new toMFP

Its fine if you don't eat until 11 or 12, meal timing is a personal thing. I too prefer to not start eating until later in the day, and it has worked out quite well for me.

There are also many members here who are quite successful through diet alone and also have exercise restrictions, so don't let that worry you too much. It's great you have found something you are able to incorporate into you plan!

You may find this group helpful: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum

@southernskeeter I am also going to move your thread to the food and nutrition board in hopes it gets more attention there. Hopefully some fellow members have some good suggestions for low carb, low fat, low sodium to get you started. Sometimes things move too fast in the introduce yourself section and threads don't get alot of responses.

~best wishes on your journey

You can do this!! At one point, hubby and I got so good at low sodium that he tested too low and we were told to up it a bit! But it's not easy and takes time to adapt.

First to overcome is blandness! Yes, cooking without salt can make things awfully bland. This is where herbs and spices come to the rescue. Mrs. Dash is a great thing to start with but also make ample use of garlic, scallions, roasted red peppers, etc. for flavor. Cook things with plenty of taste on their own like sweet potatoes instead of white.

Read labels! Avoid most grocery store items that are "low salt" versions of regular things because they are often still high in sodium. A regular bowl of canned soup might be 700mg of sodium while the "low salt" version is still 500 mg. Check the labels. Make homemade soups so you control the sodium, etc.

Consider no-sodium treats from some mail order places. https://healthyheartmarket.com/ has salt-free pickles hubby loves -- especially the salt-free dill pickles. Who knew such a thing was possible?

I, too, have more than 100 pounds to lose and have Type II diabetes so controlling carbs is important. I'm learning to skip the rice and pasta and eat riced cauliflower instead. A tablespoon of parmesan cheese adds a lot of flavor for relatively small numbers in terms of calories and sodium.

My kryptonite is fat. I'm still having trouble upping the protein and limiting the fat but it's all a case of re-learning how to eat and we shouldn't expect to become expert in our new ways of eating overnight.

Best wishes to you on your quest to eat better.

southernskeeter wrote: »

... I haven't had diet pop since 7/4 ... I always felt that being diet it was ok but boy was I wrong.

I used to be a Diet Coke junkie but I figured out that sweet taste without calories makes me want to eat everything in sight. Sweets or starchy carbs at the end of supper will do that to me, too. It will probably take you awhile to figure out what things work for you and what don't. We are each different but I'm learning, for instance, that an ounce of cheese, eaten slowly, is much more likely to sate my appetite than cookies even if both have the same calories. You'll learn the tricks that work for you. It's just trial and error. No sweat. Whatever pounds you lose are to the good!

Starting with raw ingredients (veggies, meats) and cooking them yourself will help to keep sodium down. Anything that comes in a bottle or can or carton is likely high in sodium.