What do you eat?

blueroses44

Those of you who are succeeding, I'm curious about your diet. Do you eat clean? Do you use pre-packaged foods to help you figure out your calories? Do you strictly weigh and measure every morsel? Do you eat whatever you want as long as you track it?

I have a mental struggle it seems. Diets that have strict rules, for me, are easy to stick with. They're black and white. But when asked to wing it and stay within a certain calorie range, I'm lost and eventually end up eating cupcakes for breakfast.

Trying to make a workable plan, create my own "strict"....and I'm struggling.

Noor13

I personally try and love to eat as clean as possible.
I never eat ready made, pre packed food and cook everything from scratch.
I do weigh pretty much everything I eat and cook, yes.

Eating clean is not a necessity for EM2WL to be working, but it helps it.

charliecat39

I guess that whatever you choose has to be doable for you or it won't work. There's no point in saying that you will "eat clean" if it really isn't possible, it just won't work.

My personal way is to eat anything I want within the calories, but not to have too much processed stuff. If its a really busy day, we may have sausage and chips (low fat version!) but if I have time I'll cook from scratch.

The diet has to fit in with your lifestyle. I hope that helps a little?

Suzanne

geordiegirl27

really good question thank you.

I am only just starting to try to eat more, I am hopeless though. I eat very little processed food, cook from scratch every night, although being only 2 of us I cook a 4 portion meal & freeze half where possible to reduce the time spent in the kitchen (its time I can use to run!) its a rare occasion that I will use a jar of pre-prepared sauce but I do stock them for those times when I just run out of time.

I am struggling so much to eat anywhere near enough calories, today I have added a packet of crisps to my lunch (I have only eaten half the packet so far, might have the rest for my mid afternoon break) and I'm still under 1200 cals for the day including my evening meal.

So at the moment until the appetite increases I am eating some not so good calories ie crisps, chocolate, wine to get my totals up. Who said losing weight was as easy as cutting calories and/or exercising more.

twinmomtwice4

I'm very similar to you in that I like structure and having everything planned out for me.

So what works for me is to pre-plan my entire day food-wise. I enter all my food for the day first thing in the morning and it takes all the guess work out. It makes it less easy to stray from the plan since I like structure. I also find that I eat on a more consistent schedule, like every 2-3 hours, when I have my food all entered for the day.

I've been straying from the plan these last few weekends and that has gotten me into major trouble and I've gained some weight back.

For the most part, I eat clean (my diary is open so feel free to take a look). I make a lot of things from scratch (salad dressings, etc). Many people think it's time consuming but it's really not. I mean, it takes me literally 2 minutes to make a quick vinagreitte for a salad. It takes 15 minutes to roast some veggies in the oven.

HeidiHoMom

I eat whatever I want and try to stick to my macros (though this past week has not been that great).

If you try to focus on your macros then it puts a few more parameters on you so you won't necessarily be able to eat cupcakes for breakfast.

Settuccini

This lifestyle -does- have structure. Every day you have a set number of calories and very specific macros to reach. Not only that, trying to eat as healthy as possible should be the main concern. If you do research on foods with healthy fats, carbs, protein, fiber, etc. it could better help you design very good and healthy meals.

I personally have trouble reaching my carb intake, and find that sweet potatoes are a VERY good source, with generous amounts of carbs and fiber. Not to mention a nice sweet treat. I weigh everything I eat, otherwise I tend to under-estimate it, especially when it comes to sweet potatoes and meats!

For a good source of fats, fiber, and protein, you should check out Chia Seeds. If you have trouble eating so much food, ONE tablespoon of Chia Seeds is 60 calories, and you can make a Chia pudding out of them. I tend to add them to my vanilla protein shakes (that, or flaxseed). I also like to add Greek Yogurt to my shakes, for thickening and protein.

Oatmeal is also a very high calorie, filling, good source of carbs, protein, and fiber. I use Stevia as a sweetener to avoid extra sugars, and I add 1/2 c. greek yogurt for extra protein here, too. Oatmeal is very versatile and can be changed into many different flavours for breakfast (plain, apple-cinnamon, peanut butter, chocolate, you get the idea!).

Ground turkey meat with some melted cheese mixed in is also a delicious semi-high calorie meal for the amount you can eat. Of course, you can do whatever you want with it, but it's something I'm loving right now.

My sweet "treats" are home-made macadamia nut cookies baked with whole wheat flour (sometimes I add in dark chocolate- only sometimes, though!). They're extremely delicious and remind me of my all-time favourite cake: The cookie cake! They aren't flat and hardened like a regular cookie. Instead, they keep volume and are cake-like. They're about 60 cals each, so I usually have 3-4 throughout the day. Of course, this is a treat for me. It's pretty healthy, honestly!

CLTA (or a BLTA) sandwiches are also decently high in calories, for what it is. Use wheat bread, 1/4 avocado, 2-3 oz of chicken breast (or a few slices of bacon), lettuce, tomato, and you've got nearly a 400 cal lunch for just a sandwich.

I'll admit that coming from a 700 cal diet up to a 1600 cal diet has been a difficult learning experience for me. I'm still extremely full and feel like I'm eating all the time, but I am finding good ways to "sneak" in healthy calories without feeling like I've overeaten.

Just know that you should NOT eat "everything and anything" just to fill up your calories. A treat now and then is certainly alright, but take this as a life-changing learning curve towards finding healthful foods to maintain your new way of eating.

Greenrun99

I too eat foods that help me stay in my macro's.. even though I have a hard time sticking in my macros (thanks carbs!) because they are a bit different then what most are doing.
I do try to eat healthy and avoid alot of frozen foods.. I measure just about everything and make my own meals most of the time (or reheat the leftovers)..
1 Change I did was really try to eliminate all foods that you buy in the freezer isles of the supermarket and the deli areas, I make most of my own lunches (tuna or chicken salads) so that I know exactly whats going in them. Also making more of an effort to buy more foods higher in protein and less in carbs.. I really only have 1 cheat type day, but still try to remain in my calories but my macro's go by the wayside..

Most of our diaries are open so you can simply browse our foods we are eating if you want to get an idea.

alcon79

If you try to focus on your macros then it puts a few more parameters on you so you won't necessarily be able to eat cupcakes for breakfast.

This. I've started on focusing on my protein macro and find that if I think about how much I'm getting each meal, especially if I can plan most of the day ahead of time, then I'm not freaking out at 10pm that I need a protein shake to get the #s up.

I am by no means a "clean eater" (I eat Lean Cuisines almost daily for lunch) but I try to add fruits and veggies whenever I can and I've started eating almonds and greek yogurt for snacks, as opposed to store-bought granola bars, cookies, etc. Find what works for you!

giftieetcetera

On one hand, I have a spoonful of chocolate peanut butter almost daily, eat syrup with my waffles, and have butter on my toast.

On the other, I feel more full when I eat *real food*, so I stir-fried veggies and ate fresh berries at lunch.

For me, the combination works best. I plan out my suppers, since that is my biggest meal, but otherwise, I just keep salad fixings and lots of veggies around. I do use balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead of dressing. But my reality is that I often am on the road or only have time for something quick, so I know how many calories is in an ounce of cheese or 16 cheez-its. And I cook almost daily, so I control how my fat is in my burger and whether I actually eat a bun. (I cut it in half and butter it. I'd rather use the calories in a bit of butter and grilled the bun all toasty than on the bread itself. ) But I count everything. If I just ate Lean Cuisines, I would be starving. But if I just cooked, it wouldn't be realistic.