds like I'm trying to sell it. Really, this isn't an ad! It's just a meal plan that is working for me and helping me figure out how to eat more balanced macros. I love having some new ideas to help me figure this out.) Good luck in your journey!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,223 Member
    OP, this (link below) is an eating plan that I used to lose about 50 pounds starting nearly 5 years ago, and to stay at a healthy weight since.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

    That's not a plan in the sense you asked for, it's a plan in the sense of describing a process you can use to dial in your personal version of good eating, along the lines of my post above, but more detailed.

    If you're truly looking for something that's more prescriptive (specifics about exactly what to eat for each meal/snack), one option you could consider is this web site below, which lets you put in a calorie level, choose a dietary style, and get a meal plan with very specific food suggestions for each meal:

    https://www.eatthismuch.com/

    You can do a starter version for free, but I think they have paid plans for more customization of details. I haven't used it, but there's a lot of info on the site about how it works and what it does.
  • jdh419
    jdh419 Posts: 65 Member
    TeaBea wrote: »
    A good macro plan is based on your personal preferences for health of fitness goals. Macros aren't for weight loss, calories are. Eat at a calorie deficit and lose weight.

    Here's a good discussion: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1

    Diets are only as complicated as you make them out to be. Just eat smaller portions of food you like. Measure and log those. When a food isn't filling (to you) or just not worth the calories, then change it. You don't need to re-invent the wheel.

    I am counting calories and Marcos. Thanks so much for your input. 👍👍👍
  • jdh419
    jdh419 Posts: 65 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    jdh419 wrote: »
    I am 55 years old and it seems like dieting gets more and more complicated. I know people might say, it's not a diet, it's a life style change but that's a diet! LOL! Is anyone here on a food plan? I count Marcos some days are good, some not so much. I am looking for a good marcos food plan but it seems like the market is so saturated with Keto that there's no room for anything else. If someone knows of a book or plan please let me know! ❤❤❤❤

    Pretty good most of the time is fine, just strive not to be lots under on the same one (of fats/protein) all of the time. It's an approximation thing, not an exactitudes thing.

    Use diary review more actively: Notice where you're consistently way under or way over. Look for the most calorie expensive and least subjectively important foods (for taste/satiation) that contribute to the problem. Change the amount of those you eat to make room for another food you enjoy that makes more useful nutritional contributions. Keep gradually tweaking your eating unit your nutrition, satiation, and overall happiness are in balance, within calories. It'll be fine.

    If you're generally healthy, mildly suboptimal nutrition is not an urgent crisis. You have time to fix it gradually.

    I'm assuming you realize that nutrition, especially in the short run, has nothing to do with weight loss. (In the longer run, it can affect satiation so compliance, and energy level so activity level, thus indirectly affect weight loss.) For weight management, calories rule.

    Close on macros is fine for health - little over on some things some days, little under other days. Moreover, many people find they get enough fat intake without paying much attention; if that's true for you, you can just focus on getting enough protein.

    As long as you're not trying to be low carb/keto, treat protein and fat as minimums (try to reach or exceed them), and use carbs as the balancer.

    If your MFP totals turn red and green as a consequence, just pretend it's Christmas. ;)

    Best wishes!

    Very inspiring! Thanks!
  • jdh419
    jdh419 Posts: 65 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    OP, this (link below) is an eating plan that I used to lose about 50 pounds starting nearly 5 years ago, and to stay at a healthy weight since.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

    That's not a plan in the sense you asked for, it's a plan in the sense of describing a process you can use to dial in your personal version of good eating, along the lines of my post above, but more detailed.

    If you're truly looking for something that's more prescriptive (specifics about exactly what to eat for each meal/snack), one option you could consider is this web site below, which lets you put in a calorie level, choose a dietary style, and get a meal plan with very specific food suggestions for each meal:

    https://www.eatthismuch.com/

    You can do a starter version for free, but I think they have paid plans for more customization of details. I haven't used it, but there's a lot of info on the site about how it works and what it does.

    I am going to check it out!
  • jdh419
    jdh419 Posts: 65 Member
    chriscolh wrote: »
    I've been trying to change my way of eating (aka "diet" ;) ) to make it into a sustainable healthy lifestyle, but sometimes I get overwhelmed by the process. I (like you) went looking for a meal plan to help me find recipes that I can incorporate into my day that are balanced and I found one that I really like. They do a 7 week meal plan for each season along with suggested workouts and ideas for prepping food so you don't get too overwhelmed. It was kind of expensive (for me), but they do have sales every now and then that help, and the digital downloads are less expensive than the books as well. You can go to their website and download a week's worth of menus for free to see if you like it, then go from there. Sometimes I feel like they incorporate a bunch of their products into the recipes so you feel like you have to buy them, but I've found substituting your favorite variation works fine (such as whatever peanut/almond butter you have in your pantry instead of the gourmet nut butters they sell) - although I do like their protein powders. Google "clean simple eats" and see what you think.
    (Ugh - I just read through this and it sounds like I'm trying to sell it. Really, this isn't an ad! It's just a meal plan that is working for me and helping me figure out how to eat more balanced macros. I love having some new ideas to help me figure this out.) Good luck in your journey!

    I don't think it sounded like you were selling anything. LOL! I am going to check it out! Any information is worth me checking out. Thanks!