What food plan to follow

What is the best food plan to follow.

The best is the one that suits you and you can stick to without cheating too much.
I'm doing great with IF (leangains 16/8), and so is my wife, but some may find it hard to fast for 16 hours.
The only thing you can do is try, monitor and adjust.

I have tried ediets, nutrisystem, weight watchers, south beach and atkins......the best one I have found is right here. Eat healthy, stay under or near your goal, exercise and the weight will fall off. I gave up diet coke and it works for me. The sodium content was ruining everything I did, I have a ways to go but got a feeling I can stick with this "new way of life" first time I don't call it a diet. Good luck!

MFP does work - follow the green numbers and don't go over them. Simples.

There is a bit of self-correction to do, though, and it can be tricky to find the balance on your own.

For instance, if I eat 2/3 of a cylinder of Pringles chips, and nothing else, I will meet my TDEE and not lose or gain weight. Easy. I will spend most of the day hungry and looking at the other 1/3 of a cylinder, though, not to mention all the nutrients I am missing.

It becomes tricky when you are trying to balance the things that one wants to eat against the things one can afford to eat. I think you are really smart to be asking the question at the beginning - what should I eat?

When I joined this site I had a few shocks regarding calories - white rice, bread and pasta were the most expensive things on the list, calorie-wise. I found it hard to hit my iron and calcium requirements.

If you are not following a prescribed diet it will take a bit of juggling until you can fit your calories to your wants. I haven't done it myself, but there are a lot of people who have already worked out the balancing act on here and are willing to share their diaries, and checking them out has to be a good first step.

Look all the advice that is given here is great and completely true. But if you are looking for someone to kinda give you a hint on some actionable items. Here are some things I have learned.

1) definitely use this tool to food journal until your new life diet becomes natural. Or in cases where you feel yourself drifting into bad habits.
2) Start looking at foods you would usually eat and replacing them with things you like with lower caloric intake.
3) except you will be hungry. Especially in the start until your body gets used to your diet. Distract yourself from this. This is probably bad form but myself and several of my friends have used it. The first 3 days are the worst. Remember that and take a weekend to plow through them with a ridiculously low calorie diet. Like just veggies and water and sleeping. After these first 3 days your "Stomach Shrinks" and you should not feel as hungry on your normal low cal. diet.
4) Water and Coffee make you full. So does smoking but that's worse then being a little over weight so I wouldn't go there.
And by water yes just drinking water helps but even better is finding food with a lot of water in it. Such as veggies and fruit. But also if you tend to eat a lot in the morning or be dying for a snack in the afternoon. Make a homemade shake. I have a banana, peanut butter and kale shake with a little oatmeal every morning. It is a couple hundred calories, but it really sticks with me until late lunch and it is largely water. Also I add a good amount of ice and it seems like I am having a huge breakfast. So mentally I feel satiated.
5) Fruits and Veggies. Fill your plate with fresh fruits and veggies and then treat meat or nuts or cheese or carbs as a small side item.
6) Cut carbs way way down. I eat like maybe a whole wheat bread round a day. maybe. However, I eat as much simple sugar as I want. And by this I mean naturally in my fruits and veggies. not gummy bears. but I eat all whole wheat. I eat very little pasta, rice, bread... You will get plenty of complex carbs in veggies. Also, veggies and fruit are high in fiber which is good.
7) Eat lean meats. Chicken, Turkey, Fish... Watch for hidden fats. Like shrimp, beef, things prepared in oil or butter. So on.
8) make your food as much as possible. and Be adventurous. try new things. Don't let yourself get bored. make fresh food. Enjoy your food. Really taste it.
9) If you are dying to cheat. Do it. Don't let it become a compulsion where you eat your whole fridge full. But account for it and up your work out for the day to burn it off.

My general everyday diet: Shake in the morning home made. Salad I prepare myself at home for lunch and a homemade warm dinner. Most of the diet is veggies. I only usually eat carbs at night because that is my danger time (or most hungry time) I need to save my calories for this time.

Hope that helps.

none
just count cals

none
just count cals

This is almost the opposite of what elisa and myself have said.

It can be difficult working out how to get enough to eat so you don't feel hungry without going over your allowance. For someone just starting out it can be confusing.

A couple of pieces of cheese on toast can be a large part of a person's daily allowance, and it is only 9:30am!

You don't have to follow any particular diet. You don't really even need to make major changes in what you're eating, although you may want to. What you do have to do is watch your portions. Eating healthier is a good thing in the long run and is a satisfying way to eat...eating consciously for nutrition as well as pleasure. Life is too short not to enjoy bacon or icecream now and then though.if it fits your macros for the day.