I don't like the word "diet"

Erienneb

My friend brought up an excellent point the other day: why use the word "diet" when you mean to say cutting back, eating differently, etc.? A diet is just what you eat in a day, it has nothing to do with changes.
I am not a rabbit. I will not eat rabbit food. I am an omnivore and I will continue to eat meat, it's all about moderation. So it's hard for me to do the food thing because I don't want to "diet" I want to make better choices.

Does anyone have any advice that I could adapt to my life? I stopped drinking pop, except for special circumstances, and I'm cutting my portion sizes down. What other tips are there for eating better besides spending a ton of money on organic food, or eating what the bunnies eat? I'm trying not to be crazy about calorie counting either, and using it as a guideline. Everyone needs something different so it's hard to say really.

clee369

Cool story bro

jzammetti

First of all I agree that this is not a diet - in order to achieve permanent weight loss you must change your lifestyle.

What works for me is low carb (NO processed carbs- veggies only, bascially, with the occasional apple), high fat and high protein. My macros are about 10% carbs, 50% fat, and 40% protein. And, no, the fat intake does not make me fat or have high cholesterol (just got it checked and am 100% in the normal rage - something I definitely could not say 18 months ago!) I try to stick primarily with good fats -- fish, nuts, beans, etc.

This is what works for me and my body...

126siany

I don't buy organic food or eat like a bunny. :bigsmile:

Are you looking for specific food recommendations? I'm not sure what you're asking.

Erienneb

I don't buy organic food or eat like a bunny. :bigsmile:

Are you looking for specific food recommendations? I'm not sure what you're asking.

hahaha good. I'm too big to eat like a bunny. Yes I'm looking for recommendations. I don't know how to cook much and I feel lost when I go to the store to try to plan my meals out. I just don't even know where to start.

Nurturegirl

Go for lean cuts of meat, cut of visible fat, grill, roast or dry fry. Try to eat more poultry which is naturally lower in fat (remove the skin though) than red meat. Reduce the amount of highly processed meat such as burgers and sausages. I also don't like the word diet and prefer the term lifestyle change.

126siany

I don't buy organic food or eat like a bunny. :bigsmile:

Are you looking for specific food recommendations? I'm not sure what you're asking.

hahaha good. I'm too big to eat like a bunny. Yes I'm looking for recommendations. I don't know how to cook much and I feel lost when I go to the store to try to plan my meals out. I just don't even know where to start.

If you have a crockpot/slow cooker, it is a great tool for the cooking-challenged or the very busy.

The Recipes section of MFP has a lot of "no skill required" recipes, so that's a good place to start. Here's a super easy one that I really like. If you can cut baby potatoes in half, mix things up and turn on an oven, you're good to go! http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Main-Dish/Recipe-Inspirations-Rosemary-Roasted-Chicken-with-Potatoes.aspx I sub a package of boneless skinless chicken breasts for the thighs.

I eat a lot of lean chicken breast, lean ground beef and lean ground turkey. Lots of protein, relatively low fat, low in calories.

I'll shoot you a FR so you can see my diary; maybe it will give you some ideas.

Erienneb

Thank you for all the help!

LordBezoar

The thing is that most people use diet as something that describes an event in their lives. That is to say, it will likely have a definite start and finish. Afterwards they usually plan to go back to eating in the manner that got them into the situation they are in the first place. DW and I have done that for most of our adult lives. However, if you make it a lifestyle change instead of an event, you are much more likely to succeed.

Even if you just change 1 thing at a time, that is going to help--and it will make turning your new behavior into habit or lifestyle that much easier. Not everyone can deal with drastic change and stick to it. So I think you have the right idea. A friend of mine calls it her "1% to wellness".

DW and I have changed a lot of our eating habits--and I assume that by your "rabbit food" comment, you dislike salads. For us, the best thing we have done is to greatly reduce the amount of meats that we eat on a regular basis. We eat mostly vegetarian--but I never feel like I am a rabbit. However, we still eat meat on occasion--it is just that the majority of our food no longer comes from animals and we feel much better for it and I never feel like I am depriving myself of good food.

Now, I'm not saying that what we are doing is what you should do. BUT I will say that you should at least try some real vegetarian/vegan/raw/whole foods. If you want some recipes, there are a ton of resources available and I am more than happy to help anyone out with that. For example: last night for dinner, we made roasted red potatoes and some quinoa burgers that were simply amazing--actually, they were more like quinoa steaks, not burgers, since they were huge and we didn't use buns... Here is a link to where I found the quinoa burger recipe: http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/quinoa-burgers.php

Advice for soda substitutes: I started to cut it out by simply drinking less. However, I do very much like a bit of fizz now and again. For this, I will sometimes drink soda water, like S. Pellegrino, however, I have also started to drink probiotic drinks like Kombucha and a probiotic-infused rasberry lemonade that I make. Both of these are slightly fermented so they have a light fizz. If you are interested in trying kombucha, this is the brand I prefer if I am buying it instead of making it:

http://www.synergydrinks.com/enlightened/home.aspx

You can get them at any of the health food stores (around here, at least). Just make sure that you try at least two different ones before you decide you don't like them. My suggestions are Billberry and either Gingerade or the one that has a rainbow-looking label (I can never remember the name of that one...)

At the end of the day, just find what works for you, be open to new foods, and keep in mind the 1% to wellness thing. Take it as slow as you want/need to and, as I said, I'm more than happy to help out if I can.

maremare312

Cool story bro

hahah, that was my response to the title too.

OP--not sure you really have your definitions straight. But call it whatever the heck you want.

drmerc

wow that's deep

Cliffslosinit

Why are you looking at me like that?

"EYES" Up please

DontStopB_Leakin

I refuse to read the wall of text.


You can't make me

pastryari

I refuse to read the wall of text.


You can't make me

For real.

TL;DR.

CarmenSandiegoInVA

i don't buy a ton of organic food. i limit my intake of processed foods, and artificial sweeteners, and any refined sugars. Just eat fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins. And splurge on delicious but healthy snacks and desserts. It's the little things that make it much better Don't deny yourself anything. Remember this is a lifestyle change and not a diet. You will be doing this the rest of your life. Find what you can live with and that makes you happy. Build in a cheat meal once a month. Remember it
s not a cheat. It's a treat. Just eat low glycemic and you can eat pretty much anything.

tameko2

I don't buy organic food or eat like a bunny. :bigsmile:

Are you looking for specific food recommendations? I'm not sure what you're asking.

hahaha good. I'm too big to eat like a bunny. Yes I'm looking for recommendations. I don't know how to cook much and I feel lost when I go to the store to try to plan my meals out. I just don't even know where to start.

Higher protein (center your meals around protein). Remember to add a vegetable. watch your portion sizes on stuff like rice and bread where the calories can really sneak in.

And then exercise. if you add exercise to your life you can probably eat relatively close to what you were eating before. I know I do, and I weigh 40 lbs less.

bethfartman

Generalized terms like 'diet' and 'rabbit food' are equally stupid. Vegetables are wise food choices for many animals, including human animals. Counting calories is pretty esential; if you didn't have a weight issue, I would say it wasn't too important as long as you make good choices, but since you do have a weight issue you need to track that sort of thing- it's science.

So, in summary:

count calories + eat healthy food + exercise = loose weight.

SabrinaAbney

I don't buy organic food or eat like a bunny. :bigsmile:

Are you looking for specific food recommendations? I'm not sure what you're asking.

hahaha good. I'm too big to eat like a bunny. Yes I'm looking for recommendations. I don't know how to cook much and I feel lost when I go to the store to try to plan my meals out. I just don't even know where to start.

SabrinaAbney

When I am at the store and I need bread I read labels and get the one close to what I always get with fewer calories. That is my small starting step for cutting back or my life style change.

Beckyloo80

I hate the word DIET too. Instead, when I decided I was ready to commit to the change, I called it a LIFESTYLE CHANGE, cause that is what it is. You have to change the lifestyle in order to change the body

Good luck!

DoomCakes

Common Sense eating. Don't "diet" that implies this is a temp fix to get to a certain weight then you'll stop and go back to your old "lifestyle." THAT'S the word you should use, lifestyle. Change it.

The pop is a good start, but maybe when you do get it on special occasion, try diet instead. Where as it's still not good for your body, it's better for you. Just don't over indulge in diet as the aspartame causes nerve damage in larger quantities.

Eat more fruits, get used to them as a sweet tooth fix. It may take time. It takes about 3 months to unlearn a bad habit! This is what I'm doing (and it may not work for you) I take my fruit and pair it with something sweet, i.e. blueberries and sugar free cool whip, soon that cool whip will just be soy yogurt, and then soon plain and alone to gradually train my tastebuds.

Eat more veggies. Just eat them. Even if you don't like them at first, they grow on you! Don't destroy them with butter and salts. Try stuff like Ms. Dash with no sodium if you NEED that extra flavor.

Portion control. More veggies over starch for dinner. Don't load up on the potato's.

Lean proteins.

Be active.

Just use your common sense. If you're looking at something in the store and thinking "well, I know I shouldn't" then stop there, move on. If you KNOW you shouldn't, then don't! OR you can try the focus on what you SHOULD eat. There is no miracle cure or diet or fix for weight loss. It's good eating and being active.

NiSan12

It's good to get advice but at the end of the day. Do what is best for you, because it's your body that only you are living with. Eat what you are okay with and don't what you don't.

Hope that helps.

sunshine_gem

You don't need organic food to be healthy. I rarely buy organic. I kinda like bunny food so I can't help you there. All I would suggest is making sure you get lots of protein, mfp's recommendations are ridiculously low so always aim higher. Chicken, fish, lean cuts of meat, even protein shakes. Lots of veg. Fruit is good but it does have a lot of sugar in so maybe watch that. Carbs are good but just try to avoid all the bad stuff. Wholewheat options etc. I also love sweet potatoes. They are so delicious and can be used in all the same ways as white potatoes.As others have said, watch your portion sizes as this can ruin the whole thing. Oh and water. Lots and lots of water!

If all this is new to you then maybe try not to change everything at once. Do it gradually. And if you want something like chocolate or pizza then have it. Just have less than you might have otherwise and try to make it fit into your calories. Don't deprive yourself of the things you love, just have them less. I hope any of this helps!

crystalflame

Basic guidelines until you do a little more research and get more comfortable with the new foods:

1) Make your meals 1/4 lean protein (fish, poultry), 1/4 whole grain or fruit, and 1/2 vegetables. Not necessarily raw carrots and lettuce - cook some spinach with garlic and a bit of olive oil, look up how to make cauliflower "mashed potatoes", etc.
2) Avoid fast food as much as possible.
3) Shop the outside of the grocery store and avoid the prepackaged foods in the aisles - loaded with sodium, poor in nutrients.
4) It's not all about the food - get exercise in your day too, whether it's taking the stairs instead of the elevator or going on a 5-mile run. Whatever increases your level of activity is good.

Good luck. And yes, I still use the word "diet" to refer to what I eat in a day (as in, "a healthy, balanced diet") rather than my attempts to lose weight, but most people don't, so I get where you're coming from.

Molly_Maguire

Technically the word "diet" just means "what you eat". A rabbit's "diet" is grass and vegetables. A four year old's "diet" is chicken nuggets and boogers.

So when people say "I'm on a diet", I'm like, of course you are, you have to eat SOMETHING! Technically you've been dieting your entire life.

But I agree, nowadays the word has a negative connotation, linked to carrot sticks and wheatgrass shakes.

I prefer the terms "eating clean" or "lifestyle change". "Diet" infers that it is a temporary thing, and I'm in this for the long haul!