New to the "dieting" scene

jbretz

Hello, I am new to this website and new to healthier eating in general. I'm not trying to go on a diet, per say, I'm just trying to eat healthier. I'm a sophomore in college at the moment so I'm a fan of convenience and cheap food. I used to consume fast food every day, but recently I have decided to cut that out almost entirely. The biggest issue I'm having now is finding what to eat. Money isn't an issue, but in my mind I always saw cheaper as better. I don't have much time for breakfast, lunch is normally on campus and my mother still prepares my dinners (which normally are very nutritious). MyFitnessPal estimates that I should be consuming 2040 calories a day. I also run every other day, which adds another ~250 calories of necessary consumption. After using this website over the weekend, I'm around 500 calories short and very short in other categories, such as carbs and protein, and very short in potassium and all vitamins. My sodium and sugar intake is higher than my suggested level, which should be cut back as well. I recently also gave up soda (I indulged over the weekend) and have switched to drinking green tea and water. I suppose all I'm saying is that I need help with creating a plan for meals, mainly breakfast and lunch, which will be nutritious in all of the right areas. Any help would be greatly appreciated, I've been lacking guidance on this. If you need any more information about myself, feel free to ask. Thank you!

elmct57

good luck on your new lifestyle changes. If you don't have a nutrtionist to ask, this site has a free meal planner that may help you.

http://www.drgourmet.com/user/login.php

Fitday.com also goes in depth on nutrients in what you're eating so you can tweak it. they're free too.

there are also food sites used by athletes and bodybuilders like netrition.com where you can check out the facts on foods and get info on lower carb choices.

driscollmc

hey! i'm a sophomore in college too, and maybe its not so much dieting that you need, but balancing out what you're eating. i go for convenience too, but i've recently started cooking more since i have my own kitchen in my dorm room. try going to the grocery store and picking up some prepackaged meals like lean cuisines, but also buy deli meats, like sliced turkey, or some boneless skinless chicken breasts. spend one night a week cooking that stuff (if you can) and then it will be in your fridge when you need it! also get fruits and veggies to snack on, and maybe hummus and pita chips (they're delicious). one other thing is carbs, which you need if you're a runner. get some regular pasta, put some veggies and meat on it for dinner or something. hope this helped!

Holton

Healthy, quick breakfast ideas: yogurt with either walnuts or fresh blueberries added, boil a lot of eggs over the weekend and grab one or two of those on occasion, oatmeal, bananas are always a grab and go to!
For lunches and/or snacks you can make wraps using salad items, I enjoy lots of peanut butter or hummus using apples and celery as vehicles.
Good luck to you on your journey! I am sure you will glean lots of good info from others here on MFP.