Help with nutrition please

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sexymom04
sexymom04 Posts: 263 Member
I'm trying to eat healthier and having a hard time. I've looked at different meal plans, but I don't eat seafood and alot of them have seafood in it. Also for breakfasts they have things that I don't eat therefore making it hard to follow any meal plans. So I've decided to try having shakes or smoothies for breakfast and maybe lunch, but unsure as to what kinds are best for weight loss. Any suggestions? I have a mixed berry smoothie after dinner almost every night, but unsure if that is even a good idea. I'm so lost with what is best to eat and not. I am also trying to make healthier meals for the whole family, but not always easy. All suggestions welcomed.

Thanks.

Replies

  • tempted2touch
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    Hi! I'm not sure having a smoothie after dinner is such a great idea. I'm a picky breakfast eater so I usually have a smoothie for breakfast (something like kale, spinach, banana and flax seeds). Research healthy smoothie options I found some great choices online. My husband decided we should give up red meat totally so I've been cooking chicken and seafood lately. I know you don't eat seafood so maybe finding different ways to cook chicken/beef/etc can aslo be helpful. I also eat alot of fruits. If I'm still hungry after dinner I'll have a fruit and a glass of water. Lots of green vegetables are also great to have.

    Good luck :smile:
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
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    There is not diet plan or meal plan that is best for weight loss.

    Smoothies won't make you lose weight other than if they cause you to consume less calories as a whole. You can eat whatever you want provided you are under your maintance calories and still lose weight.

    Ensure you just pick healthier options as often as possible. Choose whole foods over smoothies as often as possible. I find whole foods to be much more filling than a drink.

    Don't look at meal plans. Eat what you like and what you have time to prepare.
  • cpudoc64
    cpudoc64 Posts: 135
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    I think then a good place to start is seeing what you do eat, logging it with MFP and making healthier choices. For example, let's say you have cereal with milk and juice for breakfast. Is the cereal loaded with sugar? Is the milk low fat? How much sugar is in the juice? Go from their and make healthier choices. Since you're not a seafood eater then go with leaner cuts of meat, turkey, chicken breasts and lots and lots of vegetables! Trying eating your vegetables first before anything else on your plate. It will fill you up. Drink lots of water too.
  • amyann2
    amyann2 Posts: 69 Member
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    OK, so no seafood and some breakfast things you don't like. Should still be do-able.

    For dinners, I would recommend trying to go meatless at least a couple of nights a week. There are wonderfully filling lentil sloppy joes, baked sweet potatoes, whole wheat pasta with lots of veggies mixed in..... On meat nights there are chicken breasts (there are 5 gazillion recipes out there on the Internet), ground turkey (lasagna, tacos), and such.

    For breakfasts, I don't do bacon or sausage, so I usually have half a whole wheat English muffin with 1 Tbsp peanut butter and a cup of skim milk. This isn't much, but keeps me happy until time for a midmorning snack. There are adorable little mini quiches (appetizer size), and 3 of these is nice and breakfasty. Pair with some fresh berries (no added sugar) or half a grapefruit.... Even a serving or half serving of nuts at breakfast isn't so strange once you try it.

    Good luck! Congrats for paying attention to what you eat. It's not easy -- we're always learning what works and what doesn't -- but half the battle is just getting started, and you're doing that!
  • sexymom04
    sexymom04 Posts: 263 Member
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    Thank you everyone for the great advice.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    There is not diet plan or meal plan that is best for weight loss.

    Smoothies won't make you lose weight other than if they cause you to consume less calories as a whole. You can eat whatever you want provided you are under your maintance calories and still lose weight.

    Ensure you just pick healthier options as often as possible. Choose whole foods over smoothies as often as possible. I find whole foods to be much more filling than a drink.

    Don't look at meal plans. Eat what you like and what you have time to prepare.

    Agree with this so much.

    Smoothies aren't magic. Meal plans aren't magic. A reduced calorie intake is - that is how you'll lose weight. Count everything you eat. Make good choices as much as possible. Eat your veggies, fruit, lean protein, healthy fats, whole grains. Have some treats. Keep a calorie deficit. That will get you the success you want.

    My ticker shows 49lbs lost. I achieved that eating pizza, pasta, chicken, fruit, veggies, candy, ice cream, bread, dairy, beef, pork, you name it. I ate whatever I wanted. I find myself chosing healthier items because it makes my body feel better and it improves my fitness performance. But it also makes me feel good to have pizza on a Friday night, so I do that too. Moderation - it's the key.
  • bdamaster60
    bdamaster60 Posts: 595 Member
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    Skip breakfast. Best meal plan ever.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
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    Eat what you like! No need to follow meal plans.

    What types of foods do you like to eat and you know are good for you?

    I love oatmeal, so for breakfast I make my own "instant oatmeal" and take it to work. In a little ziplock bag I put 1/2c quick oats, lots of cinnamon, a little splenda, and craisins. At work I pour it in a coffee mug and add 1c hot water and a tbsp of cream.

    I make sure the main focus of lunch and dinner is veggies. I love bell peppers, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, and salad veggies (spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes) so it's easy to incorporate them. You can find a lot of recipes on skinnytaste.com, and look at the Recipes thread on here for some ideas. You can never go wrong with grilled/baked chicken breasts, so I usually have some on hand. For lunch I can bring salad with grilled chicken, and for dinners my favorite is chicken bruschetta: bake the chicken breasts, melt a little reduced fat mozz on top, then top with diced tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil, EVOO and balsamic vinegar).

    Good luck!
  • christianivanka
    christianivanka Posts: 52 Member
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    you can do any kind of egg white omelete and spinach and some salsa also a wheat bread and some fruit
  • rahlpn
    rahlpn Posts: 551 Member
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    I'm very picky too, and lazy when it comes to food prep, lol. For breakfast I usually have a cup of fruit and 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese and coffee (I use Stevia and sugarfree creamer in my coffee). On weekends when I make breakfast I love scrambled eggs with cheese, however, I used to make 2 scrambled eggs with a little milk and a slice of cheese. Now I use one egg, 2 egg whites, no milk and half a slice of 2% American cheese, tastes just as good. I use turkey bacon or sausage instead of pork. I still eat toast or English muffins (with jam or jelly) or bagels (while reduced fat cream cheese).
    Lunch I like soup (I like the Campbells chunky healthy request), sandwiches made with FlatOut breads or pita pockets or sandwich thins, canned chicken breast with light mayo (hate Miracle Whip so I use Kraft light with olive oil). I also am a slave to Smart Ones which aren't really healthy but they are great for calorie portioning, or the Lean Cuisine steam in the bag meals. Or I have leftovers.
    Dinner is all about substituting and portioning. Want lasagna? Use ground turkey or chicken, low fat cheeses, whole wheat pasta, low calorie or low sugar sauce, those things make a HUGE difference in calories. Same for chili, tacos, sloppy Joes, make them with ground turkey or chicken. Look for condiments that are low fat such as salsa, picante sauce, mustard, low fat sour cream, and low calorie dressings. For salads I found some turkey bacon bits and I've put them on mini pizzas too instead of pepperoni. I use quinoa now instead of rice (I cook mine in low sodium chicken broth with garlic and onion powder). I also use a lot more steam in the bag veggies instead of canned. I add veggies anywhere I can so I fill up on them and need smaller portions of meat and grains.
    Snacks I like pre portioned stuff (small bags of baked chips,pretzles,popcorn) or fruit. Bananas, golden delicious apples (my fave, hate red apples), grapes. Fiber one bars or 90-100 calorie granola bars. Hershey kisses (2-3 satisfy a sweet craving for me and thats about 44-62 calories). For after dinner treats I like to get half a cup of light ice cream (about 120-130 calories) I eat it right out of the 1/2c measuring cup! No need to dirty a (bigger) bowl and eat it slowly so as to savor it.
    And I only drink water! I used to be a huge milk drinker but I've cut that out. Sometimes I will alllow myself about 4-8 oz if I really want it (1% milk). Soda almost never, maybe 12oz every other month. I like to mix in some Mio or pure lemon juice with my water at home in the evenings just to add a bit of flavor.

    Hope that helps!
  • sexymom04
    sexymom04 Posts: 263 Member
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    Wow, thank you so much everyone for the great advice. I feel a little more confident in making better choices now. :)

    Nathalie