What foods should I cut from or add to my diet?

beccabuckle

Hello All!

I'm fairly new here and I figured what better way to make friends AND learn than popping on to the forums! I'm looking for some help. I have seen a nutritionist and she has told me that for the most part my diet is healthy, but my portioning is a little off. I was just curious if anyone had suggestions of things I could cut out of my diet. I don't drink pop; I only eat out about twice a month; I'll have a glass of wine or a hard cider maybe once a week and only 1 of either; and I don't have much junk food in my house. I'm also lactose intolerant so if I eat diary I have to add 120 calories immediately to any dairy filled meal because of the Lactaid I take to prevent the awfulness that follows...

I'm working out about two days a week for an hour each day, but I'm working on getting up to at least 3 days... My schedule is a bit hectic right now so I'm doing what I can.

I have this deep sinking feeling that I might never lose this weight and that I will only build muscle. That's not a bad thing, but I really want the scale to say a different number without me tampering with it. I'm just hoping that there are a few more things I can cut out of my diet or maybe add to it. I don't eat a ton of fruit or veggies and it's not because I don't like them, but they can be so expensive...

And I suppose that's me at the moment... Does anyone have suggestions that might help me?

Thanks!!

Becca

daisymae9801

If your portioning is off, then you should work on measuring your food. Look up everything before you eat it and see what the serving sizes are. You shouldn't have to cut anything out per se, but stay within your allocated calories. Also, fruits and veggies are just plain good for ya so if you like them you should eat more!

strato999

cottage cheese and egg whites are my everyday staple....it works...i know e lactose is a problem...but the protein is key

cjfoster

Eat lots of veggies and fruit. Monitor your sugar intake as well. If you find you are intaking alot of processed sugar--out it goes..Also, ramp up the workout where ever you can...Park farther, take the stairs, do situps, crunches while watching tv

byHISstrength

Not sure what kind of lactaid you take to help with your lactose intolerance, but I use the Lactaid brand capsule and it doesn't have any calories that I can see....at least there was none listed on their website.

anacsitham5

STAPLES: flat out wraps are my staple, you can put anything in them....a salad, veggies, low fat lunch meat, scrambled eggs. And they are high in protein and fiber than others and lower in calories and fat.

fiber one key lime yogurt. Lowest sugar of any yogurts...not too fond of the strawberry or peach but the lime is delicious.

Special K cracker/chips - beats my cravings for salty foods like chips! I know I should stay away from processed foods, but if it's regular chips or these, I'll take the special k chips.

AVOID: anything with aspartame in it (sweet n low, diet soda/pop, juice drinks, etc...) also findings are showing that splenda is just as bad for you. If you need sweetener try stevia... you can get it in liquid or powder format. You should track your sugar intake along with your fat, calories, carbs and protein. Sodium if you have high blood pressure. Sugar intake is very detrimental to weight loss and should be tracked daily.

Good Luck - you will love it here!

SailingMike

To me its all about portion control. learn what a 300-400 calorie meal looks like. HINT: it will fit easily (not piled up) on a 6" diameter plate! and make sure half the plate is veggies. Buy lean Cuisine for a week or so to get the feel of it if you need to. I also use Campbell's Healthy Request soups (can is supposed to be 2 servings, so check that).

DON'T deprive yourself! Have a cookie... but just ONE. Have a small scoop of sorbet. Have a BITE of that cake. Deprivation leads to failure.

Exercise! Find something YOU like to do and do it. I hate running and gyms. I like to walk and ride my bike so that's what I do. Some folks like a treadmill or elliptical machine they can use in front of the TV. Point is YOU have to enjoy it or you won't stick with it.

Nothing works if you don't.

catcrazy

Not sure where you are, so sorry if some seems impossible...


Choose in season fruit and veg, this really cuts the cost, also see if you have a farmers market where local produce is sold direct cutting out the wholesalers and shop mark up. Buying fresh frozen (frozen within 12 hours of picking) often works out cheaper on the veg too, wont go off if you don't fancy it straight away etc.

Cottage cheese is a good staple but if you have a lactose intolerance you might be better off making it yourself from lactose free milk...not sure if this would make it cost effective tho. Something to experiment with maybe

Eggs are an excellent source of protein so anything eggy and if you are short on calories you can just have the whites (my son has an egg yolk rick omelette to my egg white rich omelette as I hate the waste!)

I wouldn't cut too much from your diet, feeling deprived is counter productive, work on portion control...you can always clean it up later (its a natural progression thing for many I think)

KyleB65

Not sure about what you are currently eating but if you are not eating beans you should give them a try.

Beans & rice, vegetarian chili, black bean salad , etc. (You can easily find some very yummy recipes on line)

Note: If possible avoid canned beans. Buy dry bulk beans, re-hydrate & cook as needed. This is a bit of a pain but the sodium content in the canned beans is crazy.

Also, eat as many whole foods with beta carratine as you want: Any fruit & veggie that is orange in colour, along with any green leafy veggies.

Lastly, for meat protein. A portion should be no larger than a deck of cards.

Best of luck.

Matusid

Not sure what your age is, but that plays into it. I've recently learned that I may be pre-menopausal which is causing weight gain in my middle (which I never had before). I think balance is a key to anything, and even if you don't work out like a crazy person all the time, at least try to get a walk in more often. Just getting your body moving helps (like taking stairs instead of escalator, or parking farther away from entrance to a store, etc). I was getting so caught up in how much I weighed that it was actually making me nuts (happy one day, depressed another, etc)---putting way too much emphasis on that scale. Now, I very seldom weigh myself and go more by how I feel and how my clothes fit. My goal is to be healthy, happy, and just feel good. Good luck!

beccabuckle

Thank you everyone for you suggestions! I can see some good changes to make. And we do have a farmer's market right now so I will be making some stops there for fresh fruits and veggies.

@byHISstrength: I use the Meijer brand chewables. The capsules (both Lactaid brand and Meijer) have never really worked for me and I don't know why. I've tried them numerous times, but I still get sick when I eat dairy with them. I'll have to see if the chewables in the Lactaid brand have a calorie count on them. The website says nothing of calories with them.