Completely clueless-please help!

iannalise

Hey firstly thanks for taking the time to read.

Basically I know NOTHING about nutrition and I really do mean nothing, I'm great at the working out side of things, log some amazing sessions but it's all pointless if I'm unknowingly fuelling myself with junk.

I've tried looking online but everything I find either assumes your pretty clued up already and tries to build on it or prays your as clueless as me but also naive enough to follow rediculous diets, I don't want a diet I want to be able to put together some great meals for my family and provide us all with the right things at the right times.

It should be easy, my kids always snack on fruits and if I dared to forget veg at dinner time I'd be put out to the firing squad! Jokes aside I am lucky my girls will try anything and there are very few foods they would rather not have again whereas most parents I know have kids who expect deep fried chicken nuggets and chips every night so why can't I get this right when I have no opposition?

I keep hearing "no carbs at all" "no carbs after midday/3pm/6pm" whatever and don't know what comes from stupid fad diets and what's genuine decent advice!

Apologies if this is turning into a rant, I'm used to being a bit of a know it all do it's extremely frustrating feeling so stupid. If anyone can provide some really basic advice I would be extremely grateful. Sorry again for going on and thanks for reading this far.

klpruitt7

Everyone's body is different. Just focus on portion control. I just go by natural things. Nothing processed, or in a box. I mainly stick with vegetables, fruits (in moderation), and meats. Very little carbs, and sugars. Good luck to you!!

Meg_78

Honestly, I think the best you can do for your self is keep it balanced, nothing more than that. Keep your meat lean, and cook it in a healthy manner. Eat a lot of veggies, particularly leafy greens, again think about the way you cook them. Carbs are fine, you may want to keep the amount a little lower, and choose good options, wholemeal breads and pasta's, brown raw rice. If you calorie count is low you might want to up your protein, to keep you filled up. Eat some dairy in moderation, eat healthy fats, but in moderation. Keep with in you calorie allotment. Pay attention to what you are adding to your foods, like dressings and condiments, they can be secret killers, and they are really not necessary, get used to food tasting the way is should naturally.

Honestly I don't think its more than that.

bathsheba_c

It's trite but true. "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." In other words, you should be eating a variety of foods so that you get adequate nutrition. You should exercise portion control, because it is possible to gain weight eating just about anything. And you should make sure to get in enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Start with that. As you log your diet, you will start to get a sense of what the nutritional values of different foods are. Then you can finesse from there.

sarahcuddle

I would agree with what everyone else has said. Its sounds as though you are doing the right things anyway if your kids like fruit and veg. Can you give me some tips for my 4 year old? I try to cook healthier versions of our favourite family meals. By that I mean use lean meat, cut any excess fat off before you cook it. Get good non-stick pans and spray oil so you don't overdo the calories when browning things. Try lower fat milk and use less cheese. I cook nearly everything from scratch so you know exactly what you are eating and use the recipe builder tool on here. Portions size control is the key though and as long as you log everything (preferably before you eat it), you will begin to get an idea of which are your particular problem foods. Sweet stuff is my downfall but I am learning to eat less of it now and slowly my diet is changing for the better.

AnninStPaul

You are not clueless - you know that extremes are silly and that there is a lot of nonsense out there.

Drastic changes do not work for me. My first step was giving up artificial sweeteners five years ago, and focusing on water. Then french fries. I cheat on that one, but not badly.

Next step was portion control. Smaller main course servings.

Then I started with a personal trainer; my goal for 2012 is 5 servings of vegetables/fruits per day and 30 minutes of exercise (on average).

Your goals may be more ambitious than mine; I am at a point of wanting to lose 5 more pounds and to be able to run a 5k on little or no notice.

Rilke

I've tried looking online but everything I find either assumes your pretty clued up already and tries to build on it or prays your as clueless as me but also naive enough to follow rediculous diets, I don't want a diet I want to be able to put together some great meals for my family and provide us all with the right things at the right times.

I keep hearing "no carbs at all" "no carbs after midday/3pm/6pm" whatever and don't know what comes from stupid fad diets and what's genuine decent advice!

Michael Pollan to the rescue!

Try reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma", or if you don't want something that dense, "In Defense of Food" and "Food Rules".

angusmike

First thing set reasonable goals. This web site has the tools for you to set your goals and manage your path to those goals. Maintaing the food diary goes a long way toward managing your food intake and choices.

Treasure every victory and use any setbacks as teaching/learning pooints. You already pretty much know where your challenges are, so you're on the road toward attaining your goals.

You can do this.

RobynMWilson

It IS frustrating b/c nutritionists and health experts can't even agree! You hear one thing is bad, then the next day it's good and something else is bad. I've recently decided to stop listening to the latest fad..I've never been a fan of "diets" and have been a fan of "nutrition plans" instead. That all being said, where I am right now is eliminating as many processed foods out of my eating plan and focusing on real food..like REAL eggs(Eggland's Best, which are better for you), REAL butter (ultimately grass fed butter which isn't available at my grocery store so I eat organic) and making as many foods from scratch as I can fit into my schedule. I pre-cook a lot of food and freeze it to defrost and heat up for weeknight dinners. Then I control the ingredients and I'm getting home cooked quickie meals...there's only so many frozen meals a gal can eat lol.

Feel free to add me so that you can see what I'm eating everyday. Nutrition was always my weak point too and as I've gotten older and it's been tougher to stay in shape I'm finally seeing the importance of the fuel I'm putting into my body.