Food for weightloss

The most important factor in losing weight is eating less calories than you burn. It really does not matter what you eat as long as you are in a caloric deficit. There are a lot of options, look at foods you like to eat and start there. In order to have long-term success whatever you are going to do now to lose the 50lbs you need to be able to do long-term otherwise you will have difficulty keeping it off. Google "Flexible Dieting" and this will give you a good template as to how to structure your nutrition for the long-term. Goodluck!

I eat the same for weight loss as I do for maintenance...lots of whole foods and cooking from scratch...lots of veg and some fruit...potatoes and sweet potatoes and oats and legumes and lentils...lots of fish, chicken, lean cuts of beef and pork...pizza every week or two...grilling burgers or brats on the weekend...beer on the patio.

There are no special foods for weight loss. Try logging the food you eat now and see how many calories you are eating in a day.

I learned to be very careful measuring my fatty foods. They add up very quickly.

Pasta and cheese hahahaha

50 down

Perhaps criticism of others isn't the best way to be supportive on this forum.

There are many possible diets for weight loss. That is why so many recommend the general rule of caloric deficit. However, I don't see a benefit to decoupling the idea of eating a healthy diet and losing weight. If you eat healthier, your body can function more efficiently overall and you can ensure you are getting the nutrients you need while reducing the amount of calories you consume. In addition, we tend to have poorer judgement about the amount of calories we consume with unhealthy foods. Lowering calories and eating healthier go hand in hand. This isn't the same as saying you can never eat pizza, but trying to recognize how that pizza is going to affect you so you can moderate better.

Some things I do:

-avoid foods with deceptively high fat/sugar unless a special occasion, such as store-bought baked goods. One cupcake or donut can have enough calories for an entire meal, and won't be satisfying for more than 5 minutes
-eat a variety of food groups (grain, meat, dairy, veggie, fruit) in a meal makes me feel more satisfied and full. I tend to eat more if I eat only one thing, like a bunch of cereal (although, some people like this, and eat one thing that is very low calories so they can eat a lot).
-if I get a craving, I have a flavorful herbal tea (no sugar added) instead
-herbs and spices that ease digestion and inflammation, like ginger, can also help me feel better overall when I eat

What foods do you feel good about after eating? Not in a satisfying a craving and then feeling sick afterward way, but foods that make you feel lighter and more energetic when you have them. For me, it is strawberries, grilled fish, homemade tomato sauce, beets with beet greens, hummus, and salad with some specific toppings like cherry tomatoes and blue cheese to name a few. What foods can you focus on that you like and are also known to be healthy, or you can tweak to make them more healthy? Start there.

SecularVegan wrote: »

I didn't start being healthy until I adopted a plant based diet. Whatever anyone's gripes are, it works. It makes you healthy, satiated, and kills your desire for unhealthy foods. I look at snap peas now and my mouth waters. I see a cheeseburger and I'm disgusted almost to an offended level. Then I see that cheeseburger go down a kids throat and I want to scream.
Plant based and finally free from the torment I lived!
Don't think I just eat lettuce either. Heck no. I'm too fat to starve myself and eat crap food. No way.
I'm eating pasta, bean burgers, rice, sushi, cakes, muffins, soups, sandwiches, pizza, garlic bread. Omg, so much delicious stuff!
It's really so easy that I want to go back in time and slap myself for not starting sooner, haha. I've tortured myself far too long with dieting and calorie counting and starving. No more. I eat like a goddess and feel like one too.

Interesting thing that-I actually did an experiment with a whole foods, plant based plan earlier this year, (following Fuhrman's Nutritarian plan), and I ended up having several unpleasant side effects-including having blood work done that showed my cholesterol numbers had actually gotten worse. I also got a really bad case of shingles during that time....

Anyways, completely eliminating animal products from my diet did nothing positive for my health. I also began to feel pretty crappy. After my blood test results I ditched it and reintroduced animal products into my diet. All of the unpleasantness I was experiencing disappeared, and I'm very curious to see what my next blood work panel will show (I get another one in October).

Finding a way to eat fewer calories, yet still stay satisfied takes a bit of time (and effort). Start looking at protein, fiber & fat.

I ditched the (sugary) morning cereal with 1% milk in favor of something with more protein and fiber.....and it keeps me full until lunch. Greek yogurt with Fiber One cereal and berries.

I ditched "wasteful" calories at lunch. Chips vs. veggies. I'm not saying I will never have a serving of chips, but it's too many calories for so little enjoyment (for me). Veggies are much lower calorie & pretty filling. Find things that you don't mind giving up....so much.

That said.....chocolate. I find a way to work this into my calories most days. You need to pick YOUR battles. These are personal decisions....I won't give up chocolate, like some people won't give up chips.