What the hell am I supposed to eat??

ramseyrose

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.

Eat full fat yogurts, hopefully less sodium (they are in UK) and will boost your calories.

Unfortunately I think US products seem to have a lot more sodium added than UK products.

AnneGenevieveS

I don't know what kind of foods you used to eat. but I tend to eat kind of healthy and I don't eat fast food. So I just eat all the same foods i normally ate, only now I measure and count the calories so i don't eat too much.

If its making you that crazy, it won't be a long term change

When you start counting calories, you will naturally find yourself choosing lower calorie foods and healthier foods (without going over board worrying about fat and sugar content). You will find your food choices will start to change without conscious effort, because you will realize you get more to eat with fruits and veg.

you want full fat cheese? measure out 1 ounce and eat! You want low fat yogurt instead of fat free weird yogurt, then get out a measuring cup and eat 1 cup! You feel SO hungry, but need to wait for dinner? Well you can eat a bunch of strawberries and carrots... which for the volume and satiety you can eat a lot more, than if you choose a snickers and a side of spam! that way you will have calories left over for dinner. But hey, you want spam?? then weigh or cut it up and have one piece. I don't pay ANY attention to my sodium (granted my blood pressure is normal) as long as I'm not getting out the salt shaker, then who cares of you had a cracker with salt on it.

You don't have to eat nothing but lettuce.

So many people will tell you to eat only raw foods, and no sugar, and no carbs, and no fat, no sodium.... I'm glad they can do that, but that's not real life for most people, and I certainly couldn't have stayed here that long if that is all i ate. "low fat" foods can have extra sugar. some "sugar free" foods have toxic man made chemicals.

Just start out worrying about calories. That alone is going to make you start losing weight...

If you have a bad weigh in, then look at your sodium regarding water retention. Too much hunger, try more protein, and less sugar... but overall, if you can't handle the overly strict diet for more than a week, then its not going to work.

The rest will come in time. Don't beat yourself up.

tonsld

Watching sodium is tough. Everything pre-packaged, low fat, low calorie seems to be very high in sodium. What I try to do is as much from scratch as possible. Fresh is the best but it does get expensive especially if your cooking for a family. Frozen veggies are good to use and some canned ones now have low sodium options. To flavour them experiment with spices or use spray butter (high sodium but you use less than regular). Vinegar I find is great on some things like Brussell Sprouts. I've even started seeing tuna that is low sodium. Salad dressings are bad but if you make your own oil/vinegar with spices that works. I also instead of using dips with veggies will sprinkle a small amount of oil based dressing on a container of veggies then mix it up (I find I use a lot less then I would with dip and still get flavour).

I have found that if I only watch sodium the rest falls into place. Fresh meat instead of frozen (usually has sodium injected into it), then freeze it yourself is something I do. I get all my meat at Cosco and find it's great quality and you can save a bundle on things like pork loin (very lean) and chicken then divide it into individual servings then freeze it. Instead of marinade or BBQ sauce I use spices to give it extra flavour. Also if you cook up a little extra you can throw it into a salad to add your protein.

Potatoes are another fairly cheap option that can be really good and give you the calories without sodium. I like sweet potatoes with a small amount of olive oil in tin foil on the BBQ, don't even need butter. To add calories without sodium you can add unsalted nuts to your diet. They are high in healthy fats, calories and protein.

If you try to keep most of your sugar to fruit instead of refined sugar the body processes it differently and better. I never track my 'natural' sugar.

I know it's tough and frustrating but keep it up, 'cause it's worth it in the end. I've lost 80lbs now and feel so much better. I still have 50-60 more to go but I fell like a new person, it's made a huge difference.

I hope this helps some, might be obvious but it helps me. Oh and LOT"S and LOT's of water, lol. Good Luck!

guppygirl322

As long as the sugar you are getting is from fruit, and not processed/refined sugar I wouldn't worry too much about that.

As far as salt goes, that's a big one. Processed foods do have a lot of sodium and it's best to stay away from them. Skip the LIGHT dressing and make your own from olive oil (a good healthy fat that will add calories) and vinegar. Easy foods to eat are protien of your choice with fresh/frozen veggies in a stir fry, again with olive oil which will help boost your calories.

Please don't panic. You're off to a good start! Take one day at a time and you will eventually work it out on your own. We've all been there, trying to figure out what the heck we're supposed to eat! :happy:

mosneakers

Processed foods have so much sodium!!!
When I eat yogurt, I try to find the ones that have less than 12g of sugar per serving. I also put Kashi crunch in the oatmeal. I aim for a breakfast cereal that starts with "whole" as the first ingredient and has around 100mg of sodium per serving.
For lunch, I'll have a big salad too - but I use the spray salad dressing (the Ranch is awesome) or I take 1 tbsp of dressing and mix some water with it until I have just a little bit more in the bowl (but not to the point where it's too watery).

DropsOJupiter

I totally get where she is coming from. Given the amount of weight she wants to lose, it is very overwhelming. Obviously, for those of us who started out 300+ pounds, we didn't have a clue how to eat. Add in a few health problems that you have to dance around with your nutritional intake and it does look like a 1500 piece puzzle you've got to get together NOW. What I've learned over the last year and a half is this:

1. All the hundreds of diets I've done in the past didn't work. Diets do not work.
2. Intake that positively address weight is a matter of choice and DNA...what I like and what my body chemistry will respond to is different than what works for you.
3. I am worth figuring out #2.
4. I am not perfect :noway: and my daily nutritional values won't be perfect either. I am forever going over on my sugar values, but my blood sugars are well under control without medications. I do go over on sodium now and again. Even with this, I have successfully lost 135 pounds and will eventually get to my goal. This is a journey, this is a lifestyle change not a diet, this is my life and I am worth the frustration of putting the puzzle together.

If I can be of any help, let me know. :flowerforyou:

Onthefr1tz

I totally understand what your saying. We all no that processed foods are high in sodium but if you don't always have time to cook it's hard to completely eliminate them. I think it's all about simple swaps. This site helped me you should check it out: http://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/guidelines_for_a_low_sodium_diet/

Smittyinthesun

I tell you what if you workout a lot and burn 1500-2000 calories a day you can eat 2000 calories a day and lose weight. dont worry about sodium and carbs, etc Just eat healthy foods in moderation and exercise often the rest will work itself out

feliciapeters

i worry less about natural sugar than processed. I need my morning coffee but thats my max for sugar for the day, if i have fruit or veggies that make me go over i dont worry about it

sodium is in processed food, get rid of that, and thats half the battle

milaxx

I weigh near you and here's how I have managed to not go over my sodium and sugar, Looking at what you posted.
1) The salad dressing - if you make your own with Olive oil and either lemon, a good natural apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar you will cut a lot of the salt & sugar and then be able to have your orange.
2) Tuna, only buy tuna packed in water
3) yogurt, buy plain Greek 0% yogurt and add your own fruit or granola.You'll cut out sugar and get added protein to boost. You can always doctor it up with a low cal sweetener. ( prefer stevia)
4) Cereals. Not all cereals are the same, even so called "healthy ones" Become a label reading fanatic and look for those hidden additives.

Cut out as much processed food as possible. That means most things that come in a box or a can. The more you make food from scratch the more you get rid of added salt and sugar. I don't eat anything that is low fat or no fat. The added chemicals aren't worth it for me. I've even been able t have the occasional sweet treat and stay within my limits with only occasional slips.

Feel free to friend me and have a look at my diary.

LLaDonna

... 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. . .

This is what I'm doing too. It's hard to not feel like you're "supposed" to do this, that or the other thng...but the reality is no one is living in your body but you. Feel good about the changes you are making and the focus you are putting on your health. Every effort you make is an act of kindness towards yourself. Cherish it and keep on loving yourself more today than you did yesterday

thkelly

I second MistyMtnMan on the protein bars and shakes! They really help me when I need to add in good calories/protein. Plus, they fill me up (especially a shake after I exercise in the evening)

ETA: another fellow PCOSer here too

protein bars are full of crap unless you're making your own.
stick with protein shakes.

Not true, not for all of them any way. Pure Protein bars are excellent and unless you don't like Splenda, everything else in them are fine. I've done a lot of reading, labels that is, and these are the best I've found.

http://www.pureprotein.net/vf/labels/F015011-AE.pdf

290 calories
6 g saturated fat
30g carbs
350 mg of sodium

and these are the best around? i'll pass thanks.....

milaxx

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.

I have to disagree with the statement that meat and dairy are good for you. I've been a vegetarian for only about 5 months now, but I already notice a huge difference in how I feel. I still have dairy products once in a while, and my tip about the yogurt is to get unsweetened yogurt and put it on some fruit, this is a really good breakfast.

If you don't feel like eating meat, you shouldn't feel like you have to. You can get your protein from beans, lentils and even quinoa, which are all filling and pretty calorie-dense.

THIS! I have been vegetarian for 15 years. I eat eggs and occasionally butter, but no cow's milk. I get plenty of protien from quinoa, eggs and beans. I make my own veggies burgers. As for the myth that cooking from scratch takes time, that's a fallacy. It does take planning. I take the time on Sunday to prep for the week. Cut up veggies to grab and go for salads, a pot of brown rice and a pot of beans that I can use to mix and match for meals. This way dinner never takes more than 15 mins to prepare through the week. I also keep larabars on hand as a sweet treat and limit the amount of gluten (wheat) that I intake. I try to limit the juice I drink to what I make myself and other than almond or rice milk only keep water in the house.

milaxx

I second MistyMtnMan on the protein bars and shakes! They really help me when I need to add in good calories/protein. Plus, they fill me up (especially a shake after I exercise in the evening)

ETA: another fellow PCOSer here too

protein bars are full of crap unless you're making your own.
stick with protein shakes.

Not true, not for all of them any way. Pure Protein bars are excellent and unless you don't like Splenda, everything else in them are fine. I've done a lot of reading, labels that is, and these are the best I've found.

http://www.pureprotein.net/vf/labels/F015011-AE.pdf

290 calories
6 g saturated fat
30g carbs
350 mg of sodium

and these are the best around? i'll pass thanks.....

Try larabar instead:
Pros

Raw food energy bar with natural ingredients (usually no more than 6)
No preservatives, no added sugars
Vegan, kosher, no gluten, no dairy, no soy
Great taste, a new favorite
No coating to melt, easy to chew but non-crumbly

Cons

Lacks many vitamins - enjoy in conjunction with a balanced diet. (I use mine as a snack pre workout or if I am on the go, not as a meal replacement.)

Description

Raw food nutrition bar with natural ingredients, no preservatives.
190-230 calories per bar
9-14 grams fat from nuts.
23-24 grams total carbohydrate, 4-6 grams fiber,

http://walking.about.com/od/snacks/gr/larabar.htm

stormieweather

Avoid anything that comes in a box or can (will be loaded with sodium, and possibly sugar). Eat plenty of fresh fruit, veggies, eggs, lean beef, boneless/skinless chicken. Use higher fat cheeses and olive oil to cook with, but limit cheese to 1-2 servings a day due to sodium. Snack on Peanut Butter and almonds (unsalted). If you eat bread or pasta, use whole grain and keep it minimal.

cheryl3660

First, breathe. You CAN do this.

I would suggest adding unsalted nuts and avocados to up your calories. Both are low in sugar and sodium, but high in good fats which will add a lot of calories. I make a protein shake every morning. I eat a small 100-200 calorie breakfast before I leave the house (like oatmeal) and then drink my protein shake when I get to work (140 calories). You can find protein powders out there that are healthy. I know there are a lot that aren't. I use almond milk instead of regular milk, but you could use a 2% milk to balance the sugar ratio and get a higher calorie count. You could eat the nuts and avocado as snacks between breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner. If you choose the higher fat items for your snacks, then you can go with lower fat options for the meals you share with your husband.

It can be very daunting to have multiple health concerns that affect what food choices you have. I think your best option is to start with one of the goals, whichever seems to be the most critical first (sounds like calories at this point?), and focus on that for at least two weeks before attempting to add in the other items. For me lower sugar is what I need, but my husband needs lower salt. So I do understand the frustration at trying to balance the two.

Keep at it and take it one day at a time and one step at a time and you can make this happen.

thkelly

Larabar isn't really a protein bar though with only 4-6 grams of protein

melsinct

To echo others...keep it simple. Start off just trying to meet your calorie and fat goals. Ease your way into this so you stay motivated and keep at it. Once you are comfortable staying within your calorie and fat range, then worry about everything else. Small steps will ensure your success!

RMinVA

I think it is unfair to assume that because I said I was over on sodium that I eat fast food every day or plain junk in a box. You would be surprised to see how much sodium is in "good" things. Our family doesn't even eat fast food, my husband has Crohn's and we avoid greasy food completely because it makes him very sick. Also because of this we avoid a lot of processed stuff as well. I cook every day, we don't eat out a lot (it's expensive and b/c of my husband's diet restrictions we have to be mindful of the greasy foods) It's just frustrating to try to be conscious and deal with the jigsaw puzzle of sodium vs. sugar vs. calories.

No one said that. A lot of so called "good" foods are still processed, and unfortunately that often means added sodium or sugar. The reality is that most foods in their natural state have very little sodium...PERIOD.

You asked for help, and everyone is just providing you with their two cents based on the information that you shared with us.
Please don't get defensive about it: if you find one piece of useful information on any of the posts that's great. If you want to disregard it all, that's fine too. But use it as time to relfect on what you are doing well, and where you may need to tweak your diet. Could make all the difference in the world.

MistyMtnMan

I second MistyMtnMan on the protein bars and shakes! They really help me when I need to add in good calories/protein. Plus, they fill me up (especially a shake after I exercise in the evening)

ETA: another fellow PCOSer here too

protein bars are full of crap unless you're making your own.
stick with protein shakes.

Not true, not for all of them any way. Pure Protein bars are excellent and unless you don't like Splenda, everything else in them are fine. I've done a lot of reading, labels that is, and these are the best I've found.

http://www.pureprotein.net/vf/labels/F015011-AE.pdf

290 calories
6 g saturated fat
30g carbs
350 mg of sodium

and these are the best around? i'll pass thanks.....

Ok that's ONE of like 6 kinds they make. I pick the ones that are better. The Chocolate Peanut Butter ones have:
200 cals
3g saturated fat
16 carbs
200mg sodium

not to mention
only 2g sugar
20g protein

And the Chocolate Chip Cookie ones are even less

I don't buy the kind you mentioned. Obviously there are always more than one option. If you can find a bar with that high of protein and low sugar and calories be my guest. I haven't been able to yet. They are usually way too high in fat, sugar and/or calories.

Plus, you said protein bars are full of crap which my original point is that these are not. Even still if you had the one you mentioned after a hard workout that's really not that bad. I mean a banana has 27g of carbs and if you are eating clean all day and working out regularly, it really shouldn't make much of a difference.

VanessaFaulkner

Protein, fresh raw veggies. Fresh grilled fish like salmon. Chicken, pork chops (lean). LOTS OF WAYS to cut sugar & sodium

klf82

I don't know if this was said already, but one reason that your sodium could be so high is because of the light dressings. Typically anything that is "light" is loaded with sodium in order to keep the flavor close to the full fat counter part. While I am a nurse, I don't consider myself an expert. However, when I was seeing a nutritionist, it was recommended to me that if I had to have something to go with the full fat version, but just limit how much I ingest because the sodium if out of control on most "light" products.

mlconway

I just had a question similar to this because my daily limits have me only eating 24g of sugar a day!! That's less than the amount of sugar in one apple!! But I talked it over with some other members on the site and realized the sugar is supposed to be added sugar, not the good sugar from fruits. Eat as many fruits as you want!! And I've always heard sodium is something that you want to really watch out for when you're down to the last 5 lbs you have to lose. Then keeping sodium low helps you lose it!

andreamichelle82

I haven't been able to read everything that everyone else wrote, but I read most of your responses, OP. I would say because of your PCOS to focus on staying low on sugar rather than low on sodium, though it is still very important for weight loss and for vascular health to stay low in sodium. I believe you wrote that you only eat meat once a day, so adding more lean protein would be my biggest suggestion to you. Grilled chicken with salt free dry rubs are always very good. I make turkey meatballs with just 93/7 ground turkey and a bunch of herbs, baked, weekly, and it is delicious! As for yogurt, others have mentioned that greek yogurt has more protein, but I would also comment that you want to go a non-flavored route, to lower sugar. If plain yogurt or plain greek yogurt isn't appealing to you, try sweetening with stevia. As far as processed foods, I know you said you cook a lot, no fast food, etc, but you did mention granola bars and a couple other items that are technically processed. Those could be other areas to eliminate some sodium. For breakfast maybe try steel cut oats and with dinner have rice or quinoa (love me some quinoa!).

I hope this is helpful, and I hope you were able to get some ideas out of this thread!

fteale

I only buy basic ingredients, nothing pre-packaged, nothing in tins. I eat a lot of vegetable stir fries, salads but with just a teaspoon of olive or walnut oil and some pomegranate seeds for sweetness. Sometimes with a tablespoon of humous too (bought or home made). Greek yoghurt with fruit, home made soups and stews with beans for protein. If you don't buy anything processed you'll be amazed how low your salt intake is. I have to add it to things.

Matiara

I *so* needed this thread. I've logged my meals a couple of times this week. Sodium is not a problem for me, but I was WAY, WAY, WAY over in sugar. And I've been reading so much about clean eating that I got inside my head and got discouraged and started wondering what the point of working out was if my eating was all wrong. Fun thoughts like that. The helpful replies have relieved my mind greatly. I don't need to micromanage every single thing that goes in my mouth. I just need to make good choices most of the time and tweak where needed.

thkelly

I second MistyMtnMan on the protein bars and shakes! They really help me when I need to add in good calories/protein. Plus, they fill me up (especially a shake after I exercise in the evening)

ETA: another fellow PCOSer here too

protein bars are full of crap unless you're making your own.
stick with protein shakes.

Not true, not for all of them any way. Pure Protein bars are excellent and unless you don't like Splenda, everything else in them are fine. I've done a lot of reading, labels that is, and these are the best I've found.

http://www.pureprotein.net/vf/labels/F015011-AE.pdf

290 calories
6 g saturated fat
30g carbs
350 mg of sodium

and these are the best around? i'll pass thanks.....

Ok that's ONE of like 6 kinds they make. I pick the ones that are better. The Chocolate Peanut Butter ones have:
200 cals
3g saturated fat
16 carbs
200mg sodium

not to mention
only 2g sugar
20g protein

And the Chocolate Chip Cookie ones are even less

I don't buy the kind you mentioned. Obviously there are always more than one option. If you can find a bar with that high of protein and low sugar and calories be my guest. I haven't been able to yet. They are usually way too high in fat, sugar and/or calories.

Plus, you said protein bars are full of crap which my original point is that these are not. Even still if you had the one you mentioned after a hard workout that's really not that bad. I mean a banana has 27g of carbs and if you are eating clean all day and working out regularly, it really shouldn't make much of a difference.

i just grabbed the first one off the list from their site.

you're going to compare a banana to a processed protein bar? give me a break

and yes they are still full of crap. they also have less than one gram of fibre in them. there are way better options out there than protein bars. if you need the protein have a scoop of protein powder and a cup of fruit or vegetables.

rosaliabritt

Whoa, slow down!!! Think small steps, one thing at a time. When I started, I was over whelmed,,so, First I started logging food, tracking calories and staying on course with that. Along with this, I did a little exercise, Just 20 minutes a day, 3x week on treadmill. I lost weight. Then, after I got the hang of this, I started focusing on the sugars and sodium. Yes, processed foods are the worst. So, I started trying to make better choices towards fresh foods. Trust me, if will all fall into place for you. I started slowly, and broke it down into steps. For me, it worked, with a steady weight loss. And, I made sure that I did not deny myself
any foods--less cravings that way, If I was invited to a party, I watched my portions and allowed myself 1/2 slice of cake.
Take a deep breath, step back, and make this all about you and what works for you. Best of luck!! I know you will be successful!

milaxx

Larabar isn't really a protein bar though with only 4-6 grams of protein

True, but I'd rather eat that than some of the others on the market and that's probably why it's not marketed as a meal replacement. The added bonus is if you are craving something sweet, it will hit the spot with minimal damage.

Since you run a daycare, there are things you can incorporate into your diet that work well for daycare snack. Cheese cubes, string cheese, using greek yogurt as a dip for apples or veg like celery & carrots. A spoonful of natural almond butter or peanut butter works as long as you make sure you get the kind made with just nuts.

There are also no bake protein bar recipes out there that use chopped nuts and fruit. Depending on your age range that could be a fun daycare activity & snack rolled into one. I have a degree in Child Development so I could help you brainstorm a few more things.

Lisone

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.

I eat PLAIN, NONFAT Greek yogurt EVERYDAY... Sometimes even a few times a day. It has NO sugar, TONS of protein and it's amazingly delicious. I put Splenda in it and a teaspoon of natural peanut butter and it's amazing.
I would stop focusing on the sodium intake and just focus on calorie intake or carb/sugar intake. Stop obsessing.. stop crying and just do it. If you don't want to do it, then don't!!