Healthiest way of eating

kwirky112 wrote: »

With all the information available online (and much of it contradictory), is anyone able to offer an insight into the healthiest way of eating long term?

I posted the following a few months back. I am including a photo of some of my typical meals (including this morning’s breakfast). FYI ONLY – I have eaten like this for over 1 year – it is my “new normal” it is NOT some temporary diet thing. I no longer eat the way I did in the past. Down 171 pounds so far.

“Fast-food & frozen dinners are tempting with hectic schedules. BUT I have found – with just a little planning healthy low-calorie dinners can be just as easy and quick to prepare. Below are just a few of my own meal creations that took 30 minutes or less to prepare. All of them are 250 calories or less…not that I don’t eat meals over 250.

I never eat off a paper plate or out of a container. The last thing I want is a meal that screams “I’m on a diet!” I adjust plate size depending upon the meal. I also have healthy mid-morning / afternoon snacks and save some calories for the TV munchies (100-calorie popcorn, Fiber Bar, Jello, Sugar-free Fruit Cups, Edy’s Frozen Bars etc.)

I’m fortunate – I love to cook and meal-prep in some ways relaxes me – as long as I’m the only one in the kitchen (LOL). I buy mostly healthy foods and then get a bit creative.

I do NOT deprive my wife of her favorites. She does not have a weight problem – I do. I will buy her occasional chocolates, ice cream, pizza, chips and McDonalds etc. and have none of it myself. She has always had those things in moderation and it helps me condition myself.”

Happy eating - everyone is different - I merely post what I have done "long-term" and will continue to do.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Michael Pollan has good advice: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

There's no magic formula for foods to avoid or add more of. Just eat at a caloric deficit and you'll lose weight.

But what you might find helpful to get you started is, for most meals, to split your plate into three sections. One half of the plate should be non-starchy vegetables. 1 quarter should be carbs. The other quarter should be protein. Nikonpal's plates above are actually a great example of what I mean!

You'll find this will already cut your calories down. Later you can tweak your macros for more/less protein/carbs. Just focus on getting this healthy balance for now. That's pretty sustainable.

Spend enough calories on whatever treats you like so that you don't feel deprived.

I ate this way for a couple of years and kept off a lot of the weight I'd lost. (Not all - I had too many treats.) But as a way to eat healthily, it's definitely sustainable long term.

These days I'm likely to have way fewer carbs and lots more protein, because that stops me eating junk. But I started small.