What the hell am I supposed to eat??

kailyamie

I can't do this counting crap anymore!!!!! I'm going insane!!! I don't know what the hell to eat.
MFP has my calorie goal at 2010 calories per day and I'm already having trouble reaching that goal every day because I am trying to be conscious about what I eat, and eating healthier foods makes it harder to eat so many calories.
I am trying to eat 6 smaller meals every day.
My problem is that that I cannot manage to keep my sodium and sugar down (sodium more than sugar, if I go over on sugar it's usually by just a few grams), it's like a freaking jigsaw puzzle. I think it's absurd that I cannot have an orange and a salad for lunch - a total of 200 calories - and it put me way over on sodium and sugar!!! That's ridiculous! That's not even a BIG salad, we're talking like 1/2 a cup of lettuce and 2 tablespoons of LIGHT dressing. That's barely enough food for my 3-year-old, yet it's like 450mg sodium. I was going to eat tuna today for lunch, but at 550mg sodium!??! I thought tuna was good for you!

I try to eat good things like oatmeal and special K cereal or raisin bran, and fruit and peanut butter, and whole grain or pumpernickel bread, and light yogurt... and it's ridiculous how far over on my sodium I always am YET I will still have a thousand calories or so left over every day. I am going freaking crazy trying to deal with this jigsaw puzzle - I don't have TIME for this every freaking day! I cannot sit and input each hypothetical meal and try to piece together reaching my calorie goal while maintaining a lower sodium level. It's like a part-time job... overly time consuming. I REALIZE that processed foods are higher in sodium, totally get that. However, I do not farm in my backyard, I have 3 kids, and we don't live on a steady diet of raw vegetables.

How to you even begin to have a common sense diet, reach what feels like an obscene amount of calories every day (and eating back exercise calories?!? Some days I have to eat 2400 for the day, that's a LOT, I'm going crazy) and still maintain lower sodium???

And before I get hit with judgmental comments, I realize that I weigh a lot, but this is mostly due to my not eating enough combined with PCOS and a bad hormonal imbalance, so I'm working from several disadvantages that I'm trying to overcome. My biggest issue of all was not eating enough. I wasn't eating all day... no breakfast or lunch... I'd have something around 2 o'clock-ish, then eat dinner, and sometimes have a snack late at night and that was it. I'm trying to re-train myself to eat 6 smaller meals every day starting when I first get up and it's been hard to make myself eat when I don't "feel" like it.

I have read a lot of posts on here, and it's no carbs, low sugar, low sodium, low calories... what the hell do you eat??? Everything is loaded with all kinds of crap, even things that are supposed to be good for you... full of sugar, sodium, HFCS, dyes, etc. etc. etc. I am not going to successfully live on a raw vegetable diet, that I can promise. So what is more important - meeting my calorie goal? Keeping sodium low - which means not achieving my calorie goal every day... ?? I dunno.... but the amount of thought that I have to put into this is worse than being obsessed and compulsively overeating.

My first week or so I lost 8 pounds and I haven't lost a damn thing since. I was up 1.5 lbs from YESTERDAY when I weighed this morning, so I am feeling severely defeated and irritated.

Anyone have any common sense advice for me???

bbbbb33333

I always go over sugar and sodium. The only think I really watch is total calories.

After that I am trying to increase by protein some, since I always underrun.

amymt10

I am always over on sugar and half the time over on sodium... I just worry about calories, carbs and protein. It works for me.

sammyjj53

I always go over sugar and sodium. The only think I really watch is total calories.

After that I am trying to increase by protein some, since I always underrun.

You should really try to watch your sodium intake as well. Sodium plays a HUGE roll in losing weight. Will make you retain a TON of water.....

End6ame

Are you a vegetarian, because eyou didn’t list a single meat or dair product. These will add calories and a re good for you.

ladybg81

Can you open up your diary?

What is your activity level set at?

You need to take baby steps and not try and fix everything at once. I started off just counting calories and nothing else. As I got the hang of that I start watching other things. Sodium is a *itch to keep under control because everything seems to have sodium.

Sit back, take a deep breath and just start watching your calories and drink enough water. You can add the other pieces in later. Don't get discouraged; it really is easy to do.

jhoffman27

Try to eat most of your sugar in the beginning of the day so your body has a chance to burn it off and if you consume extra sodium drink extra water to offset it.

kailyamie

I always go over sugar and sodium. The only think I really watch is total calories.

After that I am trying to increase by protein some, since I always underrun.

You should really try to watch your sodium intake as well. Sodium plays a HUGE roll in losing weight. Will make you retain a TON of water.....

Not only that, but sodium can lead to hypertension, I realize that low sodium is important, however, managing to eat low sodium is so hard while still meeting a 2010 daily calorie intake need. It's making me crazy.

rubyrenga

Sorry I can't offer advice, but I am going through the same thing, and I am not even tracking my sodium. It is a real pain to try to figure out. I keep getting the warning that I'm not consuming enough calories (and like you said, I am not even eating back my exercise calories, bc with trying to eat right, I'm not even making the original goal amt). I am afraid that my body is going to store fat bc it is supposedly in starvation mode, but I'm not hungry for anything more than I'm eating, aside from wishing I could eat bread, etc. Have no clue how to deal with this.

jojopel

Do you have time to meet with a dietician or nutritionist? A specialist will help you make sense of all the info out there.

AlwaysWanderer

As you said, processed stuff has more sodium. Avoiding it doesnt mean eating raw veg only though. Try lean meats, Tortillas wraps, oats, low fat diary, eggs. All low sodium. Your allowance would be 2500mg a day, as long as you dont get packaged meal, to much processed meat and a McDonalds, you'll be ok. And dont worry about going over on your sugar if its from fruits. Fruit(in moderation) is very good for you. It's the refined sugar you need to watch out for.
Try nuts - very high in calories - no sodium or sugar. And try using sea salt for cooking - it has less sodium than table salt. Hope that helps. :flowerforyou:

kailyamie

Are you a vegetarian, because eyou didn’t list a single meat or dair product. These will add calories and a re good for you.

Dairy is high in sugar though. I love yogurt, but it's high in sugar And I do eat meat, usually at dinner, and usually only 4 ounces at a time, I am really not a big fan of eating meat, but I do eat meat once a day.

sculley

Counting my calories work for me... unless I have high sodium then I need to up my water intake.

Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet

Second adding the protein, but you should also try cooking at home. Eating healthy doesn't mean eating raw plain vegetables. Wild/brown rice, stir fry, vegetables, kebabs, etc etc. There's plenty of healthy recipes out there that will keep your taste buds interested so you dont have to eat stuff that doesn't excite you.

ie for breakfast, I know I need something filling, but also tasty, so its: egg+egg beaters (better flavor) + honey smoked ham chopped up + mexican cheese mix. High protein, lower cal because its half egg beaters, high flavor, and very filling! Experiment a little..there's a lot of options out there.

PS 4 oz of meat/protein isn't enough. You should probably find another way to add protein to your diet. Cottage cheese, egg beaters, light yogurt...

SarahofTwins

I agree with you! I seem to go over my sodium and sugars too....so I decided to take it off the other day because it was driving me bonkers to keep track of it. I know the differences and just make sure its not ridiculously high. I usually eat some oatmeal for breakfast, by lunch I have whole grain rice or breads with low sodium soup. Then I just grab a freezer meal which is not the best choice since it has high sodium. For snacking I usually eat a 90cal fiber bar or fruits.

yankeefamily05

Don't give up!!!! You can do this! I was truly getting annoyed just like you with sugar/sodium. Than I realized I can REMOVE the sodium part from it. I dont even have to look at it. Instead of looking at numbers, I go by how I feel and drink a TON of water. If I see that I am retaining water, I simply lay off some of the foods I have been eatting!!!!

ChantalGG

I am working with a 1200 calories a day :S... The trick is to exercise everyday to give you the extra calories so i can eat more. Worry more about the fat and calories then the sodium right now eventually you will be accustomed to less of it. Are you going by what is on the package that you are eating or by what someone added to the food database?

HolleeERL

I think you are stressing too much on the sugars and soduim. (JMO) The natural sugar is not bad for you and the only thing sodium does is make you retain a little water - it doesn't make you shed fat. I think you should worry more about getting your calories and types of food in check before you start worrying about the other two. I have no problem reaching a 2000 calorie a day diet and I eat plenty more than just salad. This needs to be a more common sense approach.

makena78

you're making it more difficult than it really is. Why is your calorie intake so high? are you a runner? I workout for 30min a day and I never actually reach my 1600-1700 calorie goal. I stay around 1200-1300. All my meals are around 200-400 calories and I think that's pretty good.plus I have snacks. staying withing the sodium limit is tough and sugar too. But it's crazy if you are eating foods that take you way over. a little if fine though and no need to worry. you need to get over the excuses part before you can really make this work. It's life altering but it can be done without stress involved. Find some medium ground and work from there. Don't give up though, this is all a learning process. Just don't say it's too hard. It's not.

beverlyl64

I honestly don't pay attention to the sodium column and you can delete it if that would help you. Also if you are drinking enough water that will help flush the sodium out of your system. Continue to eat healthy and exercise. If your doing processed foods try to stick to foods with less than 6 ingredients, this will help you stay on track.

What about protein and high fiber foods? If you'll open your diary we can take a look and see what your actually eating and may be able to offer better options.

michelleion

Completely agree with Halina - as long as you're not eating the majority of your food out of packets and cans, I wouldn't worry about it so much.

yankeefamily05

Are you a vegetarian, because eyou didn’t list a single meat or dair product. These will add calories and a re good for you.

Dairy is high in sugar though. I love yogurt, but it's high in sugar And I do eat meat, usually at dinner, and usually only 4 ounces at a time, I am really not a big fan of eating meat, but I do eat meat once a day.

*Hugs* Don't look TOO far into it. Just look at the back of the yogurt and aim for one with lower sugar! If you are eatting say a thing of yogurt with a decent amt of sugar in it compared to say a donut, you are going to do better with the yogurt. I guarantee it. I see on MFP that alot of people are like don't eat too much fruit because it has alot of sugar. Guess what? I am pretty darn tooten sure I didn't get to this weight by eating FRUIT I got this way by eating cake, cookies etc...!

mamarundrc

I don't really track sugar but I do try to watch sodium. It is tough. On days that I am over on sodium I try to make sure to take in extra water. Look for lower sodium alternatives. You mentioned Tuna in your post- Starkist makes a solid white albacore pouch that only has 10 mg of sodium. If you have to use canned veggies- find the no salt added type- they typically have 10-30 mg of sodium per serving. Try to stay away from soy sauce based meals as it adds a ton of sodium. If you are using beans use bagged or fresh instead of canned. Also, Herb-ox makes a sodium free chicken boullion that you can use to make chicken broth for cooking. It takes a lot of label reading but you can find better alternative.

Also, Check out www.allrecipes.com. You can search for recipes based on dietary needs (low sugar, low sodium etc.). Good luck!

lupin03

I always go over too. I can reach my limit with just the fruit I eat. I decided to watch saturated fat, cholesterol, and fiber.

RoadDog

Start eating fresh. Stop opening cans and boxes. Once you stay away from processed foods, you will cut way back on the sodium. When I started, I didn't even have a plan. I just ate like I normally did and logged it. After a couple weeks I started looking at my entries. It was no secret as to where the extra calories, sodium, etc. was coming from. Then I just started dialing it in.

wwperry

OMG! I'm very jealous. My goal is 1200 calories a day... it's very hard to not go over even with the most healthy foods.
Salt is bad, but I really don't worry about anything but the fat, carbs and calories. Mainly...calories.
Protein adds alot of calories... so maybe try some almonds or other nuts and even beans are great... lotsa good fiber.

reddcat

Laughing to myself because I basically posted the same thing to my friends today. Told them I did not want to exercise because I did not want to try and figure out what else to eat. I agree with majority of posters though. Sodium is a killer. Everyone says shop around the outside of the store to help cut down on that. Skip the inside aisles for the most part and it should help.

_SusieQ_

Don't give up!!!! You can do this! I was truly getting annoyed just like you with sugar/sodium. Than I realized I can REMOVE the sodium part from it. I dont even have to look at it. Instead of looking at numbers, I go by how I feel and drink a TON of water. If I see that I am retaining water, I simply lay off some of the foods I have been eatting!!!!

I have to agree with this one. I have a lot to lose as well, and to be quite frank, if I try to do it all at once, I'm setting myself up for failure. Baby steps hon, baby steps. Concentrate first on calories. Add in some cardio. Drink LOTS of water. As you develop habits, and it becomes less overwhelming, start focusing on choices that ARE lower in sodium and sugar. This is just my opinion, but I know that for myself, if I tried to turn my whole life upside down at once, I will end up giving up b/c it IS hard.

Hang in there, once you decide it really is time for yourself, you will succeed!

MistyMtnMan

Ok just take a breather. Getting used to a healthy diet isn't easy. Even if you thought you ate good before, it's still hard. For your sodium issues I wouldn't even worry about it UNLESS it's coming from bad food. Sodium from tuna and chicken and such, don't worry about it but sodium from lunch meat or fast food is bad. Ge it? It's all about where you're getting it from. Same with sugar and carbs. If you are ONLY getting sugar and carbs from fruit and whole grains, don't sweat it if you go over. BUT if its from candy and white bread and pastries, THAT"S when you should watch it.

I would also reccommend a good protein supplement and protein bars for added protein which you can never get enough of. Especially if they are low cal and fat. For protein shakes I've found ISO-Sensation 93 to be excellent because it's low cal, no fat, no sugar, no carbs and 30g of protein. Also, Pure Protein bars are really good nutritionally and a filling snack.

You can also make up some chicken breast to have on hand for salads or dinners. Just remember, it's all about WHERE these numbers are coming from be it fat sugar or carbs.

RMinVA

While I agree that watching sodium and sugar play an important role in the long run, portion control, counting calories, and a little exercise will go a long way when you are starting out. I didn't start looking at macronutrients like sodium and sugar until I lost about 30lbs. You will drive yourself crazy trying to balance everything out!!

And there is no way that a salad and orange for lunch are putting you over your limits for the day...it's everything else that you are consuming over the course of the day. As for yogurt being loaded with sugar...yes it is if you buy the "fruity" kind. I just buy plain non-fat no added sugar yogurt. Great source of protein!!

As for what I eat: lean protein (chicken and fish), lots of fresh fruits and veggies, healthy carbs (brown rice and sweet potatoes), healhty fats (olive oil/nuts/avocado) and low fat dairy. I don't eat a lot of processed foods: so very little out of a bag, box, jar or can other than condiments, dairy and whole grains. i did not make all of my changes over night....just take it one day, one week at at a time.

jujudot

I would try just focusing on the calories right now. Once you get that down, then start looking at ways you can cut back on sodium/sugar. That's my plan anyways! Also, try to stay away from processed/prepackaged items-they are ALWAYS loaded with sodium and/or sugar!