A new diet and I have questions. Can anyone help?

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bgarver419
bgarver419 Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok I'm trying to diet, and I have questions. But first, I'm trying to give up pork, gluten, and high fructose corn syrup. I know that SOME carbs are good for diets, but instead of gluten in pasta and breads, I'm trying to replace with potatoes, corn, and rice. So my real question is how much of a portion size should I be eating? I try to limit my protein to steak, chicken, seafood, and nuts. Can anyone please help or have any suggestions? ??

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  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    suggested sizes

    I would worry also about calorie deficits. that is where and why you are going to lose weight. doesn't matter if you eat healthier, if you aren't eating at a calorie deficit.
  • mantium999
    mantium999 Posts: 1,490 Member
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    A caloric deficit is what you need to be focusing on. Unless you have a medical reason, you do not need to give up gluten. Nuts are very dense in calories due to the fat content, so keep tabs on how much you eat. Rather than estimating portion sizes, which can be grossly inaccurate, I would suggest you figure out the proper caloric intake you need to lose at an appropriate rate, and weigh/measure/track what you eat to ensure you keep to that target. Otherwise you really are just shooting in the dark.
  • crystalewhite
    crystalewhite Posts: 422 Member
    edited August 2015
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    Second buying a kitchen scale, you can really get off track just eyeballing things.
    Most meat servings are 4-6 ounces, and most vegetable servings are 3-4 ounces. It will take some trial and error on finding the mix that is right for you that fits in your calorie goal.

    When I started out I was eating more calorie dense items like crackers and chips and pasta, and you quickly hit your daily limit like that. Then I started loading up on vegetables, and you can eat a lot of those and fill yourself up. That helped curb the hanger, and I still had room in my calories for a treat or two. I'm even having Mexican food tomorrow night!

    Good luck on your journey! Feel free to send me a friend request if you'd like.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    You need to eat less food (period). For me, I am eating the same foods I always ate. BUT, I do less snacking and eat smaller portions now. I am learning "actual" portions by measuring them. This will help me maintain my weight when I get there.

    That doesn't mean I have changed nothing that I eat. Along the way I have tweaked breakfast. High sugar cereal is not filling, so I eat Greek yogurt & low sugar oatmeal. I can create bigger lunch portions with added veggies. I can "volumize" sandwiches, casseroles, soups, etc.....with non-starchy veggies.

    Try not to eliminate anything that you will not be giving up forever. I even make room for a small serving of chocolate everyday.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    bgarver419 wrote: »
    Ok I'm trying to diet, and I have questions. But first, I'm trying to give up pork, gluten, and high fructose corn syrup. I know that SOME carbs are good for diets, but instead of gluten in pasta and breads, I'm trying to replace with potatoes, corn, and rice. So my real question is how much of a portion size should I be eating? I try to limit my protein to steak, chicken, seafood, and nuts. Can anyone please help or have any suggestions? ??

    You do realise that gluten is not a carb, yes? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten
  • bgarver419
    bgarver419 Posts: 3 Member
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    Thank you everyone. I really appreciate it. Have another question though. Am I assuming that by caloric deficit you mean consume less than you burn? I'm trying to do that now. But my metabolism is so low. I'm trying to eat 6-7 small meals or snacks a day. I bought a kitchen scale this week, that's why I was asking about portion size. I know that I should be eating less, but I don't know how much. Also, I am a carbolholic. So if i stay away from gluten that takes car
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,779 Member
    edited August 2015
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    bgarver419 wrote: »
    Thank you everyone. I really appreciate it. Have another question though. Am I assuming that by caloric deficit you mean consume less than you burn? I'm trying to do that now. But my metabolism is so low. I'm trying to eat 6-7 small meals or snacks a day. I bought a kitchen scale this week, that's why I was asking about portion size. I know that I should be eating less, but I don't know how much. Also, I am a carbolholic. So if i stay away from gluten that takes car

    That's exactly what caloric deficit means. Why are you eating so frequently? The thermic effect is the same whether you eat everything at once or 7 times a day. And personally, I found larger, more infrequent meals to be a key component of my loss.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    bgarver419 wrote: »
    Thank you everyone. I really appreciate it. Have another question though. Am I assuming that by caloric deficit you mean consume less than you burn? I'm trying to do that now. But my metabolism is so low. I'm trying to eat 6-7 small meals or snacks a day. I bought a kitchen scale this week, that's why I was asking about portion size. I know that I should be eating less, but I don't know how much. Also, I am a carbolholic. So if i stay away from gluten that takes car

    Yes - a caloric deficit is eating less than you burn.

    Eating more meals per day doesn't make your metabolism any faster, it's just an eating preference. Some days I have 3 meals, sometimes I have 5 or 6 small ones.
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,779 Member
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    Source:

    Each time you eat, metabolic rate increases slightly for a few hours. Paradoxically, it takes energy to break down and absorb energy. This is the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF). The amount of energy expended is directly proportional to the amount of calories and nutrients consumed in the meal.

    Let's assume that we are measuring TEF during 24 hours in a diet of 2700 kcal with 40% protein, 40% carbohydrate and 20% fat. We run three different trials where the only thing we change is the the meal frequency.

    A) Three meals: 900 kcal per meal.

    B) Six meals: 450 kcal per meal.

    C) Nine meals: 300 kcal per meal.

    What we'd find is a different pattern in regards to TEF. Example "A" would yield a larger and long lasting boost in metabolic rate that would gradually taper off until the next meal came around; TEF would show a "peak and valley"-pattern. "C" would yield a very weak but consistent boost in metabolic rate; an even pattern. "B" would be somewhere in between.

    However, at the end of the 24-hour period, or as long as it would take to assimilate the nutrients, there would be no difference in TEF. The total amount of energy expended by TEF would be identical in each scenario. Meal frequency does not affect total TEF. You cannot "trick" the body in to burning more or less calories by manipulating meal frequency.

  • hufflepuff03
    hufflepuff03 Posts: 13 Member
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    Why are you going gluten free? I'm gluten intolerant so maybe I can help. Let me just warn you: it's hard. No more cake at birthday parties. :'(
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    bgarver419 wrote: »
    Ok I'm trying to diet, and I have questions. But first, I'm trying to give up pork, gluten, and high fructose corn syrup. I know that SOME carbs are good for diets, but instead of gluten in pasta and breads, I'm trying to replace with potatoes, corn, and rice. So my real question is how much of a portion size should I be eating? I try to limit my protein to steak, chicken, seafood, and nuts. Can anyone please help or have any suggestions? ??

    @bgarver419 welcome to MFP forums and getting the mindset diet is key to our health and acting on it. Portion sizes can take some time to figure out. After I learned humans do not have to eat any carbs to be healthy but do have to eat protein and fats to live I cut out food with sugar and or grain. Yes it was hard because I learned I was a carb addict but after a hellish two weeks my cravings faded thankfully.

    I was looking for a way to manage my pain by diet so I did not have to start taking Enbrel injections with all their side effects to manage my pain. 30 days after I cold turkey left food with sugar and grain my pain levels were managed by diet.

    Now no two people are alike so what was right for me may be very wrong for another. Remember do not act on health advice from web forums. :) With Google you can learn your way forward. I have been at this for about a year and still learn and relearn stuff every day.

    Best of success.

  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited August 2015
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    For me, a kitchen scale has made all of the difference. I still eat the foods I like, I'm just more careful about how much of them I eat.

    Think of your calorie goal like a budget. Spend your calories like you spend your money. Decide what you can afford and make choices within your budget.

    As for portion size, that depends upon how much you want to eat of it and how many calories it has. Lets say that the nutritional information on the bag of nuts says that 28 grams is one serving. If you eat 21 grams, enter that as 0.75 servings. If you eat 40 grams, enter that as 1.43 servings. Just keep in mind your calorie budget and how much of it you want to use toward those nuts.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    edited August 2015
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    seska422 wrote: »
    For me, a kitchen scale has made all of the difference. I still eat the foods I like, I'm just more careful about how much of them I eat.

    Think of your calorie goal like a budget. Spend your calories like you spend your money. Decide what you can afford and make choices within your budget.

    As for portion size, that depends upon how much you want to eat of it and how many calories it has. Lets say that the nutritional information on the bag of nuts says that 28 grams is one serving. If you eat 21 grams, enter that as 0.75 servings. If you eat 40 grams, enter that as 1.43 servings. Just keep in mind your calorie budget and how much of it you want to use toward those nuts.

    This is good advice
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
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    Eat at a calorie deficit.

    Do this however you see fit, hopefully within the confines of a sensibly planned nutrient dense balanced dietary intake that encompasses the foods you enjoy, do this in a way that promotes long term adherence and general happiness.

    Arbitrary rules and pointless elimination of foods you like are not the way to go. You are changing the way you eat for the rest of your life.

    You will get all sorts of die-hard no-carb/low-carb/all-the-carb opinions on here, but at the end of the day you must decide what to put in your mouth. This choice needs to be something you can live with for the rest of your life. You have already stated above that you like carbohydrate rich food, so why stop eating it? For me that is a road to complete failure.
  • smila1202
    smila1202 Posts: 13 Member
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    To help with portions I use a couple of methods
    Carbs = fist
    Veg = whole hand flat
    Protein = Palm

    Or looking at your plate I do half veg and then one quarter carbs one quarter protein

    Tip use a child's plate

    Or measure portions that you would give a child

    I have two children aged 8 and 10 and we all eat about the same

    Hope these help
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    barbecuesauce wrote: »
    The thermic effect is the same whether you eat everything at once or 7 times a day. And personally, I found larger, more infrequent meals to be a key component of my loss.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3374835/pdf/pone.0038632.pdf found benefit in fewer meals in terms of metabolic rate " protein oxidation and RMR (in this case SMR + DIT) were significantly increased in the LFr diet compared with the HFr diet. The LFr diet increased satiety and reduced hunger ratings compared with the HFr diet during the day. " - HFr = high frequency, LFr = low frequency (3 meals).

    A 4-6 oz portion of meat or fish is a guideline for the OP. 110 - 160 grams. 4 oz is a quarter pound burger.
  • amandadunwoody
    amandadunwoody Posts: 204 Member
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    When I first started I loved what I ate for a week or so without trying to limit myself too much peon wise. I was eating healthier foods, but I did this to get an idea of what size portions I ate of certain foods. Then if that was a food i would want to eat regularly I could adjust portion size, or adjust other foods I plan to eat throughout the day.

    For me, I have breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, and if dinner was early I have an evening snack. I eat enough for breakfast to not snack before lunch. I also do not eat after 8pm.

    I agree with @seska422. That's great info. I have made it a point not to buy certain foods that I can't afford on my calorie budget, like sausages or cookies. Being too restrictive can make it harder to maintain.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    bgarver419 wrote: »
    Ok I'm trying to diet, and I have questions. But first, I'm trying to give up pork, gluten, and high fructose corn syrup. I know that SOME carbs are good for diets, but instead of gluten in pasta and breads, I'm trying to replace with potatoes, corn, and rice. So my real question is how much of a portion size should I be eating? I try to limit my protein to steak, chicken, seafood, and nuts. Can anyone please help or have any suggestions? ??

    Don't diet - just eat. Diet is a noun, "what you eat". Don't try, just do! Losing weight is a simple process following few simple principles, and while it isn't easy, you can make it more or less easy. Be aware that many people who give advice have their own agenda in mind - not you. They want to sell something - food, supplements, equipment, books, an idea. Nutrition is a lot about preferences and opinion. Not even experts agree on everything.

    You don't have to cut out anything, and you don't have to eat anything you don't like. However, a varied diet including fresh fruit, vegetables, some grains, meat/fish, nuts and dairy, is beneficial for humans. How much of any certain food you should eat, is up to your own preference, and to your calorie needs. If you log it into your food diary, you will see how many calories it has, and you can reduce or increase the amount even before you eat, so that you can decide how much you really want. For this you'll need an electronic food scales that weigh in grams and has a tare function. They are cheap and available everywhere.

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