Meal Plans

StevenGriffin91

Hello everyone,

I am have been using this app for ages. However I have not been consistent enough to lose any weight. My main issue is food. I just can’t stop eating. I weigh 310 lbs. I workout everyday however my eating habits interrupt my fitness goals.

Could this community help me with coming up with healthy meals to eat? My calorie goal is 2300.

My weight target is 230.

I would greatly appreciate the help.

dana89sarah

The answer is protein. If you're eating enough low calorie protein you should automatically find yourself less hungry throughout the day. I'm 5'10", 216lbs and am targeting 1620 calories, 120g protein, and 25g fiber. I tend to walk/workout at least 30min per day, so sometimes I'll up my calories by 100-200. My go-to protein is eggs, shrimp (tons of protein, very low cal), ground beef, grilled chicken, Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese. Other cheeses are also great, but watch your fat numbers, which will also drive your calories; same goes for red meat. If you can afford it, you might bulk-buy some pre-made foods you love that also happen to be low cal/high protein. Popeye's blackened chicken with a side of mashed potato is great; I bought enough to eat it 3x per week last week and it was delightful. Find someone on TT, FB, or Insta who exemplifies your health goals and follow them. Can't overstate how much I've learned from other dieters. Last thing is lift weights. I have an 8lb dumbbell that I keep by the couch (need to increase to higher weight soon). Sounds basic, but I use it to do squats during commercials or simple arm resistance while zoning out on a show. Essentially, get creative and squeeze in as many healthy choices as you can, when/wherever you can. Bonus tip: love yourself, be gentle and forgiving to yourself when you miss a goal or backslide. It's a marathon not a sprint!

TracyL963

Are you over eating because you are hungry, OR for some other reason? A good many of us here fall into the "some other reason" group.

If it's hunger - protein, fat and fiber are filling components. Making sure you stay hydrated can help too.

I find that planning ahead helps me make better choices. There are many "light" recipe/cooking websites out there. Skinny Taste and Cooking Light are my go-tos. I re-vamp existing meal favorites and try out a couple new recipes each week.

A registered dietician can help with a meal plan. But in the mean time here's a website that gives you some ideas based on your calorie goal. https://www.eatthismuch.com

It allows you to pick options like vegetarian, Mediterranean, etc.

Corina1143

So that we know how to help you, give us more information about you.
When do you eat? What do you eat? Do you prepare all or some of your own meals? Do you work outside the home? Desk job or physical labor? Refrigerator at work? Microwave? Shared meals?
Ask yourself. Do you have triggers that make you eat more?
My personal ones-- lack of sleep makes me eat chasing energy. Answer. Plan ahead. Know it's a weakness.
Eating wakes up my taste buds--makes me like food and want more. Solution. After eating what I know is a reasonable amount, only celery, raw broccoli, etc for 30 minutes. If I'm still hungry,, I eat, but not dessert, seconds of a healthy meal. But I never do. It's appetite, not hunger. After a few minutes, I'm full and satisfied and happy.

neanderthin

It's more than likely the foods your attracted to and most of those I suspect are UPF ( ultra processed food) which are by design to be hyperpalatable (mostly from a hormonal imbalance) and represent about 70% of what people eat in the USA for example with Canada, the UK, Australia and most of Europe not far behind and with developing countries where the middle class is expanding beginning to find the same outcome, with India now having more diabetes and metabolic dysfunction than the USA except the people are thinner with big bellies and China who have gone from 1% obesity to now in the last few decades over 20% with over 60% with just abdominal obesity in the last decade are both good examples of that.

If this describes your eating style then I suggest you try and consume less of those and more whole foods and also to avoid the conventional advice to consume high carb and low fat and replace some of those carbs with protein, animal protein would be preferable and also to consume less seed oils and try and get your fat from the natural fats found in those whole foods. Most can't do that unfortunately, it's a tough one no doubt. the Mediterranean diet might be something to look into. This is just my opinion of course.

AnnPT77

I'm with @TracyL963: It matters why you can't stop eating.

Some of do it for psychological reasons, seeking comfort or self-soothing through food, or using fatness to hide our true selves from the world, or . . . or . . . or. The answer for these things needs to deal with that root cause, either through self-help measure or therapy.

Some of us do it because of constant cravings, appetite that's uncontrollable, etc. Some can be helped by switching eating patterns (more protein, or more whole foods vs. processed ones, or something like that - those things help some people). Sometimes in this scenario, people need medications as a bridge to reduce obsessive thoughts of food until they can establish new habits and practice them long enough that they stick. (Even then, there can be issues for some.)

Some of us do it out of pure hedonism: Food is tasty, and tastiness is good, plus maybe some FOMO. I was more in this category, and mostly was able to address it by finding delicious things that weren't as calorie-dense.

For some people, social triggers and social context are part of the problem. If our families and friends have eating patterns that seem normal, but result in excess weight, that can be hard to break out of. Some social groups bond over food and drink. Sometimes it's hard if our social life involves a lot of eating out (or in) where everyone is snacking, ordering deep fried things, whatever, it's hard to be the odd person out. We may be able to find ways to eat/drink lower calorie things, but if our social contacts pressure us to eat, some people find they need to broaden their social circle to spend more time with new friends who have a different mindset. (That can be a hard thing, too.)

Those or just examples. There can be more reasons.

The point it, it takes self-examination (and recognition of how things around us influence us, too) to figure out what the very most basic root cause of the over-eating is . . . because that root cause is the main thing we need to find a way to deal with.

Sometimes the root cause is just over-eating. Sometimes it's more subtle. Only we - maybe with some professional advice - can sort that out.

Best wishes for finding your personal causes and solutions!

bennyb_123

Hi. I live in California and am on a fixed and low income. A friend of mine recently helped me sign up for Tangelo, a meal delivery service.

My health insurance covers the cost 100%. Tangelo has different overall meal plans to choose from and they send you 14 microwaveable meals delivered each week.

I like their food. It’s healthy; with medium to low salt; and lots of whole grains, veggies and lean meat. I’ve been using Tangelo just a few days but really am a fan. 👍

One thing I like is the consistency of it. You’re guaranteed 14 meals of about 350 to 400 calories delivered each week. At times I’ve struggled with consistency when it comes to my diet but I’m hoping this service will help me out.

Good luck with your weight loss journey!!

jeri30

I just want to add to the above by also suggesting that you work on your mindset. When you say, "I just can't stop eating," you're reinforcing to yourself that you just can't stop eating and that makes stopping eating harder.

Try telling yourself, "I can and do stop eating when I feel full." "I am in control of my eating." "I am choosing to eat healthier." and so on. Decide what you're going to say (I can...) instead when you say "I can't".

There's mindset podcasts like Mel Robbins and the Mindset Mentor's and books to help.

AnnPT77

jeri30 wrote: »

I just want to add to the above by also suggesting that you work on your mindset. When you say, "I just can't stop eating," you're reinforcing to yourself that you just can't stop eating and that makes stopping eating harder.

Try telling yourself, "I can and do stop eating when I feel full." "I am in control of my eating." "I am choosing to eat healthier." and so on. Decide what you're going to say (I can...) instead when you say "I can't".

There's mindset podcasts like Mel Robbins and the Mindset Mentor's and books to help.

Great point. I like this so much - mindset is very important. Even "I haven't yet found the approach that lets me eat the right amount, but I'm working on it" is a better self-definition.