Help!

Mikkimeow

I have struggled with dieting, and I have trouble picking how much and what to eat without a strict routine! Does anyone know any detailed food regimes that I could follow? I have to eat between 1400 and 1600 calories a day!

lilcmac22

It may not be the answer you are looking for but you do not necessarily need a pre-set un-personalized food schedule. Thinking ahead and planning will go a long way in helping. Sit down and think about the next coming week. What days do you know you are going to have to be rushed or need to eat on the go, will be going out with friends or will have plenty of time to fix a meal? Plan out meals for the week, make sure you have the ingredients and then fix what sounds good that night based on how much time you have. (too spontaneous for a set meal schedule!) It is also a good idea to have snacks depending on if I want 100, 200, or 300 calories.

I was the same way you were, but one of the best things I ever did to really start understanding food was learning to cook from scratch. I looked at my parents and said "I'm going to learn to cook." Not opening a can or box, but going to the produce isle, looking at the fresh stuff and saying "so you cook this huh?" I learned about portions, how to read labels, looked at recipes I found on-line and learned how to substitute healthy for the unhealthy if necessary.Many websites will give you the nutritional label for recipes, and if not you can plug the ingredients into this site and it will log it for you. My first time in the pasta shelves it probably took me a good 10 minutes to go through them all and find the healthiest option- but I love pasta so it was worth it. You quickly learn what foods are high and low calorie, sodium, ect and how all of the ingredients add up. Purchase a scale and start learning how to estimate meat weight. It does take a little time in the beginning and you never really stop learning but it is the difference between a diet and a lifestyle change. Learn how to eat healthy and make the lifestyle change so you do not have to yo yo diet your entire life. Hope it helps!

builtforlife

just something to watch http://youtu.be/-07f1I9TlJo

lilcmac22

Nice video! Thanks for sharing.

Pebble321

Booklover has some great advice.

I'd add - start small, you don't have to change everything at once.

Start by logging whatever you are eating now, and pick one meal at a time to makeover.
For example, start with breakfast and google "healthy breakfast recipes". Find a few things you like the look of, try them out and see how you feel and how your diary looks when you eat this.
Then move onto lunch, snacks, dinner etc.

This way you are in control and you are learning the skills to keep eating healthy for the long term.