How do I even eat?.

Track everything in the diary. After a few days or a week or two look to see if you want to make changes. Essentially you can eat what you are eating now as long as you are eating less.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

My opinion on what works for me...

1. All the veggies you can stomach. Lots of variety, and not swimming in high calorie dressing or sauce or butter. A little is okay, but not too much.
2. take it easy on the fruit. No more than 1 or 2 servings a day, and definitely "fruit" and not "fruit juice".
3. Protein. Several small servings a day. Lean is good, but fat is not "the devil" provided you accurately track and account for the calories. In many cases, you'll need to cut the fat down, not because its bad for you... but because it pushes your calorie intake way over the top. Fat and protein will satisfy your hunger, unlike the veggies. Eat them strategically.
4. Bread. Don't eat it if you are trying to lose weight. Same for pasta. I'd severely limit all grains if you want to lose weight.

Be very honest and accurate in your calorie intake and exercise. Use the app. It works.

What food did you eat before you started MFP? Figure out your goals, set reasonable expectations (depending how much you have to lose, may not be 2 lbs/week, may be 1 lb) and start logging. Many people find using a food scale to weigh their food helps dramatically. Many people set macro targets (Protein, Fat, Carbs) and try to balance those. Many people use exercise to "earn" additional calories.

These recommendations are not mutually exclusive. Bottom line, if you are trying to lose weight, you need to consume less calories than you expend. Calories In < Calories Out. You can do that eating the same foods that you ate before joining MFP, just in smaller quantities.

What you're eating isn't as important as how many calories you're eating. That's really the number one thing you should internalize; it's all about eating less calories than your body is burning every day.

When you start MFP, you should have set a starting weight and your body stats and picked a weight loss goal. MFP will then set you a calorie goal for each day. That's your starting point, theoretically. However, I often advise someone new to this process to simply start by recording everything you eat. That's it, just simply getting used to the process of logging absolutely everything that crosses your lips. After a few days, take a good look at it and decide where you can make some easy changes to your diet that will result in less calories. You will probably be very surprised how many calories some of the foods you eat contain or how many calories you're getting through what you drink.

Next, buy a kitchen scale so you can weigh your food. Food portions are often overestimated. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter are 200 calories and don't look like that much when seen sitting on a slice of bread. Getting to understand portion sizes will really help you in the long run.

Like others have said, what are you eating now? If you are logging, how are your macros (the total amounts of carbs, fats, and protein)?

Many people find it easier to look at what they are eating and see where they might be eating many excess calories that aren't worth it to them or aren't filling them up. For example, if you found that you were using 600 calories per day on soda, that might be something you'd want to reconsider as an easy place to cut. For me, it was easy to cut calories used on stuff like rice and bread, since I don't care much about those foods--they were calories that weren't worth it to me, more calories I ate because they were there. If you love these foods, though, you'd want to cut somewhere else.

Other people (including me) find it easier to focus on weightloss in the context of eating a healthy diet, and if that's you and you aren't sure if your diet is currently healthy you might want to think about whether you are eating a lot of food (and mostly filling up on) foods with lots of nutrients. In particular, you'd want to get calories from protein (in meat, eggs, dairy, beans, and a variety of other foods--MFP will show you), healthy fats (things like olive oil, avocados, nuts), and of course a good many vegetables and fruits.

I tend to approach meals by making sure I have some protein, some veggies, and then add fruit/dairy/starch depending on what I'm in the mood for. Starch means stuff like grains (bread, pasta rice), potatoes, sweet potatoes. But what you do will depend on your personal preferences.

Also, eating healthy doesn't at all exclude eating some things that you just enjoy the taste of, regardless of nutrients. It's just that by focusing on nutrients first you tend to ensure that you eat them in moderation.

None of this is essential to losing weight; just a way that can work if you find it more appealing to focus on eating a healthy diet vs. just eating less.

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Why are some people so against fruit?? I love my fruit, and don't limit it all!

You sound like someone who could benefit from reading up, and from starting with a reasonable formal diet. I could recommend a few, based on your preferences. Formal diets can be a good way to learn if you're totally at a loss. I was, when I began.

I guess it depends on your goals. A number on a scale? improved health? Both?

Good luck!

Personally, I try to follow Michael Pollan's advice: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." By "food," he means anything that your grandmother would recognize as food. (Maybe it's safer to say great-grandmother these days.)

I modify the rule, though, to include anyone's (great-)grandmother. My grandmothers both had pretty limited ranges, though they cooked well within them.

You don't need to do that to lose weight, though. You could lose weight eating TV dinners and drinking PBR, as long as you stay within your calorie goal. I just find it more satisfying to cook good meals and to eat my veggies.

That said, tonight's dinner is steak and potatoes with broccoli, followed by cheese and crackers, accompanied by a glass or two of red wine. But lunch was chickpea-tomato soup, and tomorrow's dinner is pasta with a vegan spinach-cashew sauce and a big salad. And I also have the occasional burger with fries or slice of pizza. I'm not going to cut those out forever, so I've learned to fit them into my goals.

christinev297 wrote: »

Why are some people so against fruit?? I love my fruit, and don't limit it all!

I am not "against" fruit (or bread). I only advise to people that are starting out, to be careful with higher calorie foods and carbs. You can easily reach your calorie limit and still feel very hungry. That can lead to frustration, cheating, and even quitting. Good luck and good wishes to the OP.

zutari wrote: »

Wow, way more people posting than I expected. I really appreciate it! I got some really good advice! I know that losing weight is most of the time as simple as intake vs outtake, but even eating pizza everyday (I don't do it, but hypothetically) even if it's a small amount won't make me any healthier, just smaller and unhealthy.

Also, it seemed like to me that there is a way to share your diary with other people?

yes you can make your diary public.just click on settings

obscuremusicreference wrote: »

KJoubert1966 wrote: »

My opinion on what works for me...

1. All the veggies you can stomach. Lots of variety, and not swimming in high calorie dressing or sauce or butter. A little is okay, but not too much.
2. take it easy on the fruit. No more than 1 or 2 servings a day, and definitely "fruit" and not "fruit juice".
3. Protein. Several small servings a day. Lean is good, but fat is not "the devil" provided you accurately track and account for the calories. In many cases, you'll need to cut the fat down, not because its bad for you... but because it pushes your calorie intake way over the top. Fat and protein will satisfy your hunger, unlike the veggies. Eat them strategically.
4. Bread. Don't eat it if you are trying to lose weight. Same for pasta. I'd severely limit all grains if you want to lose weight.

Be very honest and accurate in your calorie intake and exercise. Use the app. It works.

I'm glad that works for you, but I've lost 27 pounds eating bread and 2-5 servings of fruit. OP, make sure you're logging accurately and eating at MFP's recommendation for calories and the weight will come off.

I lost 30 pounds eating 3-5 servings of fruit a day and some bread. I'm eating a grilled cheese sandwich right now. I try to eat mostly nutritious food, a wide variety of it and not treat any food like it's "bad." Fruit, veg, lean meat, dairy, whole grains, and some treats. Mostly figure out a plan that you can live with quite happily for the rest of your life. Otherwise, you will quit.

zutari wrote: »

6'2 295 lbs.
I have lost about 15 pounds but I'm not exactly sure what or how I should be eating. I know fruits and veggies but, how many? What kind? What kinds of breads? Anyone know where to start?

If you're eating at a deficit, protecting your lean muscle mass with extra protein is important. Aim for around 30% of your calories in protein. Then divide the remaining between fat and carbs in a proportion you're comfortable with. I aim for 30% protein, 30% fat and 40% carbs, but I don't worry much about anything but the protein.

As far as what to eat, in general, try dividing your plate into 4 parts. Eat 2 parts veggies, 1 part lean protein and 1 part starch (potatoes, pasta, whole grains, etc.). That's just a starting point. Add and subtract as your macros allow, like extra veggies and fruits. For specifics, seriously, eat what you like.

Try to make room for foods that you love which aren't everyday things...like desserts, pizza, burgers, whatever. Be smart about them...buy single servings, or only buy when you have someone to split it with. But don't cut out the things you love. That just makes it that much harder to adhere to your plan.

Listen to your body and eat what it tells you it wants.

And if you don't know what to eat, stop trying to figure it out with your brain. Can you take a few minutes and get in touch with how your body feels? What does it need to feel nourished?

For me, being out of touch with my body is why I binged and ate such *kitten* food. When I stopped to think about what I actually wanted, I realized it was neither cookies cookies all the time cookies, nor whole grain rice and a dry baked chicken breast. It was something in between.

Have you ever considered meditating?

When did I become a crazy person? Haha a few years ago I would have read my reply and said just stick to the science, crazy lady! But anyway, I just speak from my experience.

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