Mistakes to avoid as a beginner?

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Jaimeee333 wrote: »

Thanks so much for your comment! To be honest my diet is pretty inconsistent. I do my best to prioritize a well rounded meal with a protein, carb and veg but I'm not too sure where to start. I usually eat 2-3 meals a day and snack occasionally in between on average. In the morning I start my day usually with a good choice like oatmeal or a cottage cheese scramble, but tend to eat foods that are less filling later in the day when I'm on the go like just a turkey sandwich for lunch and then the snacking adds up and I found these days to be more often than not and the same goes for dinner. To be honest I feel like my main problem is I'm not too sure where to start with recipes!

If you're logging your food, review and analyze your diary. Pay attention to which days go better or worse. Think about what was different on those days. Use those insights to improve your plan.

If you find your "good choice" breakfast tasty and filling, that's great. If you don't, then consider alternatives. If you a grabbing lunch on the go, take 15-20 minutes (when not on the go!) to think about filling, tasty things you could eat that would make a better contribution to your goals. Consider where you are when on the go, what options you have for food. (Examples: Convenience store, fast food restaurant, carry a lunch or snacks, etc. Even convenience stores and fast food places have some reasonably filling, reasonably nutritious, moderate calorie options. Plan ahead.)

There's no need to get fancy with recipes. If you're heading home, pick up a rotisserie chicken and some frozen veggies, some moderate-calorie sauce if you don't have something in the pantry. Quick dinner, no recipe. Bagged salads with a protein. Etc.

It sounds like you're losing focus as the day goes on. One thing to consider: How's your sleep quality/quantity? As the day goes on, we're more distant from that last sleep. Fatigue accumulates. When fatigued, the body seeks energy. Food is energy, voilà - cravings, often for quick-energy foods like sweets and processed-food carbs. Keep in mind that stress, over-exercise and other factors can also increase fatigue.

Another thing to consider: How fast are you trying to lose weight? Slow loss, even very slow loss, when using a workable plan . . . will get a person to goal weight in less calendar time than something aggressive that's too hard to stick with consistently.

I'm in long-term maintenance now, but when I was losing weight, I made it a point to carry small, relatively filling, nutritious shelf-stable snacks in my car or purse/backpack, ones that were tasty but not super-tempting. That helped me tide myself over until I could find a bigger but nutritious/tasty/filling food(s) to eat.

Don't get hung up on recipes. Focus on a plan that's achievable for you. Heaven forbid (because it was kind of a party trick), but people have lost meaningful amounts of weight eating entirely at McDonald's, or mostly convenience store foods . . . and improved their blood test results and other health markers at the same time. It's a better idea to eat mostly whole foods for a variety of reasons (like feeling more full, for most of us), but eating in a calorie-appropriate way that's practical/filling for us the way we are now, maybe evolving gradually and manageably in new directions (like learning to cook): That can work.

Best wishes!