About Food and water?

KristyP05

I have been trying to eat healthy and lose weight with a limited funding source. I also have small children to feed so this can be difficult at times. I am not even sure which food I should be eating and if I am eating the right things. I have been using beans as a source of protein and they fill me up fast. Of course, they have the worst side effect. Food is starting to get boring and bland. I am starting to find myself going off my diet or over eating. It is like my body is craving something and I can't find it. I am not much of a vitamin taker but willing to change that. Do you have any recommendations?

Drinking enough water has also been another problem. I am a coffee drinker in the morning and when I put it down around 10am I still have a hard time getting my water in for the day. My food journal recommends at least 8 8oz glasses a day. Can I add flavor to my water? My doctor says it is not really good for you since it has NutraSweet in it and using lemon softens the teeth. Do you have any ideas or thoughts?

Thank you for any ideas that you may have.

accbradley

Kristy,
Let me applaud you on your efforts. Successful weight loss that you can maintain takes a lot of planning and dedication so I appreciate the struggle that people have when starting this journey. There are many things you can do to improve your diet.
First try decreasing intake of processed foods and controlling portion sizes. Rather than eating out regularly, try eating out once a week and cooking meals at home. This will help your pocketbook as well as your waistline because you are less likely to eat as large of a portion at home. Some other helpful tips include the following:
• Eat your meal on a smaller plate
• An appropriate serving of meat should be no bigger than your fist
• Do not eat anything after 8:00PM or two hours before going to sleep
• Reduce or eliminate sugary sodas and fruit juices. Drink water (flavored water is fine)
• Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables
• Stick to the outside isles in the grocery store, the middle is more processed foods
• Choose breads that are whole-grain
Another important component to maintaining a healthy weight is to have an exercise regimen. Most people are aware of the main benefit of exercise which is weight loss, but exercise also helps combat chronic disease, improves mood and energy, and promotes better sleep. You can see these benefits from just exercising thirty minutes, four to five times a week.
Finally, make this website work for you. One thing that I really like about myfitnesspal is its exhaustive database. You can find foods very easily and the work of figuring out the nutritional content has already been done for you. Your food choices are also broken down by carbs, fats, and protein so you can see what you are getting too much or not enough of. Also look for those super-foods that are good for you, low in calories, but keep you full for a long time. There is a plethora of information about these types of foods and what how they can help your overall health. Try doing a web search to learn more. Some examples are

Beans
Blueberries
Broccoli
Oats
Oranges
Pumpkin
Salmon
Soy
Spinach
Tea (green or black)
Tomatoes
Turkey
Walnuts
Yogurt

Anyhow, I wish you luck as you continue with this journey. Good luck!