Help!

Nery09
Nery09 Posts: 11
edited September 19 in Motivation and Support
I am hispanic, and I am having a really tough time with losing weight. I am trying to reduce portions instead of going on a strict diet. I joined this site just yesterday, and I am doing horrible in the foods section. I ate one rib today which turned out to be approximately 650 calories. Needless to say, I went over my goals yesterday and today. I am trying to be realistic by not promising to give up on the rice and meat, but its difficult. I do not fry my meats and try to reduce my portions, and I guess this will not be enough.

Replies

  • Nery09
    Nery09 Posts: 11
    I am hispanic, and I am having a really tough time with losing weight. I am trying to reduce portions instead of going on a strict diet. I joined this site just yesterday, and I am doing horrible in the foods section. I ate one rib today which turned out to be approximately 650 calories. Needless to say, I went over my goals yesterday and today. I am trying to be realistic by not promising to give up on the rice and meat, but its difficult. I do not fry my meats and try to reduce my portions, and I guess this will not be enough.
  • Hannah_Banana
    Hannah_Banana Posts: 1,242 Member
    Try planning you food. Log it before you eat it instead of eating without knowing how many calories is in something. Also, weigh your meats. I'm always surprised at how much (or little) 6 ounces is. I haven't given up any food that I used to eat, I just eat it very seldom and not a lot.

    Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    something that has helped me a LOT is check the calorie value of the food before you eat it. That way you won't get surprised. You can eat anything you choose, in about a week you'll start to notice what foods you can eat a lot of for a certain amount of calories, and the foods that will devour your calories quickly. Once you see this happening, then it becomes easier to decide what to eat. You do NOT have to give up on rice and meat. You may eat whatever you choose. Have you calculated the number of calories that will lead you to your goal? If so, did you choose to lose at the rate of 2 lbs/week, or 1 lb/week? If you go with 1 lb/week, you will get the hang of it, and then when you are ready to get more aggressive, you can decide to change it then. It depends on how much you are interested in losing, of course.
  • Nery09
    Nery09 Posts: 11
    Yes. I thought about calculating the meals prior to eating. Thanks for the advice.
  • weesel80
    weesel80 Posts: 186
    Take it one day at a time. Start by slowly increasing your water intake. Believe me, it does help with weight loss. Try to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, then when you are feeling more fit, work up to an hour of moderate exercise. Don't drink soda, and if you must, make it diet, but even diet is really not that good for you! Really be an avid label reader. Once I started doing that, it was amazing to me how many calories, fat, etc...was in the food I was eating.

    Good luck!!

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  • championchina
    championchina Posts: 3
    Hey! Realize you already made a change and be proud of that! You won't get it right the first, second, or even the third time! and we all fall off sometimes! The fact that you paid attention and took the time to become aware of the situation is progress in and of itself. Try keeping your portions smaller, try planning ahead, get plenty of water in, and learn as much as you can. You just started and the journey is long, hard, but so worthwhile. Who you become on the inside is much more important than what you look like on the outside. And by the time you become that person on the inside you will have become what you want to look like on the outside! Everyone is here for you so keep going. You can do it!
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    weesel is RIGHT ON about the water!!! Definitely the best thing that is so easy to add. It also decreases how much you will want to eat, b/c your tummy is already filled up with so much good water!
  • sassiebritches
    sassiebritches Posts: 1,861 Member
    I am with allenhm, pay attention to what your eating ahead of time. Pre plan, you might find that you can have ribs, but might wanna prepare them different or leave something out. You may also consider substituting your ribs for chicken....

    Hang in there, keep tracking things. Your not gonna lose weight and get healthy eating the way you have been, that is not working, so you will need to either change you portions like you mentioned or change what your eating.

    My thoughts, I am 2 weeks in and feeling great about some of the changes I have made and already lost inches!

    Hang in there.

    GO GREEN
  • Thamber
    Thamber Posts: 194
    Hi

    Yes I log before i eat so that I can make an informed decision. I like to sit down in the evenings in front of the TV and plan the next days meals. I log it all the day before and then I just follow the plan.

    Sometimes I leave extra cals so i can be spontaniouse. I also know that the few days before my period I have cravings and eat more so I plan for that too with chocolate milk, popcorn etc.....I figure i know its coming so why be surprised each month lol....

    It may take a bit to learn the cals in stuff so don't be hard on yourself your learning.

    You can do it:)
  • lulubar
    lulubar Posts: 739 Member
    Hey Nery09! Welcome to MFP- this is such a great site and logging your food makes a huge difference in our awareness! Mexican foods are a staple in my life and it was hard, but I've learned to made some adjustments that really help- Low fat cheeses, lots of extra veggies in everything - more lettuce, more tomatos, corn tortillas or whole wheat tortillas instead of flour. Use really lean cuts of meat and use mostly chicken and fish or turkey - with the right seasoning it will be great. I use brown rice - and have found I actually like it better now and instead of making my own refried beans, I buy the no-fat refried beans and just add my own seasoning...

    Just experiment and you'll find ways to still make all your favorites AND have them be healthy! Good luck - you can totally do this!!
    :heart: lulu
  • beagle595
    beagle595 Posts: 226
    Nery09 WELCOME! You'll get the hang of it all soon...
    THANK YOU lulubar for your suggestions on Making Mexican food. I'll make something once I meet my next goal. I love salsa on my scrambled Egg Substitutes for breakfast... I just drink more water to flush the salt. :drinker: :wink:
  • diaza
    diaza Posts: 1
    Nery,
    I can relate, I too am hispanic and our heritage weighs us down, literally. Lets get real with it ,our history, is just that. Years and years of eating the way we were raised is not easily unlearned. I've been fighting the battle of the bulge for 12 years. I recognize I will never be skinny but I'm healthier then if I didn't fight. I've modified my rice to brown rice, took some time to acquire the taste but it's better then white rice. Take small steps by trying to recognize that ultimately it's your choice what you put in your mouth. You are the only person who can control that one choice. ONLY YOU!! I know it's hard,
    but you have the rest of your life to keep practicing that choice. Some days you will fail, we all do,
    but one of the best things the LORD has done is one day after another. If we don't fail we won't know what it is to succeed. Only you can determine your success!!
  • Nery09
    Nery09 Posts: 11
    Thank you! I am trying to change to brown rice, but I am not sure I will like it.
  • beauplr
    beauplr Posts: 11
    Nery09,

    I'm rather new here myself, so welcome. I have been logging my food for a month now at another site before switching to MFP. I have good days and bad days... like Friday when we ate Chinese take-out. One small plateful almost equaled my entire day's total and that was dinner. I know that there will be other days like that too, but I will keep going.

    I'm not Hispanic, but a fan of the food. A lot of the staples of Latin food are pretty healthy. Rice, beans, salsa, ect. Try experimenting with vegetarian dishes. I love the recipes at www.vegweb.com. I would much rather fill up on flavorful vegetables than meat.

    Finally, with trying brown rice...I prefer Japanese style brown rice. It is fluffier, more like white rice when cooked correctly. Botan is a great brand and usually pretty easy to find.

    Hang in there!
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