I'm new- and I need help!

Hi, my name is Tasha and I'm also new at this. I love food in general and I need to lose weight so that's why I'm here. I am planning on buying healthier food when I go shopping this Friday. I love fruits and veggies so I don't think that will be a problem for me. The problem is making meals that are healthy. I could use some help also. I like plain yogurt but if you put strawberries or some other fruit you like in it then I think it would be better. Maybe we can help each other in this weight loss battle. Good luck to you.

Steamed veggies are doing great things for me--I make sure that at least half my plate is taken up by steamed broccoli, grean beans, spinach, mixed veggies, etc. Sometimes I'll have three different kinds of veggies with one meal, plus a salad. I eat those first, then move on to any meat or pasta on my plate. Plus, I am not just watching portions, I am weighing portions, so that I know exactly how much of what and how many calories/carbs (I watch carbs because I am diabetic, so I have to keep within certain limits). I recommend icewater before every meal, and buying any treats in small, one serving portions. Buy a cookbook with lowfat, healthy recipes and stick to the recipes. Keep track of everything you eat--no fudging, no forgetting. If you decide to sprinkle cheese on top of something, measure that cheese out in a measuring spoon and then record it in your food diary. If you tend to really like chocolate, I recommend replacing one meal a day with a big (and they are BIG) Builder's Bar or a Slimfast Chocolate Royale shake. Also, Jello makes really low cal, tasty chocolate puddings, and two of those are enough to fill you up and satisfy you. Three will give you major diarrhea because of the sugar alcohols :-)

Experiment, explore, make this a new life. Start by switching out usual foods for healthier--like low calorie, low carb bread (I used Sara Lee Delightful Whole Grain), low fat/olive oil mayo, light hotdogs instead of full fat, etc. Increase your veggie and fruit intake. Make sure you're getting enough water. Cut out sugary drinks (including fruit juices, which are only marginally better than sodas) and replace them with water. Take a multivitamin.

You can do this. Go out on the web and really soak up information. Watch out for the "fad" sites that tell you to eat only one or two kinds of foods or to cut out ALL of something (even for a few weeks). It's about moderation, and if you like big portions, heap on the veggies before you move onto the main course, which will give you a big meal without a big caloric hit.

Good luck!

Kris


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools

Salads are very good just be careful what you put on them because thats where all the calories are! (dressings) I like rice wine vinegar, but be careful of the sodium. Good luck, ask questions and add lots of friends! You CAN do this!

I really like how much support there is for new members on this site - I've only been here 2 weeks and all the forums and posts have really been helpful, so you can look forward to lots of encouragement and new ideas!!
Portion control is probably the hardest part, and I love to eat good food and try new things. I'm looking for some low carb snacks since I tend to stuggle to stay under on carbs each day.
If you are trying Greek yogurt, you'll quickly find a brand you like better than the others - for me, Chobani flavored yogurt in individual serving sizes was my favorite. Watch with granola, it can be very high in calories and fat for the small portion depending on what kind you get.
** Thriceshy ** great suggestions! I have been debating getting a food scale for small things that aren't pre-portioned, any suggestions? The slimfast chocolate royale are good, and target has a dark chocolate equivalent that I even like the flavor of more and it has 10 less calories per can.
Good luck!!!

I am still a carboholic and I can't imagine life without them so I have switched from regular potato chips to baked and other items like Popcorn Indiana's Buffalo Chips or Sensible Portions Straws with Sea Salt. Many of the Sensible Portion products have a large serving with not as many calories or fat. I think with the straws you can about 38 of them for 120 calories. I also enjoy Kashi granola bars. For desserts I like Skinny Cows and Blue Bunny Fudge Bars. I also like bagel thins for breakfast with some lite cream cheese. I have been told that it is not good to consume as many processed foods as I do, but I just don't see that the lifestyle that I have now that I could convert to only fruits and veggies as my snacks. I do suggest that you weigh and measure your food. What you think is 1/2 cup is probably more like 1 to 1 1/2 cups. Good luck on your journey. There is tons of advice on here. You have to just pick through it all and figure out what works best for you.

I have weighed and measured portions so I know sizes of things. I have reduced portions of real food, good food.
I had steak for supper tonight with a portion of grilled veggies. The thing is the portions...the steak was 4oz. just a piece cut off my husband's steak.

I had a tossed salad with it. I used a few sprays of olive oil and some wine vinegar and spices.

You have to eat well but small.

Plan snacks so you feel like you are not deprived. I like fat free sour cream and those soy crisp crackers Like Glenny BBQ flavor or even Quaker air baked snacks like Tortillaz ...so many options.

Frozen blueberries and yogurt or frappes with frozen containers of fat free vanilla yogurt and Almond Breeze chocolate milk ...
check out the recipes section. :O)
Prep a bunch of food for salads, veggies and chicken or ground turkey and have ready to eat meals. :happy:

good luck guys!

You can do it!

50% 25% 25%

50% of your plate is green leafy low starch salady type things
25% protein the size and thickness of your palm no fingers
25% other veg or a small treat but it has to fit in that 25% not piling up or flopping off

that is a good start

greek yogurt with berries and ground flax seed or slivered almonds and unsweetened cocoa powder
almonds walnuts, brazil nuts, berries steamed green beans with a spritz of spray butter or italian dressing avacado slices smooshed on a low carb wrap with spinach turkey and cheese these are all my go to need a healthy quick fix things

I have been using this website since April 14 and have lost 20 lbs. I am also seeing a nutritionist, who advised me to consume 80 grams of protein a day (remember 80 grams was for my weight etc.). She said every time you eat, to incorporate protein, which is not just meat. There is protein in nuts, cottage cheese, yogurt, and protein bars. Just read the labels and try to watch the sodium and sugars too. She also advised me not to eat anything that has sugar or a derivitive of sugar, if it is one of the first five ingredients listed. One of my favorite snacks is a rice cake with peanut butter on it! Sometimes I even slice a banana and put on top of the pb. Very satisfying!! Good Luck!

I would stay away from it as much as possible, but if you enjoy the taste, use it as a last resort. For when you don't have time to make a meal such as lunch for example one day, you can take one as a meal replacement. I wouldn't get in the habit of doing it every day though.

I have just started too. I have been eating greek yogurt, Chobani brand, They have several different flavors. I like to cut up apples and dip the apple slices in the yogurt. Yummy!. I have been supplementing meals with Adkins shakes and protein bars. They have carb control which is awesome. I eat lots of fruits veggies and almonds as snacks. I have try to stay away from carbs as much as possible. I try to have protein with every meal and snack. I have lost 5 lbs in 4 weeks. I go to the gym 1-2x a week, not as much as I like but its all I can get in. Using myfitnesspal really helps me keep track of my calories! I like to watch the progress I make. It helps to keep me motivated. Good Luck!

Jess if your interested in jogging/running you should try 'Couch to 5K' its a great running program iam following...

http://www.fromcouchto5k.com/articles/training/the-couch-to-5k-training-plan/

here is a podcast with music that will instruct you through the intervals while you run...

http://www.djsteveboy.com/intervals.html

I am also new... just started yesterday...

Good luck!!!

does anyone have any good suggestions of home workouts?
It would be awsome if anyone had suggestions of some kind of work out I could watch online, maybe on youtube or something, and do in my home daily?

if not, how much walking or running do I need to do for it to really make a difference? I'm on my feet all day, I hardly ever sit down, but I don't feel like that's enough.

My suggestion is find something that you find fun to do to keep you motivated. Even if it's something like playing your favorite music and dancing in your living room for 30 min. I love bellydancing and some yoga, I've also started running using the couch to 5k program. I also do a little weight lifting at home using a program involving a sledgehammer (I know it sounds weird, but I hate having a ton of equipment around!) Here is the site explaining the sledgehammer. http://www.shovelglove.com/

Just make sure to be careful and listen to your body!

Hungry Girl is a great website, for taking high fat food and making adjustments to make them low calorie and better for you.
I get daily emails from them.
http://www.hungrygirl.com/

Hello! I am new as well, my sister has been on for over a month and I finally looked into it.

With the greek yogurt...a very helpful simple tip is add one splenda packet! It makes it have a sweeter flavor so it isnt so bland and mixing it with fruit is a great idea as well!