Foods to eat

Granny1227

What foods do you eat and how many calories per day? I am just starting my journey and would like to know what most people are eating to help them achieve such good results. Thanks!!

Sidesteal

Hi Granny1227! Good luck on your journey.

I have an opinion for you, you can take it or leave it but either way I wish you the best of luck!

Caloric needs will vary from person to person and it is dependent on a number of factors. The only reason I'm bringing this up, is because I would hate for you to get numeric replies and then have you copy it expecting it to work for you.

I would recommend that you try multiple different online calorie calculators to determine your maintenance level (the estimated caloric intake at which you neither gain nor lose weight). Once you've established this number, subtract about 20% as a starting point for how much you should eat per day (this assumes that you wish to lose weight).

Monitor your progress over the course of 2-3 weeks and adjust this value up or down based on results.

NOTE: These online calculators will vary, which is why I'm suggesting you look at different ones and perhaps taking an average.

hollybug26

Eat as "clean" as possible. No junk foods. Mostly veggies and fruit and I also stay away from a lot of breads (carbs). I eat only turkey meats and chicken some fish and sometimes steak (lean cuts).
When I started out I only ate 1200 calories a day but with the exercise program I am doing I now take in 1600.

shivaslives

I've had really good success using the calorie counter here at MFP. It has provided a really good daily target for my goals with options to adjust every 10lbs of weight lost. You can customize based on your own specifics.

As for specific foods, my food plan isn't necessarily for everyone but it works well for me. I'm lacto-ovo vegetarian, although my dairy and egg intake is pretty low. I also try to follow the tenets of the original Fit-for-Life which focus on eating the right foods at the right times in the right combinations. There is more on some of the details at my blog.

Good luck on your journey!

Maagrie

I use the guide here on MFP for daily calorie intake. I try not to look at this as a diet, but as my new lifestyle. I eat a varied diet making sure I have food from all the food groups. There are things I try to do to make me feel like I'm not dieting. I like to have a lower calorie ice cream bar every day. What I've found this time around is that there isn't a secret, there's common sense and logging your food and exercise. This is such a great app to have on my phone because I can log everything right where I am as I'm eating it. I've spread the word about MFP to everyone at work and all my family and friends. It really is easy to use! Good luck to you!:flowerforyou: