Hello. I'm going to be starting my diet on Monday and I'm excited about this new start. I've dieted before, but never seriously. I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow for my new start.
My biggest problems are that I hate to cook, and I love sugar (can't stand equal or splenda or any other sugar substitutes), and I don't like beans, and I can't give up white rice. Does it look hopeless? haha
For my diet I'm going to be following what I've read in the biggest loser book. I will count my calories (my husband got me a calorie king diet diary thing on the computer for that), and try to follow their food pyramid (the 4-3-2-1 thing). I also bought an exercise bike. I also got Netflix and a dvd player for the bedroom that the exercise bike is at (for motivation to exercise).
Is there any advice on helping me stay on track? I'm most worried about being able to eat the right foods because I'm so picky (I don't want to have to eat bad tasting food, you know?).
Nice thing about calorie counting you don't have to eat bad tasting food. You can pretty much eat what you want if you want to use the calories.Calorie King is excellent for finding calorie counts. eat well balanced healthy foods and you will be able to eat real food that tastes good,too. With your diet plan and exercise you should see success, Good Luck.
My best advice is to keep posting on this forum . I've only been dieting for a week and a half, and I've received such support here, and it's been really helpful! It's nice to have accountability partners that keep you on track. But, of course, my advice means very little because I've just started my diet, too...
Thanks so much. I found this site last week when I was researching dieting. I like the community and the support. I think that it will help a lot to have this place.
My biggest advice is to try in the beginning to work out what you are going to eat ahead of time. I set up my menus for a week, but you could also just do one day at a time. This is a tremendous help when you are busy and starting to get hungry. You don't have to try to make healthy choices when you're in that state - instead you just follow the menu you've laid out for yourself! Make a commitment to stick to your plan for some period. For example, when I start getting discouraged or thinking about french fries, or whatever, I just say to myself "You made a commitment to yourself to follow your diet plan EXACTLY for one month. C'mon, you can do it!"
You can totally include sugar and white rice in your diet. But as you start planning low calorie menus, you will find out that if you make sugar or white rice a big part of your diet, it will limit the total amount of food you will eat. My experience is that I still keep the "bad" things I love as part of my diet, but I limit them a lot because then I have more calories to spend on other food! Think of calorie counting like a budget - and those high calorie sugary treats are EXPENSIVE. You CAN blow you're whole calorie budget on a few slices of cake ... but then that's pretty much all you get. You learn pretty quickly that it's smart to limit high calorie stuff!
And you never, ever have to eat beans if you don't want to!
It sounds like you have a supportive husband and some good exercise strategies lined up!
If you are calorie counting, the good thing is you cna work anything you like into your plan!
I think everyone is with you in that NO ONE here wants to "eat bad tasting food"!
So, you don't like beans...that's okay, you don't have to eat them! They pack a big punch for the calories though and I know they help me stay on plan a lot! Perhaps you just haven't had them prepared well?
I am curious though, why CAN'T you give up white rice? Do you have a medical condition? Is it just one of your favorite foods that you don't WANT to give up? Have you tried wild rice blends, or red or black rice?
Keep in mind that there are several types of brown rice too, and making them taste good is as easy as adding herbs, spices, broths and other things to the dish!
Best of luck to you! Know that as you eat healthier, your taste buds will adapt and change along with your diet!
I like the idea of planning my menu so I can figure out how many calories I'm eating per day before hand. We went shopping earlier today and got a ton of fresh vege's and fruits, and we got a lot of chicken. It was actually fun. We let the little one help us pick stuff out and we explained what everything was. She liked to smell all of the fruit.
When I said CAN'T give up white rice - that was my way of saying I DON'T WANT TO give up white rice. In all honesty, white rice would be the hardest to give up. I can do limited amounts and not eat it everyday. It's such a huge part of our diet. Growing up we ate rice with nearly every single meal, including breakfast. I've actually thought about this a lot. I do think that limiting the amount of white rice that I eat and how many times I eat it either weekly or monthly will help me more in my diet than giving it up altogether. I think if I deprived myself of it I would feel more like cheating if I didn't have it at all than if I allotted myself small portions of it. We did buy whole wheat pasta and wheat bread (things that I don't normally eat, but I think I can get used to). And I'm open to hearing if I'm thinking about this the wrong way. I mean, I haven't been successfull at my diet yet so I know I have a lot to learn.
Thanks everyone! I can't wait to start. I hope I'm ready.
I love white rice, too. I haven't had it in a month, but am thinking of having some this week with some chicken. I wish I could eat it more often, but it's too high in calories for me. Of course, I am not satisfied with a half a cup of it- I want a cup and a half of it at my meals. That's a no no.
Hi!
There is room for rice in your daily menu, if you want it there.
I am not exactly a calorie counter; I go see a consultant and I have menus and certain foods to choose from ....and they say a portion of rice is 2/3 cup. When you have yummy other things with it, it is truly a satisfying portion! They, of course, encourage brown rice, which I am sorry but I do not like it..but i LOVE basmati, which has approx the same GI as brown (and better than white). Do you like basmati? Its pretty, delicate, and super yummy. And, it eats like a white rice.
The other thing they say is to have your starch with lunch. Personally, here is what my menu looks like:
breakie: starch, protein, fruit, coffee
snack: fruit or dairy
lunch: starch, protein, veggie
snack: nuts, fruit, dairy, or high fiber grain
supper: protein, veggie
So I am supposed to have a starch for lunch every day. I rarely have rice, but its just bc I prefer pasta and tortillas, and pitas, lol You can make a killer chicken pasta salad that's completely healthy and op. Also make a yummy pita pizza, pita quesadillas, and wraps..mmmm!! But I would not hesitate to have the rice ..i think it's more about portion than anything, kwim? try making a batch and then freezing it in custard cups. That should be just the right amount AND it looks so pretty when you invert it onto your plate..
Starting on Monday, Need Advice
