Cravings and health

NoYes9464

How can I create healthy diets without spending much money? One other question what workouts would you recommend for someone that is 171 pounds male. Last question what are some good healthy meals to eat in the morning.

AnnPT77

A healthy diet doesn't need to be expensive.

Focus on so-called whole foods: Lean proteins, whole grains, veggies and fruits. Frozen or canned veggies and fruits tend to be cheaper, and can be more (not less) nutrient dense than fresh: Frozen or canned ones are usually flash-processed soon after picking; fresh in grocery stores has usually spent a longer time being packed, transported, stocked . . . losing nutrition gradually along the way. Also, frozen veggies/fruits are often on special.

Beans and rice are affordable in most places, nutritious and filling. Lean cuts of meat can be cheaper than "marbled" with fat. Take a fresh look around your store, read labels, look for things with minimal calorie-dense additives.

Be willing to cook from scratch, using methods that rely less on lots of oil/butter, more on roasting or steaming/boiling depending on the food involved. A lot of people these days seem daunted by cooking from scratch, but it's easy to learn if a person starts simple. Learn to use inexpensive spices or calorie-efficient affordable condiments (like mustard or salsa) to add flavor.

Exercise doesn't need to be punitively intense to be beneficial. As someone who is overweight, you have more muscle already than someone who is similarly active but lighter weight. Keep that muscle as you lose fat by challenging your strength. If you have access to weights, that's great. But there are also bodyweight exercises you can do - with some caution since you're moving a high bodyweight. (Start with the easy variations of the exercises, like standing pushups against a counter rather than full floor push-ups for example. If the easy thing feels good and safe, go on to a more challenging version.)

There's a thread here with strength training programs otherMFP-ers have found helpful:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

On the cardiovascular exercise side of exercise, simply walking is great, if you are able. If you're able, but can't do long walks, take short ones maybe every other day, and gradually increase from there as that becomes easier. (That "start easy, progress gradually" model works well for any type of exercise. As long as there's a mild challenge in the picture, fitness improvement will occur.)

If you have access to a pool or other body of water, water exercise is great: The water supports part of body weight. Swimming is great if a person knows how, but even walking in water is helpful.

Good healthy meals to eat in the morning? Morning isn't special. Any nutritious food you like is fine. I like regular old-fashioned rolled oats cooked, with thawed frozen fruit and plain nonfat Greek yogurt for protein; or just a yogurt bowl with thawed frozen berries and some peanut butter powder; or a whole-grain pita with peanut butter and a cup of kefir on the side. Many people like traditional meat and eggs breakfasts, such as scrambled eggs or frittata with lots of veggies and some lean meat or a reasonable portion of bacon. There's a whole thread over in the Food part of the Community where people share what they ate for breakfast, a good source for ideas:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10846119/what-s-did-everyone-have-for-breakfast#latest

As a generality, reading around the Community here can be a helpful way to get ideas. Start with things in the "Most Helpful Posts" section of each topic area. Begin with the Getting Started and Health and Weight Loss Sections, direct links here:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-health-and-weight-loss-must-reads#latest

Don't feel overwhelmed by that: Just read what jumps out to you as useful, then chip away at others as you have time. I learned so, so much that way when just starting out - super helpful!

There's a lot of stuff in the blogosphere that tries to tell us that nutrition, fitness or health are super-complicated and technical. That's coming from people who are trying to convince us it's so hard that we need their special expert help in order to make progress (so they can make money, if only by exposing our eyeballs to advertising).

Honestly, it's not that complicated, especially at the starting end of the process. Eat nutrient-dense affordable foods you enjoy, start moving more in your daily life: That's the on-ramp. You can do this!

I'm cheering for you to succeed, even as a total stranger, because reaching a healthy weight and good basic fitness have been huge quality of life improvements for me. I want that for everyone!

Best wishes!