Diet Plans For The Picky Eater?

Lindz2H
Lindz2H Posts: 36 Member
in Getting Started
Hi! Getting down to business and REALLY trying to lose weight. I have a long journey ahead of me. I decided yesterday after pulling out my winter wardrobe and only a handful of things fit, that I HAD to change.

I'm jumping into this really with not much planning other than to start making better food choices and to use the gym membership I've rarely used to help me work a caloric deficit. I'm hesitant about diet plans and have tried some before with no luck because I'm a fairly picky eater (hate eggs, avocado and turkey) and I have a few food allergies that make it harder as well (lactose intolerant, nuts, everything that swims).

I'd love to hear more about your diet plans!!

Replies

  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    You can eat whatever foods you like and are not allergic to that fit your calorie goal.

    For weight loss having a calorie deficit is what matters. For nutrition and satisfaction type of food can matter. A healthy diet is one that meets your body's needs not a particular list of food. There are lots of ways to eat a healthy diet.
    Try to get enough protein, fats and fiber to help you feel more satisfied. Low calorie vegetables are handy for bulking out meals without adding a lot of calories plus getting fiber, vitamins and minerals.

    My advice would be start with logging as you currently eat and make small changes over time like getting more protein or increasing fruits and vegetables.

    If you want sample meal plans for your calorie goal you can search with your favorite search engine for something like 1400 calorie meal plan. You can look at open food diaries for others with similar goals to get ideas. You can prelog your food to see if you are going to be meeting your goals well.

    Read the stickied posts in the forums.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,145 Member
    My diet plan is to eat foods I like that fit my calorie goal. I am in maintenance now, but I lost ~80 pounds eating foods I like at a calorie deficit. You will find which combination of foods helps you stay satisfied longer and which foods are worth spending calories on. You don't really have to change the types of foods you eat. You just have to change the amounts.
  • Lindz2H
    Lindz2H Posts: 36 Member
    I'm also struggling with energy. I've seen a HUGE decrease in energy with the last +/- 10 lbs I've gained this year. I've been relying on coffee mostly to get through the days, but a lot of coffee drinks pack on the sugar and fats. I will drink about 4 cups of coffee a day and 1-2 of those will be black but I get weak and go for the super tasty ones towards the end of the day. My fiance picked up one of those squirt drink enhancers at the store. It advertises energy & electrolytes. I tried it out and it tastes good enough and I'd be inclined to drink more water with it but the sodium is out of this world. Some 70mg per serving! Almost negates the drinking of the water.
    I figure once I get into a good exercise routine the natural energy will come back but until then I'm falling asleep at my desk.

    Any hacks?

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Lindz2H wrote: »
    I'm also struggling with energy. I've seen a HUGE decrease in energy with the last +/- 10 lbs I've gained this year. I've been relying on coffee mostly to get through the days, but a lot of coffee drinks pack on the sugar and fats. I will drink about 4 cups of coffee a day and 1-2 of those will be black but I get weak and go for the super tasty ones towards the end of the day. My fiance picked up one of those squirt drink enhancers at the store. It advertises energy & electrolytes. I tried it out and it tastes good enough and I'd be inclined to drink more water with it but the sodium is out of this world. Some 70mg per serving! Almost negates the drinking of the water.
    I figure once I get into a good exercise routine the natural energy will come back but until then I'm falling asleep at my desk.

    Any hacks?

    How large is your calorie deficit?
  • Lindz2H
    Lindz2H Posts: 36 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Lindz2H wrote: »
    I'm also struggling with energy. I've seen a HUGE decrease in energy with the last +/- 10 lbs I've gained this year. I've been relying on coffee mostly to get through the days, but a lot of coffee drinks pack on the sugar and fats. I will drink about 4 cups of coffee a day and 1-2 of those will be black but I get weak and go for the super tasty ones towards the end of the day. My fiance picked up one of those squirt drink enhancers at the store. It advertises energy & electrolytes. I tried it out and it tastes good enough and I'd be inclined to drink more water with it but the sodium is out of this world. Some 70mg per serving! Almost negates the drinking of the water.
    I figure once I get into a good exercise routine the natural energy will come back but until then I'm falling asleep at my desk.

    Any hacks?

    How large is your calorie deficit?

    Today is day one, so I'm still working that out a bit. MFP gave me a calorie goal of 1360 calories/ day to lose 2lbs/wk. But to maintain my current weight I would need to be eating 2,360 calories/day which I would say I was definitely meeting previously. So that's 1,000 calories?
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,145 Member
    How much weight are you trying to lose? Two pounds per week might be too aggressive.

    Do you make your own coffee or buy them? I use 2 tsp sugar and 2 tbsp half and half and my coffee is just 70 calories per cup.
  • Lindz2H
    Lindz2H Posts: 36 Member
    kgirlhart wrote: »
    How much weight are you trying to lose? Two pounds per week might be too aggressive.

    Do you make your own coffee or buy them? I use 2 tsp sugar and 2 tbsp half and half and my coffee is just 70 calories per cup.

    I'm trying to lose about 100lb total. I want to be down at least 30lbs by March 30 (my wedding)

    I mostly do k cups (2 black coffee, 1 Vanilla cappuccino) , but I am prone to walking across the street to buy coffee.
  • hazellori
    hazellori Posts: 5 Member
    Today is day one, so I'm still working that out a bit. MFP gave me a calorie goal of 1360 calories/ day to lose 2lbs/wk. But to maintain my current weight I would need to be eating 2,360 calories/day which I would say I was definitely meeting previously. So that's 1,000 calories?[/quote]

    Congratulations on taking the first step to a healthier you! MFP BMR/calorie calculator is a good start for most who are wanting to lower the numbers on the bathroom scale. Personally, I find their numbers to be too low for total calories and the carb, fat, and protein percentages off for my body response and overall goals. My preferred website for body composition and BMR calorie calculations is the body fat calculator by linear software (it's a free online calculator). My goal focus is on body fat percentage not total body weight. I am a picky eater plus have food allergies to red meat proteins. I follow a DYI diet plan which includes episodes of feeding the cravings.

    You can do this! It's a one day at a time process - own your day!
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,145 Member
    If you have 100 pounds to lose then 2 pounds per week is ok. But you could switch to 1.5 or even 1 and might have more energy eating a bit more. Your weight loss will be a little slower, but you didn't gain 100 pounds quickly and if you want to lose it in a healthy way you don't want to lose it too quickly either.

    I try not to drink a lot of my calories because I feel more satisfied eating food. But I do plan to have 2 cups of coffee (140 calories) per day. I don't care for black coffee so when I am through with that I will drink unsweetened tea or diet dr. pepper if I feel like I need caffeine. Losing weight helped me a lot with my energy levels. Walking every day also helped. The first couple of weeks were kind of hard getting used to eating a lower calorie level, but after that it was easier. I also started out with 1200 as a calorie goal (from mfp) but quickly changed it to 1350 and then added in and ate back most of the calories I gained from walking. I lost most of my weight eating 1400 -1600 per day.

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