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Losing weight and good eating habits on a beginner level

drbouyer19
Posts: 2 Member
Hey my name is Neisha. I’m currently learning how to eat right and trying to stop eating fast food. I’m currently 435. I want to first learn how to eat clean and then incorporate working out. Are there any tips for late night cravings? The time that I need to stop eating? Etc.
3
Replies
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First I would say that "clean" is not a productive word when trying to develop good habits. Food is neither good nor bad, clean nor dirty. Focus on hitting your calorie target and not worrying so much about the foods you take to get you there. The best thing you can do for your health is make progress in your weight loss. So don't think you need to give up everything you enjoy eating. Just try to eat it less frequently and in smaller portions. Lean meats (such as chicken breast) and fish (any kind of fish or shellfish) along with beans, fruits, whole grains, and vegetables are some good foods to intermix to get nutrition and limit your calorie intakes. There is no good or bad time to eat. You can eat as late in the night as you want, as long as you leave calories for it in you daily allotment. So if you like to eat late at night, leave a couple of hundred calories for a snack such as cottage cheese and fruit.17
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Welcome
There is lots of good information in the "most helpful" posts here:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-health-fitness-and-diet-must-reads#latest
I would encourage you to keep this very simple. Weight loss is simply about eating fewer calories than you burn, it honestly doesn't matter if they are "clean" or not. Fill out your MFP profile and get your calorie goal. Then learn to consistently and accurately log your food, hitting your calorie goal as best you can. As time goes on, you will likely identify foods that help you meet your calorie goals & keep you satisfied, as well as foods that hinder you from meeting your goals (costing too many calories for the amount of time they keep you full or for the limited enjoyment they provide) and you can adjust your choices accordingly. Don't try to force yourself to eat foods you hate (though it's great to be open to new things) or completely eliminate foods you love, but just to find the balance that will allow you to meet your goals. Don't make any changes you're not willing to stick with forever.
Cravings? Again, with experience and practice, you'll find what works best for you, which may mean closing the kitchen at a certain hour or planning to have some calories left for a late-night snack. Some like to graze, some like to eat fewer large meals. Some have success with intermittent fasting (IF), basically skipping breakfast and saving their calories for later in the day when they are the hungriest. It's all very individual, and you will learn a lot about yourself and what works best for you over time.
Wish you the best!9 -
Hey Neisha! What I always tell new people is just to log for one week without trying to change anything. Log every bite that goes into your mouth, all condiments, drinks, etc., plus all exercise. That will help you learn about logging and get you used to the process. Then after that week, you can look at your diary and see where you are now, and that will help you figure out where to make the most effective changes when you set your calorie goal.
Everyone’s habits and needs are different, and if your new way of living is too uncomfortable for you, you won’t keep it up for long. You need a way of eating which works with your lifestyle and which you will be happy with for the rest of your life, and that means learning to work with the foods you love, the places you like to go, and the people who love you.
What I found when I did this for myself was that not just specific foods, but also habits needed to change. I made some permanent changes to long term problems in my life which caused me to reach for food as comfort when I felt stress. I stopped driving past the corner where I stopped for an Icee every day. I started going to places other than restaurants with my mother when I wanted to spend time with her. As far as specific foods, I am a diabetic so I needed to cut out foods which hurt my blood sugar levels, which in my case meant eating less refined sugar and white bread. Because I have trouble eating just one serving of certain foods, I cut them out of my life completely. Later I was able to add some of them back when I had more control and was able to moderate them, and others I found I didn’t miss because they weren’t worth the calories. I also found that it was much easier to stay within my calorie limits when I got enough exercise.
Everyone is going to be different, but some foods which I find most helpful are proteins such as chicken (I prefer thighs to breasts), pork tenderloin, and salmon steaks. Pork loin and tenderloin are often overlooked as healthy foods, but both are very lean and low calorie, and it’s possible to cook a whole loin ahead of time and use it for sandwiches, stir fries, and in other dishes. I limit oils and fats when cooking, and dressings and sauces, which tend to be high in calories. I also make sure to eat several servings of fruit, which helps keep my sweet tooth under control. I also eat a little chocolate every day. Take a look at your favorite foods and see if any of them can be made lower calorie without losing flavor. If not, see if a smaller amount will satisfy you, while filling up on lower calorie foods.12 -
Buy a kitchen scale that can measure in grams and ounces so you can weigh your food and know how many calories you are consuming.
If you like to snack at night, save some calories from the daytime.4 -
Thank you all so much.4
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I am wondering if you are confusing hungry and tired at that time of night? I ask because that has always been a problem for me ... I always want to eat when my energy wanes. These days I'm much better at recognizing the difference and pay much more attention to sleep
That said, I always prelog my food for the day and include an evening snack.2 -
Honestly, this is what I have been trying to do for years and with a friend's wedding and my graduation coming up, I was starting to lose hope that I would look good. Since 19th May I have lost 4.5kg just from cutting down on what I am eating and tracking my walking (like how fast and how much I have walked in the day). I am still eating all the takeaways on the weekend and I am still having that glass of wine or vodka but not every day like I was before and I have upped my veg intake along with drinking more water. I totally understand the whole eating at night thing but I drink half a glass of water or a cup of tea after I eat my evening meal and then brush my teeth an hour or two after that and it's helped so much. If there are moments where I could eat a whole chocolate bar to myself in the night, I swapped that with a fruit yoghurt and that usually helps and it's not too heavy on the stomach before sleep. Good luck with it2
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Welcome
There is lots of good information in the "most helpful" posts here:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-health-fitness-and-diet-must-reads#latest
I would encourage you to keep this very simple. Weight loss is simply about eating fewer calories than you burn, it honestly doesn't matter if they are "clean" or not. Fill out your MFP profile and get your calorie goal. Then learn to consistently and accurately log your food, hitting your calorie goal as best you can. As time goes on, you will likely identify foods that help you meet your calorie goals & keep you satisfied, as well as foods that hinder you from meeting your goals (costing too many calories for the amount of time they keep you full or for the limited enjoyment they provide) and you can adjust your choices accordingly. Don't try to force yourself to eat foods you hate (though it's great to be open to new things) or completely eliminate foods you love, but just to find the balance that will allow you to meet your goals. Don't make any changes you're not willing to stick with forever.
Cravings? Again, with experience and practice, you'll find what works best for you, which may mean closing the kitchen at a certain hour or planning to have some calories left for a late-night snack. Some like to graze, some like to eat fewer large meals. Some have success with intermittent fasting (IF), basically skipping breakfast and saving their calories for later in the day when they are the hungriest. It's all very individual, and you will learn a lot about yourself and what works best for you over time.
Wish you the best!
This is the best advice I've seen for a newbie!3 -
rheddmobile wrote: »Hey Neisha! What I always tell new people is just to log for one week without trying to change anything. Log every bite that goes into your mouth, all condiments, drinks, etc., plus all exercise. That will help you learn about logging and get you used to the process. Then after that week, you can look at your diary and see where you are now, and that will help you figure out where to make the most effective changes when you set your calorie goal.
I suggest this as well. I think doing this will help in the future with portion control. Figure out the calories you are consuming now and then slowly start to reduce them. Far too often I have seen people that eat 4000 to 5000 calories daily and then MFP suggested calories is 1200. I tried that at first and failed miserably.
I wish you all the best in your journey!!3 -
Yeah, I used to try and eat "clean" and failed every time. It didn't matter. I'm doing great with my usual foods only in smaller amounts.3
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Yeah, I used to try and eat "clean" and failed every time. It didn't matter. I'm doing great with my usual foods only in smaller amounts.
Yes, which isn't to say that a person shouldn't try to improve their diet, but trying to make too many changes all at once is usually a recipe for failure. Health and weight management are lifelong projects... no need for sudden, severe changes.2
This discussion has been closed.
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