Healthy Eating

madpanda

Can someone have a look at my food diary and suggest ideas on what to improve in terms of food. You will have to go back to April last year to see more details as I have just started adding stuff to it again but the diet is similar.

The main reason I ask is that I read that weight loss/exercise is 70% diet and I would like to know how to improve it. I have been thinking about doing P90X but I am not too keen on following the nutrition diet they recommend.

I am not a fruit person, never really have been but do have the odd one now and again I will eat them for a period and then stop eating them, most of my evening meals (with the exception of this week) are home made such as shepards pie, chilli con carne, pizza. A couple nights i may have something quick out the freezer.

Are there any good books that can suggest some meals that will help?

veggiesaurus15

What has helped me is eating a ton of vegetables. Start each meal with a salad or soup, but beware high oil, calorie dense dressings. You can eat raw non-starchy vegetables in unlimited quantities because they are so full of fiber and water and so low in calories. It would be virtually impossible to overeat on them, you'd get full first. You also can't go wrong with fruit. Fruit is nature's candy and makes a great dessert. Best of luck!

SuffolkSally

Can't see anything to comment on, there's only an incomplete entry for today?

madpanda

Can't see anything to comment on, there's only an incomplete entry for today?

You have to look back to April/May time last year. I have just started using this again.

bcattoes

I know there is a lot of conflicting information out there, but unless you have a medical condition that requires limiting specific foods, eating healthy is pretty simple. Make the majority of your foods plant-based (fruits, vegetables, whole grains). Choose healthy sources of fats like nuts, olive oil and avacado. Limit fatty and red meats and eat more fish and lean poultry. Limit sugary foods and drinks. Eat most of your foods close to their natural state (unprocessed or minimally processed).

Keep variety in your diet to make sure that you get a good mix of nutrients.

ETA: If you'd like to read about nutrition, the link below is a great place to do it, and it's free.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/

AllTehBeers

I'm not going to search for a diet of a year ago but I can give you some easy tips.

First, the most important thing about weight loss is to eat a constant calorie deficit. Do this, you'll lose weight, no matter what you decide to eat.

- Protein. It fills you up and takes longer to digest. Eat lots of it

- Veggies. Yummy and a good filler too. There are soo many different kinds of veggies you can probably have something different every night for a month. Change it up to keep from getting bored.

- Carbs. This is apparently the devil's macro, but I need them and use them before a good workout.

- Fruits. Sweet enough to be a good substitute for a dessert. If you don't use the fresh often enough, buy canned or frozen. They last a lot longer and you'll always have a treat right on hand. The frozen ones are also great for quick smoothies or ice cream topper.

I use the 25/25/50 plan when putting food on my plate. carbs/meats/veggies. The more veggies you pile on your plate, the more it makes you feel like you're eating without eating a ton of calories.

Every diet staples:
Chicken
Fish
Lean red meat
Veggies
Salads
Eggs
Bread
Cheese

Working with these you can make breakfast lunch and dinner, something different every day for a week.

bcattoes

First, the most important thing about weight loss is to eat a constant calorie deficit. Do this, you'll lose weight, no matter what you decide to eat.

I disagree with the first sentence, though the second is true. I lose better by varying my calories day to day, but making sure it averages out to a deficit. I've maintained my loss in the same manner. Some days I eat low, sometimes even very low, calories, and some days I eat high calories.

I find it tedious to have to hit a certain number of calories every day, though doing that will also lead to weight loss.

Captain_Tightpants

Healthy eating is overcomplicated by too many people.

It's really very simple - shop around the outside aisles of the supermarket. That's where the fresh and natural produce goes (because it's delivered more frequently and they design the store so as to be restocked from the center out - most preserved/processed in the center, freshest on the edges.

Think about the perimeter of your local foodstore - fruit, veg, fish, meat, nuts, beans, eggs, milk, cheese. Just stay out of the middle and you can't go wrong.

AllTehBeers

First, the most important thing about weight loss is to eat a constant calorie deficit. Do this, you'll lose weight, no matter what you decide to eat.

I disagree with the first sentence, though the second is true. I lose better by varying my calories day to day, but making sure it averages out to a deficit. I've maintained my loss in the same manner. Some days I eat low, sometimes even very low, calories, and some days I eat high calories.

I find it tedious to have to hit a certain number of calories every day, though doing that will also lead to weight loss.

I assume (my fault) people are going to be doing this for more then a week. By constant calorie deficit, I do mean weekly because I do not think over 6 months I could eat only in deficit. I like alcohol too much! I'm a huge advocate of weekly totals being more important then daily because I myself go over on some days and eat under on others. My fault for not clarifying.

madpanda

Thanks for the advice folks.

The problem with fruit is I buy a pack of say nectarines, eat a few and by the time I get round to the last lot they are already going off and I have to chuck them. As a result I dont see the point in wasting money on something that gets binned and then I don't buy fruit for a while.

Would jerky be a good source of protien (MSG Free)?
I do eat a fair bit of chicken and mince (for other recipies). I would like to try a meat free dish one night a week, excluding the obvious and unhealthy macaroni cheese and chips. But I am a not sure what to have with not being a heavy veg eater.

Also for lunch I currently have a ham sandwich, yogurt, crisps every weekday but I do not know what else to take to work with me. We can reheat stuff in the microwaves so a hot meal would be nice rather than just salad. Any ideas on that would be great.

Thanks again.

bcattoes

Thanks for the advice folks.

The problem with fruit is I buy a pack of say nectarines, eat a few and by the time I get round to the last lot they are already going off and I have to chuck them. As a result I dont see the point in wasting money on something that gets binned and then I don't buy fruit for a while.

I am the same way with fruit. My office started providing free fruit as part of a wellness program so I only eat fruit at work now. You could get frozen fruit (be sure no added sugar) though. It is just as nutritionous as fresh, but keeps a lot longer.

Would jerky be a good source of protien (MSG Free)?
I do eat a fair bit of chicken and mince (for other recipies). I would like to try a meat free dish one night a week, excluding the obvious and unhealthy macaroni cheese and chips. But I am a not sure what to have with not being a heavy veg eater.

Jery would be a good source of protein but I wouldn't make a main source due to sodium content and the fact that most processed meat contain a lot of additivies that are not healthy. Eggs are good source of low calorie protein.

Beans are a good vegetarian source of protein and so versatile. Beans and rice. Bean burritos. Bean soup. Hummus or other Bean dips. Rinse a can of beans and add to salads.

Nuts and seeds are good too. Eat plain or add to salads or stir fry.

Also for lunch I currently have a ham sandwich, yogurt, crisps every weekday but I do not know what else to take to work with me. We can reheat stuff in the microwaves so a hot meal would be nice rather than just salad. Any ideas on that would be great.

Thanks again.

I usually take leftovers for lunch. Whole grain wraps are great too. I make them with leftover fish or meat, hummus, baba ganoush or a soft cheese along with a big handful of dark leafy greens and chopped or shredded veggies.

Also, you could make a big pot of healthy homemade soup or stew and take that for lunch all week.