Eating Habits

they say green is key.... green veggies are supposed to be really good for you. Also, make sure you have a nice color palatte in your fruit/veggie selections... eat say red apples, yellow squash, orange sweet potatoes, etc.

don't fry anything, and try to stay away from simple carbs, like pasta and white bread, get whole grain varieties of those lots of fruit and veggies, and they say that dairy aids in weight loss, plus as a woman you need your calcium, so low-fat yogurt, cheese and milk should definitely go in the cart! and don't just get fat-free stuff, most of those are still high in calories

Veggies are great. Fruits are good too. I don't think you should have to worry about eating too much vegetables or fruits.
Grains are good too as well as low-fat sources of proteins - lean meat, beans, low fat cheese and yogurt, some soy products (check the nutritional info). I don't know how much meat you eat... but if you don't do it already, try to fit in at least one day of vegetarian food a week.

Also try to have as much home-made meals as possible. Most ready-made food has too much of either fat, sugar or salt.

It's also a good idea to learn to use spices and herbs for flavor. It's much healthier than relying on salt, gravy or syrups.

But you don't have to force yourself to eleminate all unhealthy food from your diet. Go progressively, make small changes and don't force yourself to eat food you don't like. There are enough healthy food to choose from that you shouldn't have to do that.

Have fun!

Originally Posted by IloveSiamese


so if not the fat free kind, which kind should I get?

lol

That's noramlly what I get. I thought those were better.

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Often with things that are "fat free", they'll just put more sugar in there.

What I usually do is buy the unflavored yogurt (either fat free or low fat) and flavor it myself with berries and a bit of sugar.

Originally Posted by marie-p

Often with things that are "fat free", they'll just put more sugar in there.

What I usually do is buy the unflavored yogurt (either fat free or low fat) and flavor it myself with berries and a bit of sugar.

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Exactly! Most times the low-fat varieties are good enough, like salad dressings and mayo

Originally Posted by IloveSiamese

So like no meats???? What is vegetarian food LOL

I need help!

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It's not something that you have to do, but it's good to have non-animal sources of proteins. They're usually lower in fat and in cholesterol. Plus is adds variety to your diet.

You can use beans (kidney beans, chick peas, etc.). You can use it to make salads, soups, or mix them with rice or veggies.
Soy is a great source of protein too. I know here I can get soy-based imitation ground beef (called "Yves' Veggie Ground" which you can use for tacos or things like that.

By the way, if you need recipe ideas (vegetarian or not), here's a great website:
http://allrecipes.com/
Not all the recipes are healthy but there are tons of healthy recipes. I love the site because you can see other people's ratings, reviews and comments before you try a recipe.

What I do (and any suggestions to me would be helplful as well) Is make up huge veggie/salad trays everyday, and any dip I want and yoghurt. My fave yoghurt is the Yoplait 0% source, any flavour. Also this 18 grain bread is yummy for toast. One day a week, I'll have anything I want, within reason, usually steak and veggies, or burgers I made myself. I lost 20 pounds this way

Kallie I am doing the same thing hon!! My advice is along with what everyone else has said too. I never lose weight easily, but I was beginning to get a little heavy and I started spending an hour everyday on the ellyptical machine at the gym and eating healthier, and when you REALLY stick to, it really does pay off! Maybe we can be 'health-buddies' and exchange info on what we're eating and what we're doing, lol, that way we stay on the ball, lol.

As for shopping, get the 'whole grain' version of every thing (whole grain weat bread, whole grain wheat pasta, whole grain waffles, whole grain brown rice, etc...) It has a LOT less sugar. It's best to cut out excess sugar, like the kind found in white breads and rolls. Eat lots and lots of veggies. I try to eat 5 servings of veggies, 1 fruit, at least 1 whole grain, and 1 serving of lean meat a day. Oh and around 3 servings of dairy. And I eat every couple of hours so I don't feel starved.
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Here's an example of what I'll eat in a day:

-As soon as I wake up (6:45am): Single serving can of V8...it has a full 2 servings of vegetables in it!

-10am: A banana and a cup of skim milk

-1pm: Brown rice with mixed veggies (corn, green beans, peas, lima beans, carrots) with a little low sodium low fat butter.

-4:30pm: 100 calorie Progresso soup (Roasted garlic chicken)

-7:30pm: A big spring green salad with the 1 calorie spray dressing (it's great and saves so many calories over regular dressing) I like the italian and the Red wine vinagrette. I eat a serving of turkey or chicken with this.

And my late night snack is low fat yogurt with a few small cheese cubes.

I've lost 5 lbs in about a week and a half doing this and exercise. I've even cheated a good bit and have had ice cream and cake on more than one occasion. *blush*
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Best of luck girl!!!!!!

What ever you do, do not cut out carbs fully, have atleast a roll or a slice of bread a day, best results mornings

My husband and I have cut fast food and red-meat out of our diet completely. Its been about 3 weeks and my husband has lost 8 lbs. I don't really have any weight to lose but I wanted to live a bit healthier lifestyle. I've noticed that I just feel better than ever before. More energetic, less moody (fast food really messes with your blood sugar.)

I ran it by the pediatrician (because my young daughters are not eating red meat as a result of our decision), and he said that this no-red-meat diet is considered to be the healthiest diet. We still eat chicken and fish. I'm learning to cook some vegetarian recipes to mix it up a bit. I found out that Eggplant Parmesean is wonderful and easy to make. I'm not quite ready to take the leap to tofu.

The whole thing has been easy and we don't feel deprived (except when my mom brought our 3 year old home with a Happy Meal--man that cheesburger looked like the best thing in the world, our mouths were watering ) We haven't altered portion size purposefully, but because our food choices require more thought now, portion size has decreased.

This is what's working for us! Good luck!

I recently lost 95lbs so here's some advice for you:

No white sugar or white flower

Nothing with high fructose corn syrup

Stay with green veggies, not iceberg lettuce, the darker the better for you.

Water, water, water, water

Also NO soda this includes Diet/Light.

That's where I started. If you want more I can post what else we did. My husband lost 60lbs and I lost 95. We joke that we lost a chubby model.

Sure... I'll post for all to see. We went with a primarily organic lifestyle. I buy from mostly local farmers and seasonal produce. Now this can be a huge challenge to live you life like this, some people just won't understand. I watched the movie Super Size Me and I realized what I was doing to my body. I decided that night we were never going to eat that way again.

Here are some key misconceptions about the way I eat:

When I say I don't eat refined sugar doesn't mean that I don't still enjoy some chocolate. You can make a really good chocolate bar with cane sugar.

I am not a vegetarian. My only rule about eating meat is that it has to be dead when it hits the table. (my Mom was served live shrimp once in Japan, she couldn't eat them) I eat hormone free meat that was given a good diet of grain and plenty of water. Again this meat is a lot more expensive that your regular stock from the grocery store, but the extra money is worth it.

I can eat outside my lifestyle if I choose, but I do pay consequences for it. I've noticed that if I do eat something that I shouldn't my body now reacts. I will either be on the toilet most of the night, or I will have horrible acne.

Changing over to this lifestyle isn't easy and above all else it isn't a diet. You have to REALLY want to change what you do.

Sorry for the long post, but it's a bit complex.

I've lost 25 pounds so far and I'm working on losing 15 more...I'll give you some tips that I've found along the way...

*To get over really bad eating habits (like chocolate or too many sweets)...everytime you have a craving for something, eat something healthy. Fruit (esp berries) are sweet and they help with the cravings. I do this every once in a while when I've gotten "bad" about my eating...and after a week I no longer have those cravings.

*Drink lots of water!

*Stay away from the inside aisles in the grocery store as much as possible. Everything you "need" is on the outer rim -- the unprocessed stuff.

*Don't eliminate all carbs (very unhealthy, you need balance) but eliminate starchy foods like white potatoes, white bread, sugar. Switch to wheat bread. Eat red potatoes, they break down into sugar a lot slower than white potatoes and are better for you.

*Explore recipe sites online. I've got a bunch of recipes that are good for you - PM me if you'd like some, I'll be happy to send them over.

*Eat a few times throughout the day, and eat small meals when you do. You should have about 5 small meals rather than 3 big meals. This helps your body break everything down better rather than fasting and holding onto fat, wondering when you will eat next.

*Don't be afraid to cheat if you really want something -- if you have a taste for a cookie, HAVE ONE! Just have one or two, rather than a bunch. You'll be much less miserable and less likely to cheat and blow your whole routine.

*Work out as much as you can...lol, duh! Even 20 minutes of a workout a day is better than nothing.


I probably have a lot more...I'll come back and post more when I think of stuff. If you need a "buddy" to keep you motivated, to vent to, etc...PM me.

My thing for losing the 25 bls I needed to: Stop eating fast food (and eating out in general). A lot of restaurants put a lot of sodium into their food (along with cals, fats, and carbs) and sodium also absorbs into your system. So if you do not drink enough water per day to wash out the sodium, then you wind up with water weight.

If you want to stick with some meats, eat red meat sparingly. I encourage chicken, turkey, pork, and fish. Fish has a lot of your Omega-3 and such for your body's natural oils.

If you're a "pear" shape (i.e. bottom heavy) avoid exercises such as rollar blading or stair steppers. Anything that winds up as heavy for your legs will not slim them down, but instead bulk them up. If you use an exercise bike, use it on a light setting. It seems easy, but really you wind toning your legs then bulking them up