eating enough calories but staying under

CassieReannan

I am the same as you but struggle sometimes with my carbs goal... I hit about 100 - 200 calories under my goal before it hits.
Bread addiction :laugh:

The best thing to do is to incorporate whole grains into your diet. You eat a lot of corn chips, I know I would too if I could... they are amazing. Limit yourself to 40 grams a day or so on, and wean yourself off if you are concerned.

Start eating wholemeal bread and grains like quinoa or even brown rice. Spice it up with a little salad, if you like mexican buy some wholemeal wraps and make your own "soft" tacos. Even make your corn chips from them...

Its all about swapping for the healthier option. Goodluck.

akiramezu

.. lols

mfpmech

don't sweat salt. research shows that salt is only a problem for people who already have hypertension/blood pressure problems. even for those people, it is shown that eating salt is fine so long as they counteract it by eating extra bananas (the problem isn't having high salt, the problem is having sodium and potassium out of balance with each other).

NEXT

don't sweat sugar. the 60 minutes bit was the latest sensationalist food scare, like fat before it, like salt before it, like carbs before it, like fructose before it, like cholesterol before it. the report is mostly based on the words of an incompetent zealot (Dr. Lustig) and misrepresenting the data from studies that don't relate to normal human use.

this study fed the participants 25% of their calories in fructose, which for a 2500 calorie diet, is 150g of fructose (about 3L of coke, or eating ~3/4 cup of sugar, PER DAY). add to that, the subjects were all overweight/obese, and were not allowed to exercise more than 3 hours a week. i repeat: drinking THREE LITERS OF COCA-COLA A DAY, and SEDENTARY activity by OBESE volunteers. further, the study didn't conclude sugar causes cancer, but that "cancer cells were proven to have insulin receptors, and insulin production feeds cancer cells." not a huge surprise, cancer cells grow just like other human cells.

the 60 minutes story decided to not mention any of this.

eat reasonably, don't sweat the numbers by a few degrees.

for more information on the bull#$%^ of the 60 minutes scare-a-thon, check this interview with alan aragon, nutritional research reviewer extraordinaire: http://youtu.be/BMc0_s-M08I WARNING it is long, in depth, and uses some NSFW language; alan got his reputation using a very... blunt and honest persona to present scientific research.

jcperkns

I also shop very often at Walmart and do not have a problem purchasing good, clean foods. You can buy chicken on sale in an economy pack and freeze it serving sizes. I buy eggs, brown rice and cans of black beans for like 58 cents. I also get fresh vegetables, fruit and nuts.

I think processed and junk foods are much more expensive. They don't fill you up and you end up with way too much sodium.

^^This. you can get a pound of frozen spinach for less than $1. I don't know if there is a Target by you, but I also go there to get their store brand groceries which are good as well. I am a college student so I have to watch what I spend too. But for me its worth it to spend a little extra money on clean food than junk food. In fact, I have found that it's cheaper to load up on frozen veggies, lean protein, etc than to get prepackaged frozen dinners. It might cost me more upfront, but it turns out the cost per meal is cheaper.

lilmzzgreeneyez

Looking at your diary, your eating far too much bread and corn chips, too much fast food too, Ive been to walmart loads of times and to say you cant get healthy foods, thats bull. They sell meat, fish and fresh vegetables.
Eat more protein, steak, chicken, nuts etc, egg whites, they all help to burn calouries in the body.Set a good example for your kids and keep away from the drive in.
I can quite easily take in 1200 a day and thats eating healthy foods.

you have only looked at a few days of my diary then. i dont normally eat chips at all. i only did because i made taco soup last week and there was too much of it and not enough people to eat it. i dont throw food away. i know i can get food at walmart but its just not always a good selection. most of the time the produce isnt ripe enough or its overripe thats what i mean by that.

lilmzzgreeneyez

Taco soup has so.much sodium.... Try marinating chicken.in pinappple juice add.chili flakes and pepper... Then grill or bake and add bbq sauce... Eat alot of broccoli steamed. Freeze some sweet grapes and munch on those all day...even if ur eating under make sure its healthy...:)

i made the taco soup healthier. i only eat it because its soemthing my kids and bf love. i cant only make chicken because my daughter is allergic. i can make it for myself but i dont put too much work into it (just boil bake or grill it and if i grill i am grilling other stuff too) i went to th store last night and bought more produce. i didnt have any in the house after almost a week of not going to the store.

lilmzzgreeneyez

I am the same as you but struggle sometimes with my carbs goal... I hit about 100 - 200 calories under my goal before it hits.
Bread addiction :laugh:

The best thing to do is to incorporate whole grains into your diet. You eat a lot of corn chips, I know I would too if I could... they are amazing. Limit yourself to 40 grams a day or so on, and wean yourself off if you are concerned.

Start eating wholemeal bread and grains like quinoa or even brown rice. Spice it up with a little salad, if you like mexican buy some wholemeal wraps and make your own "soft" tacos. Even make your corn chips from them...

Its all about swapping for the healthier option. Goodluck.

as i said before that was only for a few days. i dont normally eat corn chips. they were with the taco soup i made (its part of the meal) i wont be doing that often. especially now that the soup is gone.

lilmzzgreeneyez

I also shop very often at Walmart and do not have a problem purchasing good, clean foods. You can buy chicken on sale in an economy pack and freeze it serving sizes. I buy eggs, brown rice and cans of black beans for like 58 cents. I also get fresh vegetables, fruit and nuts.

I think processed and junk foods are much more expensive. They don't fill you up and you end up with way too much sodium.

^^This. you can get a pound of frozen spinach for less than $1. I don't know if there is a Target by you, but I also go there to get their store brand groceries which are good as well. I am a college student so I have to watch what I spend too. But for me its worth it to spend a little extra money on clean food than junk food. In fact, I have found that it's cheaper to load up on frozen veggies, lean protein, etc than to get prepackaged frozen dinners. It might cost me more upfront, but it turns out the cost per meal is cheaper.

we dont have a supermarket target. ours is the little one that just sells clothes toys and the nonfood stufff. i wetn to walmart and got some fresher food last night. we were just out of it for a few days i cant go to the store too often i hve to be careful with how much i spend though.

LeggyKettleBabe

junky, preprocessed foods is what gets PEOPLE FAT.

You can kill yourself working out if you continue eating bad foods you will not change your body.

I cant believe you dont have a grocery store in your town that sells fruits/veggies/fresh meats.

Fat people remain fat because they MAKE EXCUSES .

LeggyKettleBabe

we dont have a supermarket target. ours is the little one that just sells clothes toys and the nonfood stufff. i wetn to walmart and got some fresher food last night. we were just out of it for a few days i cant go to the store too often i hve to be careful with how much i spend though.

Another excuse people make for eating junk.

I go to Sprouts Market and with 20 dollars, I could home with enough fresh fruits and veggies to last practically all week.

I spent bout 80 a week on a family of 4 thats including steak, chicken, pork and vegetables. I dont buy anything prepared like sauces or frozen foods.

paulaviki

I don't mean to sound harsh, but for every bit of advice someone has given you seem to have come back with an excuse as to why you can't do it. If you really do want to lose weight you need to listen to people's advice, there are a lot of people on here who have list huge amounts of weight and they are trying to help you.

I'm in the UK so have no idea what Walmart sells but I'm sure it sells healthy food as well as unhealthy. If your boyfriend and kids won't eat the healthier food then you need to eat differently to them, you could make big portions of stuff you like and freeze it then just microwave it while you are cooking for them. I know it's not easy when money is tight but personally I'd get rid of the gym membership and exercise at home using DVD's of go out walking/running and put the $30 towards better food.

LeggyKettleBabe

I don't mean to sound harsh, but for every bit of advice someone has given you seem to have come back with an excuse as to why you can't do it. If you really do want to lose weight you need to listen to people's advice, there are a lot of people on here who have list huge amounts of weight and they are trying to help you.

I'm in the UK so have no idea what Walmart sells but I'm sure it sells healthy food as well as unhealthy. If your boyfriend and kids won't eat the healthier food then you need to eat differently to them, you could make big portions of stuff you like and freeze it then just microwave it while you are cooking for them. I know it's not easy when money is tight but personally I'd get rid of the gym membership and exercise at home using DVD's of go out walking/running and put the $30 towards better food.

totally agree 1000000%

weight loss is about change and change hurts

veganbaum

Some sites for budget-friendly recipes and shopping:

http://www.myrecipes.com/budget-recipes/
http://family.go.com/food/pkg-budget-recipes/cheap-dinner-recipes-pg/
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/healthy_budget_friendly_recipes

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/family/budget/grocery-shopping-on-budget
http://www.momadvice.com/money/grocery_shopping.aspx
http://www.everydayhealth.com/family-health/groceries-on-a-budget.aspx
http://snap.nal.usda.gov/resource-library/manage-your-food-resources-wisely/meal-planning-shopping-and-budgeting
http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/grocery-shopping-on-a-budget.html
http://www.wisebread.com/10-things-ive-learned-from-grocery-shopping-on-a-budget

Just curious - what do your kids eat? Do you buy them a lot of "kid" foods and snacks? Beans and rice are an easy way to stretch dollars. You say you don't like rice, but it's easy to use beans and rice and veggies (a variety - potatoes can add to the bulk of the soup, but then add in a bunch of frozen veggies as well for nutrition) and dried spices and herbs to make large pots of soups/stews that can go a long way and then the rice might not be so unpalatable to you. Also, crock pots are your friend when you're busy, whether because you're a single working person or a busy mom towing kids around all day, you can throw stuff in a crock pot and it's ready to go when you want it to be without tending to it.

Rilke

Stop going to Sonic, McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Subway.

You stated you "don't want to eat clean" but this is about a lifestyle change. I read your posts and understand that some of your struggles are genuine (few grocery options, many mouths to feed) but you can eat a relatively healthy diet even if WM is your only market.

There is a ton of great advice in this thread. No more excuses.

supplemama

I totally understand about having a limited budget for food. My husband and I formed our our household at young ages and I know what it's like to be a young mother trying to feed a household with very little money. That said, why are you spending your limited money on fast food?

Sunday 6/17 - you had Mcdonalds for breakfast and then Sonic at lunch
Monday 6/18 - Chinese food for lunch, Sonic for snack
Tuesday 6/19 - Taco bell for lunch, Subway for dinner
Wednesday 6 /20 - Mcdonalds for dinner
Thursday 6/21 - Sonic for lunch
Friday 6/22 - you stayed away from the fast food restaurants. yay!
Saturday 6/23 - Subway for lunch

I don't mean to put you on blast but you honestly cannot claim low funds for healthy eating for you and your family when you have the money for fast food. I know fast food can seem cheap as a one-off, but it does add up quickly. Stop eating out so much and use that money for good food for you and your family. Plan your meals. Shop ahead for the week. You can do it!

hawaii86442

I have two friends that are Zumba instructors. They have stated that the most you can burn is 10 caloies a minute-or--600 an hour!!!

Rilke

I typed "grocery stores sherwood az" into Google and came up with quite a few: Sprouts, Safeway, Smart & Final (warehouse type store) . . . you even have a Trader Joe's. Have you tried any of these places?

veganbaum

Stop going to Sonic, McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Subway.

You stated you "don't want to eat clean" but this is about a lifestyle change. I read your posts and understand that some of your struggles are genuine (few grocery options, many mouths to feed) but you can eat a relatively healthy diet even if WM is your only market.

There is a ton of great advice in this thread. No more excuses.

Hmmm, I missed the "don't want to eat clean," but the reality is if you're (OP) on a budget and have a large family to feed, eating a lot of fast food is not helping your wallet (or your health) any. Finding budget friendly recipes that can be made in large batches to feed all of you and even provide at least one meal of leftovers(whether fresh or frozen) is really going to be the best thing you can do.

TKishjr

I totally understand about having a limited budget for food. My husband and I formed our our household at young ages and I know what it's like to be a young mother trying to feed a household with very little money. That said, why are you spending your limited money on fast food?

Sunday 6/17 - you had Mcdonalds for breakfast and then Sonic at lunch
Monday 6/18 - Chinese food for lunch, Sonic for snack
Tuesday 6/19 - Taco bell for lunch, Subway for dinner
Wednesday 6 /20 - Mcdonalds for dinner
Thursday 6/21 - Sonic for lunch
Friday 6/22 - you stayed away from the fast food restaurants. yay!
Saturday 6/23 - Subway for lunch

I don't mean to put you on blast but you honestly cannot claim low funds for healthy eating for you and your family when you have the money for fast food. I know fast food can seem cheap as a one-off, but it does add up quickly. Stop eating out so much and use that money for good food for you and your family. Plan your meals. Shop ahead for the week. You can do it!

Not to seem like I'm piling on, you can get a reasonably accurate HRM for what you spent this past week eating out. It won't have all the bells and whistles, but it will do what it was designed to do: measure your heart rate.

NoAdditives

You need to eat vegetables. It doesn't look like you eat any.

As far as groceries go, look for a farmer's market in your town. They are usually great places to get good deals on produce. I don't know what grocery stores you have in your area, but no matter what, planning your meals ahead of time saves money. Buy only what you need for those meals and you'll be surprised at how much you save. Cooking for yourself also saves money over buying prepackaged food.

I plan my meals and take a detailed list to the grocery store. I spend $120-150 a week on food for a family of 5. I buy as much organic as possible, which is why it's a little more expensive. But, when I shop by myself, I spend $50-75 less than if I shop with my husband.

marylovehellokitty

Umm you say you have no money but you seem to eat out every day? Take that fast food take out to once a week and use the savings for healthier options

HartJames

I think what it boils down to ( and I mean this in the kindest way) is that if you REALLY want to lose fat and gain health then you WILL FIND A WAY to learn to cook, use your computer or phone to research healthy food, why & how you should eat it and why & how you should exercise. You will also learn that food is fuel and the priority is health, not eating what tastes good or is easy. Finally, not only seek & heed advice but be accountable and stop making excuses. Instead of going to that place in your head that whines why something is hard or you can't/won't/don't want to, start to find a way because there is always away IF YOU WANT IT BAD ENOUGH. It's not magic, it's HARD work, lots of it and you will not find success unless you are willing to put that kind of effort in.

josyjozy

I have only two places close by to grocery shop. The infamous walmart and Aldi's. Do you have one of these near you? The have some Fit and Active stuff that taste awesome and is higher in protein. Fit and Active Protein bars, they have peanut butter chocolate and double chocolate. Both taste great and gives me my chocolate fix every day. Greek yogurt - strawberry and blueberry are awesome as well. It sucks having limited resources to shop from, feel free to add me we can probably both get new ideas from each other on what to eat and buy.

Sheilav330

actually it is possible to burn that much doing an hr of zumba depending how heavy you are...the more heavy u are the more you burn...i go over my sugar all the time but the sugar that is coming from is from fruit so i won't worry too much about that...just as long as ur moving and keeping ur diet clean u should be all good and also don't stress too much because stress is a pain in the butt when ur trying to loose weight and will keep u from losing weight.

Rilke

Stop going to Sonic, McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Subway.

You stated you "don't want to eat clean" but this is about a lifestyle change. I read your posts and understand that some of your struggles are genuine (few grocery options, many mouths to feed) but you can eat a relatively healthy diet even if WM is your only market.

There is a ton of great advice in this thread. No more excuses.

Hmmm, I missed the "don't want to eat clean," but the reality is if you're (OP) on a budget and have a large family to feed, eating a lot of fast food is not helping your wallet (or your health) any. Finding budget friendly recipes that can be made in large batches to feed all of you and even provide at least one meal of leftovers(whether fresh or frozen) is really going to be the best thing you can do.

Sixth post in the thread . . . OP said "i dont want to "eat clean" honestly."

mightyminerva

I"ve looked through your food diary, you have just so much processed/junky foods...it's gotta be so hard to eat like that. You don't eat a lot of calories really, but it's a lot of pretty bad ones.

Try more fruits/veggies and just natural foods. Greek yogurts can be an excellent source of protein; I add a packet of Stevia to mine..but I don't care for the plain flavors either.

I'm SO not trying to pick on you..I'd eat the same as you do if I had the choice, but if I did, I'd not accomplish my goals

Good luck!

i dont know. i dont always get to buy a lot of healthy foods. because we dont have alot of options at walmart lol i mean thats the only place i get to buy food from is why. i have to eat whats here. i dont want to "eat clean" honestly. i dont know. i have been taking small steps at replacing my more unhealthy foods with healthier versions.
and i dont know about my sugar limit it was what it gave me. my daily thing is 1630 calories and like 39 gs of sugar i add my zumba which like i said i lowered it to 873 because it was more realistic and it ups my sugar some. but i dont even eat my net before exercise most days. oh and i breastfeed my son so i add the breastfeeding thing which subtracts 300 calories from my food. and also another thing. i am full most of the time. i eat every few hours not big meals but its like when i wake up i eat, i eat again in 3 or so hours and again every 3 hours after that. small amounts. i never adjusted my meal thing so i just put it as close to the hour as possible.

Have you looked into buying frozen veggies? I think Walmart has a big selection of unsalted, unprocessed, and unseasoned vegetables that would be a great addition to your diet. If you still want pizza with your kids, for example, made one with a thin wheat crust and lots of vegetables. Waaay healthier and cheaper than ordering out!

What about things like avocado and low fat cheese if you're worried about eating enough calories? Or peanut butter? All of those are kid-friendly too! I think Walmart also has a good selection of canned things like fruit (no sugar or syrup) and beans.

Before I started the nutrition and exercise revamp, I had really bad headaches all the time. While I still get some, they're much less painful and infrequent. I think it's because I'm eating quite a lot of food, but my food choices are much better. I eat more fruit and veg than starches now, and I actually weigh everything to make sure I'm sticking to a serving size.

You're doing the right thing with the ground turkey and tuna. Tofu and eggs are great sources of protein, too! Plus, if you buy bags of unprocessed rice, for example, it's cheaper and healthier when you cook it yourself.

jimmie25

Like someone earlier said, every time someones gives you advice, you come up with excuses or argue how they are wrong about it. Do you want or advice or just a hot debate?

I'm sure feeding 6 people is expensive and so are heart rate monitors. But frankly, you should not put a price tag on your (or your childrens) health. Smaller portions and quality calories are the key.

I hate broccoli, I eat it anyways since it's good for your heart. I LOVE egg yolks, but try not to eat too much because of their cholesterol. I'm not the biggest fan of greek yoghurt either, but it's a super food, so I eat it. Plain. If I want a treat, I eat dark chocolate even tho it's not really my favorite.

Healthy eating is a lifestyle, a habit even. We made going to places like McDonalds, Starbucks etc a habit, so why can't we make healthy choices a habit. And money really is just an excuse. Think of the medical bills you're gonna have to pay for eventually..
If we have money to get our daily Latte / Cheeseburger meal, then we have money for a bag of apples. Simple as that.

Rilke

Like someone earlier said, every time someones gives you advice, you come up with excuses or argue how they are wrong about it. Do you want or advice or just a hot debate?

I'm sure feeding 6 people is expensive and so are heart rate monitors. But frankly, you should not put a price tag on your (or your childrens) health. Smaller portions and quality calories are the key.

I hate broccoli, I eat it anyways since it's good for your heart. I LOVE egg yolks, but try not to eat too much because of their cholesterol. I'm not the biggest fan of greek yoghurt either, but it's a super food, so I eat it. Plain. If I want a treat, I eat dark chocolate even tho it's not really my favorite.

Healthy eating is a lifestyle, a habit even. We made going to places like McDonalds, Starbucks etc a habit, so why can't we make healthy choices a habit. And money really is just an excuse. Think of the medical bills you're gonna have to pay for eventually..
If we have money to get our daily Latte / Cheeseburger meal, then we have money for a bag of apples. Simple as that.

Eat and enjoy your egg yolks. The cholesterol in them will not hurt you.

mightyminerva

Oh, and about the Greek yoghurt: I was the same! I *hated* the taste on its own. I began having it with fruit in the morning and a bit of honey, and loved it. Now I've gotten to the point where I don't need the honey! Yoghurt + berries, a peach, a banana or any other fruits gets me ready for the day and has a low amount of calories!



And if you're worrying about cooking, Crockpots are amazing. Just toss stuff together in the morning for a hot meal in the evening. It's one of the things I miss most in the US. I got mine several years ago on sale, so I'm sure you could find one for a low price.

SuffolkSally

Looking at your diary, your eating far too much bread and corn chips, too much fast food too, Ive been to walmart loads of times and to say you cant get healthy foods, thats bull. They sell meat, fish and fresh vegetables.
Eat more protein, steak, chicken, nuts etc, egg whites, they all help to burn calouries in the body.Set a good example for your kids and keep away from the drive in.
I can quite easily take in 1200 a day and thats eating healthy foods.

you have only looked at a few days of my diary then. i dont normally eat chips at all. i only did because i made taco soup last week and there was too much of it and not enough people to eat it. i dont throw food away. i know i can get food at walmart but its just not always a good selection. most of the time the produce isnt ripe enough or its overripe thats what i mean by that.

I did go right back through your diary over 4 weeks, and it's really hard to find a day when your sodium intake is reasonable, you haven't eaten take-out, and haven't eaten highly processed foods such as pizza. There's the odd lonely tomato or celery stick but hardly any vegetables.

You're eating a lot of calorie dense processed food, and it's going to be really hard to get anything like enough nutrition from that.

I think if you're serious you really need to take it on, and it could be a great family project, as you seem a really caring mom and I'm sure you don't want your kids to face the same weight battle when they grow up. Why not have a look at Jamie Oliver's stuff, he has loads of easy recipes which can be made quickly or made in advance (like his spaghetti sauce with tons of "hidden vegetables, for example) designed to get kids eating better.