Best way to eat?

Your story is the same as mine and my daughter is 3, Its all about calorie counting,....

Hey there, im in the same boat, but am studying nutritional medicine.. my suggestion would be eat variety... try to make you food look like a rainbow! DONT cut carbs as carbs are macronutrients and are required by the body in large amounts.
here are the guidlines for optimal nutrition:
* eat foods as close to their natural state and as fresh as possible
* cook your meals from scratch wherever you can rather than using pre prepared ingredients
*eat a variety of foods, especially plant based foods and those that are in season. Eating fruits and vegetables of different colours is a good way to start, try to make your food look like a rainbow. also eat foods with different flavours, colours and textures. aim to eat at least 30 different types of food a day
* always wash fruit and vegetables before cooking or eating
* eat foods that are high quality
* consider organic foods may be a healthier choice
* use cooking methods that retain the nutrients in the food. Grilling, steaming, baking, stir frying and eating some raw are healthier than deep frying or boiling
* ensure a good intake of plant based foods such s fruits,vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes herbs and spices.
* moderate your intake of saturated fats, salt,alcohol, refined sugars, processed foods and caffeine
* avoid old nuts as these can grow moulds and the oils may become rancid
* avoid burnt food, including meats that are blackened, burnt toast or other burnt food
* avoid organ meats, whilst these may be rich in nutrients they may also contain unwanted substances such as drugs, hormone, or pesticide residue particularly when they are eliminative organs like the liver or kidneys
* avoid foods with a lot of additives, preservatives and colourings
* eat protein at every meal. in fact make sure all the essential nutrients are provided in each meal
* drink at LEAST 1.5-2 litres of water a day
* learn to rotate foods to provide variety and ensure you are not eating the same type of foods every day
* remember to enjoy eating, take pleasure from preparing wholesome meals that you will enjoy eating. food is nourishment for life. Digestion starts in your brain so think about what you are going to eat and eat it slowly
*chew your food more
*partake in regular aerobic exercise..at least 1/2 an hour to an hour a day
*drink the juice of half a lemon or apple cider vinegar in warm water on waking or soon after
* enjoy your food and remember that good nutrition and health is about balance and variety

know that was a mouthful but i hope it helped? feel free to add me

COUNT calories! I think you'll be amazed how many calories in are in foods that many people consider healthy!
Estimating or keeping track in your head, is just a path towards failure.

Honestly, the calorie target has been the most helpful thing for me. I've done Weight Watchers in the past, and it can be a really good program, but I never had ANY handle on how much I was getting of anything: calories, fat, fiber, etc. Being able to see those numbers and think about how they add up over the course of the day just makes my food choices more straightforward.

Thanks everyone! What are some breakfast ideas, this is my hardest meal, but the most important!

<--- I don't start eating until late afternoon typically.

What's critically important mskimberlee, is for you to establish a moderate but not-too-aggressive calorie deficit, find a good macronutrient intake, and by the end of the day, hit it. Then do it again the next day, and keep going. Throw in some resistance training.

Then in 3 months when you look in the mirror and go "rawr!", you'll think to yourself: "Man I'm sure glad I didn't worry about all that other bullsh*t. Good thing my man Sidesteal hooked me up with a simple and effective plan. And I wonder where he got those jammy-pants?"

<--- I don't start eating until late afternoon typically.

What's critically important mskimberlee, is for you to establish a moderate but not-too-aggressive calorie deficit, find a good macronutrient intake, and by the end of the day, hit it. Then do it again the next day, and keep going. Throw in some resistance training.

Then in 3 months when you look in the mirror and go "rawr!", you'll think to yourself: "Man I'm sure glad I didn't worry about all that other bullsh*t. Good thing my man Sidesteal hooked me up with a simple and effective plan. And I wonder where he got those jammy-pants?"

i do wonder where you got those jammy-pants...

solid advice. as always.

What's critically important mskimberlee, is for you to establish a moderate but not-too-aggressive calorie deficit, find a good macronutrient intake, and by the end of the day, hit it. Then do it again the next day, and keep going. Throw in some resistance training.

LOL Sidesteal, what is macronutrient? I'm a runner,(have been for years) and I swtich off with the eleptical some days, I don't do resistance training. I know! What are some good resistance training exercises?? Digging the jamies bahahahahaha..

Macronutrients are protein/carbs/fats. It's critical that you stay very near your calorie intake for the day, while hitting your targets for p/c/f.

As far as weight training goes, I'd recommend contacting a trainer at your gym to learn the basics. Lift heavy, hit macros, look secksy. Win.

There's an underlying point that I didn't get to among my trolling, but I'll go ahead and say it here since my signature vanished and it used to be in there.

Don't complicate things. Don't bother eliminating half of the foods you like or trying this or that diet technique/etc. Don't worry about when to eat your carbs or if you can have a bedtime snack or whether you should count the sugar in your strawberry and cancel it out with the fiber in you shoe. Don't bother worrying about how often you eat or how frequently or whether you should set an alarm so that you can have a snack at blah blah BULLCRAP... It's all complicated *kitten* that you shouldn't bother with because it just doesn't matter (if you're diabetic, speak up).

Hit.
Your.
Calories.
And.
Macros.
By end of day.

Do this consistently and good things will happen especially if you lift and exercise a bit.. If you stall out or get stuck or have problems doing this, then you can look at slightly more fancy things but until then, don't make a mess out of something so simple.

Not easy, simple.

Don't complicate things. Don't bother eliminating half of the foods you like or trying this or that diet technique/etc. Don't worry about when to eat your carbs or if you can have a bedtime snack or whether you should count the sugar in your strawberry and cancel it out with the fiber in you shoe. Don't bother worrying about how often you eat or how frequently or whether you should set an alarm so that you can have a snack at blah blah BULLCRAP... It's all complicated *kitten* that you shouldn't bother with because it just doesn't matter (if you're diabetic, speak up).

Soooo true.

DON'T OVERCOMPLICATE IT!

Make a calorie deficit.

Hit your macro targets (Fat, protein, etc.)

Find some activity you enjoy that gets your heartrate up.

Lose weight get fit.

All these low carb/cut this/don't eat that/etc are simply means to the same end. Calories in < calories out.

I figure if I run 5 miles I can eat whatever I want, and I CAN'T!!

You can, and arguably should, eat enough to counteract those calories you burned, so you keep only a small deficit.