Need a little guidance

trgobble

Hey guys,
Here's my problem: I do not know exactly what kinds of foods I should really eat. I thought if I just pared down what I ate, I'd do well. Well, after a day of "paring," I've only got about 300 more allotted calories I can eat, and I haven't even had dinner yet. Plus, I've been STARVING all day. So my question is, what general foods can I eat that will fill me up without giving me a ton of calories just from one small portion (ie, I drank some apple juice today...140 calories!!!).

Thanks for any help you can give.

Dtrmnd1

Can you give an example of what you currently eat?

trgobble

Well today for instance, I had a bowl of cereal, some nuggets from McDonald's, some apple juice and a Fiber Plus bar. For dinner, I am making homemade spaghetti.

AndriaLL

Veggies tend to fill me up for relatively few calories. Even raw fruit...for that 140 calories, I think 2 small apples or 36 cherries would be more filling for example.

Jacole18

Well, tip #1 is NEVER drink juice! it's normally full of calories and sugar. WATER WATER WATER instead.
Also, protein is our friend. Eat foods like tuna, salmon, cod, tilapia, turkey, and chicken. Veggies and fruits are great too. Whole grain carbs like bread and oatmeal if you must have them. Browse the food and nutrition forum for recipres and great ideas. This site is so helpful!!
Good luck!

Dtrmnd1

Stay away from fast food! It is a killer. Try to have meals that have veggies and protein and a complex carb such as whole wheat pasta, rice & breads. Trade in ground beef for ground turkey and snack on fresh fruit, string cheese and almonds (only 15 though

xarrium

Somebody said (on another thread) that "less crap is still crap"--COMPLETELY true. You can't expect to just eat less and lose weight, at least not for the long run... especially if your current diet includes a lot of processed foods... 300 calories of quality protein (like fish or lean beef) will fill you up way more than 300 calories of breaded processed chicken nuggets. Also, 300 calories of vegetables is much more filling then 300 calories of any kind of starchy carbohydrate. (Not that starchy carbs are bad in moderation.)

For days when I need a low-cal dinner, I eat a big salad with tuna or cold chicken on top... almost always less than 300 calories, and really balanced and filling.

sublimechik28

nuggets!! bad and a waste of money! there goes your calories for your dinner. fast food will kill your calorie numbers. instead of nuggets have a serving size of chicken w some veggies or a chicken sandwich w whole wheat bread n some bakes sweet potato wedges yummm

cutmd

Getting in your 5 servings of fruits and veggies will take you a long way, but you should really read Michael Pollan's "in Defense of Food". It will change the way you think about eating. In the meantime, here is an excerpt from an excellent article about how we should be eating (you can find it here http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20090323/7-rules-for-eating):

1. Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. "When you pick up that box of portable yogurt tubes, or eat something with 15 ingredients you can't pronounce, ask yourself, "What are those things doing there?" Pollan says.

2. Don’t eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce.

3. Stay out of the middle of the supermarket; shop on the perimeter of the store. Real food tends to be on the outer edge of the store near the loading docks, where it can be replaced with fresh foods when it goes bad.

4. Don't eat anything that won't eventually rot. "There are exceptions -- honey -- but as a rule, things like Twinkies that never go bad aren't food," Pollan says.

5. It is not just what you eat but how you eat. "Always leave the table a little hungry," Pollan says. "Many cultures have rules that you stop eating before you are full. In Japan, they say eat until you are four-fifths full. Islamic culture has a similar rule, and in German culture they say, 'Tie off the sack before it's full.'"

6. Families traditionally ate together, around a table and not a TV, at regular meal times. It's a good tradition. Enjoy meals with the people you love. "Remember when eating between meals felt wrong?" Pollan asks.

7. Don't buy food where you buy your gasoline. In the U.S., 20% of food is eaten in the car.

I hope that helps. I can't recommend his way of eating enough. My energy, vitality, and weight are so much better! :happy:

trgobble

Awesome, thank you!

trgobble

Problem is--I don't like water. Unless I am dying of thirst, I really find water to be kind of bitter. I can't force myself to drink it.

trgobble

Great! Thanks for the advice.

trgobble

I don't need to be reprimanded...I feel badly enough about it.

Here's the thing, though--someone asked me to go to lunch with them. They chose McDonald's. I don't want to be rude and say no or say "can we go somewhere else" because I'm trying to make friends at work. So what should I have chosen?

trgobble

Great list! Thank you.

fitboricua

Try to make smarter choices. Instead og nuggets choose a salad with chicken. Stay away from processed food. Eat more veggies and salad and lean porteins (chicken, fish, tuna)

As for water...I get tired of it so I squeeze a lemon.

Hope it helps

PS: I follow the michi Ladder to help make smarter choices.

Dawn_2013

That book ROCKS!!!!

To add to your comment, I hate water too, but there are alternatives, pop should be avoided if you want to lose weight, even diet soda...it tricks your body and if you look around, a lot of very overweight people drink diet soda.... I am not sure it is a good substitute...

there are powders you can add to water to make them more tolerable...it sounds like you have a sweet tooth :bigsmile: I had to retrain my taste buds...for example a V8 ( the low sodium kind) will keep you full in between meals for 70 cals. No, it isnt ideal, it is still in a can, but it is better when I am on the run than many other options out there.

Hang in there, it gets easier!

trgobble

That book ROCKS!!!!

To add to your comment, I hate water too, but there are alternatives, pop should be avoided if you want to lose weight, even diet soda...it tricks your body and if you look around, a lot of very overweight people drink diet soda.... I am not sure it is a good substitute...

there are powders you can add to water to make them more tolerable...it sounds like you have a sweet tooth :bigsmile: I had to retrain my taste buds...for example a V8 ( the low sodium kind) will keep you full in between meals for 70 cals. No, it isnt ideal, it is still in a can, but it is better when I am on the run than many other options out there.

Hang in there, it gets easier!

I do use the powders, but I don't always have time to make a bottle of water and do all that nonsense early in the morning. Maybe I'll try the V8--70 filling calories in a drink vs. 170 filling calories in a drink is always better. Thank you!