Does anyone know of a good resource for nutrition? I see a dietician on Dec 20, 2019

I don't have a website for you, but can offer you my years of research and discussions with professionals, which is all probably worth 2 cents. My diary is public, so feel free to have a look.

If I'm going to eat in a healthy way, I will ensure that I have a mix of nutrients in every meal. This means carbs, protein and healthy fats. Within those nutrient categories, I want to ensure that as much as possible, I'm sticking to my planning percentages, i.e. 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fats. And then, I will look at the source of the nutrients and try to ensure they're providing fulfillment. I.E. my carbs will also provide fiber. My proteins will be lean, etc. I have personally cut out quick ADDED sugars, like granulated sugar, corn syrup, etc, because I'm pre-diabetic. Natural sugars are fine for me in fruit which is also high in fiber (pears, apples, berries, etc).

I wouldn't say necessarily that processed foods are "bad". For some people, it's what they have access to, and some people have time constraints, etc, which make those types of foods reasonable in the circumstances. Fresh is great, but not always realistic. I also think that if you're going for fat loss, processed food will often be more calorie dense while being less filling. The more fiber, protein and good fats you have, the more satiated you'll feel with your lower calories.

A typical day for me looks something like this:
Breakfast: Sprouted grain slice of toast with a slice of marble cheese and one or two eggs
Snack 1: 1% or 2% cottage cheese with a pear
Lunch: Shrimp stir-fry with 60 grams of Basmati rice and a half tsp of butter
Snack 2: Hummus with raw cucumber and carrots
Dinner: Homemade beef chili (maybe with a slice of sourdough or sprouted grain bread with real butter)

Every meal has carbs, protein and fats. The foods are nutrient dense, rather than calorie dense, which means they are filling. I should mention that I'm eating at around 1200 calories a day on average, because I'm 130 lbs overweight and prediabetic, female, and only 5'3", with a desk job. The above is a typical day, but I feel perfectly fine adding another 300-400 calories if I'm really feeling hungry, knowing I will still lose weight.

All that said, anyone can lose weight regardless of what they are actually eating, as long as they are in a calorie deficit. Good luck with the dietitian!

Angelpebbles wrote: »

Good Morning, I have been a member for a while and have appreciated the knowledge that this community has in helping questions find answers. That being said, does anyone know of a good resource for Nutrition? I have an appointment scheduled with a registered dietician on December 20th, 2019 (earliest appointment available). So far away.

I am hoping to better understand what the (my) body needs to get healthier, lose weight, fat and gain lean muscle. I am Female 47 yrs old, 5'11" tall, large boned weighing in 299 lbs. & I have 133 lbs to lose.My job is somewhat active. I won't lose it by staving myself with bare minimum calories and physical training (Cardio and weight training) that just was realistically not sustainable (been there, done that lost 65 lbs.. got sick, my hair begain to thin out , began to get clumsy and felt like a weak noodle.) All 65 lbs. came back with friends and my metabolism was slowed. I knew better, but I just wanted the quick fix to see faster results. Of course, I didn't see my Physician when all this happened. I knew he would have told me that I wasn't doing it right. Lesson learned. I would like to say that I am smarter. I learned from my mistake and poor judgement. I want to succeed and do it right.

I know real food is better than chemically created processed food. I've been trying to wean myself off of the "Meal Replacement Shakes". I don't see any danger in them, except my relying on them too much.

Thanks, so much.

There is no reason to get caught up in nutrition right now unless you have a specific medical condition with which it can help. The chances of you moving a health marker through food in the next 2 months are minimal. The chances of you moving health markers through weight loss in the next 2 months are better. If nothing else you will feel better.

Losing weight is healthy all by itself. If meal replacement shakes make it easy then do them. Easy is important. Try to hit or exceed your protein goal and that is enough for now. You have 133 pounds to lose which gives you plenty of time to incorporate changes for better nutrition and better habits. There is no reason to saddle yourself with additional requirements right this minute.

Since you have more than 75 pounds to lose I would like to invite you to my MFP Larger Losers group. It is for people who are starting or have originally started with 75 pounds or more to lose. It is also very specifically for people who want to lose their weight in a sensible and sustainable fashion. It is a great group of people who really understand the burdens of carrying a lot of excess weight. Here is the link:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/133315-larger-losers

If you do not wish to join that is fine. Just promise yourself you won't quit for any reason. That doesn't mean you have to be perfect it just means if you make a mistake or you fall down you just keep getting back up. Weight loss does not require perfection. If it did I would have never made it as far as I currently have.

A lot of times people arrive on MFP thinking that they have to start eating "healthy" to control their weight.
I was one of them.

Healthy eating does not equal weight control and weight control does not equal or require healthy eating. Caloric control is REQUIRED to control weight.

Once I realized that the two goals are actually separate, that's when I was finally able to successfully improve on BOTH!

Start by controlling your calories such that you have a sustainable level of weight loss. Not too fast and not too slow!

Experiment with ADDING lower calorie foods that make you feel satiated. Protein, fiber, vegetables, fruits can all be ADDED into the diet and allowed to crowd out more caloric but less satiating options!

Every government under the sun has issued dietary guidelines for its citizens http://www.fao.org/nutrition/education/food-dietary-guidelines/en/

Do remember that the first part of healthy eating is energy balance. As such, most of the guidelines try to provide a framework such that someone following them without actively counting calories will be likely to find themselves in a healthy energy balance. Counting calories does give you the freedom to stray... a little bit

Take care and best of luck!

My #1 recommendation is to start tracking everything you eat and drink using the tools here on MFP. This way you know where you are and can work with the nutritionist to see where you should go.

The first thing a nutritionist generally asks a patient to do is to track everything they eat and drink for at least 2 weeks. Almost no one knows this or does this in advance. You can do that now, in preparation for your appointment in December. Take a printout of what you've been consuming and it will help get you off to a better start.

My #2 recommendation is not to make too many changes at once. We all want to see quick results, so we think we have to totally stop X or Y. Even your profile pic seems to imply you think you have to suffer and sacrifice to get to goal, and that if you don't get there you're a failure. Please don't do that to yourself. :flowerforyou:

I do think discipline and commitment is required for weight loss, but we don't need to be so hard on ourselves. Small changes, being consistent over time, being patient, and having a team of supportive people are all key along the journey.