Questions from a newby..

Nikki_Gets_Fit

Hello all! I'm back at this again, hoping for success this time! I just have a few questions for those of you on this journey as well. What are some must haves that you need to keep you on track, that seem to help? Such as fulfilling foods, etc. Also, do you take a daily vitamin, and if so, does it seem to help and when do you take it?

Thanks for reading, and good luck!

whitejessamine

My must-have go-to food: sugar-free jello. At 5 calories per 1/2 cup serving, I can eat it as often as I want to fill in the gaps. It's a good "tide me over till dinner's ready in 30 minutes because I'm starving now" kind of snack. I sometimes eat 3 of them in a sitting!

wildcard29

I had great success with this site awhile ago by just making myself log EVERYTHING...I lost motivation, quit logging and gained it back...I am back now and doing a challenge for the month of august which is helping me stay focused! Good Luck...you can do this

kimberly702

I do take a daily vitamin, usually after lunch. I'm sure it makes a difference. Water. Drink lots and lots and lots of water... I try to have at least 100oz a day (12.5 cups), I have a big 33oz bottle that I fill several times a day. Snacks I looooove JJFlats flatbread crackers, Weight Watchers Jalepeno cheese wedge, berries, yogurt, veggies (red/green bell pepper cut into sticks, carrots, celery).

Nikki_Gets_Fit

Never thought about Jell-o! That's a good one! Thanks! And I'm pretty good about logging everything...funny how seeing it on her, makes me follow through with it. I usually stop when I get so many UNhealthy cravings, and then splurge . I bought vitamins to take, and someone once said take them at night before you go to bed because you'll be less hungry the next day. But I wonder if I take it in the morning, if I'll have more energy for the day. I think I'll have to try both to see what works best for me.

Thanks for the input ladies!!

Jamcnair

*Drink lots of water (at least 64 oz). To make it easier, I bought a 32 oz water bottle that I like and some off-brand Crystal Light flavors to get me to enjoy drinking it more (I haven't had any other drink, except a lil milk in the past 2.5 weeks). It keeps you feeling fuller, more energized, and it's made my facial skin look really good!

*My go-to breakfast is oatmeal with fruit (strawberries or frozen blueberries) and some chocolate soy milk
*Whole wheat bread, deli turkey, slice of cheese, spinach makes a good sandwhich...I'm gonna start putting roasted red pepper hummus on it to see if it tastes good
*hummus and veggies
*low-sugar, high protein yogurt
*I like chocolate, so those sugar free dark chocolate Jello puddings are good!

Tracking calories has always been a sure-fire way to keep accountable and know for certain what I'm eating! Knowing that I have to put in a food/calories after I eat it, makes me think twice about what I'm putting into my mouth!

Also..if possible..sitting down to eat really does help, instead of eating out of the bag or standing in the kitchen scarfing it down

AND..practice stopping and thinking before you reach for any food...are you bored/angry/frustrated/sad/happy? or are you truly hungry? how hungry are you? It really does help!

GOOD LUCK

salmat77

MFP is such a great webiste, very informative and I love to get on and read the blogs, the struggles and the success.. Try to log in once a day if you can just to spend about 30 minutes reading.. It really helps me stay on track.. Good luck and welcome!!

Nikki_Gets_Fit

Thanks Jamcnair! And I am addicted to Crystal Light! Green tea peach mango! I have at least 8-10 glasses of water a day, if not more. And I agree Salmat77, seeing what others do, what works for them, and what doesn't work is a big help! And the success stories are great to read when you're having a bad day. Reminds you why you're doing this in the first place.

maab_connor

water, water, water! i'm still getting used to drinking SO MUCH. never realized i was really dehydrated before. i'm so much more awake now.

vitamins - take with food, most "piggyback" on food. the meal is really up to you but if you have a high B vitamin content, not before bed b/c Bs wake you up. and remember capsule not tablets! tabs are too hard to digest and you flush most of it.

i have gum at my desk - it's 2 cals when i want to just be chewing. great for curbing. also great for the "sweet taste" fix.

Nikki_Gets_Fit

I am definitely a water drinker! I quit drinking my 8-10 cans of diet a day about 6 months or so ago. It was really hard adjusting, but I've stuck to water with my Crystal Light and the green tea for the natural caffeine. I didn't know what vitamins to buy, so I bought NatureMade Multi Complete, and they are the capsules! And gum is a good idea also...sometime I think I just want to chew lol

kayler00

I love those single serve bags of veggies from Birds Eye! I always pop one in my microwave when I want a snack. And I Love Luna Protein bars!

Nikki_Gets_Fit

I thought about protein bars! Although I always seem to go over my protein for the day because I eat a lot of chicken lol

Gabby215

I absolutely could not live without eggs/egg whites. I love that you can add so many things to scrambled eggs/an omelette and easily create a healthy meal. If I am having an omelette I usually use one full egg and 2/3 whites and try to limit myself to two yolks a day for cholesterol reasons. HTH!

Nikki_Gets_Fit

Egg/Egg whites are a good idea as well! That sounds like something I could definitely do for breakfast on the weekends. Thanks for your input!