Healthy Eating -Suggestions & what have you changed to eat better

[Fhloston]

Title says it all. Mrs and I are looking to lose weight. Making drastic changes in our diets such as giving up soda, fast food, fried foods, more vegetables, etc. I know there's a lot of health people here so I'm wondering what you have given up or added to your diet I'm favor of healthier living.

Recipes are most welcome also. I'll post more after work.

[Cream Soda]

I gave up liquids as a source of calories. I only drink water, variations of flavored water, diet soda, black coffee, etc.

You'd be surprised at how many calories/sugars are in a glass of anything, whether it be soda, or a glass of juice.

[The Stig]

Own a slow cooker?

I'm not sure if I am actually losing weight going via this route but I've been making primarily beef stew (some chunks of cheap cut beef and some beef mince) with a beef broth (tinned stuff) base

From there, I throw in most if not all:

Celery
Garlic
Onion
Broccoli
Carrot
Potato (a staple)
Swede
Parsnip
Cauliflower
Baby Corn
Peas
Leek

A pot lasts me 2-3 days (depending on hunger). I believe I'm getting a lot more veg into my system that way as the stew/broth flavours it as it enters my mouth, so I find it rather tasty and add the fact you often finds bits of meat hanging on it, makes it even easier to eat (otherwise I would never eat any veg on a normal basis unless it comes with my "meal" i.e. salad in a burger, lol)

If I'm still hungry after 1 portion (1 of the 2 or 3 day portions) I stack celery on top of it (fresh/cold) and a low fat dip (only generous use of it to help the celery go down).

I drink sparkling water to quell my soda desire. For meals, I do drink squash (i.e. Ribena) as I prefer something sweet, but I put lots more water in to dilute it a bit more. At other times I drink smoothies from the store, but in limited amounts (due to high sugar) to get more veg into me.

Google says slow cooked veg are healthy as all the nutrients are released properly. Your call.

Check the slow cooker thread for recipes.

[deshende]

I gave up liquids as a source of calories. I only drink water, variations of flavored water, diet soda, black coffee, etc.

You'd be surprised at how many calories/sugars are in a glass of anything, whether it be soda, or a glass of juice.

On a side note to this, you'd be surprised how much money you'll save when you eat out if you always get water (if you're used to just getting a soft drink).

My suggestion is to figure out how to limit some of the starchier high carb foods like bread, potatoes, and sweets (hard one for me). Your brain needs some form of carbs but better to get them from something that has some better nutrition like vegetables and fruits (some will disagree with me since fruits have high sugar but still better than bread and potatoes).

Also I'm not a big fan of artificial sweeteners. I despise Splenda/sucralose so depending how you feel about those you may want to be careful if you try any products marked "Diet" "Low sugar" etc.

[falloutboy14]

One of my biggest food woes are over junk food. I have 0 ability to control myself from eating potato chips/deserts if they are in the house. So what I do is just never buy it. It's easier to be strong & resist them while you're in the grocery store, than when you're sitting at home.

Something I do that's not food related is finding simple ways to get more exercise. Two things you can do that come to mind are first anytime you have the opportunity to take the stairs instead of an elevator/escalator, do so. Second, park further away when you go places. Instead of hunting for the closest spot, just park at the outer rim of the other parked cars. The extra 20-30 yards there & back can add up, you might get up to a mile over the course of a month.

[RKenshin]

I gave up liquids as a source of calories. I only drink water, variations of flavored water, diet soda, black coffee, etc.

You'd be surprised at how many calories/sugars are in a glass of anything, whether it be soda, or a glass of juice.

This is a big one, if not one of the biggest.

Too many people literally drink more than half of their daily caloric value (if not more), often without even realizing it. Changing your drinking habits alone can make a huge difference in itself, and even save you quite a bit of money.

As far as other advice, I'd just recommend trying not to change too much too drastically at once. Some people can and do it fine, but many get overly ambitious and end up unable to keep with it for long, and fall back into bad (or even worse) habits. Just try to gauge how quick or gradual you can confidently make these changes for yourself, and keep it in mind.

Also, know it's a long process.

It doesn't matter how hard you work, how carefully you eat, and how much you exercise... Some weeks, you will lose weight. Some weeks, your weight won't change at all. Other weeks, you'll actually gain weight. This is all perfectly normal, and you can't let it discourage you. Try to focus on accessing your progress over the course of months; not 1-2 weeks (much less days). If 4+ weeks go by without any progress, then you can start reassessing your diet/routine.

Patience and persistence is big.

[Ratatapa]

I never remember which but there is one of the 2 that is less bad calorie and sugar wise

It's each Vegetable juice or vegetable cocktail

I think the juice is less bad

[Ragnus]

Make all of your own food. It's not hard.

Water or water based drinks you make yourself from scratch should be the only things you drink. I treat milk as an ingredient, not a beverage, and juice is right off the table because one glass of juice is many fruits' worth of sugar a calories.

If you can't pronounce the ingredient, then you probably shouldn't be eating it. If you're of a chemistry background like I am, then you should know that you shouldn't be eating it despite being able to pronounce it. Hell, some of the "healthy" things that get sold in stores like fake parmesean cheese has stuff like aluminum oxide in it.

Weight out everything you eat by getting a scale. It's the most accurate way to keep to the nutritional labeling on a package. On top of that, losing weight / maintaining weight is all about cals in vs cals out. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Start by setting a calorie limit in a day like 1500. Weigh yourself once a week to keep track and adjust accordingly. Assuming you're not morbidly obese, if you're losing more than two to four pounds a week you're going too fast.

[Ratatapa]

Also it's not a food tip but, make sure not to create useless stress, which can make you try to eat more to evacute the stress

[Byrthnoth]

If you're of a chemistry background like I am, then you should know that you shouldn't be eating it despite being able to pronounce it. Hell, some of the "healthy" things that get sold in stores like fake parmesean cheese has stuff like aluminum oxide in it.

I'm all for cooking with fresh ingredients (so much cheaper) and not buying prepared/processed foods, but the idea that food is inherently unhealthy because it includes chemicals is ludicrous. If you're of a chemistry background, then you should know:
1) Everything you can eat is a combination of chemicals. The only reason you can pronounce their names is because producers aren't legally required to write down the myriad chemicals involved in a "Tomato."
2) Preservatives are substances that retard bacterial growth while overall not affecting the taste for/poisoning the humans.
3) There's plenty of shit you can put into your body that has no notable effect on it.
4) The major result of chemical poisoning isn't weight gain, it's weight loss.
5) There are a lot of chemicals added when farming raw ingredients.

So, it's very unlikely that chemicals are inherently bad or are somehow making you fat. What you're doing when you rely on raw ingredients is saying, "Okay, the FDA has approved these food additives after chronic exposure tests in rats, but tomatoes have not been observed to have a negative effect in people with my genetic background in over 4 centuries of chronic exposure. Therefore I think tomatoes are a safer bet." I mean, imagine if no one ate peanuts and peanut oil was an additive to food like rapeseed oil. Can you imagine what a shitfit people would have when their kids died of peanut allergies? We have thousands of registered food additives that are more safe than peanuts.

[Sepukku]

My breakfest is my only meal I haven't figured out how to replace with a healthy option since I need to go 6-7 hours between breakfest and lunch, but I eat Totino's pizza for breakfast since it keeps me full for a very long time.

After that though,

At work, I eat a protein bar to hold me over.

Then I have PBJ sandwiches on whole wheat bread with Welch's no sugar added low carb jelly, a Naked brand granola bar, and an apple or banana.

For dinner its usually some variety of chicken, tuna, chicken noodle soup, but red meats 2-3 days a week instead.

For snacking, can't go wrong with almonds and walnuts.

Definitely don't drink your carbs, 0g/0cal diet sodas only. Milk is the only calories I will drink. Its healthy, unlike juices/sodas. Don't kid yourself on juices. Vitamin C is hella easy to get compared to all other nutrients, you can get it without also getting 50g of sugar.

Finally, for keeping your metabolism going strong - take a multivitamin and drink water. You've always heard 8 glasses of water a day - seriously 8. 10 if you can make it a part of your routine. You won't get as hungry as often/quickly, it boosts your metabolism, and you surprisingly will notice the latent overall feeling of health you'll feel when you keep yourself truly hydrated for a week or two straight.

I typically aim for 2500 cal and 100g of protein every day, I'm not religiously obsessed with it. Just an informal goal to not eat 400 cal snack cakes or skip protein for 2 meals out of the day. But I play sports several days a week and generally do at least 15min of working out at home twice a day every day, so your calorie needs might be lower if you're not as active.

[Tajin]

We dont eat outside (saves a TON of money), no bread, no tortillas, cut out on the beer and soda, that and 8 miles of bicycle everyday.

[Melena]

Besides cutting out regular soda, the biggest change the wife and I have done is go with healthier versions of food we love. We now pick up ground turkey instead of ground beef, goes great in taco's, turkey burgers, chilli, hamburger helper if your desperate. So much healthier and I can't tell the difference.

So along with that, cut out fast food as much as possible (last two weeks sucked with the wife sick and I can't cook for shit + no microwave), and if we do eat out, go with the healthier options. I think the site used by my wife to find recipes is skinnykitchen.com

[Elestial]

.

[Heavencloud]

keto.
Just make sure you still get your veggies.

[Ddz]

I have been gluten free (it's not difficult) since the day after Christmas, and I dropped 10 lbs and I find I have more energy. I usually substitute gluten-free stuff, and I don't get the food-coma lethargic feeling after I eat anymore.

[Mellema]

Besides cutting out regular soda, the biggest change the wife and I have done is go with healthier versions of food we love. We now pick up ground turkey instead of ground beef, goes great in taco's, turkey burgers, chilli, hamburger helper if your desperate. So much healthier and I can't tell the difference.

Next time you are at the store, actually compare the nutritional information on the ground beef and ground turkey. When you're buying 93/7 or leaner the caloric difference is minimal, and the ground beef typically has less sodium and cholesterol. It will vary between packers/processors, so check what is available, then go with whichever you think tastes better.

[Kryssan]

As has been stated over and over again, drinking water and only every once in a while engaging in other beverages will help a great deal. I used to be able to say that I could count the number of sodas I'd had in the year on one hand, but I've gone back to drinking a can of Sprite on workdays for my snack period. Its my time to splurge.

Exercise will help; my main problem right now is being sedentary - the only exercise I get is moving a few hundred pounds of metal across a football-field sized building 3-4 days each week. It isn't regular or set period work though, so outside of calluses it ain't helpin' much.

Another thing that helps is get out of the style of eating that most people have - you know, skip breakfast, snack your way through the day, eat a huge supper shortly before bed. I cram all my food into the beginning of my workday. Breakfast part one is at ~0430 and consists of half a loaf of Italian / French garlic parmesian bread, part two 3-4 hours later is eggs / sausage / potatoes, snacktime 2 hours later ( which is usually pop tarts, the can of soda, and a candy bar ), eat the other half of the bread loaf for lunch at around 12-1300, then don't eat anything again till supper around 1830-1900 and just go for a small / lite meal. Non work days I might eat 2 meals the entire day. If three, one of them is closer to a snack than a meal.

I wouldn't say I was 'fit' by any means, or that I necessarily eat the healthiest; but I enjoy what I do eat and I'm definitely still average ( 6', 185 lbs ). If you go by silly BMI, I should fall into the 135-184 lbs range for my age / height, but I find the low end of that to be ridiculous. My blood sugar is 78 mg/dL ( fasting ) and cholesterol is 99 mg/dL | 47 mg/dL LDL | HDL with 101 mg/dL Triglycerides ( fasting ) so I'm not doing horrible. Regular exercise would likely help me out a lot with keeping the blood pressure and chubbiness down but meh. I'm lazy.

[quannum]

A-grade fibrous carbs

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Spinach
Kale
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Brussel sprouts
Green Beans
Asparagus
Collard greens
Green and red peppers
Mushrooms
Tomatoes
Onions
Cucumbers
All other fibrous carbs, green vegetables or salad vegetables

A-grade starchy carbs

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Yams
Sweet potatoes
Barley
Oatmeal (Old fashioned unsweetened)
Beans, all types
Black eye peas
Slow cooked brown rice (long grain/basmati)
Lentils
White potatoes
Red potatoes
Carrots
A-grade simple carbs
All fresh fruits (not including canned, sweetened, or juice)

A-grade fats

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Flaxseed oil
Udo’s Choice essential oil blend
Fish Oil
Fatty fish (salmon, trout, herring, sardines)

A-grade proteins

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Chicken breast
Turkey breast
Extra lean ground turkey
Ostrich
Buffalo/Bison/lean game meats
Fish, all types
Shellfish
Egg whites
Non fat cottage cheese
Top round steak (leanest cut of red meat)
Protein powder supplements (whey, casein, or combination)
B-grade Carbohydrates
100% whole grain, unsweetened boxed cereals
100% whole grain cooked cereals
100% whole grain pastas (amaranth, quinoa, wheat, etc)
100% whole grain breads (100% whole wheat, rye, spelt, etc)
100% Whole wheat pitas
100% Whole grain, unsweetened muffins
Quick brown rice
Quick oatmeal (unsweetened)

B-grade Proteins & dairy products

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Flank steak
Extra Lean top sirloin
Extra lean ground beef
Extra lean red meats, other
Lowfat ground turkey
Non fat or 1% low fat sour cream
Non fat or 1% low fat cheese
Non fat or 1% low fat cream cheese
Nonfat or 1% low fat, sugar free yogurt
1% low fat cottage cheese
Whole eggs (1 whole egg per 5-6 whites is a good ratio)

B-grade Fats

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Extra virgin olive oil & olive oil salad dressings
Natural peanut butter
Olives
Avocado
Nuts & seeds
Reduced fat, reduced calorie salad dressings

C-grade carbohydrates

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Grits
Cream of rice
Cream of wheat
White rice
Pasta made from enriched flour (durum semolina)
Whole grain, low fat snack foods (pretzels, crackers, etc)
Bagels
Cheerios
Sweetened and /or flavored oatmeal
Raisin Bran cereal (wheat flakes, sweetened)
Enriched wheat bread
Unsweetened fruit juice

C-grade proteins

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Turkey thighs or dark meat
Chicken thighs
Ground turkey
Lean Sirloin steak
Lean ground beef
Lean red meats, other
Very low fat sliced chicken breast (lunch meat)
Very low fat sliced turkey breast (lunch meat)
Very low fat sliced ham (lunch meat)
Low fat ham or pork
Low fat (2%) cheeses
Low fat (2%) cream cheese
Low fat (2%) cottage cheese
Low fat (2%) sour cream
Low fat (2%) unsweetened yogurt

D-grade carbohydrates

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Sweetened boxed breakfast cereals with no whole grains
Snack foods made from white flour (pretzels, crackers, etc.)
Bleached, enriched white bread (i.e., “wonder bread”) or white bread products
Muffins and baked goods made with white flour, sugar and or hydrogenated oils

D-grade proteins & dairy products

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Low fat sliced chicken breast (lunch meat)
Low fat sliced turkey breast (lunch meat)
Low fat sausage
Low fat ground beef
Cream cheese, full fat
Cottage cheese, full fat
Sour cream, full fat
Butter
Cream, half and half
High fat cuts of red meat
Roast Beef
Ham, pork
Reduced fat beef jerky
Reduced fat Hot dogs
Reduced fat Sausage
Reduced fat Bacon

Foods very high in saturated fats and or trans fats

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Hydrogenated tropical oils (Palm oil, Palm kernel oil, Coconut oil)
Hydrogenated vegetable oils
Anything deep-fried
Margarine
Very high calorie and high fat cuts of pork
Very high calorie and high fat cuts of red meat such as porterhouse and prime rib

Foods made mostly of white sugar or other refined carbohydrates (corn syrup, etc)

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Candy
Sweets
Chocolate
Cookies
Soda (Coke, Pepsi, etc)
Sugar Sweetened beverages
Pastries and Baked goods high in both fats and sugars
Pies
Doughnuts
Croissants
Éclairs
Cinnabons
Cakes

Foods high in both refined carbohydrates and saturated fat

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Fettuccine Alfredo
Potato chips
Hot Dogs on white bun
Fast food hamburgers on white buns (even worse with cheese, bacon)
Sweetened peanut butter
Chocolate milk (full fat, whole milk) Meats that are processed and high in fat
Sliced full fat ham (lunch meat)
Sliced full fat turkey breast (lunch meat)
Sliced full fat chicken breast (lunch meat)
All other full fat luncheon meats and cold cuts
Bologna
Hot dogs
Salami
Beef jerky
Beef sticks (“Slim Jim”)
Sausage
Bacon

copypasta of
http://tp.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/...chmentid=98233

[Dotsudoku]

I have been gluten free (it's not difficult) since the day after Christmas, and I dropped 10 lbs and I find I have more energy. I usually substitute gluten-free stuff, and I don't get the food-coma lethargic feeling after I eat anymore.

Someone more qualified is free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly confident that this is entirely correlative. Foods with gluten are often foods that people tend to thoughtlessly indulge in, and in many cases, foods that are/attached to highly caloric price tags.

As far as I know, gluten is just a recently demonized protein that really plays not exceptional role in weight gain or lethargy.