Help to balance meals nutrutionally needed

Breakfast is usually the tough one. I switched from oatmeal to an egg sandwich. For lunch an easy option is to add tuna salad, but typically I have leftovers from the previous night.

kommodevaran wrote: »

...I would think people who eat too much, do so mainly because they can't stop, mostly because they eat the wrong foods (overall diet not satisfying because not nutritious enough and too many foods way too tasty, eating for emotional reasons), not because they don't know how large a proper portion is..."

Actually, there is some interesting research showing that human beings are biologically programmed to want to eat food if they see it, quite literally. It's not that the food isn't satisfying, or emotional eating (although there's some evidence that sweets and fats will trigger more eating as well).

IT makes sense if you think about it, to eat more when there is plenty (or eat more of what has more calories), to protect against famine. The only problem is that for many people, there never does come a time when there is not plenty, so we gain weight, you know?

kommodevaran wrote: »

..A proper portion is also dependent on the person's needs and preferences, how large active he/she is, what else he/she is eating that day, etc. None of this can be learnt through simplistic infograms. But it's exactly what "programs" like MFP can teach us.

I would agree that people's body's and needs are so individualized that it is impossible to have a one size fits all approach that will work. However...that applies to MFP as much as it does to the infogram, honestly. Both of them are, well, simplistic in their own way, and we try them out, and see how much it applies to us and our needs.

Does eating X number of X visually estimated portions cause me to lose weight or not? Does eating X number of X calorie portions cause me to lose weight or not? And we figure that out and adjust accordingly.

Honestly, I think the biggest difference between the two is what works for people. Some folks have portions sizes for weight loss purposes, but as was mentioned, some folks have it for various health conditions, or other reasons that are important. Some folks do not really have much time to look up the health information for everything they eat before they eat it. Some are in circumstances where they are eating out a lot and it can become very difficult to calculate match what they see to what portions they are going to be eating (like, just how big IS 100g of meat, for example).

kommodevaran wrote: »

...Are you supposed to carry that "cheatsheet" with you, or memorize the items? How do you measure out golfballs of peanut butter? What if your yogurt tub is not exactly 3/4 cup? Isn't this making things unnecessarily complicated and keeping people helpless?

And as for memorizing the infogram...yeah, pretty much, I'd assume. But don't we often do that if we use MFP, too, just over a longer period? Like, I know already about how many calories a Tb of my favorite sauce is, or a cup of my favorite recipes are, you know? But it differs from sauce to sauce, and recipe to recipe - sometimes I've gotta estimate, if I don't have the exact numbers - just like estimating a size. It's not meant to be an exact measurement, really, more of a guide to estimation, at least that's how I've always taken it.

And at this point, I have slowly been increasing my own ability to estimate how much, visually, IS 1 Tb or 1 cup, based on frequently measuring my foods at home more often, for more accuracy with MFP. I definitely didn't have that visual very well before calorie counting, honestly.

Admittedly, I may be building up that knowledge over time rather than memorizing it all at once, but I figure it's the same thing, in the end: being able to estimate how much I'm eating based on what I've memorized. :-)

I'll admit, if it were me...I find visual estimation of food portions tremendously less complicated than measuring out portions specifically for MFP. I do not need any special equipment, like a scale or measuring cups/spoons to measure things out, I would just need my eyes and a small list in my head. As someone with a very busy schedule, the time saved in not measuring can be a life saver.

I'm a newbie looking for information on balanced meals. There has got to be an easier way to eat right but not go crazy trying to figure out the calorie count. I need to eat more carbs, but I also need meal ideas, as well (eating for the 4am run, snacks that help you survive to the next meal, etc). Suggestions?

In regards to the harvard cheat sheet above, where to potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, squash, and other starchy vegetables go?

If potatoes and french fries dont count as a vegetable, but these foods arent grains, are they to be avoided completely?

p.s. im curious because my plates are generally half a vegetarian protein sources and half these foods. Right now im eating a roasted potato, sweet potato, carrot, and onion mix. Then, i might have a small salad on the side.