How do you choose what foods to eat?

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  • 4daluvof_candice
    4daluvof_candice Posts: 483 Member
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    I started by trading foods that I want to eat for foods that are better for me:

    Oil popped popcorn for butter TO Air popped popcorn with spray oil
    Ice cream TO Smoothie (1 frozen banana, 1 cup of 2 per cent milk, 1/2 cup of frozen berries)
    Diet drink TO Infused water (Cucumber slices, orange, lime or lemon wedges)
    White bread TO Whole wheat Bread
    Full calorie whole wheat bread TO lower calorie whole wheat bread (Joseph's Whole Grain Pita Bread or Nature's Best Whole Wheat Bread)

    For foods that I can't seem to give up (yet), I limit how much I have.
    Two martinis TO One martini
    Two eggs TO One egg (or One egg and + egg whites)
    As much mayonnaise as I want! TO 1-2 Tablespoons

    And, more recently, I have started looking at the nutritional value of my foods and making more choices based on that.



    Definitely this^^^^^^^^^^
  • Txman70
    Txman70 Posts: 15
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    Thanks for all the replies as they are very helpful. For the home cooked meals, how do you determine the calories and nutritional values? Also I see a lot of references to weighing the food. How do you use the weight information? Any other ideas?
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
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    I wouldn't sweat it, just start logging. The learning curve is about 2 weeks before you know what foods are better bang for your buck. Pre-logging really helps, I do it all the time after someone suggested it here.

    By pre-logging I take it you mean adding the item to MFP before you eat it and looking at the calorie and nutritional info instead of after eating. Correct?

    Yep. That's exactly what I mean :)

    ETA: For example, if I have a McDonald's combo for lunch (which happens from time to time) I know that because the fries are carb heavy AND calorie dense, I'm probably going to have to have fish for dinner to get a good amount of protein with little calories in order to cover the spread lol.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    I agree with the trial and error theory. This is pretty much how I've gone through the process and continue to try new things all the time. When I first started, I mostly tried to get in as many yummy things as I could within my calorie allotment but I found that didn't always satisfy me so after some research and thought, I tried to increase my protein intake. This is also how I found out that I'm not a huge fan of protein powder. I mostly get my protein naturally (greek yogurt, eggs, meat) and have a protein bar pretty much every day.

    Speaking of greek yogurt, this is a good examples of the process. I tried the plain stuff a couple years ago and thought it was awful (actually had to wipe off my tongue and rinse my mouth out it was so gross) so I compromised and went with the Chobani flavored for a while. About a year later, on a whim I tried some of those Fage side cups and tried just eating the yogurt without the flavoring and found out that I now adored the stuff! So now I just buy plain yogurt, add some berries or a little natural jam and chia seeds and I am happy happy happy at snack time.

    I also agree with eating the things you like but tweak the ingredients and/or portions so they fit in your calorie goals.
  • Escape_Artist
    Escape_Artist Posts: 1,155 Member
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    I pre log before packing lunch. Also, I eliminated processed food, anything labelled low fat/low calories, I eat whole food.
    I eat whatever fits my calories and macros, litteraly whatever. :tongue:

    I use my Iphone to log, as it has a bar code scanner. By entering the right Brand and name of the item you want to log you shouldn't have any problem logging homemade meals. There is a Recipe option in your food log for you to enter your homemade meals

    :flowerforyou:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Thanks for all the replies as they are very helpful. For the home cooked meals, how do you determine the calories and nutritional values? Also I see a lot of references to weighing the food. How do you use the weight information? Any other ideas?

    I enter the ingredients for dishes/meals into recipe section and determine a serving size (sometimes I use cups (measuring cup) and sometimes I just put the number of people the whole dish will serve). I don't weigh my food, I go by volume measurements. But weighing can be helpful if you are new to cooking.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
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    I just stopped eating all the junk food I had been (chips, candy, chocolates, etc.) and started eating lots of fruits and vegetables as snacks instead.

    I also drink lots of water in place of all the pop I used to consume.

    It's a gradual lifestyle change. I still have my treats once in a while, just not as often as I used to.
  • hsmama11
    hsmama11 Posts: 25 Member
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    I may get in trouble for mentioning this on here...but when I started my weight loss journey 2 years ago I used www.sparkpeople.com for menu suggestions. The reason I used it was when you create an account and click on "track your food" they give you meal plans choices for each meal. They are a great stepping stone to learn how to combine fresh foods to make balanced meals. Each meal has a bank of about 20 different meals to chose from. Recipes are included if needed. They taught me a lot. Now, I use myfitnesspal because the interface is so much better to me. There are some meals I have created in Myfitness pal that came straight from spark people suggestions. Hope this helps! Laurie :)
  • aNewYear123
    aNewYear123 Posts: 279 Member
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    Thanks for all the replies as they are very helpful. For the home cooked meals, how do you determine the calories and nutritional values? Also I see a lot of references to weighing the food. How do you use the weight information? Any other ideas?

    The weight information is used to determine serving size. For home cooked meals I enter the recipe in MFP and use the recipe to log my food the same way I log other food. (You can choose a serving of your recipe in the food diary)
  • treetoptrevor
    treetoptrevor Posts: 10
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    One of the best things you can do for yourself is that when you have a "bad day" look at it as a learning experience,. You just learned what was in the food you ate, even if it is not good for you, you know for next time.
  • malk2651
    malk2651 Posts: 55 Member
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    The Best advice i've ever had is only buy stuff on the outside walls of the grocery stores. The produce section, The meat section, The Dairy section. Limit the stuff you buy that comes in a box and you can eat more and get more bang for you caloric buck.

    Nothing wrong with the cookies occasionally, but if it says "low fat or diet" on it it usually has minimal nutritional value.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    I just started logging the foods I was already eating - ie. the foods that I know I enjoy. Then, I worked out what my personal priorities were regarding nutrition, and looked at how things matched up in my MFP diary. I made tweaks as appropriate - gradually, so I had time to incorporate new habits. For example, I really struggled at first to get anywhere near enough protein, so I started eating Greek yoghurt every day, and more meat. For a time I also struggled to get enough fibre, so I now incorporate a lot more vegetables throughout the day, and when I have my yoghurt, I have berries on top, adding a couple of grams of fibre without even noticing.

    If I have a lot of calories left over after my main meal, I look to see how well I've met my goals. If I've had a lot of protein and fibre and micronutrients, I'll probably have something in the dessert line. If I'm low in some of those nutrients, then I'll (usually) have something a bit more nutritious.

    Keep it simple to start with and start with the foods you like. If you change things too radically and only eat foods for their nutritional value, cutting out all your regular foods, you might find that hard to sustain for very long.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    I just started logging the foods I was already eating - ie. the foods that I know I enjoy. Then, I worked out what my personal priorities were regarding nutrition, and looked at how things matched up in my MFP diary. I made tweaks as appropriate - gradually, so I had time to incorporate new habits.

    Yep, just like this.

    I will say, though, if you have absolutely no clue where to start and you cook your own food, this is the ONE time I think diet books and health-conscious magazines can come in handy (because 99% of the time their advice is total crap). Find them in your local library, flip through and find recipes that look tasty to you. They should be reasonable calorie-wise and they should have the nutrient info right there so you don't have to figure it out. The other thing they can be good for is figuring out how to convert a super calorie dense meal that you love into a somewhat less calorie dense meal that you still love.
  • Salor007
    Salor007 Posts: 8 Member
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    Thanks for all the replies as they are very helpful. For the home cooked meals, how do you determine the calories and nutritional values? Also I see a lot of references to weighing the food. How do you use the weight information? Any other ideas?

    I'm new too, and have a hard time with this!! How the hell am I supposed to break down homemade soups, dinners, etc? I guess I need to tally every item and divide by serving.. Give or take
  • CorlissaEats
    CorlissaEats Posts: 493 Member
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    Hmmm. Good question. :smile:

    I pick mine based on fibre content a lot of the time, also looking to reduce my processed sugar intake. I aim for at least 30 different foods/ingredients on any given day in an effort to meet my nutrition requirements. Ideally half of every meal is plant based for me. I also don't eat wheat/gluten for health reasons so grains/bread/pasta don't really factor in for me or push my carb intake too high. But if you do, keep an eye on it. I eat a lot of legumes- lentils, dried beans, chickpeas, etc. Its basic- I look for variety and high fibre foods-- and I ignore healthy fat content numbers.

    I end up planning my whole day early on and adjusting my portion sizes to meet the calorie goal. Which means that if I want cheesecake for dessert I either have a small amount of a recipe that uses greek yogurt (high protein) or I adjust something on my lunch. No celery munching for me!
  • itsscottwilder
    itsscottwilder Posts: 317
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    A great rule of thumb is:

    The more it takes human processing to get it ready to eat; the less it has anything beneficial to offer your body.
  • sarahmax0817
    sarahmax0817 Posts: 17
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    Making good choices are hard and I myself was surprised by the the amount of sodium and sugars in some foods that I thought were very "healthy" for me. Just like everyone else I try and stick with lean proteins, fruits, veggies, wheat breads and avoid white sugars. I also follow the Body by Vi 90 Day Challenge Program and just love the meal replacement shakes b/c I know I am getting all the nutrients I need and I don't have to worry about the nitty gritty details :)
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
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    I'm glad someone asked this question, and I have wondered about this myself.

    One problem I have is that for a lot of the stuff I eat I just use the "Quick Add Calories" feature. When you do that you don't get carbs, fiber, etc. added to your totals.

    Also, I really don't know how much of all of these things I should be eating.
  • Brige2269
    Brige2269 Posts: 354 Member
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    When you are getting your fruit and veggies, fresh is best, but just never canned. They add tons of sodium and the serving size usually has 3 servings per can in the veggies, and loads of sugar in the fruits. If you get frozen, you wont have all that soduim and sugar. That's my two cents, lol. Good luck!
  • jnewell9
    jnewell9 Posts: 31 Member
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    Eat real food. Less of it. Mostly plants. - Michael Pollan

    This has served me very well.
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