Where to start?? low carb, low fat, count points, calories,

HealthyMom4MyKids

My husband and I have been discussing making many changes for our "new year" for us and our kids. One of those is to lose weight and start exercising. I am one of those people who need a plan. I need to lose over 100 pounds to lose. I had lost 60 lbs several years ago doing atkins, but of course quit and gained it back. I really would like to start eating healthy and cooking healthy meals for my family. I am hesitant to use fat free, low fat, artificial sweetners b/c of all the stuff that they replace the fat with. It is so confusing.

I think for me that I need to switch to whole grains and avoid the "white" stuff. I know I need to avoid 2nd helpings and practice portion control. I also need to figure out portion sizes. Are portion sizes determined before cooking? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks so much!

Kim

osmium

Here is a great place to start. Simply log what you are eating. Everything you are eating - no cheating. It then becomes pretty clear what you need to do. Adjust your diet based on what you find and start moving a bit more. You'll succeed It needs to be a lifestyle change to stick long term, so in my opinion dieting in some extreme way that you won't sustain is counter productive. Good luck.

jessicajoy87

I would recommend not doing atkins again. Not only do you gain it back fast but when i did it i so little energy.

BrendaLee

MFP is a great place to start. Follow the guidelines here, and you'll do great. You don't need to switch to low-cal and artificially sweetened items...you just need to be very careful about portion control. Whether a food is measured before or after cooking depends on the product- it usually says on the box. Whole grains are a good idea...I've managed to switch to whole grain bread (Dempsters Ancient Grains or Flax- very good) and brown rice (never would have imagined that- add some hot sauce, it's really good). Can't bring myself to eat whole grain pasta...or whole wheat pitas- so those are the 2 things I allow myself to eat the white versions of. Make healthy choices where you can. Get a set of food scales (which I'm going to invest in soon), I think that'll make portion sizing a lot clearer. Good luck.

jules1984

Well it is all about portion control and quality of food. Counting calories works well and its easy to do here if you log everything. As far as your header, I wouldn't do anything extreme. Our bodies need good carbs and good fats. If you really do better following a plan, look at the South Beach Diet. I hear its pretty much about eating healthy. Lean proteins, whole grains, fruits and vegetables are all important. Keep everything in moderation and good luck with your family!!

kiffypooh

Hello,
I'm a little late but wanted to chime in. I started 2009 doing NutraSystmes...boo, didn't like it at all. The 3rd week of 2009 I went back to Weight Watchers. I've been doing WW off and on since 2000 and it's a great program. I started MFP yesterday because I was bored counting points and wanted something different (also my bff lost 30 lbs with MFP). I plan to continue going to the WW meetings, but I'm counting and logging my calories here. I figure you can't have too much support. What's I've been slowly doing since the beginning of the year (actually, since my daughter was born 2 1/2 years ago) is slowly moving to more "whole" foods. I do not give my daughter fake sugar and try to give her only whole grains and foods that are not extremely processed. One day I realized that the stuff I eat I would NEVER give my daughter, it then clicked with me...what's good enough for her is good enough for me. Since then I read all labels and if I can't pronounce it we don't eat it. I do occasionally eat fast food or unhealthy foods (as does my daughter), but it's in moderation rather then daily.
It's all about being around longer and being an example for my daughter...lookin' good is just an added perk!