Where do I start?

You could start by logging all the food you eat. Then you could see a breakdown of your nutrients. You didn't say you were trying to lose weight so I assume you just want the right balance of nutriytion.

First off, take a deep breath. There's a lot to learn, but you'll learn it as you go along, and you WILL be successful if you choose to be.

Most people here, including myself, go by "Calories In, Calories Out" (CICO). What that means is that in order to lose weight, you need to eat (calories in) fewer calories than your body uses (calories out) each day. If you use MFP's calculator, it will figure out for you how many calories you should be eating in a day, in order to lose the amount you specify (.5, 1, 1.5 or 2 lbs/week). I'm going to suggest you set it to 1 pound a week just to get started. You can always adjust from there later on.

Once you know how many calories you should be eating in a day, you've got an important piece of information. There are many many ideas out there about what's "healthy", and I'm not going to get too much into that. People make their own decisions about that. For me, I try to eat a wide variety of foods. Mostly lean protein, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. It works for me because I LIKE those foods. You won't have long-term success if you try to limit yourself to foods you don't like.

You said you buy healthy food but it goes bad before you can eat it all. Some tips: Buy less at a time. If you're talking about produce, wash it all as soon as you get home. If things need to be peeled and cut up in order to eat them, then do that. Buy some produce that stays fresh for a long time - carrots, apples, radishes, onions, grapes, cucumber. If you're talking about meats, buy them in bulk but freeze them in single-meal portions (enough for your family). If you like fruit but it goes bad too fast, buy frozen.

If the food is going bad because you just don't like it, then don't buy it. Buy the stuff you do like, and eat it in reasonable amounts (which you'll figure out by logging). If you don't have a food scale, you can get one for about $15 at most stores or amazon.

Stop going out to eat so much. Have your child help you with meal prep in age-appropriate ways (you didn't say an age, so I can't get more specific). Cook more than enough, so you can have leftovers for another day or to stick in the freezer. After a while, you'll have lots of healthy homemade meals in your freezer. Reheat them in the microwave - it's faster than going out to eat, and better for you.

I just had 6 weeks of mostly eating in restaurants (I was away from home). Most of the time I ordered a salad and soup, or a small appetizer and soup/salad. You don't HAVE to order an entree! Stay away from the chain restaurant "appetizers" that have more calories than the meals though!

In our house we have a magnetic white board on the fridge. Anything that needs to be used up (leftovers, produce, fresh chicken, etc) I write it on the white board and that way every time I go to the fridge I am reminded to use those items first when snacking/planning meals. It has really cut down on our food waste! Good luck!

Planning at least dinners helps cut down on waste, I have cut my spoilage significantly by simply planning out meals and only buying what I need. I do have a few extras in the freezer because I really never know how many I will have at home on the weekends( my kids + friends). I have cut eating out by buying a cooker with a timer and planning for quick meals during the week.

KcZee wrote: »

I'm clueless when it comes to portion control and healthy eating. I buy all this healthy stuff that ends up going bad. I need guidance. Menu ideas. Anything! I eat out a lot and have passed on my bad habits to my kid. I want us to get healthy and I want to make life long changes. Thanks!

If you're looking for menu ideas, I recommend the DASH diet, but it's not a diet in the sense that you eat the meals until you lose the weight, and then you go back to eating what you used to. The term diet in this context is a long term solution to healthy eating, and the meals that the cookbook provides are more than filling. DASH is an acronym for Dietary Approaches for Stopping Hypertension. The menu is aimed at helping to lower cholesterol, sodium (obviously) and control or prevent diabetes. It has a good variety of food (including desserts) that are low in sodium and are overall healthy food. IMO, some of the recipes could be a little lower in sugar, but the cookbook gives you an excellent starting point from which you can learn about healthy eating habits, and you can change the recipes to your liking, and be as creative as you want. It's a great place to start.

64crayons wrote: »

You won't have long-term success if you try to limit yourself to foods you don't like.

Spot on.

To repeat: You won't have long-term success if you try to limit yourself to foods you don't like.

Eat what you love, within your calorie limit.

Make room for treats in your calorie budget. If you deprive yourself, you're not going to stick to it.