help??

cmiles23

Hey everyone, Ive never been very good at "dieting" ( good thing im going for more of a lifestyle change than a diet huh?) anyways I was hoping for some food ideas, or if anyone would like to look at my food diary and give suggestions that would be GREAT!

ambie35

I'd say the first HUGE thing you need to do is work on cutting out the fast food. It seems there is fast food almost everyday in your diary. This food is harmful to your body is has chemicals,high sodium and most of it is cooked in grease!
I don't know your daily circumstance,but if at all possible try eating breakfast or bringing an apple and granola bar with you for breakfast and perhaps invest in a cooler bag to pack some lunch.
I know the thought of packing daily lunches can seem annoying but it can be as simple as throwing some leftovers in a container or putting a salad together

Another suggestion is switching to a whole wheat or whole grain bread.I noticed white bread in your diary.
Im going to keep looking to give you more suggestions

ambie35

another thing I would suggest is cutting back on the coffee/caffeinated beverages. A good nights sleep can help your metabolism and you can't be sleeping too great with all that coffee.
They say an apple in the morning is more efficient at waking you up than a cup of coffee ( although I still have a cup a day too)

cmiles23

YES I DO EAT FAST FOOD ALOT..... HOWEVER DIDNT THINK THE CHOICES I WAS MAKING WERE ALL THAT BAD.....I TEND TO EAT MORE FAST FOOD WHEN I HAVENT BEEN ABLE TO GET TO THE GROCERY STORE LOL

cmiles23

i tend to get about 5-6 hrs of sleep per night which is quite alot for me considering I used to have insomnia... I used to drink at least 100 oz of coca cola a day and i no longer drink pop... just water, tea and coffee

ambie35

thats good sounds like you are taking steps in the right direction.
Yes I must commend as far as fast food choices go you make pretty good ones.

Azuleelan

Remember fast food has more sodium, trans fats, sugar, and mistery ingredients that anything similar prepared by you would have. You are trying to have a lifestyle change, and the most important one to make is to start preparing your own food... start by buying tons of frozen veggies and proteins; veggies can be unfrozen and cooked at the same time in the microwave in like 4 minutes per serving, meats take like 15 mins to cook on stovetop or oven. When you crave something more elaborated, look up recipes online and freeze portions of it so you can have healthy food on the go using a bento jar:

http://vip.zappos.com/bento-jar

Another thing I noticed is some days you are eating fewer than 1200 calories... that's really not good for you, try to keep it at 1200 by establishing caloric goals for EACH meal... I for one eat every 3 hours and four meals a day, 300 cal a seating, so I'm ALWAYS hitting my mark, a few calories more or less...

ali06013

Remember fast food has more sodium, trans fats, sugar, and mistery ingredients that anything similar prepared by you would have. You are trying to have a lifestyle change, and the most important one to make is to start preparing your own food...

I totally agree. I used to eat a lot of fast food (Starbucks frappucino every day, Subway sandwich eevry day, etc.)... Now I pack a lunch. Packing a lunch can be the single-best change you can make for yourself. It takes some effort because you need to plan the meal in order to get the right nutrient balance, but it's well-worth it.

Even though your fast-food choice are decent (givenw aht's available at fast food places), you will be surprised by how many few calories you consume by preparing your own lunches - and if you do it right, you will feel just as full!

Azuleelan

Oh, and your sodium intake is through the roof, 2500 as max is really too much, it should be more like 1500... that one sandwich you ate today, 300 something calories and 1100 g of sodium?? That's just too much. Sodium is necessary for life but excess can affect your heart, blood pressure, and make you retain water, making you look fatter than what you really are.

cmiles23

well i dont have a problem feeling full..... ever....... i pretty much force feed myself in the evening because im not hungry.... i stay below what is says for sodium everyday too......... last time i tried to do all of that " prepare meals in advance" i just got sooooooooo tired of chicken and vegetables and fruit.......... what are your guys favorite healthy foods?

cmiles23

Oh, and your sodium intake is through the roof, 2500 as max is really too much, it should be more like 1500... that one sandwich you ate today, 300 something calories and 1100 g of sodium?? That's just too much. Sodium is necessary for life but excess can affect your heart, blood pressure, and make you retain water, making you look fatter than what you really are.

i have just been going by what mfp gave me so i didnt know 2500 mg of sodium was too much

Azuleelan

2500 is supposed to be max for an adult, 1500 for someone who is taking care of themselves... which should be all of us, hehe...

katt742

well i dont have a problem feeling full..... ever....... i pretty much force feed myself in the evening because im not hungry.... i stay below what is says for sodium everyday too......... last time i tried to do all of that " prepare meals in advance" i just got sooooooooo tired of chicken and vegetables and fruit.......... what are your guys favorite healthy foods?

you can check out my diary if you'd like! I make homemade soups A LOT. And if you like soup i can give you low cal, low sodium recipes! I HATE chicken so you wont see me eat that. I eat a lot of eggs, peanut butter,plain greek yogurt with frozen blueberries, milk, banana's, apples and protien shakes, whole wheat light bread (i hate regular whole wheat) and those whole wheat sandwich thins. I love brown rice sauteed with some olive oil, shrimp, cumin and garlic. I have a George Forman grill that I just put everything on. I eat a lot salmon and lean pork chops and turkey burgers. I always pair them with a HUGE salad with olive oil and vinager and a steamed veggie.

I also always brown bag my lunch. From sandwiches to soups to brown rice and ground beef...I have a freezer full of leftover soups and rice dishes that I can just throw in my lunch if i dont have time to make a sandwich!

LittleMissVintage

You should really eat breakfast to wake up your metabolism.

cmiles23

You should really eat breakfast to wake up your metabolism.

I did eat breakfast....subway at 7am..... but sometimes it is hard for me to eat before 10am so if it is after 8am i usually put it as a snack lol