Newbie looking 4 Tips n Advice

Heart_Fit

Hi, im new here and i need advice and tips on things i may be doing wrong when it comes to my calorie intake. I am Totally at a lost when it comes to eating Breakfast and Lunch. Honestly, i've never been a breakfast type of girl, but sometimes i managed to get a piece of fruit down in between working. Lunch time lately have been different types of soups ex....Tomato Bisque, Veggie soup, Clam chowder , etc. w/ Crackers...A piece of fruit, Water or Lunch time will be a Grilled or Pan seared in Olive Oil Chicken Breast Sandwich on Wheat Bun....Snack time may be a piece of fruit, 2 tsp of Peanut butter w/ a few Crackers, Water....Dinner Time Usually Some sort of Protein (Meat) with Veggies, sometimes Brown Rice, Water. Snack time may be a piece of fruit or Nuts and Yogurt. Evenings i usually workout with 8 lbs weights, then go for a brisk walk for at least 35 min 4 days Min. i just need some Tips on better healthy Selections for Lunch and Snacks. Please help from anyone more Advanced in knowledge of Nutrition?????

k8161819

Hey! I get what you mean by trying to get into eating a full day of healthy meals. So far from what you have stated, it sounds like you have a really good start! I always found that eating breakfast is really hard too. For myself I found that I never have a lot of time in the morning to get a good breakfast in so I started buying a bunch of fresh fruits, cutting them up intro a sort of fruits salad and then separating them into baggies and freezing them. That way in the morning I can just grab one, throw it into a blender with a little yogurt (usually probiotic), low calorie fruit juice, a handful of spinach and if I'm feeling really healthy that day, a little bit of bran flakes/buds. That way you get a lot of food groups together in an easy to ingest way, and you can always make it to go. Also I found that there are some really awesome lunch and dinner ideas on pinterest and just the internet in general that are easy to make, and they give you all the nutritional information you need. Hope this helps a little. Keep it up! If you ever want to swap Ideas you can add me as a friend, I'm on here a lot (and that goes for anyone else too) :happy:

KristyAnn81

Hi there!

I'm not a breakfast person either, but as long as I have a whole wheat bagel thin or whole wheat english muffin, I feel like I'm good. Some times, I hard boil eggs and keep them in the fridge so I can just grab one and add it in the morning too. Soups are great, but they are a lot of sodium! Be careful! I think the best thing you can do is try to plan it out and I know it is hard - I try to and it is very hard between work, my kids and running around like crazy. Fruits and veggies on hand and cut, waiting in the fridge, is great for snacking, fast salads OR steaming fresh veggies quickly with dinner. I'm on an avocado and yellow squash kick lately! I have replaced pasta in all my meals with yellow squash. Portion things out, put them in baggies or small containers and put them in the fridge because you'll be more amped to grab them and go.

Good luck! Add me for support if you wish!

AJ_G

Well it's hard to critique your diet if your food diary isn't public. At first glance from what you said, it sounds like you're not eating near enough protein. Also, if you don't like eating breakfast, just don't eat breakfast. There's no disadvantage that comes from not eating breakfast. You can eat whenever you want. All that matters is your calorie intake, macronutrient intake, micronutrient intake, and fiber intake at the end of the day. Also, working out with 8 lb weights is pretty pointless in my opinion. You need to use weights heavy enough to keep you in the lower rep ranges when you fail.

rocopoc

This is a long but somewhat quick summary what I did over the past couple months. LOL

1 July 8th I went to doctor, was at my highest weight/sickest, ever. In July started slowly making small food changes, cutting back on sodas & sweet drinks, I LOVE SWEET TEA!!, so sweet gives you cavities, sweet!! LOL and replacing those drinks with water. Eating out less each week. (used to eat ALL my meals out, rarely cooked! YES, there were days I totally FLOPPED, but the good Lord gave me another day the next day, so I wold aim to do better, and kept it moving!!! Literally don't keep kicking yourself if you mess up. Get back up.

2. August 6th joined a group bootcamp.working out 3-4x week. $99/mo. No problem since I spent way more than that in useless spending, plus putting that work in, not really wanting to ruin it with eating junk. eating at home more and more, still eating out but reading nutritional values and making better choices. increased my water intake to about 1/3-12 gal a day. HAD some crazy binge days that month around my period days, arg...TMI, sorry.

3. Sept 8th weighed in at my doctor with 18 pounds gone I can probably count on1 hand the times I have eaten out this month, so far. Water intake way up, I have had a few diet sodas when I occasionally want a soda. Still watching my sugar intake. Started using MFP again9/15/14 and logging what I eat. THAT HAS BEEN A EYEOPENER! YOU MUST COMMIT TO THIS DAILY. Try to log in BEFORE you eat. I have literally thrown out/give to dog, what I was about to eat when I logged something and the sodium levels were too high. YOU WILL BE AMAZED. Take pics with your phone if you just don't have the time to log in at that moment. Tomorrow makes a week and I have been able to pinpoint my overage intake of sodium and I don't even cook with/use salt! I also increased my green smoothie, fruit/veggie smoothie intake as well. It helps get a lot of nutrients.
I bootcamp3-4x wk and do jog/walk intervals 3x wk.

Maybe try smoothie for breakfast?

OK I will stop now. I have WELL past babbling.....LOL You can friend me. My food diary is open. You can message me any questions. You can do it. There are a lot of very nice people here.

amy8400

Well it's hard to critique your diet if your food diary isn't public. At first glance from what you said, it sounds like you're not eating near enough protein. Also, if you don't like eating breakfast, just don't eat breakfast. There's no disadvantage that comes from not eating breakfast. You can eat whenever you want. All that matters is your calorie intake, macronutrient intake, micronutrient intake, and fiber intake at the end of the day. Also, working out with 8 lb weights is pretty pointless in my opinion. You need to use weights heavy enough to keep you in the lower rep ranges when you fail.

^This. If you open your diary, you'll get more constructive feedback. And yes, eat when you are hungry or know that you'll be needing energy shortly, not because breakfast food makers say you should. Some days I have a light morning meal but most days I just eat a good solid lunch. I work late into the evening and I'd rather have some calories left after dinner so I can have something to eat in the evening. Make your food (energy source) work for your body's demands.

Soup is a great food to help you feel full but if you can make your own, you can control so much more. Especially sodium, which typically is high in canned soup. Make soups that are high in protein, lower in sodium and full of veggies and you'll have a well-balanced meal in a bowl. Not to mention you'll save quite a bit of money over canned soups.

Walking half an hour 4x a week may be fine for now but eventually your body will become conditioned and you'll need to find new exercises to mix things up. Heavier weight loads, varied and more intense cardio and exercises that work different muscle groups will challenge your body.

Heart_Fit

Hey, Thank you so much for your reply...you sound like you are doing so AMAZING, girl keep up the great work. You can chat anytime to me about your journey...These are the stories that will inspire me to continue on even when i feel like giving up. Thank you and Thanks to EVERYONE else who took the time to give me some useful advice. I will certainly be calling on you guys soon. Lets keep helping each other.