What the hell am I supposed to eat??

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  • yankeefamily05
    yankeefamily05 Posts: 657
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    Are you a vegetarian, because eyou didn’t list a single meat or dair product. These will add calories and a re good for you.


    Dairy is high in sugar though. I love yogurt, but it's high in sugar :( And I do eat meat, usually at dinner, and usually only 4 ounces at a time, I am really not a big fan of eating meat, but I do eat meat once a day.


    *Hugs* Don't look TOO far into it. Just look at the back of the yogurt and aim for one with lower sugar! If you are eatting say a thing of yogurt with a decent amt of sugar in it compared to say a donut, you are going to do better with the yogurt. I guarantee it. I see on MFP that alot of people are like don't eat too much fruit because it has alot of sugar. Guess what? I am pretty darn tooten sure I didn't get to this weight by eating FRUIT I got this way by eating cake, cookies etc...!
  • mamarundrc
    mamarundrc Posts: 1,577 Member
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    I don't really track sugar but I do try to watch sodium. It is tough. On days that I am over on sodium I try to make sure to take in extra water. Look for lower sodium alternatives. You mentioned Tuna in your post- Starkist makes a solid white albacore pouch that only has 10 mg of sodium. If you have to use canned veggies- find the no salt added type- they typically have 10-30 mg of sodium per serving. Try to stay away from soy sauce based meals as it adds a ton of sodium. If you are using beans use bagged or fresh instead of canned. Also, Herb-ox makes a sodium free chicken boullion that you can use to make chicken broth for cooking. It takes a lot of label reading but you can find better alternative.

    Also, Check out www.allrecipes.com. You can search for recipes based on dietary needs (low sugar, low sodium etc.). Good luck!
  • lupin03
    lupin03 Posts: 3 Member
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    I always go over too. I can reach my limit with just the fruit I eat. I decided to watch saturated fat, cholesterol, and fiber.
  • RoadDog
    RoadDog Posts: 2,946 Member
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    Start eating fresh. Stop opening cans and boxes. Once you stay away from processed foods, you will cut way back on the sodium. When I started, I didn't even have a plan. I just ate like I normally did and logged it. After a couple weeks I started looking at my entries. It was no secret as to where the extra calories, sodium, etc. was coming from. Then I just started dialing it in.
  • wwperry
    wwperry Posts: 15 Member
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    OMG! I'm very jealous. My goal is 1200 calories a day... it's very hard to not go over even with the most healthy foods.
    Salt is bad, but I really don't worry about anything but the fat, carbs and calories. Mainly...calories.
    Protein adds alot of calories... so maybe try some almonds or other nuts and even beans are great... lotsa good fiber.
  • reddcat
    reddcat Posts: 314 Member
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    Laughing to myself because I basically posted the same thing to my friends today. Told them I did not want to exercise because I did not want to try and figure out what else to eat. I agree with majority of posters though. Sodium is a killer. Everyone says shop around the outside of the store to help cut down on that. Skip the inside aisles for the most part and it should help.
  • _SusieQ_
    _SusieQ_ Posts: 2,964 Member
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    Don't give up!!!! You can do this! I was truly getting annoyed just like you with sugar/sodium. Than I realized I can REMOVE the sodium part from it. I dont even have to look at it. Instead of looking at numbers, I go by how I feel and drink a TON of water. If I see that I am retaining water, I simply lay off some of the foods I have been eatting!!!!

    I have to agree with this one. I have a lot to lose as well, and to be quite frank, if I try to do it all at once, I'm setting myself up for failure. Baby steps hon, baby steps. Concentrate first on calories. Add in some cardio. Drink LOTS of water. As you develop habits, and it becomes less overwhelming, start focusing on choices that ARE lower in sodium and sugar. This is just my opinion, but I know that for myself, if I tried to turn my whole life upside down at once, I will end up giving up b/c it IS hard.

    Hang in there, once you decide it really is time for yourself, you will succeed! <3
  • MistyMtnMan
    MistyMtnMan Posts: 527 Member
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    Ok just take a breather. Getting used to a healthy diet isn't easy. Even if you thought you ate good before, it's still hard. For your sodium issues I wouldn't even worry about it UNLESS it's coming from bad food. Sodium from tuna and chicken and such, don't worry about it but sodium from lunch meat or fast food is bad. Ge it? It's all about where you're getting it from. Same with sugar and carbs. If you are ONLY getting sugar and carbs from fruit and whole grains, don't sweat it if you go over. BUT if its from candy and white bread and pastries, THAT"S when you should watch it.

    I would also reccommend a good protein supplement and protein bars for added protein which you can never get enough of. Especially if they are low cal and fat. For protein shakes I've found ISO-Sensation 93 to be excellent because it's low cal, no fat, no sugar, no carbs and 30g of protein. Also, Pure Protein bars are really good nutritionally and a filling snack.

    You can also make up some chicken breast to have on hand for salads or dinners. Just remember, it's all about WHERE these numbers are coming from be it fat sugar or carbs.
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
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    While I agree that watching sodium and sugar play an important role in the long run, portion control, counting calories, and a little exercise will go a long way when you are starting out. I didn't start looking at macronutrients like sodium and sugar until I lost about 30lbs. You will drive yourself crazy trying to balance everything out!!

    And there is no way that a salad and orange for lunch are putting you over your limits for the day...it's everything else that you are consuming over the course of the day. As for yogurt being loaded with sugar...yes it is if you buy the "fruity" kind. I just buy plain non-fat no added sugar yogurt. Great source of protein!!

    As for what I eat: lean protein (chicken and fish), lots of fresh fruits and veggies, healthy carbs (brown rice and sweet potatoes), healhty fats (olive oil/nuts/avocado) and low fat dairy. I don't eat a lot of processed foods: so very little out of a bag, box, jar or can other than condiments, dairy and whole grains. i did not make all of my changes over night....just take it one day, one week at at a time.
  • jujudot
    jujudot Posts: 129 Member
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    I would try just focusing on the calories right now. Once you get that down, then start looking at ways you can cut back on sodium/sugar. That's my plan anyways! :wink: Also, try to stay away from processed/prepackaged items-they are ALWAYS loaded with sodium and/or sugar!
  • sammyjj53
    sammyjj53 Posts: 54 Member
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    I felt the same way about eating all of my calories when I don't even want to eat or are hungry. My diary is open to the public so feel free to take a look. I was having the same problem with sodium. I learned that A LOT of "light" or "fat free" foods are just loaded with sodium. Jus make sure you drink a ton of water. I my self get in at least 108 oz a day, almost a gallon of water. If you need to find foods that are still healty yet higher in calories, try nuts or alvacados. Don't stress too much about this. I drove my self crazy with all of this, the weight loss, weighing my self every day, caloric intake, sodium, etc. I had to take about 5 steps back and relax about everything. Jus take a step back and push through this. You can do it and you have a lot of support here on MFP!!!

    Good luck to you.
  • HolleeERL
    HolleeERL Posts: 313 Member
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    If you like yogurt, I just discovered that CHOBANI greek yogurt is lower in sugar, fat, sodium and higher in protein. A little more expensive but better than the others.
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
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    I can't do this counting crap anymore!!!!! I'm going insane!!! I don't know what the hell to eat.
    MFP has my calorie goal at 2010 calories per day and I'm already having trouble reaching that goal every day because I am trying to be conscious about what I eat, and eating healthier foods makes it harder to eat so many calories.
    I am trying to eat 6 smaller meals every day.
    My problem is that that I cannot manage to keep my sodium and sugar down (sodium more than sugar, if I go over on sugar it's usually by just a few grams), it's like a freaking jigsaw puzzle. I think it's absurd that I cannot have an orange and a salad for lunch - a total of 200 calories - and it put me way over on sodium and sugar!!! That's ridiculous! That's not even a BIG salad, we're talking like 1/2 a cup of lettuce and 2 tablespoons of LIGHT dressing. That's barely enough food for my 3-year-old, yet it's like 450mg sodium. I was going to eat tuna today for lunch, but at 550mg sodium!??! I thought tuna was good for you!

    I try to eat good things like oatmeal and special K cereal or raisin bran, and fruit and peanut butter, and whole grain or pumpernickel bread, and light yogurt... and it's ridiculous how far over on my sodium I always am YET I will still have a thousand calories or so left over every day. I am going freaking crazy trying to deal with this jigsaw puzzle - I don't have TIME for this every freaking day! I cannot sit and input each hypothetical meal and try to piece together reaching my calorie goal while maintaining a lower sodium level. It's like a part-time job... overly time consuming. I REALIZE that processed foods are higher in sodium, totally get that. However, I do not farm in my backyard, I have 3 kids, and we don't live on a steady diet of raw vegetables.

    How to you even begin to have a common sense diet, reach what feels like an obscene amount of calories every day (and eating back exercise calories?!? Some days I have to eat 2400 for the day, that's a LOT, I'm going crazy) and still maintain lower sodium???

    And before I get hit with judgmental comments, I realize that I weigh a lot, but this is mostly due to my not eating enough combined with PCOS and a bad hormonal imbalance, so I'm working from several disadvantages that I'm trying to overcome. My biggest issue of all was not eating enough. I wasn't eating all day... no breakfast or lunch... I'd have something around 2 o'clock-ish, then eat dinner, and sometimes have a snack late at night and that was it. I'm trying to re-train myself to eat 6 smaller meals every day starting when I first get up and it's been hard to make myself eat when I don't "feel" like it.

    I have read a lot of posts on here, and it's no carbs, low sugar, low sodium, low calories... what the hell do you eat??? Everything is loaded with all kinds of crap, even things that are supposed to be good for you... full of sugar, sodium, HFCS, dyes, etc. etc. etc. I am not going to successfully live on a raw vegetable diet, that I can promise. So what is more important - meeting my calorie goal? Keeping sodium low - which means not achieving my calorie goal every day... ?? I dunno.... but the amount of thought that I have to put into this is worse than being obsessed and compulsively overeating.

    My first week or so I lost 8 pounds and I haven't lost a damn thing since. I was up 1.5 lbs from YESTERDAY when I weighed this morning, so I am feeling severely defeated and irritated.

    Anyone have any common sense advice for me???

    I sent you a PM.

    If you are trying to eat clean and natural, don't worry about meeting a calorie goal. Please respond to my PM if you would like more help.

    A fellow PCOS'r here with great successes...........
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
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    Some of us DO have a higher calorie goal daily. Mine is 1600-1800, which typically I meet by eating 3 solid meals, daily + a protein shake on work out days. I don't snack, save for the occasional Babybel cheese or handful of almonds in the late afternoon if I'll be eating dinner late. Not snacking = bigger, more satisfying meals = less food to prepare and pack in the morning.

    It's extremely easy to eat meals that are 400-600 calories. A salad can actually consist of a full tablespoon of olive oil and 4-6 solid ounces of meat, 1 ounce of cheese, nuts, etc. without going over on any calorie limits.

    Best suggestion I have on avoiding processed stuff is to:

    1. Shop on the outer aisles of the grocery store - focus on buying produce, raw meat, bulk foods.
    2. Cook at home. Learn to love it - learn to make time for it and have stuff ready in the fridge.
    3. Eat dairy (cheese, plain yogurt, butter) and eggs. They're basically nature's convenience foods and go well with many meals.
    4. Limit consumption of starches. Use lettuce or low carb wraps to "wrap" sandwiches, eat meats with a fork.
    5. Seasoning and spices - use these instead of sauces.
    6. Read blogs and recipe sites for recipe hacks and quick tips to use real ingredients.
    7. Pack your lunch everyday.
    8. Don't use sugar, don't use flour. There are plenty of substitutes.
  • ShrinkingStephanie
    ShrinkingStephanie Posts: 55
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    Think it might be impossible to balance it out without someone giving you specific meals every day. The only things I track are calories and protein, I generally ignore the rest. I always try to at least double the protein allotment I'm given and try to stay under or just above the calorie count. Try limiting your fruit to 1 or 1.5 servings a day, eat complex carbs not the refined ones and I think your sugar automatically reduces. I never even think about sodium to be honest. If you're eating everything else healthy and drinking enough water I feel its a non-issue.

    *My thoughts/advice are not based on actual medical evidence, just observation and personal opinion! I just agree that with 3 kids (I only have 1!) and a busy life, worrying about this stuff is impractical, mind-boggling and just not worth the effort.
  • pjhenderson
    pjhenderson Posts: 5
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    I always go over on my sugar. But, I don't worry too much as long as I stay at the calorie limit they set. You can go back into your original setup and change your weight goals. Maybe that would lower your calorie limit so that you don't feel like you're having to eat more than you need. When I started I just focused on eating whatever I wanted as long as it was within the calorie limit. That way I wasn't always telling myself no to things I like (chocolate being my weakness). As I got used to the lower calories and started losing weight and feeling better then I began to look for healthy things to eat and started exercising. Don't overwhelm yourself starting out because then you might get really frustrated and stop all together. Also, I don't think you're expected to eat the extra calories you get when you exercise. They're just there if you really need them that week.
  • janeosu
    janeosu Posts: 140 Member
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    I second MistyMtnMan on the protein bars and shakes! They really help me when I need to add in good calories/protein. Plus, they fill me up (especially a shake after I exercise in the evening)

    ETA: another fellow PCOSer here too :)
  • MistyMtnMan
    MistyMtnMan Posts: 527 Member
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    I always go over sugar and sodium. The only think I really watch is total calories.

    After that I am trying to increase by protein some, since I always underrun.
    You should really try to watch your sodium intake as well. Sodium plays a HUGE roll in losing weight. Will make you retain a TON of water.....


    Not only that, but sodium can lead to hypertension, I realize that low sodium is important, however, managing to eat low sodium is so hard while still meeting a 2010 daily calorie intake need. It's making me crazy.
    I wrote you a response but to be specific about sodium, if you drink a lot of water, that will flush out any extra sodium you may have in you. On days I have a burger or pizza, something high in sodium, I just drink EXTRA water to counter it. It's worked every time. I try and drink a gallon a day.
  • kfitz10103
    kfitz10103 Posts: 354
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    I was on low sodium when I was pregnant and it was CRAZY. Just take it off. Right now you should get comfortable with fat protein and calories then you can start tackling other things.
  • iAMaPhoenix
    iAMaPhoenix Posts: 1,038 Member
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    Sorry I can't offer advice, but I am going through the same thing, and I am not even tracking my sodium. It is a real pain to try to figure out. I keep getting the warning that I'm not consuming enough calories (and like you said, I am not even eating back my exercise calories, bc with trying to eat right, I'm not even making the original goal amt). I am afraid that my body is going to store fat bc it is supposedly in starvation mode, but I'm not hungry for anything more than I'm eating, aside from wishing I could eat bread, etc. Have no clue how to deal with this.
    I see this is the topic of the day. In an effort not to overeat, we end up undereating(if that is a word), hence we end up gaining, or NOT losing weight. I am gonna give eating more often a chance and see if I can break through the wall in that way. And about that starvation thing, I watched Out Of The Wild-Venezuela on television, and those people lost tons of weight by starving themselves---involuntary. Maybe we all need to go live in the rainforest for a month.

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