Obesity Discussion Forums

[alliecat]

Hi,
I feel I am in the exercise swing pretty good. Feeling a little board with it but push it every day. My biggest problem is food. I can rationalize and justify anything. I want to eat healthy. I am looking for some suggestions on dinner and snacks. Maybe some sample meal plans that someone else sticks to that works? Does anyone have any suggestions? Also, would anyone know what my caloric intake should be to lose weight? I am 5'4" and 240lbs. Maybe I am not looking in the right place but I can't seem to find anything that tells me what I need to intake for calories to lose weight. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thank you so much.

Smiles

Allie

[Audrey]

Hiya!

I think OD is working on your calories in the other thread, so I won't go into detail about that in here. But as for food suggestions....

One of the first things I did was cut out all junk food, and all restaurant meals. They're just too big, and too many calories. I also stopped drinking regular pop. I still have a diet pop every now and then, but not very often.

Try to drink at least 2 L of water everyday. I found for me it helps to buy bottled water (but I'm cheap, so I just rinse them out and refill them), so then I can track how much I drink in a day.

As for breakfast, I usually have a packet of low-sugar oatmeal, or some special K with skim milk, and a multivitamin.

For lunch I usually have some yogurt, cheese, and fruit. And for dinner it varies greatly, but I like to eat chicken breast (skinless), lean ground beef or fish, and something like wild rice, steamed brocolli and/or cauliflower, salads, whole wheat pitas, stuff like that. I try to stay away from pasta (I don't have any whole wheat pasta ), white rice, potatoes, etc.

I know there's more stuff I eat, but I can't think of anything else at the moment Hope this helps a little.

[alliecat]

Originally Posted by Audrey

Hiya!

I think OD is working on your calories in the other thread, so I won't go into detail about that in here. But as for food suggestions....

One of the first things I did was cut out all junk food, and all restaurant meals. They're just too big, and too many calories. I also stopped drinking regular pop. I still have a diet pop every now and then, but not very often.

Try to drink at least 2 L of water everyday. I found for me it helps to buy bottled water (but I'm cheap, so I just rinse them out and refill them), so then I can track how much I drink in a day.

As for breakfast, I usually have a packet of low-sugar oatmeal, or some special K with skim milk, and a multivitamin.

For lunch I usually have some yogurt, cheese, and fruit. And for dinner it varies greatly, but I like to eat chicken breast (skinless), lean ground beef or fish, and something like wild rice, steamed brocolli and/or cauliflower, salads, whole wheat pitas, stuff like that. I try to stay away from pasta (I don't have any whole wheat pasta ), white rice, potatoes, etc.

I know there's more stuff I eat, but I can't think of anything else at the moment Hope this helps a little.

Thank you for the tips Audrey.

Smiles Allie

[Kel]

Many people get fat because of snacking while watching tv at night eating for example chocolate or potato chips. If you feel like having a snack you could try some popcorn of some fruit. Nuts are great as well because they have lots of proteins. But don't eat too many as they have quite many calories as well. But nevetheless they are very healthy.

[alliecat]

Originally Posted by Kel

Many people get fat because of snacking while watching tv at night eating for example chocolate or potato chips. If you feel like having a snack you could try some popcorn of some fruit. Nuts are great as well because they have lots of proteins. But don't eat too many as they have quite many calories as well. But nevetheless they are very healthy.

Thanks Kel.

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by alliecat

Hi,
Maybe I am not looking in the right place but I can't seem to find anything that tells me what I need to intake for calories to lose weight. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thank you so much.

Smiles

Allie

That's because there is no one right number for everyone. Every person should be eating differently for their own lifestyle, tastes and body style.

[Alex]

I'm not sure what diet/lifestyle change you're doing, but I'm personally doing Weight Watchers and it makes stuff so easy. When you do the Points system, you've basically no choice but to closely track everything you eat. It might be easier for some to do that than others - I have a work-at-home internet job - but anywhere you've got a computer and a pen and paper handy, you can write down whatever you eat.

That way, you're aware of what you eat. The thing that's working for me with WW is that, really, nothing is forbidden. Basically, they teach you portion control and moderation, which is key to ANY lifestyle change. You can't just be "on a diet", because if you're ever ON a diet, that means you're looking forward to one day being OFF the diet. And you can't be. Whatever you do, you have to be willing to do it for the rest of your life.

I personally use Daily Plate dot com to track my food. When you sign up, you input your age, weight, height, whether you want to lose a pound a week, two pounds a week, gain weight or maintain, and your activity level. It gives you an estimate of how many calories you should be able to take in and still lose.

But exercise, controlling your fat intake, and getting proper nutrients is also important. No other diet ever worked for me, but WW is slowly but surely showing progress. You might give that a look. There are ways to do it for free (without attending meetings); that's pretty much how I'm doing it.

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by alliecat

Hi,
I feel I am in the exercise swing pretty good. Feeling a little board with it but push it every day. My biggest problem is food. I can rationalize and justify anything. I want to eat healthy. I am looking for some suggestions on dinner and snacks. Maybe some sample meal plans that someone else sticks to that works? Does anyone have any suggestions? Also, would anyone know what my caloric intake should be to lose weight? I am 5'4" and 240lbs. Maybe I am not looking in the right place but I can't seem to find anything that tells me what I need to intake for calories to lose weight. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thank you so much.

Smiles

Allie

Some basics are to try to get as much protein into your system as you can, especially via snacks which for most people tend to be very carby.

For protein try fish, lobster, crab, chicken, protein shakes, protein bars, milk, some soy products, lean red meat (I use 4% fat lean ground beef, lean ham or lean steaks), turkey, etc. For snacks I also chew on sunflower seeds (in moderation), nuts (in moderation), beef jerky and chicken jerky, and cheese (low fat and in moderation).

There are a ton of high protein lower carb recipes in our atkins recipe section, but be careful as some of them are very high in fat as well.

[Kel]

So what had happend since your last post? Have you decided to do a special diet or have you just changed your behaviour of eating and exercising a little more? By the way one of my friends is also doing the weight watchers program like Alex and maybe if would be helpful for you as well. Having read you first post again I would really say so!

[alliecat]

Thank you for the direction OD.

[alliecat]

Hi Kel,
I haven't done a lot. I have fallen off the wagon again so to speak. I have slacked off on my exercise and I have been struggling with cravings and finding a diet plan to stick to. I have tried weight watchers before and it is too much tracking. Always looking up food to see how many points they are, should I eat this and use 8 pts or eat that and use 4 but it won't fill me up as much, If I eat the higher points I can't eat the other thing I wanted for dinner. Just an example of what goes on in my head while I am doing weight watchers. I need something simple. Something layed out in Black and white and simple. I think I need to get a menu together that has the amount of calories I need to be eating and then add some high protien snacks as OD suggested. It's putting the menu together I hate. I hate anything to do with food. I love to eat crap when I feel awful and sad, depressed etc. but food is sickening. I think about it all the time. What not to eat, what to eat, how many calories, how fattening, when to eat, where to eat and grocery shopping. Hate it, hate it, hate it. I definitly have an obsession going on. Thanks for your post.

[alliecat]

Thanks Alex.
I have tried WW a couple of times. I dont' like it because I have to think about food too much. What not to eat, what to eat, how many points is this, if I eat that I can't eat this later cause it has too many points. I don't have time for it. I don't have time to look in the book everytime I want something or look through it for an hour putting a meal plan together. It does work for a lot of people though Thanks for the advise. I am feeling very frustrated and fat. Like there may not be hope for me. anyway, I am seeing a therapist which deals with food issues and specifically with women with food issues. I am also reading an incredible book called eating by the light of the moon which shares some real inspiration. I need some willingness cause I have lost it as of these past two days. I have been really stressed out and I feel like heading to my best friend food. I have headed to my best friend mr. food. Thanks for your reply. Take care.

[Alex]

I have tried WW a couple of times. I dont' like it because I have to think about food too much. What not to eat, what to eat, how many points is this, if I eat that I can't eat this later cause it has too many points. I don't have time for it. I don't have time to look in the book everytime I want something or look through it for an hour putting a meal plan together. It does work for a lot of people though Thanks for the advise.

Not necessarily pushing Weight Watchers itself, but I felt the need to respond to this because I had to have a mind change to arrive at where I am at the moment - you have to think about food in order to manage your weight. It's a very necessary thing that you have to have every day, and it's important to put thought into what you eat.

When you're at the gas station, do you just grab the first pump on the rack and start filling up without looking at the fuel grade, or the fuel price? No; even though it doesn't take very long, you still look to make sure it's what your car needs and it's what you can afford. The thing is, it's much easier with your car, because typically there are only four choices (if you count diesel).

Food is so diverse, in terms of categorization, processing, additives, and nutritional benefits that it's something you HAVE to think about, at least at first. The way we got as heavy as we have is because we wouldn't think about food enough. I think many people make the mistake of saying obese people do nothing but think about food - but that's not necessarily true. All we do is think "hungry" or "bored" or "depressed", and all of a sudden we're reaching for the first thing that's tasty, or the first thing that would satisfy our craving. We're actually mindlessly eating, sometimes when we're not even hungry!

If you don't take the time to think about food, how could you even hope to discover new foods or recipes that are both healthy, and that satisfy your tastebuds? They're out there. And even the foods you like now are still available, but you have to learn to measure a real portion and not overeat. I'm a busy person, too, but I had to have a moment where I thought, that's okay. I'll measure out cups and tablespoons if I have to, I'll write down everything I eat (actually, I maintain an online journal, I have an online desk job so that certainly incorporates easily into my day), I'll count points, I'll count calories and watch my sodium intake and try to eat more protein and less fat.

I'll do it because I care enough about myself to get my body back into the shape it was meant to be, and because I care enough about my son and the rest of my family not to put them through the pain of losing me too early due to heart disease or diabetes or stroke.

You really have to decide you want it, and then do whatever it takes. That's really the only way it will ever happen. If your eating is tied to emotion, then again, you have to take care of yourself. Find out what your triggers are, and either seek to deal with them differently, or cut them out of your life altogether. That's where the therapist could help you. But the above still applies - while we'll all have naughty days where we eat too much junk or not enough healthy stuff, we have to make a real effort to make most days good days. I don't consider eating healthy depriving my body of "good stuff" - I consider it loving my body by giving it what it wants. Your body works hard every day to normalize and make itself healthy despite the things you put into it. Eating healthy just makes things much easier for it.

[Audrey]

Originally Posted by alliecat

Hi Kel,
I haven't done a lot. I have fallen off the wagon again so to speak. I have slacked off on my exercise and I have been struggling with cravings and finding a diet plan to stick to. I have tried weight watchers before and it is too much tracking. Always looking up food to see how many points they are, should I eat this and use 8 pts or eat that and use 4 but it won't fill me up as much, If I eat the higher points I can't eat the other thing I wanted for dinner. Just an example of what goes on in my head while I am doing weight watchers. I need something simple. Something layed out in Black and white and simple. I think I need to get a menu together that has the amount of calories I need to be eating and then add some high protien snacks as OD suggested. It's putting the menu together I hate. I hate anything to do with food. I love to eat crap when I feel awful and sad, depressed etc. but food is sickening. I think about it all the time. What not to eat, what to eat, how many calories, how fattening, when to eat, where to eat and grocery shopping. Hate it, hate it, hate it. I definitly have an obsession going on. Thanks for your post.

Every now and again I feel like this as well. I got to a point where all I seemed to do was think about food, what I could eat, what I couldn't eat, what I wanted to eat, and it was driving me nuts.

Usually after feeling like this, I would dive off my healthy eating horribly.

I got really depressed thinking that I was going to have to count calories for the rest of my life. But I've realized now that I don't have to do that, but it really was/is essential to when I was loosing weight, and for my future.

The fact of the matter is, that calories are what makes or breaks loosing weight.

Because I counted calories at one point, I now know what most foods calories are, and I'm better at making food choices, even now that I don't count calories anymore. Because of that, I can eat what I choose (healthy of course), and maintain my weight.

I know it sucks, and you're obsessing over it now, but think of it as educating yourself.

[Polk727]

Here is a handful of healthy meals, 10 Weight Loss Lunch Meals. They also have the break down of calories, fat, ect... which is helpful when you are keeping track of your daily intake.

[Kel]

Hi alliecat,
it is a pity that you have fallon of the wagon again. But remember it is never too late and you are still able to climb in the wagon again! December is always difficult because of christmas cookies, family dinners and things like that. But maybe the new year could be a great start for you! There are so many different kind of diets. You don't have to do weight watchers if it doesn't suit you. I am sure you will find something else! Good luck!

[S. Max Gordon]

This is a food list I give to my clients when I give them their diet plan. It definitely isn't the only food you can eat, but it's a really good place to start.

PROTEINS:
Boneless/skinless chicken breast
Turkey Breast
Salmon
Tuna
Swordfish
Haddock
Tilapia
Flounder
Lean Steak
Beef tenderloin (filet mignon)
Orange roughy
Egg whites
Lean ground beef, chicken, turkey
Lean pork
Crab
Lobster
Shrimp
Buffalo
Whey powder
Venison
Cottage Cheese


CARBOHYDRATES:
Complex:
Rice
Pasta
Oatmeal
Yams
Sweet potatoes
Red potatoes
Beans
Farina
Rye cereal
Quinoa

Fibrous:
Lettuce
Celery
Asparagus
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Green pepper
Red pepper
Zucchini
Spinach

Fruit:
Bananas
Apples
Blueberries
Strawberries
Raspberries
Grapefruit
Pears
Oranges
Blackberries
Pomegranate

FATS:
Real cheese
Olive Oil
Flax Oil
Fish Oil
Nuts
Natural Peanut Butter
Natural Almond Butter

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by S. Max Gordon

This is a food list I give to my clients when I give them their diet plan. It definitely isn't the only food you can eat, but it's a really good place to start.

PROTEINS:
Boneless/skinless chicken breast
Turkey Breast
Salmon
Tuna
Swordfish
Haddock
Tilapia
Flounder
Lean Steak
Beef tenderloin (filet mignon)
Orange roughy
Egg whites
Lean ground beef, chicken, turkey
Lean pork
Crab
Lobster
Shrimp
Buffalo
Whey powder
Venison
Cottage Cheese


CARBOHYDRATES:
Complex:
Rice
Pasta
Oatmeal
Yams
Sweet potatoes
Red potatoes
Beans
Farina
Rye cereal
Quinoa

Fibrous:
Lettuce
Celery
Asparagus
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Green pepper
Red pepper
Zucchini
Spinach

Fruit:
Bananas
Apples
Blueberries
Strawberries
Raspberries
Grapefruit
Pears
Oranges
Blackberries
Pomegranate

FATS:
Real cheese
Olive Oil
Flax Oil
Fish Oil
Nuts
Natural Peanut Butter
Natural Almond Butter

Awesome list!!!!