Diet/Meal Plan?

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cait0902
cait0902 Posts: 127 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Dieting and eating healthy seems to be the hardest part of weightloss for me. I've read a ton of comments/tips/suggestions on MFP, but I just don't seem to have enough self control, or know enough about foods (what is healthy, high protein, low sodium, etc) in order to sart eating right. I am also very very picky. So, I was wondering if it might be a good idea for me to sign up for some kind of diet or meal plan....for instance, one of the Jillian Michaels DVD's says there is a diet plan online, but I'm pretty sure you have to sign up for it and pay for it. But I think having a meal plan laid out for me would make it easier, since I won't have to come up with meal idea on my own and I can just do what the plan says...

What do you guys think?

Replies

  • jonand57
    jonand57 Posts: 14 Member
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    Go to the fridge instead of the cupboard for food and you will be ok. Eating qulaity foods is the answer. Eat fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, chicken, firsh and count your calories on MFP. Don't eat processed, packaged foods. Its that easy.
  • glittersoul
    glittersoul Posts: 671
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    Just eat your food and log it, you will learn as you input your foods how much protein/fats/carbs/sodium etc they contain. There is plenty of information online to learn about nutrition. Also, search the forums for "grocery list" and you will get a lot of good ideas from others.
  • cyclerjenn
    cyclerjenn Posts: 835 Member
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    I sit down before I go grocery shopping and decide what I want to eat for the week. I will enter it into MFP to make sure I am matching my nutrients, then create my shopping list. Then I put the list on the fridge. Now I know what to eat every day and for what meal and my kids no longer ask me what's for dinner, they can just go look at the meal plan.
  • glittersoul
    glittersoul Posts: 671
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    Also, I think it is not a great idea to use a pre-made plan if you aren't going to continue doing that. You need the learning process for maintenance.
  • bugtrain
    bugtrain Posts: 251 Member
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    I personally,do my best when I am not stressing from all the different opinions on what is the "right" way to eat.....just do what works for you.....if you can follow a plan without feeling deprived of some of your favorite foods,then I say go for it.You might even consider something like WW.......you can have anything you want,but it encourages you to make healthier choices.Sign up and go to a few meetings to get the idea of how it works and if you can't afford to keep going,use MFP for support and do it on your own.....that's what I am doing :)...... good luck with whatever you decide to do :)
  • Emancipated_Tai
    Emancipated_Tai Posts: 756 Member
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    Don't do JM meal plan, it’s not enough food and you will be miserable! I find it best to plan my meals in advance then go grocery shopping for what is on that list only. I log all my food a day before then tweak it as I go along because I usually change something here and there. It is a learning process, so don't give up. Just take it one day at a time!

    ETS: I read the labels on EVERYTHING! I look for foods low in fats, 7g or less, low in sodium and high in protein if possible. Since your still getting the hang of it I would concentrate on just meeting your caloric goals. As you become more accustom you will be able to manage your other macros as well. I was on this site for at least 6 months before I even bothered to look at anything but how many calories I consumed.
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
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    No diet plan in the world is going to magically give you self control...maybe work on that part first.
  • RVfrog
    RVfrog Posts: 213 Member
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    if you really want a plan go to a dietitian and get her plan which will be healthy and go from that but a plan won't make you healthy if you don't stick with it. Find a plan that you can live with. Good luck
  • mermx
    mermx Posts: 976
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    As others have said...try to learn for yourself as you can not have a diet/meal plan forever. Check on MFP or Google different food groups so you know what choices to make.

    I am sure it will be so much cheaper also to buy your own foods and create your own menus.

    Decide what foods you like and then check them out on the MFP database or google and work around them.

    I don`t deny myself anything, just limit things that are `treats`
  • LovingLisa2012
    LovingLisa2012 Posts: 802 Member
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    i have tried both JM and ediets .. it wasn't worth it

    i did find a site here with sample meal plans, maybe it can help you get an idea on how to make your own
    http://www.freedieting.com/free_diet_plans.htm
  • slbeutler
    slbeutler Posts: 205
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    I am sure you can get a free meal plan online to get you started. Some people need to learn how to cook and how to introduce new foods into their diet before they can really get started. I like the food plan that comes with Jamie Eason's Free training program on bodybuilding.com. there are a variety of others on their as well. You could get one of those play around with it on MFP and then go from there.
  • beachlover718
    beachlover718 Posts: 82
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    I'm a picky eater too, so for me those meal plans usually dont work- I dont want to eat Tuna every day for lunch and grilled chicken for dinner (totally a generalization!) I'm going to sneak a peak at your diary, maybe you can tweak what you already eat into a healthier verson.
  • beachlover718
    beachlover718 Posts: 82
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    ok, here's some suggestions based on yesterday's diary. Please dont take this as being critical, I'm really trying to help


    breakfast- instead of 4 whole eggs, try 3 egg whites and one whole egg. same protein but less fat, will still taste good b/c of the 1 yolk (you'll see if you look at my diary that I do half a yolk b/c I just dont like full on egg whites). Try half a tbsp of butter (you'd be amazed at how you can scrape every last drop of butter out of that measuring cup! and maybe just try 2 slcies of bread? that will leave you with ( like cheese on my eggs, so slice of cheese, 2 slices weight watchers rye bread and eggs as I described above only cost me 250 cals for breakfast- leaves me with room to snack later in the morning)

    at lunch and dinner can you get more greens in? and try adding a low fat protein: chicken, fish, eggs (hard boiled if you like them - I dont!) low fat feta, some nuts? One of my favorite salads is mixed greens (the darker the better) 1/4 c of low fat fetta, 2 tbsp almonds, whatever veggies i can find- tomatoes, peppers, onions etc, with newman's own light rasperry walnut vinagrette. YUM!

    youre doing great, keep up the commitment to working out and eating better and you'll see results. It's hard to make a total lifestyle change.
  • aproc
    aproc Posts: 1,033 Member
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    There are plenty of 'meal plans' available for free if you research right. Bodybuilding.com has a lot from different people. Just go by the general rules and make sure to eat plenty of lean meats, veggies, grains, etc. I couldn't stick to a certain meal plan because I like to plan mine out according to what I like and works for me.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    I would worry that the problem with getting someone else to tell you what to eat is that how long are you going to be able to maintain that for? I honestly think that one of the best things you can do for long-term weight loss and maintainance is to learn how to eat.

    What I did when I started MFP was just eat the food I like to eat, logged it and then looked at what I needed to change. To start with, I focused on calories (because 1200 cals is hard to do, luckily I saw the light on that one...) I just tweaked my meals to make portions slightly smaller, or to cut out certain higher-calorie items. I just found a way to make a diet based around the food I like to eat, and make it work for me. As time has gone on, I've looked at other stuff, so now i'm working on getting more protein and fibre. My diet is far from perfect, but it's a whole lot better than it was 6 months ago.

    Just make small changes. You don't have to eat healthy - at least not someone else's version of healthy. Do some research, find out which parts matter to you, and take time to form new habits. MFP is great in that it lets you track carbs, fat, protein, fibre etc along with the calories. Use this tool to gradually make the changes you are interested in making. Complete radical lifestyle changes are hard to maintain. Try and find a way of eating that works best for you, with the foods you like.
  • beachlover718
    beachlover718 Posts: 82
    Options
    I would worry that the problem with getting someone else to tell you what to eat is that how long are you going to be able to maintain that for? I honestly think that one of the best things you can do for long-term weight loss and maintainance is to learn how to eat.

    What I did when I started MFP was just eat the food I like to eat, logged it and then looked at what I needed to change. To start with, I focused on calories (because 1200 cals is hard to do, luckily I saw the light on that one...) I just tweaked my meals to make portions slightly smaller, or to cut out certain higher-calorie items. I just found a way to make a diet based around the food I like to eat, and make it work for me. As time has gone on, I've looked at other stuff, so now i'm working on getting more protein and fibre. My diet is far from perfect, but it's a whole lot better than it was 6 months ago.

    Just make small changes. You don't have to eat healthy - at least not someone else's version of healthy. Do some research, find out which parts matter to you, and take time to form new habits. MFP is great in that it lets you track carbs, fat, protein, fibre etc along with the calories. Use this tool to gradually make the changes you are interested in making. Complete radical lifestyle changes are hard to maintain. Try and find a way of eating that works best for you, with the foods you like.

    ^^^THIS^^

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