How to eat enough of the right foods?

I'm new to this, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but what I'm seeing is most people are suggesting snacking, and not really, changing too much of what you eat, more changing portion sizes, so if you want a burger you could! I'm finding a lot of the stuff I'm used to eating though could literally take up 80% of my daily calories though!!! So I've been making a lot of changes in food I eat. Looks like you are already doing well congrats on the 12lb lost!!

there are no "right" foods and "wrong" foods.
Food is food.
Meet your calorie and macro goal and try your best to meet your micro nutrient goals each day.
If your fat macros are low for the day….have some cheese or avocado. If your carb macro is low for the day…have a bagel. Same with protein…..scarf a steak if need be.
it's really not that hard. Food is not good or bad. Food is either more nutrient dense or less nutrient dense.

eat real food. if you want something (like a burger), fit it in (by planning). stay away from anything labeled "diet" or "fat free" - low-fat is ok (keep the nutrition, skip the extra chemicals). have some things handy you can add in to hit your calories for days when you need help getting to your goal - certain snacks (mini popcorn bags, chocolate, granola-type bars, yogurt, nut butter), glass of wine, add avocado to a sandwich/salad/meal, etc...

i average 1800ish. send a friend request and i will send you a key to peek.

The way I approach it is to plan out each day (more-or-less) first thing (actually while I'm checking my work emails in the morning). I target getting my protein first, then fiber and then jiggle it around until it hits my calories. I don't obsess if one of those 3 things are off slightly.

I don't like snacking so I swap different foods around in my meals depending on whether I need more protein or fiber, and what's in the fridge.

I was always under the impression you have to eat healthfully all the time to loose weight, but I suppose if it fits it fits! I'll just use the 80/20 rule.

That is incorrect. You eat at a calorie deficit to lose weight. you could eat nothing but Pop Tarts….and as long as you ate less calories than you burn in the day, you could lose weight on pop tarts. Now….nobody is reccomeding that.

Food quality has nothing to do with losing scale weight and everything to do with overall health (and body composition).

I, personally, follow an IIFYM (if it fits your macros) style of eating. I have a carb, fat and protein goal each day. All food will fit into one or more of those three macros. You can fill them with whatever you like and as long as you are eating at a deficit, you will lose weight.

The right food: Foods that meat your macro and micro nutrient goals.

Any food can in combination with other foods can meet this requirement. Look at labels, plan ahead and nom nom nom.

I was always under the impression you have to eat healthfully all the time to loose weight, but I suppose if it fits it fits! I'll just use the 80/20 rule.

Most people have a very skewed view of what "healthy" means...in particular they seem to believe that dietary fat is "unhealthy" and should be avoided...in reality, dietary fat is a highly essential macro-nutrient. To boot, there are many wholesome foods like nuts and avocados which are high in fat and calories and extraordinarily nutrient dense and good for you.

Eating "healthy" doesn't mean just fruit and veg...that's only a little part of it....you need fat and you need protein for proper nutrition.

Then whats all the hype about eating healthy to loose weight? Im sorry I'm just trying to understand this.

Most of the hype you see about "healthy" foods is cooked up by marketing professionals trying to convince you to buy their product over their competitor's because it's "healthier."

I agree that no food is healthy or unhealthy by itself (assuming you have no medical reasons to avoid any particular foods). If you're getting enough fat & protein, eating several servings of fruit and veggies per day, and eating a varied diet to ensure plenty of micronutrients, then a burger or some chocolate cake or chips or whatever is fine as long as you feel good and you're hitting your goals.

It's okay to cut out foods like burgers or candy if you truly want to. But it's not necessary for weight loss or health. You can eat the foods you love in moderation and still be healthy.