too much and not enough and need to find a balance

calelirory

hi. thought id start with just keeping a food diary thought it might be informative. obviously some days ive done better keeping track than others. ive noticed that im going way over my recommended level of some things but getting nowhere near the recommended level of others. im pretty sure thats why im hungry and consuming too much of the other stuff. weve had a tough 2 years so weight gain/fitness was the least of our worries but as things have calmed down its pretty obvious how unfit and unhealthy i am right now. id be very grateful for any advice/links/pretty much anything that might help get me on the right track from the start. thanks in advance. :flowerforyou:

BombshellPhoenix

It's tough to get started. There's a quagmire of "don't eat this, don't do that" but the truth is. Weight loss is about calorie deficit. Health is about getting proper nutrition. It takes awhile to find those foods that help you need your goals accordingly.

Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, lean meats have become a pretty big staple. Oh and vegetables. I'm normally a veggie hater but I've found if I put them in the oven and season them, I enjoy them much better. It's a bit of trial and error. Here's a great link to get you started:flowerforyou:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Eta: I find when I get enough proteins and fats, I stay on track and satiated better. Start off with greek yogurt or eggs, oatmeal and fruit, etc. Basically aim to keep nutrient dense foods as the bulk of your diet, then squeeze in some fun stuff along the way

kessler4130

Your protein is way to low, and you are most likely hungry because the vast majority of your carbs are from beverages which are very fast absorbing and require very little digestion. I suggest cutting out those calorie dense beverages for water or a diet beverage, that will alot much more room for foods that provide satiety. I would bump your calories up to atleast 1400, 100 grams of protein, 50 grams of fat, 137 grams of carbs. Try those macros for 2 weeks and I guarantee you will see progress.

Please note, that 1400 number is probably low, I am simply trying to improve on your 1200 calories, use IIFYM.coms calculator to figure out a more realistic number. Those beverages need to go.

sun_fish

It's tough to get started. There's a quagmire of "don't eat this, don't do that" but the truth is. Weight loss is about calorie deficit. Health is about getting proper nutrition. It takes awhile to find those foods that help you need your goals accordingly.

Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, lean meats have become a pretty big staple. Oh and vegetables. I'm normally a veggie hater but I've found if I put them in the oven and season them, I enjoy them much better. It's a bit of trial and error. Here's a great link to get you started:flowerforyou:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Eta: I find when I get enough proteins and fats, I stay on track and satiated better. Start off with greek yogurt or eggs, oatmeal and fruit, etc. Basically aim to keep nutrient dense foods as the bulk of your diet, then squeeze in some fun stuff along the way

This right here is excellent advice.

SeptemberLondon

I've always said if someone knew the trick to "flipping that switch" they would be unstoppable. I don't know what did it for me, but I went many years without it happening.

My suggestion is to narrow your focus. Make small changes; set small goals and keep building on them.

Decide you're going to exercise 3 times a week for 30 minutes (you can, of course, do more - but never less). After 2 weeks, increase that to 4 or 5. Or keep it at 3 and make it 45 minutes.

Decide to eliminate one food that's really unhealthy, or limit it to once a week. For me, this was alcohol, and it's now alcohol & sugar but it doesn't have to be that broad. You can eliminate white bread, chips, sodas, beer, etc... I intended to add these things back eventually, but I feel so much better now that who knows?

You'll find that as you succeed in these small steps, you start gaining momentum and you won't feel stuck. You'll want to make other changes.

You're on the right track, by asking for suggestions. There's a wealth of support and information (and misinformation, but just be critical of whatever you read & do your own research) on MFP.

Best of Luck!

SeptemberLondon

Your protein is way to low, and you are most likely hungry because the vast majority of your carbs are from beverages which are very fast absorbing and require very little digestion. I suggest cutting out those calorie dense beverages for water or a diet beverage, that will alot much more room for foods that provide satiety. I would bump your calories up to atleast 1400, 100 grams of protein, 50 grams of fat, 137 grams of carbs. Try those macros for 2 weeks and I guarantee you will see progress.

Please note, that 1400 number is probably low, I am simply trying to improve on your 1200 calories, use IIFYM.coms calculator to figure out a more realistic number. Those beverages need to go.

I didn't look at your diary, but it's helpful that you keep it open. Kessler is exactly right & I agree with everything he said.

I prefer to chew my calories, rather than drink them. That ONE CHANGE ALONE will probably set you in the right direction. I also used IIFYM.com rather than the standard MFP settings because I suspected my 1200 calories were very low.

One other tip: Add some friends who will share their diaries with you so you can get ideas. I can't tell you how many times I have people asking me about something they saw in my diary. Feel free to message me if you'd like!

VeryKatie

I like the above poster's (SeptemberLond's first one) thought about adding exercise and limiting one food at a time.

However, I know when I started, I never felt like I had time to exercise and achieved a lot by cooking good recipes in big batches twice a week. I felt like I could spare 1-2 hours on a weekend and 1-1.5 hours on a weekday. I'm pretty good at being able to eat the same thing day in and day out. So decide what might fit best into your lifestyle. I chose learning to cook more than just pasta haha.

In addition to the limiting one foods (say cutting out pop - though for this I'd suggest switching to diet versions and then weening yourself down to less) a good switch to make is switching from processed grains to whole grains (by this I mean white bread to whole wheat, white pasta to whole wheat pasta, instant oats to steel cut whole oats, etc). This is a pretty nice way to get more fibre in which may help you feel full longer. Texture was the biggest thing for me making these switches. Especially on pasta. But then I discovered slow cooker lasanga - it makes me feel like it's pasta, but really... it's mostly meat, sauce and veggies! Plus I couldn't "feel" the difference in the texture of the lasagna noodles.

And also - you've already made a great, super and awesome first step! You're already putting in effort. Good job!

calelirory

thank you so much. im going to those links straight away and ill be cutting out hot drinks immediately. im funny with whole grains too but im going to try again and im going to look up that slow cooker recipe. thanks again.:happy: