"Normal" food?

I actually eat NORMAL food... its all about PORTION CONTROL .
I use my measuring cups and measuring spoons to eat the actual serving sizes... after awhile you'll be able to eyeball it but i know for almost the first month and a half i HAD to measure EVERYTHING. ( istill measure A lot of things)
I eat whatever everyone else eats but in moderation.
I eat cheesecake...Lawlers cheesecake bites= 80 calories/piece
I eat chocolate... M&Ms, 5 calories per M&m ... 5=25 calories 10=50 calories
I eat burgers ... 80/20 chuck but I measure or weigh out exactly a 1/4 lb burger (before i cook, so the calories are accurate)
NOW I DONT EAT THESE THINGS EVERYDAY MIND YOU but this journey isnt about depriving yourself or having to eat certain things...
diets= yes and no foods
life style change for weight loss= moderation, portion control, exercise

But do what works best for you and your family. Just because someone else is doing it one way doesnt make that the ONLY way to do it.!! :flowerforyou:

that is me too i live with a nine year old you have to have burgers in there sometimes just not every day and we eat healthy and a lot or organic too

Normal food eater here, I realised that most diet foods are crammed with artificial this and artificial that and I think true good health comes from eating as naturally as possible. I have long grain brown rice, rice cakes, potatoes and occasionally wholewheat pasta, in moderation, quinoa, lots of veggies, both fresh and frozen, soups, cottage cheese, fruits, peanut butter, nuts and seeds, yoghurt, eggs and even chocolate sometimes, if I have been exercising and want a treat. I think it actually makes you prone to eating more if you buy specific diet foods, and as to shakes and things, I have never felt the need for protein shakes. The closest I have had is those 9 bars, which I rather liked the taste of.

I eat "normal" and don't expect a separate meal from the rest of my family. I just make sure to monitor how much I have of it. Foods like pizza, tacos, ravioli and the like. Eat out occasionally when it can't be avoided. If I were by myself I'd skip eating out, but won't make my family do that.

I make mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes & we usually have oven roasted potatoes or baked potatoes as well.

Another good mash is a mixture of red potatoes,
parsnips, and carrots. Made that on accident
when I annihilated these items in the pressure
cooker. It was a mistake, but ended up being
really good!

One other mash I make includes potatoes, and
butternut squash.

Lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, whole grains...all "normal" food. There is plenty of great food choices out there. No need to buy the processed, packaged, convenient "diet" foods. You will be healthier eating "clean"

Now I don't cook separate dinners for myself and for the rest of my family. I have made some changes to things to make them healthier. Instead of having macaroni and cheese practically every night, we have more veggies. I don't add salt to things. I'm switching to turkey instead of beef. I don't fry things very often. I'm basically making the same things I was before, I'm just making them healthier for all of us.

Having had done WW when I was younger and not as food smart, I was lured into the "diet fad" trap. I ate so much low-fat/fat free crap that was all processed. I strive to buy more whole foods which sometimes happen to be organic but I don't make it my mission. We're on a budget - I mean, these days who ISN'T on a budget? I buy lots of fruit and veggies because my kids go nuts over fresh fruit and I tend to stay on the side of leaner meats - lots of chicken (save for the awesome-gotta-have-it steak once in awhile)... since I view this as a lifestyle change, keeping things "normal" is of the utmost importance. I don't want my kids growing up thinking of mommy as having food issues. I focus on portion control (which is RARELY easy, but I'm learning) and still enjoy lots of things - mac & cheese, spaghetti, Mexican food (my utter weakness) and if I want Coke, I drink Coke. I don't drink TEN, I drink one. I don't use fake margarines, I use real butter and reaaaaalllly enjoy it. I don't believe that anything "diet" in the food industry can possibly be good for you - the 500 items in the ingredient list is proof positive of that.

In making this lifestyle change, obvs you are going to make better decisions. It's inevitable. But you can make better, healthier decisions without breaking the bank or feeding into commercialism & the diet industry.

Only regular food eaten by this woman!

I plan out my meals for the week so if I can adjust it to fit into my calories and whatnot I do it for the whole family, but it's not always gonna work with my budget. Sometimes I just have smaller portions of what my kids have (they're pretty active and don't really need to be too worried about what they eat seeing as how its not junk food). Other times I make a healthy sandwich or salad.

unprocessed natural foods are best, and normally cheap in bulk e.g. fruit veg sweet potatoes, whole wheat pasta, bread, try reduced fat hummus, lower fat cheese, low fat milk, cereals without sugar or porridge oats/weetabix, tomato based pasta sauces, low fat/sugar yogurts, use more beans/pulses/lentils and meat substitutes e.g. frozen quern mince as it's lower in fat and cheaper maybe?
look at the low GI/GL diet they use normal foods that keep you fuller for longer based on protein, fibre and complex carbs, hope this helps you

I would advise - read all labels in the supermarket - be aware of what is in the food you eat, encourage the rest of the family to have a healthy food intake (but don't bore them with it). Maybe encourage the kids to shop with you and explain the labels - I saw a class of children in my local supermarket doing this the other day.

If they are eating side that you know you shouldn't have in excess (e.g. fries) make yourself a baked or steamed potato.

Choose low fat options and from scratch over full-fat takeaway/ processed that you can't control the ingredients of.

(Just a note: all-you-can-eat happens very rarely, special occasions, or it would completely defeat me!! :bigsmile: )

To me all you can eat was a great way for different choices.
Most of the time it was at the chinese restaurant, and I'd eat
one plate of food, and a bowl of soup. Problem was all the
sodium I ate, including soy sauce in my wonton soup! Actually
I'd skipped the wontons, and made a veggie soup.

Now we go about once a month, I lay off the soy sauce,
and eat at the raw bar where they cook your food for you.
I tell them hot and spicy for the "sauce", and NO SOUP FOR ME! :laugh:

Now it's more of a treat and not a weekly, bi-weekly deal.

As for pizza, once in a while is ok and it's always Papa Murphy's!
There are a few Large deLITE pizzas that won't kill you, if you eat
two slices.

The other night there was a bag of Cheetos Puffs looking at me.
I had five puffs, logged them and it actually killed the urge! :laugh: