Help!!! How do I achieve balance?

val205

I'm 20kg overweight (about 44?pounds). I've not been a healthy weight since I was 18 years old (apart from two Weight Watchers attempts, all weight lost I regained). I never count calories or measure in anyway. I feel I don't really know what "a balanced diet is" - in fact I struggle with balance altogether! I'm either all or nothing.
I really want to try and get it right this time, am looking to get healthy and (hopefully) drop the weight in the process. Hopefully with MFP I will be able to get a handle on the calories but I need some advice about balance - how to achieve it, really.
Any ideas or suggestions you could provide in helping me get balanced in my diet and exercise schedules - or any useful articles please let me know!

AKGrownGirlie

Good question! I want to know too!!

melbaby925

I would start small - that's how I did it - just use MFP and log everything you eat and follow MFP's guidelines. At first I ate whatever I wanted, but stayed within the guidelines for the day. Then as I got the hang of it, I started walking the dog every morning, and then started doing some yoga stretches and moved up from there.

The slower start has seemed to work for me. I'm not looking to make a world record for losing weight, I just want to get healthy - so this has worked and seems to have stuck! It's the first time I've lost this much and kept it off this long. So I say go slow and work your way up. Walk ...then go faster, then go farther, then try running. If you don't like running, go with TurboFire or 30 Day Shred or something fun that keeps you moving. Eat healthier - I'm headed toward 100% organic, locally grown whole fresh foods. But that works for me - you might just try swapping out junk for healthier choices.

First though - log your food! See what you're eating, and measure everything. Then you'll be able to judge better what will fit you the best.

kr3851

Here's my advice!

Start using the food log while you're still eating your normal food. At the end of the day, look down the bottom at the different categories and see where you might make some improvement so that things like calories, fat, carbohydrates and sodium stay in the green, rather than turning to red.

This is how I've learned which choices to make to make my diet a more 'balanced' one.

val205

Does it matter if your protein goes into the red? Not sure how much of that I should be eating but I'm assuming the counter at the bottom is about the right amount???

Artemis_Acorn

I would start with trying to meet your goal amounts on the macronutrients (carbs/protein/fat) and the micronutrients too. It can take a while to get the hang of it, but focusing on these things will help you start to get the hang of it, especially when you have restricted calories. If you're not sure that the MFP defaults are right for you, you could have a nutritionist or your doctor take a look.

Try to focus on getting lots of vegetables and some fruits, lean meats, sufficient calcium, healthy oils (nuts, avocado, olive oil etc) Ease yourself into eating this way and it won't be long before you actually start to crave the foods that are good for you.

Good luck!

zeeeb

i started out 20kg up on my pre-pregnancy weight. and this is what i've done to lose my 17kg so far.

breakfast (diet shake and 1 boiled egg)
lunch (decent roll with whatever i like (tuna, ham, chicken, plus salad) and 1 piece of fruit
tea (whatever the family was eating, not too fatty, salty, etc but i would weigh my plate and only put up to 400g of food on my plate).
snacks (fruit, nuts, rice crackers, coffee, tea, pepsi max)

i found that my biggest issue was tea time, i was eating far more in portion than i should. so weighing the plateful was the easy way where i didn't have to pore over numbers and calories, just the portion size.

and evening snacks, they are still my worst enemy, but i try to have yoghurt, diet jelly instead of the rice crackers.

auntiebabs

It helped me to focus on what I COULD eat.

Instead of tracking all the DON'Ts track the DOs
Shoot for healthy levels of the nutrients that you need. Calcium, Protein, Etc.
(The one DON'T I would track is sugar, because both sugar and artificial sweeteners INCREASE your appetite.)

If you get all your healthy foods in before you have any treats and you'll feel better and won't crave sweets as much.

You don't have to reach perfection, you just have to keep taking baby steps toward better.

Good Luck

-B

AlynLeigh

Well I they all say you need to have protein, veggies, fruits, and grains every day. The best way I have found to keep me on track is my using the MFP phone app because when I track my daily calories, especially when I scan the bar codes on the foods, it tracks my "nutritional" intake for the day. It tracks fats, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, cards (including sugar), Protein, Vitamin A and C, Calcium, and Iron. Based on your weight loss goal and your calories per day allotment, it will tell you how much you have eaten of what and help you "balance" out your diet.

Now, for a more direct answer: I usually have a fruit and grain for breakfast and maybe even an egg a few days a week. I try to have 2-3 different veggies or fruits for lunch, a serving/portion of protein (can of tuna, 4-5oz of chicken or salmon), and a yogurt (usually with some of the fruit) and maybe a bread of some kind (I have found some of those bagel thins that are 110 calories a piece that are very versatile and very yummy). For supper I try to have another serving of protein and more veggies and a bread if I didn't have one for lunch. I have a snack between breakfast and lunch and it is usually just a protein ( few pieces of jerky usually).
I have had ALLOT of people tell me that you HAVE TO eat your protein in order to loose weight. They sell those "Protein bars" but those can also have allot of sugar and carbs so that may be a meal replacement/breakfast if you choose those.
I will have to admit that variety becomes an issue sometimes but with the colder weather I have found that trying different soups and stews (homemade is best) helps allot. Also, fish is an excellent source of protein AND it will promote healthy levels of good cholesterol.
I think that is about it. For variety in recipes, I also just came across this web site that looks like it will be alot of fun trying out new stuff.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/

Hope that helps a little and good luck with everything!!

AlynLeigh

Does it matter if your protein goes into the red? Not sure how much of that I should be eating but I'm assuming the counter at the bottom is about the right amount???

Too much protein is not necessarily a bad thing. I wouldnt recommend it happen every day but you can really block up your system and potentially raise your bad cholesterol if it happens too often. I have heard taking one day a week as a "vegetarian" day can help out with that.

kr3851

Does it matter if your protein goes into the red? Not sure how much of that I should be eating but I'm assuming the counter at the bottom is about the right amount???

I go over on protein a lot - just try to get your protein from leaner sources, like grilling your meat and cooking your eggs in a non-stick pan rather than using oil or butter to cook them in. You need fat in your diet, but you don't want to go overboard! Protein also fills you up for longer, so if you're going to go over on something, protein is the best thing to go over on rather than carbs or fat.

val205

Thanks everyone, that's helped a lot!