What Foods to stay away from besides fast food

gfryman

Can any help on what foods to stay away from , i just started last monday and my days have been egg sandwhich on whole grain wheat bread and an apple , then a banana mid morning and a chicken or turkey deli slice sandwhich on whole grain wheat bread with delmonte no sugar pears and a light supper like beef stew , breakfast steak with cup of 2 veggies , and then a 30-35 min walk at the local hs track , what is some other things i need to be doing or not doing i want to loose about 140 lbs and when does you weight usually plateau i have lost about a lb and half so far this week im on a 2230 cal a day limit

thanks for all the help

MirandaDeCrane

For me personally, I went into this with the idea that I refused to cut ANY food from my diet. I enjoy pizza, chocolate, wine, fast food, etc...I just don't eat it daily, and watch my portions. I have lost nearly 40lbs since January 1st. No plateaus yet!!! Fingers crossed LOL

aimee0515

Incorporate some more veggies into your diet. I would not eat any fruit after lunch...and stay away from all processed foods and sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Make sure the whole wheat bread you are eating does not say "enriched" in the ingredients list. If it does, this means they took everything healthy out of it and attempted to put some of the nutrition back in.

tim_fitbuilt4life

I sounds like you are doing everything correctly, just try to stay 500 calories below your daily allowance and avoid calorie densed foods and eat plenty of steamed or raw veggies. Good luck!

aimee0515

For me personally, I went into this with the idea that I refused to cut ANY food from my diet. I enjoy pizza, chocolate, wine, fast food, etc...I just don't eat it daily, and watch my portions. I have lost nearly 40lbs since January 1st. No plateaus yet!!! Fingers crossed LOL

Agreed!! I don't say I CAN'T have anything.

ItsMeMaryW

Me too, I eat what I want just don't go over my calories for the day. I only hit one big plateau since I started that lasted 3 weeks. I ate one meal without counting calories (Thanksgiving Dinner) and that jump started the weight loss again. My biggest challenge is sodium....

❤B☩❤

Incorporate some more veggies into your diet. I would not eat any fruit after lunch...and stay away from all processed foods and sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Make sure the whole wheat bread you are eating does not say "enriched" in the ingredients list. If it does, this means they took everything healthy out of it and attempted to put some of the nutrition back in.

Good to know....thanks!

healthyjen342

Everything is fine IN MODERATION....I would try to find a healthy balance betweem your calories, good fats, fruits and veggies, anddrink plenty of water...in time you will find what works for you...some things work for some people..also,people plateu differently..especially if you've got a lot to lose.

congrats on your success so far..and good luck on your success in the future..

semhamm

Watch youre sodium intake in foods....a 2000 mg (or 2gram sodium) in a day will help....the more salt you eat the more fluid you retain. Also if you happen to eat extra salt one day increase you're potassium intake it counteracts the sodium. If you can use liquid eggs instead of regular eggs ....they don't have the fat or cholesterol in them. If you can eat through out day eat something every 2-3 hours which is equals 6 small meals a day. You are doing good the healthy way to lose weight is no more than 4lbs a month this way you are doing it slowly and easier to stay off. You have 140lbs to lose so remember this is a life long journey and the key is to make small changes, make healthier food choices and be active. I am right there with you I need to lose around 90lbs I was a fast food addict so you have to retrain you're brain to eat healthy. Make sure you are getting fiber in you're diet this helps pull out fat in you're body....fiber bars, apples, whole grains are great sources of fiber. Water intake is very important if it's hard for you to drink plain water add crystal light flavors...add lemon slces in water. If you have problems being tempted by unhealthy foods make sure you don't have any of this in you're house or where you can turn to these foods. Make sure after you exercise to be getting a protein source within 30 min....you can get this by eating food or using protein powder. There is so much that I can tell you I am a Registered Nurse and I always read and learn about health. Everyone is different with weight loss and lose differently...just remember you should not be hungry...if you are then you need to change something like adding more fiber, fruit, protein, or veggies in youre diet! Even if you have to have a snack before bed it's ok...pick 100calorie popcorn, cereal that has fiber, nutragrain bar with cup fatfree milk. Avoid white breads, pasta,rice....change to brown (whole wheat), avoid sodas, highfat high sugar foods. Avoid frying foods if you do use a George Foreman. Don't mean to be long winded but I have so much to tell you....I am making progress and yes we all fall but the key is to get back up and not give up....when you eat something you know you shouldn't have don't feel guilty...start back the next meal eating healthy choices. You can do this...there is a great book that tells so much about things to eat and not eat....Dr. Colbert "Eat this and Live"....he has a site icandothisdiet.com I love it its just learning to substitute with good healthy foods and be active. Good luck to you.

katznkt

I try to stay away from oil, and salt, and processed foods. And sugar. A little is fine- everything in moderation, but a little processed food skyrockets my sodium and fat for the day.

I try not to consume anything with more than 25% calories from fat.

beckyinma

For me personally, I went into this with the idea that I refused to cut ANY food from my diet. I enjoy pizza, chocolate, wine, fast food, etc...I just don't eat it daily, and watch my portions. I have lost nearly 40lbs since January 1st. No plateaus yet!!! Fingers crossed LOL

I totally agree. If you deprive yourself you will eventually hit something stressful and binge on all the bad stuff and regret it. I've added a ton of salad, fresh veggis, steamed veggis, yogurt smoothies to my diet, as well as using less veggi oil and more extra virgin olive oil instead. Less salt, less sugar, and just watch your portions, moderation and self control are key. Set realistic mini goals, like 10 lb by July 4th, another 10 by sept 1st etc.

beckyinma

you have to retrain you're brain to eat healthy.

exactly.

kacarter1017

Stay away from processed foods. Eat as many whole foods with raw veggies, whole grains, and lean protein as the center of your foods. Drink plenty of water as well.

msjersey73

The best list is in the book "Sugar Busters (Lifestyle). i don't eat bananas because they are too high in sugar (have plantains instead), or eat berries.
and watch the "whole wheat" bread, if it has "Enriched flour" its just as bad for you as wonder white bread. make sure you get the cracked wheat, or stone ground instead.
keep the Lean meats low in sodium. and also good green veggies are lowest in sugar, so i stay away from potatoes, if i can.
good luck, and take care :-)

milaxx

I don't 100% cosign on the "everything in moderation". That is true for most things, just not all. Largely because I don;t want this to be a diet. I wanted a lifestyle change and I wanted to develop better eating habits. Soda, pfft, kicked that in a week. Became a vegetarian years ago and simply stopped eating meat/poultry & seafood. Not a bit of a problem. Then there's coffee. I know I can't ever have it again. I am an insomniac. Really bad as in I have gone literally days without sleeping. Coffee makes that condition worse.

I used to LOVE coffee. I have a coffee grinder, a french press, a sensea, a regular drip pot with a timer & I sold a cappuccino machine. I had whole beans, imported blends from all over the whole. For me coffee isn't just a beverage, it was an experience. I love heating the water, grinding the beans and making a good pot of coffee. I like to sit and have a good cup and perhaps a nosh; a pasty or scone . Several time I quit, only drank herbal teas or decaf. Drinking decaf always lead me back to the real thing. I have no control over coffee and a bad habit of eating the wrong thing when I have it. So this time around I realized I can't drink coffee in moderation and it's not good for me. I simply had to give it up.

CrimsonWife

Your diet seems rather carb-heavy to me. I would switch the bread to Ezekial/sprouted grain and only at 1 meal rather than 2. The apple for breakfast is okay, but swap the banana and pears out for non-starchy veggies. A chicken salad with a cup of low-sodium veggie soup would be a much healthier lunch than the sandwich + pears.

Qarol

The only kinds of foods I would suggest staying away from are the ones you can't seem to control your portions on. I have a friend who's a total sugar junkie. Just one piece of candy, and her cravings are so intense that it becomes nearly impossible for her to not eat more. So for her, she just has to cut out candy altogether.

wildon883r

You can eat anything you want. I get irritated when people say "Stay away or avoid fruits" Ask any diabetic. The sugar in fruits is NOT the same as sugar thats refined. We need to eat PLENTY of fruits and vegetables in our daily diets. The things that hammer your calorie goals are thinks like breads, rolls and ANY food that comes in a box. Try to eat only the perimeter of a store. The fresh vegetables, fruits and proteins, meats, eggs, and yes cheeses (low fat) Lunch meat is not healthy for you at all even if its deli turkey. If you want a turkey sandwich , buy a whole turkey, bake it, slice it and have real turkey.

Same goes for chicken. use chicken breast thinly sliced if you want a chicken sandwich. You will find out that once you start eating healthy that the unhealthy foods really do nothing when it comes to satisfying you and your appetite. No soda pop regular or diet. Avoid diet or anything thats labeled fat free. Once you've got that figured out. Find out the calories in the foods you eat and try to eat what you need to eat to lose weight. You will be amazed how much healthy food you can eat and remain under your calorie goals compared to unhealthy fast foods. Weight loss is simple so keep it that way. Good Luck

CrimsonWife

You can eat anything you want. I get irritated when people say "Stay away or avoid fruits" Ask any diabetic. The sugar in fruits is NOT the same as sugar thats refined.

Fruits do have lots of vitamins & minerals, but they also have a high glycemic index. And, in fact, your body treats fructose from fruit just like sucrose from table sugar. Table sugar has a GI of 92 while bananas have a GI of 89. That's virtually identical when it comes to the impact on your blood sugar.

One serving per day in combination with protein (like the egg) is fine, and it's best to eat fruit lower on the GI like apples, berries, or grapefruit.

Mtsidad

Stay away from processed foods. Eat as many whole foods with raw veggies, whole grains, and lean protein as the center of your foods. Drink plenty of water as well.

This is probably the key. You're going to have to regulate how and what you eat - not like you're a robot or unfeeling human. Just that you're going to need to shift your intake because you need to eat "healthy."

I enjoy the convenience of canned food and deli meats, but *for me* they just have too much sodium. We need salt, but I was pushing way past the MFP limit every day when I first started (and my blood pressure reflected that). I didn't shame myself for that - just used it to learn what foods to eat that had less sodium. Now I'm going days at a time well under the sodium limit.

Instead of deli meats, which I love, I get a roasting chicken. Rinse it off, cut up a lemon and stick in side,put in a roasting pand, and an hour in the oven you have a nice seasoned chicken. Depending on your portion sizes, it's 3-4 meals at least. Pull the skin off after roasting (my preference) because while there is saturated fat in the skin, roasting it "dry" really kills the texture of the meat. I just make sure I pull off any visible fat when I eat it and I'm good with that. The chicken itself becomes a side dish to the rest of my meals which are vegetable and fruit based.

I find that bread is by bête noire in the sense that I love it but it is not really my friend. So I am eating less, and eating bread that's richer and tastier. I am eating Dave's Killer Bread 21 grains, and I find that one slice at breakfast is tasty.

For me, personally, I am trying to reduce all the substitutes for what I like. I don't want "diet" foods because generally speaking they simply do not taste like the real thing. There are some diet foods I like because I like the taste, but I don't say "it's just like real crème brûlée!" I will eat what I like, especially the real thing, but just smaller portions or I adjust everything else that I eat.

The reason people say there are food to stay away from is that a lot of the convenient foods are high in salt and sugar. In moderation, these things aren't bad for you, but moderation is difficult to accomplish when a bag of chips is a few dollars and the whole bag is gone in seconds. Recording what you eat in MFP will help you see this. Don't punish yourself when you see it - just use the information to make better choices.

Go for vegetables in a variety of ways. They aren't just "good for you" in the sense of "you should eat this as punishment" - they are good, and depending on how to make them, they can be satisfying in their own way. They can stretch out a meal size so you feel "full" with far less calories. I had 2 ounces of chicken the other day mixed in with squashes roasted with garlic and some oriental seasonings and it was quite good. Put vegetables in the foods you prepare - when I make turkey chili, I use finely-grated carrots as an extender. They cook down and add a little more thickness to the chili, and some sweetness, but they also add some other goodness.

Do this for YOU. People will give you advice, and everyone will tell you "you should be doing this." I have told *very* few people that I'm changing my eating and exercise lifestyle, because I don't want the stupid advice. I'm basically trying to reduce fat and calories, increase water intake, and increase exercise. For me.

Good luck, welcome to MFP, and welcome to the journey.

Mtsidad

Fruit has plenty of things pure sucrose does not. Generally it has other nutrients and fiber. You just have to account for it.

Fruit isn't "free" but neither is it bad. MODERATION. You're making lifestyle changes, not punishing yourself or trying to fit someone else's idea of a good person. If someone doesn't like your food choices and they offer their opinion, just say thank you and continue to do what YOU want to do. Unless you want a mother to tell you what to do the rest of your life, you should be making YOUR OWN CHOICES.

paulhood

My personal trainer told me that the best way to shop for food (in most grocery stores) is to shop only on the outside four walls and don't go down any isles. That means I shouldn't eat anything that comes in a box or a can (i.e. processed foods). So… Do I do this? Well, not all the time. If you read my food diary you can see that. But, I have been staying away from as much as I used to.

It isn't necessarily staying away from fat, or carbs, or protein, but balancing the three with your calorie allowance as pointed out by MFP. I know my ticker says only 2 pounds lost so it looks like I'm a newbie and I am to MFP, but not to dieting and success with dieting albeit very temporary.

My PT has me reducing the Carbs for the first couple of weeks and keeping the fat the same and increasing the protein to offset the difference in carbs for calories. But here's my best advice.

Improving your eating habits is a process and takes practice to [re]learn. Use MFP to guide you during your practice. If it takes you four weeks to "get it right" then it takes four weeks and so on. Don't kick yourself in the but while you are [re]learning how to do this. If you do great the first four weeks and blow it on Wednesday of the next week, just get back on Thursday and call Wednesday a bad day, not a failure. You did not fail unless you don't get back on when you realize you're off.

So many people, including myself many times, get down on themselves for "failing" and then just really blow it and figure it must be all over now. Then the decline begins again and before we know it we have gained it all back and then some usually.

I wish you the best of luck.

trishlambert

There is good info here, though some info seems to contradict other info.

As others have said, I am focused on making a lifestyle change...but like many other lifestyle decisions in my life, I have found that subscribing to someone else's idea of how to make the change (even if that someone is a doctor with great credentials) doesn't work in the long run. Not sure why...perhaps because if I'm following a change that someone else has prescribed, I don't "own" it for myself.

So...this time around, along with a clear and deep determination to be successful, I am kind of "feeling my way" toward a permanent lifestyle change. Like others here, I don't say "I can't" have anything....I do, like others, use my daily calorie allotment as a decision making tool (I manage myself to stay at or under that number). So, for example, if I'm craving a quarter pounder with cheese, I look up the nutritional info and then ask myself if it will be worth spending that many calories in order to satisfy my craving. Usually the answer is no.

On a somewhat related note, something I've noticed as time progresses: I am naturally shedding certain foods, just in the process of using MFP. I would find it hard to give up alcohol, coffee, ice cream, mac and cheese, and other comfort foods if someone else was directing me to do so, or if I was "white knuckling" it (really wanting it but making myself not eat it). This time around, I haven't gotten down on myself for what I eat, and instead have focused on improving the quality of my food as much as possible. I do, however, often notice how I feel (physically/emotionally) after eating certain crave foods...and find that I don't like the feeling (lethargy, headache, disappointed, etc.)

So, long story short...my process is to allow myself to entertain eating any food that springs to mind, ask myself if the nutritional numbers will work for me, and if I eat something that seems "wrong," notice what's up with me afterward and if I like the feeling. Without much thinking about it, I've naturally stopped eating/drinking certain foods and started eating others (like veggies).

A bottom line thought to all this: You have asked a very good question and received excellent responses...but in the end, YOU are the one who has to decide what works for you...I suggest you sift through the info here, perhaps discuss with a qualified professional, and then set your way forward. You'll do great!

dave4d

You can eat anything you want. I get irritated when people say "Stay away or avoid fruits" Ask any diabetic. The sugar in fruits is NOT the same as sugar thats refined.

Fruits do have lots of vitamins & minerals, but they also have a high glycemic index. And, in fact, your body treats fructose from fruit just like sucrose from table sugar. Table sugar has a GI of 92 while bananas have a GI of 89. That's virtually identical when it comes to the impact on your blood sugar.

One serving per day in combination with protein (like the egg) is fine, and it's best to eat fruit lower on the GI like apples, berries, or grapefruit.

I actually read an article where the author states that High GI carbs are better than low GI carbs for your post workout meal. High Gi converts to glucose easier helping to get the necessary nutrients to your muscles to aid in the rebuilding process.

dave4d

The best answer I can give is that it all depends on your body type, goals, and workout habits. Like others have said, if you have a hard time with portion control on certain items, it is wise to cut them out if you can. Some people are insulin sensitive, and need less carbs, Some people need more. Find out what works for you, and what your triggers are, then follow that.

I used to drink a soda with every meal, and have a bag of chips with most meals. Those were two of the things that were easiest for me to cut out. I don't crave them, and to me, they aren't worth the calories to eat. I do struggle giving up other foods that I should give up, so I eat those rarely,(less than once a week) There are health benefits in all natural foods, so I wouldn't give any of these up.

rosiedoes

I don't stay away from any food I like completely. When I spent three hours hiking, I might come home and have a pizza. On days when I have to sit at my desk all day, I'm conscious of trying to eat lighter, healthier foods to balance out the inactivity.

Ignore what the fitness fanatics say about your body being a temple which you may never sully with Things That Taste Nice, you just have to be responsible and sensible about what you're eating.

As a whole, foods I like to have in my diet on a fairly regular basis are:

- tinned tomatoes for sauces;
- courgettes and aubergines;
- prawns;
- typical stirfry vegetables;
- eggs;
- beans and pulses;
- bulgar wheat and pearl barley.

Things I try not to have too much of on an average day/week:

- bacon :grumble:
- fatty meats such as rind-on pork;
- burgers;
- refined flours;
- white bread;
- processed meats such as sausages;
- cheese. :sad:

The biggest trick for me, is always cook from fresh or frozen but non-processed foods if you can. That way, you know exactly what you're eating.