tired of diets looking for life changes

mommalivar
mommalivar Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This is my second round here, I stopped during my second pregnancy and could never get with it again.
I'm tired of diets and have been researching various eating habits on the net as well as pulling out some books.
Yes books the ones made of paper. I'm asking for assistance or testimonials on eating 6 small meals a day and
The eat to live book. I'm looking for something that will change my eating habits permanently
If there is any other resource that you suggest please let me know.

Replies

  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
    Good for you for looking for a lifestyle change rather than a "diet". In my opinion, whatever you do has to be sustainable.

    I eat generally 5-6 times a day but that doesn't mean it's 5 MEALS. I've found that if I eat something every 4 hours or so, making sure there's some protein each time, then I'm not starving and looking to put something in my stomach fast which ends up being something calorie dense and not very good for me. I'm also working on eating cleaner. I don't eat "clean" by any means, but definitely cleaner than I used to.
  • mommalivar
    mommalivar Posts: 3 Member
    One article I read talked about mini meals containing protein, whole grain and vegetables
    Two think of it as one meal divided.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    Look at http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/ for lots of good information.
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  • peter236uk
    peter236uk Posts: 140 Member
    Diets are a waste of time in my humble opinion it has to be a lifestyle changes and you have to want to lose the weight. I have lost 61lb since September 2012 by logging my calories and doing plenty of exercise.

    I am not a gym monkey but prefer to walk,Cycle and Gardening as much as possible.

    It's all about eating the right foods and exercise if you eat processed and high carb food and do little exercise then you will be fat its quite simple really.

    Humans were always hunter gatherers so we had to collect our food it was mostly made up of nuts,plants,grains and meat and fish if we could catch it.

    There was no Bread and pasta and cereals as such, however our diets and lifestyle has changed we do less manual work now but eat lots of processed food and high carb food.

    I would say that if I do alot of walking or cycling then I increase my carbs its all a balance I find good luck

    The above is only my thoughts and it seems to have worked for me
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member


    It's all about eating the right foods and exercise if you eat processed and high carb food and do little exercise then you will be fat its quite simple really.

    Humans were always hunter gatherers so we had to collect our food it was mostly made up of nuts,plants,grains and meat and fish if we could catch it.

    There was no Bread and pasta and cereals as such, however our diets and lifestyle has changed we do less manual work now but eat lots of processed food and high carb food.


    And see how old they lived at the time too!

    Sarcasm aside, it's exactly what you want to steer away... Diet fads. Find a lifestyle you can stick to for the rest of your life, with foods you'll eat for the rest of your life... then eat less. Count calories. You'll find out that yes, highly processed foods are often too many calories for how much they actually fill you up, so you'll have to learn to eat 'whole' foods (I'm not saying unprocessed because really, most of what we eat is processed). But it doesn't mean you have to cut out carbs or a whole food group or anything.
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
    Among other things I cut out fast food, candy bars and trips to DQ. Those empty calories pile up quickly. There are a lot of people here that will say that you can have all that as long as it fits into your daily calorie goal. While they are technically correct, they are more than likely to already be in fairly decent shape and have already establish good eating habits. I think that you have to sacrifice something in order to initiate change.

    A lifestyle change is a CHANGE. It's doing something different. It's breaking old habits. Yes, choosing green beans over fries is a good choice, but it's just one small part of a lifestyle change. The calories saved by choosing the green beans can be easily negated by a cinnamon roll. Make a small change and another and another, etc. Stick too it and eventually you will have changed your lifestyle.

    You have the right attitude of wanting a lifestyle change. Sustainable change.

    Good luck.
  • peter236uk
    peter236uk Posts: 140 Member
    It does not have to be processed although if you live in the states it would be difficult to eat fresh produce all the time. It is very difficult to not have any processed food.

    I only very little processed food then I want to know how and what has been done to it.

    I eat lots of veg and salad most of which we grow ourselves or source from the market. I buy meat and fish from the butcher or fish stall no processed meat in packets.

    I
  • pjsdj
    pjsdj Posts: 90 Member
    Well this isn't really what you asked for but I have been on the diet coaster for a long time to and have ended up gaining weight. The key for me is doability lol. I need to feel like I can eat out and eat pizza when I want so I'm focusing on hunger. I swear 6 small meals a day made me fatter . Well what I chose to eat for those 6 meals did anyways lol. Now if I get up at 5 and I'm not Hungary til 11 I don't eat. And if I'm Hungary and hour later I do eat! I think it's more about sustainability. Now given I'm losing ALOT slower than some people on here and traditionally ill do something for a month and won't loose enough and I quit but this time I'm trying to look at it like at least I'm not gaining and 1 pound a week is Better than loosing 10 and gaining 15!
  • AriTrueFitnessNutrition
    AriTrueFitnessNutrition Posts: 8 Member
    You really hit the nail on the head with this one, so good job on that! You're exactly right, following a cookie cutter meal plan is ridiculous for so many reasons. It doesn't TEACH you anything about nutrition and weight loss, it doesn't fit your specific needs, and most of the time they're proven to be no more effective than simply eating less than the calories you burn.

    If you're looking for a lifestyle change and not just another fad diet, I would recommend figuring out how many calories a day you need to maintain your weight, and undershooting that number each day. make sure to get at least 40% of your calories from protein, and then figure out what carb-fat ratio works best for you.

    Weight loss is not dependent on the TYPES of food you eat; it is solely dependent on an energy imbalance (taking in less calories than you burn).. obviously for OPTIMAL weight loss, you want to get the right amount of protein, carbs, and fat, all while staying under maintenance calories.

    Good luck!
  • lallaloolly
    lallaloolly Posts: 228 Member
    whether you want to eat six times per day or three, personally i think the best "first step" to changing your relationship with food is any program that teaches portion control, i.e. weight watchers. that type of program doesn't restrict any food, and it is also a great motivator for switching in healthier food choices (i.e. fruit and veggies, lean meats) so that you get more food throughout the day.

    as you get the portion control part down, you will start to discover whether you want to overhaul your diet (by diet i mean what you eat on a daily basis, not a fad weight loss plan) to accommodate your body's need for energy and fuel.

    if you aren't doing it already, my next recommendation would be to get a couple of great cookbooks or start visiting some recipe web sites like food.com and learn to cook healthier versions of what you already love (and by cook i mean from raw ingredients, not from a package or a box).

    good luck!
  • mommalivar
    mommalivar Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you to everyone for your input. I saw some things that yall posted that I want to research some more. some things I had not considered. I have great access to garden fresh vegetables here in South Texas so that's not an issue. Fruit use to make up 50% of diet but then I quit working in a grocery store and moved to an office.
    What I know for sure is that preparing ahead of time will help greatly, example obtaining the fruits and veggies ahead of time.
    Every site and book yell protein at me, so I really need to look at where I'm getting my protein and if I'm getting enough.
    I will have to look into carb ratios. I will need to cut out my fast-food intake, again preparing ahead will help with that. all in all I just need to step up and realize that these changes have to be doable long-term.
    Again thank you all very much and if yall wish to continue to add I am always open to suggestions.

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