i don't understand what i can and can't eat!!

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  • Mkleder
    Mkleder Posts: 289
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    * Eat some protein at every meal
    * Strive to eat 5-6 small meals/snacks during the day (200 calories) to keep your metabolism up
    * Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables - green leafy stuff
    * Eat the bulk of your calorie-heavy foods in the morning through lunch time so you can burn it off and don't go to bed with a load of calories your body must still process
    * Measure everything to maintain portion control and accurate calorie records
    * Choose fresh, whole foods over processed whenever possible.
    * Drink plenty of water - 8 glasses minimum -- more now that it's summer - even more if you're working out.

    It's not so much "what" you're eating but "how".
  • here_I_go_again
    here_I_go_again Posts: 463 Member
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    What everyone said is great, and remember to try to drink LOTS of water! :smile:
  • Latoyamary
    Latoyamary Posts: 140
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    I completely understand how you feel. Look up what a portion size should be. Try to make your plate 1/2 veggies. Drink plenty of water. If you still want to drink soda, switch to diet until you can ween yourself off of them. And, try to stay active throughout the day!! It is hard and difficult, but, just modifying some things will work. Instead of frying, trying grilling and baking. And, try to stay away for lunch meat, it can contain a lot of sodium, which can cause you to hold onto water. If you want sweets, eat in moderation... Just one serving. Most of all, DON"T GIVE UP!!!
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    My day sounds a lot like yours... breakfast and lunch are pretty good, and then dinner goes to pot.

    I generally eat for breakfast: 1 whole egg, 1 piece of whole grain toast and fruit. If we have bacon left over from our weekend breakfast, then I'll throw that in there.

    Lunch: Two slices of Brownberry 10 grain bread, 3 oz of Dietz and Watson Lite Turkey, 1 tbs of Mayo and Fruit.

    Snack: Toast with Peanut Butter(I only eat this if I'm really hungry)

    Dinner: Sometimes it's another turkey sandwich but mostly it's a surprise.

    Like everyone else said, you can keep eating what you want but just in smaller portions/moderation. Are you also drinking enough water? I know that when I don't drink my 8 glasses, I go up at least a pound in water weight.
  • SusanMcAvoy
    SusanMcAvoy Posts: 445 Member
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    I have tried to lose weight for over a year. Finally I am able to and I eat whatever I want. As long as I stay under my daily calorie goal it's been working. I usually eat between 1200 - 1400 calories a day. So far I've lost 20 pounds and that's incredible since it's only been 3 months. It's all about portion control and the amount of calories I consume in one day. Also don't forget, exercise is very important. I wish you the best of luck.
  • PattyCake123
    PattyCake123 Posts: 156 Member
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    I got really confused with all the advice I was given and have heard everywhere. i found a few books to read about weight loss, healthy eating as a lifestyle change and exercising and I've been sticking with that because it makes sense to me and it seems to be working! I really liked the Abs Diet For Women (don't let the title fool you it is NOT a diet but an easy and maintainable lifestyle change) and the Women'sHealth Big Book of Exercises. Good luck to you!
  • Meglm1117
    Meglm1117 Posts: 70
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    Eat whatever you want but in moderation and within calorie range BUT FOCUS more on eating the "clean" foods such as fruits and veggies as your snacks, healthy fats & whole grains! Everyone is different. I have found for me I need to try to stay within a decent carb range because I won't lose weight otherwise no matter how much I workout or how great I eat. I still indulge here and there, on vacas, once in a while on weekends. If you don't allow yourself a lil bit, you'll feel overwhelmed and restricted and that only makes it worse because a lot of times from that, like myself, it could lead to binging. I've struggled with food for years andI still struggle but I am understanding food a lot more now, what the right choices are--the better choices. I'm here for support if you need it. Good luck to you!
  • CARNAT22
    CARNAT22 Posts: 764 Member
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    I try to make my evening meal mainly salad or veg, with a small portion of lean meat (chicken or turkey) my smallest portion will be my carbs.

    Just to give you an example my evening meals are in the region of 500 cals
    * turkey breast, Jalfrezi sauce, 200g of new potatoes and broccoli
    * mini meatballs (made from from 1.5 Licolnshire sausages) in a tomato sauce with 60g spaghetti and salad
    * chicken breast with paprika and caynenne pepper, cubed rosemary potatoes and green beans
    * chilli with turkey mince served with new potatoes and a tablespoon of coleslaw

    I still have carbs [some people will say don't have them in the evening] but I opt for lower calorie versions (new potatoes are 140 cals for 200g serving!)
  • Emma1903
    Emma1903 Posts: 195
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    Try to eat vegetables and fruits with every meal, but no more than 3 servings of fruit a day, what are your ratios for carbs protein fat?
  • bethdris
    bethdris Posts: 1,090 Member
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    If you own a crock pot, put it to good use. When you get up throw a whole chicken, or a pork loin, lean beef, or turkey breast in there. Season it as you like, and let it cook on low all day. Then when you get home (if you work, I stay home with my kids) all you need to do add a veggie or a side dish. The main part of your meal is done! :) No guess work...

    I also like cooking ahead of time. The kids won't eat meatloaf, so I make a meat loaf and hubs and I eat it for a few days worth of meals. I just add a salad, or steamed veggie.

    As others have said....everything in MODERATION, exercise, and drink lots of water!! Stick around here and you will lose weight, the HEALTHY way!! :)
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
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    TECHNICALLY, you can eat anything you want, and still lose weight. You don't even *need* to exercise. All that matters is calories in versus calories out. That said, eating good foods and exercising certainly have their benefits. So, check out the links in my signature block for detailed information.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    dinner: Try to make baked lean protien should be 25% of your plate, whole grain starch (brown rice, plain baked potato or sweet potato, quinoa etc) another 25%, and veggies to fill up the rest. If you must have dessert one of my go to's on a light calorie day is home made fat free pudding pops made with fat free milk. They're like 25 calories per pop.
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    Starting out I would suggest just reducing your portion size. As you progress, you will learn more what is better to eat and what to consume less of.
  • DonnaLFitz
    DonnaLFitz Posts: 270 Member
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    You have to find your own balance.

    For me, I have found that starchy carbs and sugars make me gain, no matter what my calories are for the day. While I'm losing, I eliminate all starches (including oatmeal, wheat bread, brown rice, and potatoes), all junk foods (chips, pretzels, candies, etc.), and I limit my sugar to one serving of prepackaged ice cream (Klondike bar or Snickers ice cream bar) so that I won't overeat at dessert.

    The rest of my weight loss diet (I'm stressing that here, because for weight loss you actually do have to give up something) focuses on:
    2 servings fresh light fruit (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, peaches, apples, pears)
    1 serving light yogurt (I add 1/2 scoop protein powder to thicken it)
    1 serving cheese ( I like babybel)
    3-7 servings fresh or frozen vegetables (canned vegetables have a lot of sodium, which can sabotage your weight quickly)
    2 4-oz servings of lean meat (chicken, turkey, fish -- once in a while beef or pork)

    I add a protein bar in the afternoon for a healthy snack. I drink 6-8 glasses of water daily.

    I allow small amounts of low-fat dressing and condiments and parmesan cheese. Some of the bottled marinades are really good, too, to dress up your meats and keep them from being dry and tasteless.

    Good luck!
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
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    ....diet (I'm stressing that here, because for weight loss you actually do have to give up something) ....
    Incorrect. You don't have to give up anything. You may have to limit somethng or several things, but never have to give it up altogether.
  • HeyLisa
    HeyLisa Posts: 201
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    Eat what you like within calorie limits. Never restrict yourself to the point that it's not enjoyable, or too difficult to find a meal.

    You can even lose weight eating junk food.... http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

    Tis what I believe...
  • kristelpoole
    kristelpoole Posts: 440 Member
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    I like to follow the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) method. :)

    Food Rules by Michael Pollan is great resource...

    Here's what works for ME:

    1) No meat. I'm a pescetarian so I don't eat any meat (even stock) but I will allow seafood.

    2) Buy local, organic, fresh, and unprocessed as much as possible. Eat real food. Avoid ingredients I can't pronounce, processed sugars, hydrogenated oils, enriched/processed/white/bleached flours, etc. If it wasn't food 100 years ago, why is it food now?

    3) Veggies and/or fruits in every single meal and most snacks. (By increasing the volume of veggies, you can automatically and easily reduce the carb-load.)

    4) Measure, track and be precise, but also don't beat yourself up. If I'm in a hurry and utilize a frozen Morningstar Farms veggie burger, so be it. :)

    5) Exercise and drink water - LOTS of it.

    Good luck!
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    Look online for healthy low cal, low carb, low fat, low sodium recipes. I use dlife.com.
    Look for Low cal-carb bread, I use Whole Wheat Breads like Thomas's Sahara mini pita. Pepperidge Farm Light Style Bread and La Bandarita low carb,low fat tortilla's. Also look for low fat low sodium Cheese and Deli meats, Swiss and Turkey are the best but there are many to choose from. Cook you own foods. Lots of Veggies, Fresh, Frozen (without sauces and gravys), Canned no sodium veggies and tomatoes, Fresh Meats and Fish, Use chopped raw or cooked, tomatoes, peppers, onions, avacados, Mustards or muchrooms to top meats and fish. Go to the store and read lables. Stay away from processed and fast foods. Don't bring things into the house that will tempt you. Dont' say you have to have it for everyone else. They don't need it either. Look for healthy snacks. Popcorn low fat, 40 cal fudge pops, Fat free pudding, Fresh cheese and Whole wheat crackers, Fruit and Nuts, Cut veggies with 1 tbls. of dressing for dipping, Natural no sodium peanutbutter, I use crazy richards. Watch your sodium and drink a lot of water. I don't drink anything but water, If I go out to dinner I'll have a drink but never soda. It is wasted calories. I would much rather eat my calories. Don't make excuses that you don't have time. Pick one day to cook all your meats for the week and you'll only have to make the veggies. You need to make time if you are going to do it right. When you are ready you will find the time.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    There are no bad foods, only bad portions. :wink:

    I eat all the same stuff I did before. The only thing I've stopped eating is Pop Tarts because once I realized that "one" tart is considered a serving and how many calories are in two of those nasty little things, I'd much rather an English muffin with Nutella or cereal. Even my absolute favorite Asiago Bagel is less calories than two Pop Tarts, and a lot more filling.

    Err... enough on the Pop Tart tangent...

    What worked for me is adding more NEW healthy foods, rather than just limiting what I ate. I'm still eating frozen pizza, but once a week instead of two or three times a week. I used to live off Hamburger Helper and Rice A Roni, and now I have similar foods, but made from whole wheat pasta or brown rice instead of a high sodium, high calorie powder from a box. I can eat more of it for less calories, and it's tastier and healthier. Win Win!

    I don't watch my carbs, and I'm always low on fat (except pizza night), but I do make sure I have plenty of protein. And I eat back my exercise calories. I'd be absolutely miserable if I had eat within my calorie goals without adding in the exercise.

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