Help with diet!

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Evoken
Evoken Posts: 36 Member
My entire life I have struggled with weight and now after the baby I am at my highest 194lbs. I have never been s healthy eater but when it comes to working out I will give it all in and workout like crazy. With a new born it's hard for me to workout to maintain weight let alone lose! I need help with my lifestyle change. I have tried shakes and other meal plans but just cannot seem to commit to anything. I plan on making a list of foods/recipes that I can make quickly and are healthy to eat! Help me out here guys.

Replies

  • kimirigoyen
    kimirigoyen Posts: 1 Member
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    When I started out I just cut back on what I was eating to smaller portions. Main thing is not to deprive yourself of anything because it will make you want it more. Chicken is a great food that helps me. Grilled chicken is a great option and can be used in different ways.
  • telisardh
    telisardh Posts: 2 Member
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    I use Isagenix shakes and nutritional cleanse products , and they're great because they are a TRUE meal replacement, and most shakes are not. They're also ALL natural, gluten free, stimulant free and low glycemic. Plus, you still get two snacks and a full fork meal each day. You don't struggle with hunger at all. It really simplified it for me, and I tried for years to lose weight! Find me on Facebook as Telisa Shumaker Prinsen and I can show you more.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    telisardh wrote: »
    I use Isagenix shakes and nutritional cleanse products , and they're great because they are a TRUE meal replacement, and most shakes are not. They're also ALL natural, gluten free, stimulant free and low glycemic. Plus, you still get two snacks and a full fork meal each day. You don't struggle with hunger at all. It really simplified it for me, and I tried for years to lose weight! Find me on Facebook as Telisa Shumaker Prinsen and I can show you more.

    OP, don't do this.

    You need to learn to eat real food, in appropriate portions.

    If you're time poor, make things you can prepare in bulk. If you're cooking chicken breast, cook enough for a weeks worth of lunches (for example). Weight it raw, cook enough for the portions you need (say, 7 x 150g) then bake. Portion it out into 7, freeze 5, keep out 2.

    Make big trays of baked vegie frittata. Split it up and freeze in portions. Eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner and cold or hot. Serve it with salad or vegies.

    Pre chop vegies to have as stir fry, salad, or to snack on with dip. Have fruit available.

    Make soups, curries, stews, meaty bolognese, chilli etc. Cooking in bulk saves time and money as well as stopping you mindlessly eating or resorting to less nutritious options too often because there's nothing prepared.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    Evoken wrote: »
    My entire life I have struggled with weight and now after the baby I am at my highest 194lbs. I have never been s healthy eater but when it comes to working out I will give it all in and workout like crazy. With a new born it's hard for me to workout to maintain weight let alone lose! I need help with my lifestyle change. I have tried shakes and other meal plans but just cannot seem to commit to anything. I plan on making a list of foods/recipes that I can make quickly and are healthy to eat! Help me out here guys.

    You will not outrun a bad diet. You need to change how much you eat. No shakes or weird meal plans, you are just setting yourself up for more trouble and learning nothing about how to maintain a lower weight. Get a food scale and weight everything you eat for a week or so. You will start seeing a pattern and understand what you need to limit, what you need to skip and replace with something less calorie-dense.
  • martyqueen52
    martyqueen52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    edited June 2015
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    You need to learn to eat within your caloric range.

    If you want a bag of chips, or that Snickers bar, eat it, AS LONG AS IT FITS WITHIN YOUR CALORIES. And be sure to WEIGH your food, so you know exactly what you're putting in your body.

    If you want something "cleaner", as the hippies call it, try a huge salad with add-ins. Foods like veggies are lower in calorie and you get a lot more volume, so, you feel fuller, longer.

    Cottage cheese is my favorite. You can make it sweet with splenda and cinnamon and vanilla extract, or tangy with hot sauce or salsa.

    Meal plans are a joke. Try your hardest to adjust to something you can handle for life so you don't go through mental battles with food and end up with a disorder.

    And yes, it's ok to go out to a dinner once a week or so and not track that meal.... just don't go ape-*kitten* wild.
  • cgalluzzo
    cgalluzzo Posts: 4 Member
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    Evoken wrote: »
    My entire life I have struggled with weight and now after the baby I am at my highest 194lbs. I have never been s healthy eater but when it comes to working out I will give it all in and workout like crazy. With a new born it's hard for me to workout to maintain weight let alone lose! I need help with my lifestyle change. I have tried shakes and other meal plans but just cannot seem to commit to anything. I plan on making a list of foods/recipes that I can make quickly and are healthy to eat! Help me out here guys.

    Cut out all the junk food you know is bad for you (cookies, fast food, etc). Avoid things that come in boxes and in the frozen section. Try to eat lots of veggies, fruit, legumes, dairy (keep to a minimum), lean meats (turkey, chicken, game meat), fish, healthy fats are crucial (nuts, avacado, olive oil). Obviously do allow yourself some treats once in a while!

    Cut up all your veggies and fruit for the week and pack them in containers so you can just grab and go. You can also make healthy turkey chili and keep it in the freezer for quite a while.

    For workouts try to do cardio 3-4x a week. It doesn't even have to be intense. A simple 45 minute walk can do wonders. And strength train also 3-4x a week.

    Remember that just because you workout like crazy doesn't give you the opportunity to eat whatever you'd like! Just remember balance is key :) .
  • martyqueen52
    martyqueen52 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    cgalluzzo wrote: »
    Evoken wrote: »
    My entire life I have struggled with weight and now after the baby I am at my highest 194lbs. I have never been s healthy eater but when it comes to working out I will give it all in and workout like crazy. With a new born it's hard for me to workout to maintain weight let alone lose! I need help with my lifestyle change. I have tried shakes and other meal plans but just cannot seem to commit to anything. I plan on making a list of foods/recipes that I can make quickly and are healthy to eat! Help me out here guys.

    Cut out all the junk food you know is bad for you (cookies, fast food, etc). Avoid things that come in boxes and in the frozen section. Try to eat lots of veggies, fruit, legumes, dairy (keep to a minimum), lean meats (turkey, chicken, game meat), fish, healthy fats are crucial (nuts, avacado, olive oil). Obviously do allow yourself some treats once in a while!

    Cut up all your veggies and fruit for the week and pack them in containers so you can just grab and go. You can also make healthy turkey chili and keep it in the freezer for quite a while.

    For workouts try to do cardio 3-4x a week. It doesn't even have to be intense. A simple 45 minute walk can do wonders. And strength train also 3-4x a week.

    Remember that just because you workout like crazy doesn't give you the opportunity to eat whatever you'd like! Just remember balance is key :) .

    Why would she need to cut out cookies? ....

  • CoachJen71
    CoachJen71 Posts: 1,200 Member
    edited June 2015
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    You don't necessarily have to do anything drastic to get started. Just get a digital scale if you don't have one. (Weighing in grams is more accurate. Ounces and measuring cups, not so much. ) There is a recipe builder on here, but it might be easier to just make separate protein/starch/veg meals to begin with. That's what I prefer to do, personally.

    If you haven't tracked your regular way of eating, some people find that very eye-opening. I eased my way in set at .5lbs. You might find that less stressful. I also pre-log my meals. It seems like more work in the beginning, but I find it far less stressful than trying to log and get my calories and macros right on the fly. I always seem to go over on cals when I don't pre-log.

    Like Kimiri, I also eat a lot of chicken. I find it eat easier to make 2 pans of chicken at once, and the bonus is I then have a second supper and also lunch meat. You can click my profile and peek at my diary if you like. I started mine in late July 2014, if you want to see what my eating looked like back in the beginning. (I started with 3 meals a day, but switched to extra snacks, so my original entries look like I eat a ton at 10am and finish my day at 3! LOL.) Message me if you see anything you would like the recipe for. I'm not a fabulous cook, so you won't see anything hard! Chicken baked with lemon juice and dried rosemary is a fave of mine. Lots of flavor, very little effort.

    Congrats on your new baby, and good luck on your journey to good health! :^)
  • besee_2000
    besee_2000 Posts: 365 Member
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    CoachJen71 wrote: »
    Just get a digital scale if you don't have one. )

    I second this. I got a scale for a gift from my future mother-in-law before I started counting and was slightly offended. Now I use this for baking and cooking instead of measuring cups. It is much more accurate.

    If you're time poor, make things you can prepare in bulk.

    Another great suggestion. If you're too hungry (and we women will jump in to hANGRY mode at a switch from drop of sugar levels) have prepared meals easy to reheat. Big crockpot recipes are fantastic. Also find substitutes of your favorites so it satisfies those cravings. www.skinnytaste.com has fantastic recipes that match both criteria.

    Good luck and be smart.
  • darkenergie
    darkenergie Posts: 27 Member
    edited June 2015
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    aggelikik wrote: »
    Evoken wrote: »
    You will not outrun a bad diet. You need to change how much you eat. No shakes or weird meal plans, you are just setting yourself up for more trouble and learning nothing about how to maintain a lower weight. Get a food scale and weight everything you eat for a week or so. You will start seeing a pattern and understand what you need to limit, what you need to skip and replace with something less calorie-dense.

    this x a million. It doesn't matter how much you overkill with exercise, that diet is going to account for a good 70% of your results....you eat like crap and you will both feel and look like it. If your eating habits are tied to your emotions or stress/anxiety, you will need to fix the root of that issue.
    Otherwise, I agree with everyone else. You have to look at portion control as your best bet, and after you stick with that, a slow progression into clean eating.
    I like to meal plan for my work week so that I can easily plan my calories. Fresh veggies and whole wheat pita/pretzel thins with hummus, whole fruits, instant brown rice with pico de gallo and canned seasoned beans, old fashion quick oats with a handful of berries and protein patties are all quick and easy meal components that I will take along with me throughout the week. I also like to bake high protein whole wheat, reduced sugar sweetbreads or muffins or make slow cooker lean meals to take with me at times.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    Evoken wrote: »
    My entire life I have struggled with weight and now after the baby I am at my highest 194lbs. I have never been s healthy eater but when it comes to working out I will give it all in and workout like crazy. With a new born it's hard for me to workout to maintain weight let alone lose! I need help with my lifestyle change. I have tried shakes and other meal plans but just cannot seem to commit to anything. I plan on making a list of foods/recipes that I can make quickly and are healthy to eat! Help me out here guys.

    here is my advice.

    enter stats into MFP and eat to number MFP gives you.
    set macro percents to 35% protein/35% carbs/30% fats.
    get a food scale and weigh all solids.
    log everything that you eat into MFP and be honest about said logging.
    realize no foods are bad and you can incorporate foods you like, like pizza, ice cream, cookies, etc; just make sure that the majority of foods are nutrient dense.
    find a form of exercise you enjoy and do it…not necessary or weight loss but this is good for overall health.
    repeat until you get to goal weight.

    eat real food and ditch the shakes, cleanses, and all other BS products.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    telisardh wrote: »
    I use Isagenix shakes and nutritional cleanse products , and they're great because they are a TRUE meal replacement, and most shakes are not. They're also ALL natural, gluten free, stimulant free and low glycemic. Plus, you still get two snacks and a full fork meal each day. You don't struggle with hunger at all. It really simplified it for me, and I tried for years to lose weight! Find me on Facebook as Telisa Shumaker Prinsen and I can show you more.

    NO
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    cgalluzzo wrote: »
    Evoken wrote: »
    My entire life I have struggled with weight and now after the baby I am at my highest 194lbs. I have never been s healthy eater but when it comes to working out I will give it all in and workout like crazy. With a new born it's hard for me to workout to maintain weight let alone lose! I need help with my lifestyle change. I have tried shakes and other meal plans but just cannot seem to commit to anything. I plan on making a list of foods/recipes that I can make quickly and are healthy to eat! Help me out here guys.

    Cut out all the junk food you know is bad for you (cookies, fast food, etc). Avoid things that come in boxes and in the frozen section. Try to eat lots of veggies, fruit, legumes, dairy (keep to a minimum), lean meats (turkey, chicken, game meat), fish, healthy fats are crucial (nuts, avacado, olive oil). Obviously do allow yourself some treats once in a while!

    Cut up all your veggies and fruit for the week and pack them in containers so you can just grab and go. You can also make healthy turkey chili and keep it in the freezer for quite a while.

    For workouts try to do cardio 3-4x a week. It doesn't even have to be intense. A simple 45 minute walk can do wonders. And strength train also 3-4x a week.

    Remember that just because you workout like crazy doesn't give you the opportunity to eat whatever you'd like! Just remember balance is key :) .

    No, no, no.

    You don't have to cut out foods that you like. YOu can eat cookies and fast food be in a deficit, lose weight, and be healthy.

    You don't need to strength train or do cardio. OP needs to find something that she LIKES to do and do that.
  • Evoken
    Evoken Posts: 36 Member
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    I cannot begin to thank you guys for all the suggestions and support. So an update: I joined a gym last week and worked out 4x and today I'll make a menu board for the house for the whole week and next week I'll get a food scale and work on my portion control. Thank you again guys!!