Would like to know what kind of foods to stay away from.

Well the pasta and junk food is what you will have to stay away from most of the time. But don't deprive yourself. Have 1 serving of pasta. Before you eat it drink a whole glass of water. Make sure you eat other foods(vegitables) with it to fill you up. For the junk food just make sure you only eat it every once in awhile. I know it's hard but you can do it.

Good luck

If you're logging your foods you're probably seeing that too much pasta and junk food means using up your numbers quick. Moderation. I have a weakness for Lays potato chips. So light and crunchy, salty, greasy, satisfying. I need a bag every work day. It's my 10 o'clock snack, but I buy the small vending size bag so I don't pig out on three of four 'servings'.

Good luck! And remember, moderation.

I'm new to this, but I have found that what helps me the most is to "pretend" to log the food in as if I ate it. When I see how much my intake/available is, it helps me choose better. I then choose a different snack and delete the pretend log. I'd much rather have three or four small snacks than to eat one candy bar that takes up so many calories/carbs. It's a mind thing! You/we can do this. Good luck.

For the most part try to cut back on:
-candy/chocolate/processed sugars like cake/pastries/cookies/etc...
-cut back on high-fat dairy products like full fat milk/cheeses
-ANY fried food. It is insane to me how many calories deep fried foods have. Small fry-400cal??!
-mayo based spreads (mayo, miracle whip, caesar dressing is VERY fatty, ranch, sour cream) there are a lot of low-fat versions out there.
-white/processed breads/pastas. Stick with WHOLE WHEAT.
-White rice- stick with brown rice.
-Juice drinks, any drink with calories really add up. Be sure to drink a ton of water and cut back on sugary drinks. AND ALCOHOL!!!
-nuts are VERY good for you, but be sure to limit yourself (peanut butter too), because they do have a ton of calories. You need the healthy fats, but just be careful with serving sizes. 1 oz of nuts (approx.120ish cal) is VERY little to me, I can eat 1000 calories in nuts without even thinking twice.

The biggest thing would be moderation. If you can learn serving sizes (what 3oz of chicken looks like, 1 oz of nuts, 2 tbsp of peanut butter, 3oz of pasta, etc...) you will be able to moderate what goes into your body.

Also, try to stay away from fast food chains. I know that I can NOT get in line at McDonalds without getting french fries lol.

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
I eat oatmeal (the kind you cook, not the sweetened packets) with unsweetened applesauce or Kashi cereals with soy milk, or almond milk, or non fat milk.
:bigsmile: :bigsmile:

I think this is kind of a broad question, because everyone on this site does things a little differently. There are some folks that would say stay away from carbs, or meat, or dairy, or fat...and then there are others that recommend eating lots of those things! It really depends on what works for you. I recommend reading about other people's success stories and researching different methods, and when you find a method that sounds realistic and attainable for you, then begin making changes in your lifestyle.

Example: My personal philosophy is that I prefer to not cut out any food groups from my diet... I just want to eat the healthiest options from each of the food groups. So when I eat starches or carbs, I stick wtih brown rice, whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, etc. and I am very careful to measure out a portion size rather than just pile these things on my plate.

I've also found that trying to work in as much produce into my diet as possible (with as much variety as possible) has helped. Many people on this site use a "whole foods" approach which I find very inspiring.

Lastly, when making a lifestyle change keep in mind that it is a work in progress. I know that I have had difficulty and felt overwhelmed when I tried to change EVERYTHING at one time, but I know that it means that my progress is very slow. For some folks, they achieved great results when they turned a corner and made a complete change. What ever changes you decide to make to your diet, good luck!:happy: