Should I Be Eating This??
NekoneMeowMixx
Posts: 410 Member
So this might be an obvious question, but I need some nutrition advice... I (try to) track pretty everything that goes into my mouth on MyFitnessPal in attempts to try and maintain a healthy balance. My current calorie allowance is at 1,490 with a projected weight loss of 1/2 pound per week. I don't usually have any issue staying within my calorie limits, but I find at least a few times a week I'm going past sugar, and sodium...
I stay as far away from processed foods as possible. Eat lots of fresh fruit, make 90% of our meals at home. Most of the "healthy" recipes I've found involve either pasta or beans (high in carbs and sodium, respectively) and I'm not sure if it's good to be eating them as much as I have been. But I also don't know what I *should* be eating. As with most people, time and money are my two biggest enemies. I can't afford large amounts of meats (which is okay, because the boyfriend is trying to eat as little meat as possible) and I don't get a lot of time to prepare meals...
What are my best options when I'm hitting up the grocery store? Multifaceted foods? Recipes? What should I be eating heavy in, and what should I be avoiding? I feel like a total noob, but I don't want to be wasting my money, time, and workouts to a ****ty diet...
I stay as far away from processed foods as possible. Eat lots of fresh fruit, make 90% of our meals at home. Most of the "healthy" recipes I've found involve either pasta or beans (high in carbs and sodium, respectively) and I'm not sure if it's good to be eating them as much as I have been. But I also don't know what I *should* be eating. As with most people, time and money are my two biggest enemies. I can't afford large amounts of meats (which is okay, because the boyfriend is trying to eat as little meat as possible) and I don't get a lot of time to prepare meals...
What are my best options when I'm hitting up the grocery store? Multifaceted foods? Recipes? What should I be eating heavy in, and what should I be avoiding? I feel like a total noob, but I don't want to be wasting my money, time, and workouts to a ****ty diet...
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Message me and I can help
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Here are the conditions under which you should avoid any particular food on any given day:
-You have an allergy or food sensitivity associated with it.
-It makes you go over your calories for the day.
It's slightly over simplified because you can set macronutrient targets if you have specific goals in mind other than just weight loss, and you also want to make sure you're getting enough vitamins and minerals, etc. You also may have a medical condition that precludes certain foods from being a part of your diet. But don't make it more complex than it has to be. Going over sodium, sugar, fats, protein, carbs, or whatever else, while staying in a deficit will not keep you from losing fat.0 -
Message me and I can help
Why can't you post it here for everyone?0 -
The best thing to do is avoid anything you're sensitive to, and eat as wide a variety as possible. Try to eat veggies and fruits of every color. One of the biggest problems in our diets is that despite the huge variety we have available, most people eat the same small list of foods over and over.0
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You're going to get a lot of opinions regarding this topic because there is a group of people on MFP who believe they can eat whatever they want and still lose weight and then there is a group who chose to eat more healthy and avoid processed foods, etc.
At the end of the day, it's all personal preference.
A great pasta substitute is spaghetti squash. If you are worried about the sodium in beans, buy reduced sodium and rinse off beans before cooking with them.0 -
I cook my own beans in large batches and freeze them in order to cut out the sodium. A cup and a half is about 1 can. I've also recently found some canned brands that don't have any salt added. It has helped out a lot since I eat beans almost every day.0
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You're going to get a lot of opinions regarding this topic because there is a group of people on MFP who believe they can eat whatever they want and still lose weight and then there is a group who chose to eat more healthy and avoid processed foods, etc.
At the end of the day, it's all personal preference.
A great pasta substitute is spaghetti squash. If you are worried about the sodium in beans, buy reduced sodium and rinse off beans before cooking with them.
Gee, to which one do you belong? I can't tell.0 -
Eat what you like, don't eat what you don't like, pay attention to macros in whatever ratio makes you feel best, adhere to your (reasonable) calorie goal.
Profit.0 -
Eat what you like, don't eat what you don't like, pat attention to macros in whatever ratio makes you feel best, adhere to your (reasonable) calorie goal.
Profit.
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Message me and I can help
Why can't you post it here for everyone?
Because she's a beachbody coach.0 -
Message me and I can help
How about helping her here? That way other people can benefit as well.
unless you're selling something...0 -
This content has been removed.
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Yes....please post for all of us!0
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Message me and I can help
It's a trap!!!0 -
So this might be an obvious question, but I need some nutrition advice... I (try to) track pretty everything that goes into my mouth on MyFitnessPal in attempts to try and maintain a healthy balance. My current calorie allowance is at 1,490 with a projected weight loss of 1/2 pound per week. I don't usually have any issue staying within my calorie limits, but I find at least a few times a week I'm going past sugar, and sodium...
I stay as far away from processed foods as possible. Eat lots of fresh fruit, make 90% of our meals at home. Most of the "healthy" recipes I've found involve either pasta or beans (high in carbs and sodium, respectively) and I'm not sure if it's good to be eating them as much as I have been. But I also don't know what I *should* be eating. As with most people, time and money are my two biggest enemies. I can't afford large amounts of meats (which is okay, because the boyfriend is trying to eat as little meat as possible) and I don't get a lot of time to prepare meals...
What are my best options when I'm hitting up the grocery store? Multifaceted foods? Recipes? What should I be eating heavy in, and what should I be avoiding? I feel like a total noob, but I don't want to be wasting my money, time, and workouts to a ****ty diet...
Buy dried beans and lentils and soak and cook them yourself, in large batches. That will allow you to control the amount of added sodium in them. Check co-ops and similar stores for bulk options, too.
For the meats you do eat, find a local farm and/or butcher. That will allow you to get meats for cheaper than most stores (and better quality, too!), and you can get things like hot dogs and sausages without as much sodium (or you can get the ingredients and make your own).
Check out recipes from a wide variety of whole foods based sites, such as vegan and paleo, to get a variety of healthy recipes for various ingredients (the paleo ones will have veggie-based stuff, too, not just meat, and some may even have organ meat recipes, which are both insanely healthy and generally budget-friendly).
As someone else mentioned, spaghetti squash is an awesome replacement for pasta. I've found that it also lends itself well to having a bold sauce on top of it.
Reduce your bread intake, and/or make your own. Store bread is a double-whammy for carbs and sodium in many cases. Making your own allows you to stick to recipes that don't require salt, and can give you a higher quality bread for pretty cheap (not the mention the satisfaction of making a good artisan bread). Trade the bread in for a lettuce wrap for sandwiches for an easy way to drop some carbs and sodium (and up the vitamins and minerals if you get a good lettuce).
If you don't suffer from or at high risk for metabolic and/or endocrine disorders (not just Diabetes, but also things like fatty liver disease), then I wouldn't worry too much about the sugar from fruits, as long as you're eating the fruits in their whole forms. That sugar is paired with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, generally outweighing the negative effects that fructose can have on the body. If you are concerned, though, then stick to berries (both the fruits commonly known as berries, such as strawberries, and the actual botanical berries, such as avocados). They will generally have less sugar in them, particularly compared to their other nutrients.
As an aside, don't forget about fermented foods. They're a great complement to fiber-rich foods, because they contain probiotics, which help your gut flora (the fiber feeds them). This can be simple things like yogurt, or you can do fun stuff like making your own kefir, real sauerkraut, and even sodas and teas.
As for your macros and how they should be set up, that depends entirely on your goals for the most part, but here are the guidelines I generally go by and recommend:
Protein -- about 1g/lb of lean body weight. The more you work out, the closer (and even slightly over) you'll want to be to that number.
Fat -- at least .35g/lb of total body weight. Fat is essential for hormone function, nutrient absorption, brain function, and a number of other processes. Going over is fine, but you'll want at least that amount.
Carbs -- depends entirely on your goals and general way of eating.
Once the minimums for protein and fat are met, you can fill in the rest with carbs and fat however you see fit. You don't have to be afraid of fat, either, just avoid trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils). Even saturated fat has its place in the body. You may need to play with the amounts, depending on your hunger levels. If you feel hungry all the time, try decreasing one and increasing the other (but always remember -- carbs and fat are fuel, when you decrease one, you must increase the other, don't use protein to make up the calories).
Beyond that, you can technically eat what you see fit. For weight loss, all that generally matters is the caloric deficit, though I've found that food choices can make maintaining that deficit harder or easier.
As Michael Pollan so elegantly put it -- "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."0 -
Eat what you like, don't eat what you don't like, pay attention to macros in whatever ratio makes you feel best, adhere to your (reasonable) calorie goal.
Profit.
Wowzers, thanks guys! It does feel like a bit of an obvious question now, but I'm glad to hear the answers I have! I feel like I get so wrapped up in what I'm eating/how much, etc because I'm not looking to lose LARGE amounts of weight (I'm honestly just going for about 5 - 15 more pounds than where I am now (135). I'm more concerned with shedding off a few inches-- not so much building muscle (though I understand the two go hand in hand) I'd like to slim down, and then focus on strength training so as to "bulk up" and tone my muscles. Right now I'm about average size, but I am a bit "paunchy" and that's what I'm trying to focus on fixing...
I really don't do bread at all anymore. Tortillas will be the death of me though, I swear. Perhaps I could look into a recipe for making my own? (Because seriously-- dat sodium!) Very good idea on the going to a butcher for meats! I actually haven't thought of that, but some of my coworkers do that, so I'll look into finding a good one. Also, a few of them garden and tend to have pretty abundant results, so I'm looking forward to both getting some fresh fruit/veg and hopefully planting my own little urban garden here soon!!
My only question with the beans, is how do you keep them tasting fresh? And how long are they good to freeze for? I made a very large batch of chick peas, put them in an "airtight" tupperware container, and after about 2 months I found they had all but lost their taste (going to try and convert them into a hummus or some sort of otherwise flavorful recipe) I'm not sure if it was my storage method or how long they were in there, but they just taste well, tasteless...
I've heard of spaghetti squash, and I will definitely have to try it! Right now we have about half a dozen boxes of assorted pastas in the cupboard, and I've been avoiding using them until I need a quick meal with otherwise nutritious ingredients to outweigh the bad...
And whoever mentioned the vitamin thing reminds me-- I *do* actually have a fairly moderate - severe deficiency in iron (I'm typically a couple points below what's needed to donate blood) and vitamin D (my doctor actually prescribed me to take 10,000 IU of vitamin D a day) I'm also trying to have a diet that's rich in biotin (I take supplements as well) because over the years I've had severe hair thinning, and I believe it's largely contributed to stress and my poor dieting.
So really, I'm not just looking for a "healthy" diet, but a "happy" diet as well. These are all wonderful suggestions so far, and I'm definitely going to check all these options out! Thanks, guys!!
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And whoever mentioned the vitamin thing reminds me-- I *do* actually have a fairly moderate - severe deficiency in iron (I'm typically a couple points below what's needed to donate blood) and vitamin D (my doctor actually prescribed me to take 10,000 IU of vitamin D a day) I'm also trying to have a diet that's rich in biotin (I take supplements as well) because over the years I've had severe hair thinning, and I believe it's largely contributed to stress and my poor dieting.
Probably not what you want to hear, but...eat plenty of meat and animal fats. Iron, Vitamin D, Vitamin K, and the B Vitamins are but some of the vitamins you're dropping intake of when you minimize meat (between lack of certain nutrients in plants, and lower bioavailability of others). "Cheap" cuts like liver are also high in both Vitamin D and Biotin. These things can help with the hair thinning, as well as potential underlying issues (which, of course, should be ruled out -- hair thinning can indicate a larger issue, such as PCOS or thyroid disorders, especially when coupled with other things, like iron deficiency).
And, of course, for Vitamin D, itself -- get more sunlight. Even 15 minutes a day of exposure without sunblock blows any method of ingesting Vitamin D out of the water.I'm more concerned with shedding off a few inches-- not so much building muscle (though I understand the two go hand in hand) I'd like to slim down, and then focus on strength training so as to "bulk up" and tone my muscles. Right now I'm about average size, but I am a bit "paunchy" and that's what I'm trying to focus on fixing...
With that little to lose, I have one thing for you --
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/0 -
Freezing cooked food for two months! Jebus, woman, cook a bit more often! Geez, wait till I find out this is a standard practice...0
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sometimes I might have food frozen for two months. That doesn't mean I don't cook almost daily.Freezing cooked food for two months! Jebus, woman, cook a bit more often! Geez, wait till I find out this is a standard practice...
I just cook in large batches, and don't feel like eating the same dinner five nights in a row, so I freeze for later use.
Some of us aren't Martha Stewart :flowerforyou:0 -
sometimes I might have food frozen for two months. That doesn't mean I don't cook almost daily.Freezing cooked food for two months! Jebus, woman, cook a bit more often! Geez, wait till I find out this is a standard practice...
I just cook in large batches, and don't feel like eating the same dinner five nights in a row, so I freeze for later use.
Some of us aren't Martha Stewart :flowerforyou:
I don't get it - do you cook almost daily or not? If the food is starting to taste crappy due to too long storage , there seems to be at least one pretty obvious solution to me!0 -
You must have me confused with the OP; I didn't complain about my food tasting "crappy." And I cook daily - which is breakfast every morning because I don't like reheated pancakes.
sometimes I might have food frozen for two months. That doesn't mean I don't cook almost daily.Freezing cooked food for two months! Jebus, woman, cook a bit more often! Geez, wait till I find out this is a standard practice...
I just cook in large batches, and don't feel like eating the same dinner five nights in a row, so I freeze for later use.
Some of us aren't Martha Stewart :flowerforyou:
I don't get it - do you cook almost daily or not? If the food is starting to taste crappy due to too long storage , there seems to be at least one pretty obvious solution to me!
OP, I believe food stays good in a standard freezer for 3 months, and in a deep freezer for 6 months.0 -
You're going to get a lot of opinions regarding this topic because there is a group of people on MFP who believe they can eat whatever they want and still lose weight and then there is a group who chose to eat more healthy and avoid processed foods, etc.
At the end of the day, it's all personal preference.
A great pasta substitute is spaghetti squash. If you are worried about the sodium in beans, buy reduced sodium and rinse off beans before cooking with them.
At the end of the day one of those is fact and the other is fear of food 0 -
You must have me confused with the OP; I didn't complain about my food tasting "crappy." And I cook daily - which is breakfast every morning because I don't like reheated pancakes.
sometimes I might have food frozen for two months. That doesn't mean I don't cook almost daily.Freezing cooked food for two months! Jebus, woman, cook a bit more often! Geez, wait till I find out this is a standard practice...
I just cook in large batches, and don't feel like eating the same dinner five nights in a row, so I freeze for later use.
Some of us aren't Martha Stewart :flowerforyou:
I don't get it - do you cook almost daily or not? If the food is starting to taste crappy due to too long storage , there seems to be at least one pretty obvious solution to me!
OP, I believe food stays good in a standard freezer for 3 months, and in a deep freezer for 6 months.
No confusion here. I mean, you did just finally respond to the OP. Initially you were just commenting on my comment. I found your statements a bit conflicting as you said you cooked almost daily, which to me would mean you wouldn't need to freeze food that long. Then you claimed not to be Martha even though you cook almost daily... Eh, who cares0 -
BUMP0
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I don't always cook something new for dinner, or lunch, every day. I cook for one most days, so it's easier to make multiple portions and refrigerate, or freeze, for later use. And sometimes I might not be in the mood to eat a certain leftover for several weeks, therefore there is the need to freeze it for extended periods of time. There was nothing conflicting about my statement, just your comprehension of what I said. If I were only eating one meal a day, I could see where that might seem confusing.
You must have me confused with the OP; I didn't complain about my food tasting "crappy." And I cook daily - which is breakfast every morning because I don't like reheated pancakes.
sometimes I might have food frozen for two months. That doesn't mean I don't cook almost daily.Freezing cooked food for two months! Jebus, woman, cook a bit more often! Geez, wait till I find out this is a standard practice...
I just cook in large batches, and don't feel like eating the same dinner five nights in a row, so I freeze for later use.
Some of us aren't Martha Stewart :flowerforyou:
I don't get it - do you cook almost daily or not? If the food is starting to taste crappy due to too long storage , there seems to be at least one pretty obvious solution to me!
OP, I believe food stays good in a standard freezer for 3 months, and in a deep freezer for 6 months.
No confusion here. I mean, you did just finally respond to the OP. Initially you were just commenting on my comment. I found your statements a bit conflicting as you said you cooked almost daily, which to me would mean you wouldn't need to freeze food that long. Then you claimed not to be Martha even though you cook almost daily... Eh, who cares0 -
I don't always cook something new for dinner, or lunch, every day. I cook for one most days, so it's easier to make multiple portions and refrigerate, or freeze, for later use. And sometimes I might not be in the mood to eat a certain leftover for several weeks, therefore there is the need to freeze it for extended periods of time. There was nothing conflicting about my statement, just your comprehension of what I said. If I were only eating one meal a day, I could see where that might seem confusing.
You must have me confused with the OP; I didn't complain about my food tasting "crappy." And I cook daily - which is breakfast every morning because I don't like reheated pancakes.
sometimes I might have food frozen for two months. That doesn't mean I don't cook almost daily.Freezing cooked food for two months! Jebus, woman, cook a bit more often! Geez, wait till I find out this is a standard practice...
I just cook in large batches, and don't feel like eating the same dinner five nights in a row, so I freeze for later use.
Some of us aren't Martha Stewart :flowerforyou:
I don't get it - do you cook almost daily or not? If the food is starting to taste crappy due to too long storage , there seems to be at least one pretty obvious solution to me!
OP, I believe food stays good in a standard freezer for 3 months, and in a deep freezer for 6 months.
No confusion here. I mean, you did just finally respond to the OP. Initially you were just commenting on my comment. I found your statements a bit conflicting as you said you cooked almost daily, which to me would mean you wouldn't need to freeze food that long. Then you claimed not to be Martha even though you cook almost daily... Eh, who cares
Congratulations, that's generally the definition of "me" finding your statements conflicting.0 -
I'm more concerned with shedding off a few inches-- not so much building muscle (though I understand the two go hand in hand) I'd like to slim down, and then focus on strength training so as to "bulk up" and tone my muscles. Right now I'm about average size, but I am a bit "paunchy" and that's what I'm trying to focus on fixing...
With that little to lose, I have one thing for you --
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
[/quote]
This! This! This! This! THIS!!! <333
Thin and FIT is what I am aiming for. As I mentioned, I'm not as concerned about my weight (I'd rather be 145 and ripped than 120 with jello arms) I was under the impression that my best course of action was to focus on calorie deficit, and do as much cardio/light bodyweight strength training as possible to get down to my goal weight, and THEN start lifting, once I had the "strength" to do so...
This article is sort of a blessing in disguise because I truly, honestly, and completely despise cardio and everything to do with it, so I get pretty discouraged/fed up when my current workout plan looks like this:
Monday Upper
Home Upper Body Without Weights
9 minutes; Difficulty- 2
Calorie Burn: 36 to 90
Upper
(Barre, Low Impact, Toning)
Better Posture Workout
17 minutes; Difficulty- 2
Calorie Burn: 69 - 103
Upper
(Low Impact, Toning, Stretching)
Tuesday HIIT
HIIT Cardio and Abs
30 minutes; Difficulty- 4
Calorie Burn: 261 to 374
Core, Total
(Cardio, HIIT, Toning)
Wednesday Yoga
Do You 30 Day Yoga Challenge
Thursday Lower Body/Butt
Natural Brazilian Butt Lift
25 minutes; Difficulty- 4
Calorie Burn: 202 to 311
Lower
(Cardio, Plyo, Toning)
Friday Cardio
Cardio Kickboxing Workout
25 minutes; Difficulty- 3
Calorie Burn: 147 to 247
Total
(Cardio, Toning)
Saturday Full Body
Total Body Toning & Functional Strength Training
32 minutes; Difficulty- 3
Calorie Burn: 250 - 320
Total, Core
(Agility, Low Impact, Toning)
If I could completely cut HIIT, plyometrics, and other related cardio out of my life, I would be the happiest girl. I'm sure I couldn't be so lucky, but a girl can dream, no? And to be frank, I am pretty sick of counting $#%@ing calories ;3P
Definitely going to check out this Nerd Fitness site and give the Paleo Diet a shot (ease myself into it at least, and try to limit my non-paleo foods as much as possible until they're no longer such tempting little threats) But would love to add you and maybe get your opinion on some other nutrition/fitness tips and such. It's great gaining knowledge when it all feels so overwhelming.
So yeah, given my goals, strength training/lifting seems to be a much more practical course of action than busting my butt every morning doing some ridiculously stressful/painful cardio routine that makes me hate every second of my life. Plus I could hit up the gym after I get out of work in the evenings. I've been really eager to start lifting, I just thought it was necessary to do the cardio parts first, but I'm really shocked (pleasantly so) to hear that that's not the case!!0 -
And as far as the unnecessary argument over the fact that I stored garbanzo beans in my freezer for two months...
YES, I cook on a near daily basis, despite working 60 hours a week. The beans were leftover from when we made a 7 beat, 7 meat chilli. I just hadn't found purpose to use them until recently.0 -
And as far as the unnecessary argument over the fact that I stored garbanzo beans in my freezer for two months...
YES, I cook on a near daily basis, despite working 60 hours a week. The beans were leftover from when we made a 7 beat, 7 meat chilli. I just hadn't found purpose to use them until recently.
Gee, thanks for your update to our unnecessary argument0
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