Don't know what to eat!
kslc73
Posts: 2 Member
I've read so much contradicting information on diet that I really have no idea what I'm supposed to eat. Carbs? Protein? Wheat or not? Dairy? Rice? I'm so confused. The only thing everyone seems to agree on is that water is good!
Those of you that have lost a bunch of weight, what did you eat and avoid? Help!
Those of you that have lost a bunch of weight, what did you eat and avoid? Help!
3
Replies
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I didn't (and don't) avoid anything. Kept my intake at set calories and ate what I wanted. So much more doable.17
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I've stayed as close to my normal way of eating as possible. I watch to make sure I get enough protein, fat, and fiber for satiety.
I eat some smaller portions, some bigger portions of things like veggies, and I've made some substitutions of some calorie-dense foods with other foods that I also like.8 -
Follow the money. Why are you confused? Because lots of people earn lots of money from confusion. Forget all that hype and woo. Stick to the basics, to what you learnt growing up. I'm sure your parents told you things like:
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Eat your dinner before you get dessert.
Eat your vegetables.
You have to try at least one bite of a new food before you can say you don't like it.
Don't eat between meals.
Water with meals, soda is a treat.
Do you want a piece of cake, or an ice cream? (Meaning, you have to choose one, not both.)
Eat until you aren't hungry anymore. Thanksgiving stuffed is reserved for Thanksgiving.
Eating out is for celebrations and special foods is for special occasions.
If you didn't grow up with this, some "self parenting" is in order. Cooking from scratch will make eating better so much easier.17 -
I've lost a bunch of weight (100 something lbs so far). I eat all the foods I like and avoid all the foods I don't like while staying within my calorie budget. That's about as complicated I'm willing to let my food choices get. The only foods I cut out were the foods that I didn't really like, but ate anyway.
Now to make dieting more comfortable I had to play with the amount and frequency of eating certain things. If I ate nothing but cheesecake within my calories I would still lose weight, but I would be pretty hungry and miserable, and it would not be very nutritious. Similarly, if I ate nothing but "diet foods", I would not be happy. I reduced the quantity of some foods (like oil), increased the quantity of some others (like vegetables), reduced the frequency of heavier foods (like french fries), and a combination of reduced quantity and frequency (like nuts). The things that were already fine quantity and frequency-wise (like ice cream) I did not change.
How you go about that is up to you, you will pick up a few personal tricks as you lose weight.9 -
Don't avoid anything unless you;
a) Have a medical reason
b) Don't want to eat it9 -
I lost 95 lbs.
I didn't avoid anything specific or do low anything. I ate a nutrition-conscious diet (I think this is just common sense -- get enough protein, eat plenty of vegetables, if you want to include "junk" foods -- I love some high cal, lower nutrient items like cheese and ice cream -- be conscious of portion size). I cooked from whole foods, for the most part, but I did that when getting fat too. I also -- and this was more important -- ate mindfully (logging helped with this of course) and according to a regular schedule as much as I could, as I figured out that I do better not snacking and eating 3 decent-sized meals. I also stopped putting foods on my plate that exceeded what I needed to be eating, using too much oil and butter in cooking, and filling up on foods that I don't even like that much because they were there (one example for me, rice, or bread on the table in a restaurant, neither of which I even like that much).5 -
Food you like at a calorie deficit4
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Certain foods I don't keep in the house because I enjoy them too much but still will get an ice cream when I go out but other than that I don't really restrict anything. I watch my portions and tend to eat nutritious foods in general from all of the food groups so I have a calorie deficit at the end of the day. The only thing I avoid is the microwave meals because I don't like the taste.1
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I avoid wheat and most grains because I have a severe intolerance/sensitivity to them. I also don't eat most dairy because I'm lactose Intolerant. That's it. I eat anything and everything else. Unofficially down almost 106 so far. It's a lifestyle change and what's the point of making yourself mieserable if you dont have to.3
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I avoid my trigger foods (fast food, pizza, soda), but that's about it. I don't have a lot of calories to spare, so by default it's "healthy food" that I eat. Lots of lean meats, rice, potatoes, veggies, fruits, and eggs mostly. I loosely manage to my recommended macros but am often +/- in the carb/fat/protein suggestions.2
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I'm down 113 pounds since last July. I eat anything I want. If I'm craving something I rearrange my calories to fit it in. I average my calories over the course of the week versus have the exact same limit day to day. It works best for me. What do I avoid? Going over my weekly calorie limit.8
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1. Calories
2. Macros
3. Micros/fiber/sugar/etc.
In that order.2 -
Easiest way - eat smaller portions of what you usually eat.1
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For me 'eat less of what you eat' would never have worked because I was mostly eating not filling high calorie foods.
I had to eat more lean meats, more veggies, more fruit, more Greek yogurt. I've been maintaining for 2.5 years and I still have to seriously limit fried foods, bread, and sweets, or I just get too hungry. I try to fit what I really want in my calories, but I really have to ask myself if it's worth it...2 -
I agree with the members here who have mentioned the theory of sticking to a calorie margin. Eat whatever you want, but don't go over your calorie goal for the day. You have so much more variety and don't feel deprived of stuff you like. And of course, you get calorie credit if you exercise!!2
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A healthy balance!!! I like recipes/foods that help me stay full longer but I don't deprive myself of things, I could just cut back on them in a smaller portion or reduce how often I eat that item because of the high calorie content... for me... when I know I can have a large amount of veggies vs a small amount of some high calorie item, I'm going for the large amount of veggies because it's a visual thing!1
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You know, I was just as confused as you. What do I eat? Is this a protein or fat (peanut butter)? Is this a veggie or a carb (sweet potatoes)? It mattered to me because I wanted to figure this all out and how much of each type of food to eat. Then, about a month ago I stumbled onto 21 Day Fix by Beachbody and I feel like it is much clearer now. What I'm supposed to eat, how much of each thing I'm supposed to eat, etc. Yet, no food group is excluded. I lost just shy of 4 lbs my first 21 days. Then I've been doing maintenance on a Disney trip and I'm getting ready to start another round on Monday. I was happy with 4# because I only had 20 to lose total. Anyway, I know that contradiction/confusion feeling. You may want to look into it. I'm not a coach or anything. I just really think the program makes crystal clear sense and is sustainable in real life for those of us who didn't grow up learning this info.
Good luck!1 -
Weight loss is CICO. Calories in < Calories out. Don't buy into the no carb, no sugar, no fat, no sodium or whatever is the no no of the week. Burn more than you eat and you'll see results
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I am down 115lbs since last October and when people ask me how I did it, I always say "I quit eating so much!"
Seriously I have not changed my diet, meaning WHAT I eat, but I sure as heck have changed HOW MUCH. I have learned portion control through calorie counting and logging. Changed my life for the better. So glad I found this site.2 -
trigden1991 wrote: »Don't avoid anything unless you;
a) Have a medical reason
b) Don't want to eat it
This^4 -
I've read so much contradicting information on diet that I really have no idea what I'm supposed to eat. Carbs? Protein? Wheat or not? Dairy? Rice? I'm so confused. The only thing everyone seems to agree on is that water is good!
Those of you that have lost a bunch of weight, what did you eat and avoid? Help!
The MFP program isn't about dieting. It is about Calorie Deficit based on Calories In and Calories Out.
Just log ALL your food and ALL your exercise on the MFP chart, and see if you're under the suggested number of calories each day. If you're over, you can fix that with portion sizes rather than actually changing what you eat. Also you can look at which foods are adding the highest amount of calories and make a decision on those. Finally you can add more exercise if you find it difficult to reduce the amount of food.
Wishing you every success as you log your food and activity in the future.2 -
Well.... When I was anorexic I eliminated every form of carb except certain low calorie fruits and veggies. I lost 35 pounds in 3 months when I was just 12 years old, and was classified as severely underweight.
As you can probably tell it was super unhealthy and I was almost hospitalized. So I think taking out a lot of carbs will help you lose weight, but not as much as I did. Trust me on this one.1 -
eat foods you like.. and spend 10 minutes a day researching nutrition and fitness . When you learn information it can naturally change your actions. Here's a few things i researched that translated into me eating much better without thought.
1. the best foods for heart health
2. the foods on the non organic "dirty dozen" list
3. why is exercise important for heart health?
4. how much sugar should an adult woman have a day?1 -
ccjlgrider wrote: »You know, I was just as confused as you. What do I eat? Is this a protein or fat (peanut butter)? Is this a veggie or a carb (sweet potatoes)? It mattered to me because I wanted to figure this all out and how much of each type of food to eat. Then, about a month ago I stumbled onto 21 Day Fix by Beachbody and I feel like it is much clearer now. What I'm supposed to eat, how much of each thing I'm supposed to eat, etc. Yet, no food group is excluded. I lost just shy of 4 lbs my first 21 days. Then I've been doing maintenance on a Disney trip and I'm getting ready to start another round on Monday. I was happy with 4# because I only had 20 to lose total. Anyway, I know that contradiction/confusion feeling. You may want to look into it. I'm not a coach or anything. I just really think the program makes crystal clear sense and is sustainable in real life for those of us who didn't grow up learning this info.
Good luck!
Suggesting a diet plan is not helpful. OP I suggest you read some of the millions of threads on here and you will see a recurring theme; weight is controlled by calories in vs calories out. It really doesn't matter what you eat because a calorie is a calorie.5 -
If you want to eat more food with fewer calories, it helps to go to simple basic foods: meat, vegetables, fruit, whole grains. The more processed a food is, the more calories it usually has, or if it has few calories (i.e. some frozen foods) it will not be very filling. Eating foods that fill you will help keep you satisfied, so less likely to eat too much.
Eating out will usually give you a lot of extra calories. (Some restaurant meals have a full day's worth of calories in one dish.)
Sweet drinks will give you a lot of extra calories, so watch out for what you drink as well as what you eat. (i.e. Starbucks).
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^This^trigden1991 wrote: »ccjlgrider wrote: »You know, I was just as confused as you. What do I eat? Is this a protein or fat (peanut butter)? Is this a veggie or a carb (sweet potatoes)? It mattered to me because I wanted to figure this all out and how much of each type of food to eat. Then, about a month ago I stumbled onto 21 Day Fix by Beachbody and I feel like it is much clearer now. What I'm supposed to eat, how much of each thing I'm supposed to eat, etc. Yet, no food group is excluded. I lost just shy of 4 lbs my first 21 days. Then I've been doing maintenance on a Disney trip and I'm getting ready to start another round on Monday. I was happy with 4# because I only had 20 to lose total. Anyway, I know that contradiction/confusion feeling. You may want to look into it. I'm not a coach or anything. I just really think the program makes crystal clear sense and is sustainable in real life for those of us who didn't grow up learning this info.
Good luck!
Suggesting a diet plan is not helpful. OP I suggest you read some of the millions of threads on here and you will see a recurring theme; weight is controlled by calories in vs calories out. It really doesn't matter what you eat because a calorie is a calorie.
When I started here, I was just as confused as most people. I thought I had to cut out "bad foods" and only "eat clean" but I discovered its not about changing what I eat, as much as changing how I perceive nutrition overall. Losing weight for me was about changing my perspective of looking at food as good or bad, but about knowing what the food contains and how it will help my body continue to function. I lost 125 lbs and feel much better overall than I did when I started this journey. I still eat things like pizza, burgers, chinese takeout, drink beer and alcohol, and I have been maintaining for the past 8 months.
Best piece of advice I was given, get a food scale and weigh everything you eat. Know how much you are consuming, and log it as accurately as possible in the food diary. Let it do the math for you, and it will help you hit your goals. Good luck!
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Yea, I don't really avoid so much I portion control. I mean if it's something I know I will go overboard with then I either strictly restrict how much I intake or don't have it at all. Drink lots of water, and if you're really unsure what to do and it's bothering you that much then I'd suggest going to your doctor to set you up with a nutritionist and weight management instructor, so you can get started on an goal and what to start you off on the right track. Best of luck!2
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OP I took the approach of rather than arbitrarily restricting/eliminating certain foods, I would focus on adding things to my lifestyle instead. More lean protein, more vegetables, more whole grains, more exercise, more sleep. I found that by focusing on what I wanted to add, without cutting anything other than calories, I naturally reduced the space for "junk" foods but I still had room for reasonable portions of things like wine, chocolate, pizza, etc.
Find a balance of foods that provide you adequate nutrition (macro and micros), foods that provide you satiety (fill you up), and foods you enjoy (treats in moderation). Log consistently, honestly, and accurately. Be patient. That's it.1 -
trigden1991 wrote: »ccjlgrider wrote: »You know, I was just as confused as you. What do I eat? Is this a protein or fat (peanut butter)? Is this a veggie or a carb (sweet potatoes)? It mattered to me because I wanted to figure this all out and how much of each type of food to eat. Then, about a month ago I stumbled onto 21 Day Fix by Beachbody and I feel like it is much clearer now. What I'm supposed to eat, how much of each thing I'm supposed to eat, etc. Yet, no food group is excluded. I lost just shy of 4 lbs my first 21 days. Then I've been doing maintenance on a Disney trip and I'm getting ready to start another round on Monday. I was happy with 4# because I only had 20 to lose total. Anyway, I know that contradiction/confusion feeling. You may want to look into it. I'm not a coach or anything. I just really think the program makes crystal clear sense and is sustainable in real life for those of us who didn't grow up learning this info.
Good luck!
Suggesting a diet plan is not helpful. OP I suggest you read some of the millions of threads on here and you will see a recurring theme; weight is controlled by calories in vs calories out. It really doesn't matter what you eat because a calorie is a calorie.
Damn, you are really anti - beach body huh? lol and the poster didn't really suggest a diet plan. The OP asked for peoples opinions and this was ccjlgrider opinion on what worked for him/her.0 -
Start by eating what you normally eat within your calorie goal (set up by Mfp).
Eventually you will learn what foods are worth eating occasionally.
Read the forums you will learn a ton!!!3
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