General dieting questions for a beginner
 

Hi everyone,

On Friday night I posted my " story " in the Introduction section. I had said that I wasn't sure where to start with dieting but that I wanted to so I would take the weekend to read up on different diet plans. I did indeed do that but still confused and unsure of what plan would be best for me. So I had a few questions to those of you who have been dieting for a while already. My long term goal, aside from the weight loss which is obvious ... is to live a healthier lifestyle. I know that all of these plans are aimed to make you lose weight but its just all so confusing to find one that suits me best. So my question is ... is it possible for me, for the time being, to just start drinking water ... 8-10 glasses a day ... starting to walk every morning maybe a mile to start and then upgrade from there ... and instead of picking one of these plans just cutting everything I eat in half for a week or two ... til I figure out what plan I would like best to work with? Starting this morning I went out for a mile walk before it got hot out ... I've already had my 8 glasses of water and currently drinking my 9th one as I type this. The way I've ate today was fixed my meals like I regularly would but then cut it all in half and put it on another plate and into the frig for another meal during the week. I also am not going to snack anymore in between but if I can't fight the urge I went to the store and bough several bags of those mini carrots and celery and cut those up into sticks ... so I can munch on those if need be and also some fruit. I'm a big soda drinker as well and decided to switch to diet and only have 2 a day for starters. I'm hoping to completely go off soda when this is all done but didnt want to do TOO much too soon so I don't become discouraged. Do you think this is okay for a couple weeks til I can research more on what plan I'd like to do? I just dont want to wait til I figure it out ... I want to start doing SOMETHING today.

Thanks to any other suggestions or information anyone can give me. I really appreciate it.

Mel

Hi MB23 :wave:

I think this is definite;y a good start. Have you thougth about calorie counting?? It is the easiest and most functional way of changing the way you eat plus you don't need any supplements or special foods to do it.

Hi Lauren,
Yes I have read up on the calorie counting. It seems the most logical to me out of all the plans I've read up on. I'm in my early 30s and I remember all through elementary school - high school having it embedded in my brain about the " food groups ". Now I read up on the different plans and some are saying no carbs ... or no fats ... no this ... no that. Logically, though I don't have much room to speak because of my weight, I'd think all in moderation is the best bet. So I definitely think calorie counting will be the one I go with but I'm just a bit confused about choosing appropriate portions too. I don't know if calorie counting will teach me correct portion sizes. I also read about a plan where you eat backwards especially if you are a big dinner person. I suppose I could do that plus calorie count too. So much info out there, just not sure yet. :)

It also depends on if you have medical conditions- like I have PCOS so generally low carb/low glycemic/complex carbs is recommended (like South Beach).

I think making small changes are great because those are the changes that are easy to handle. That's how I started.

Start by using a small (6-7") plate, and serve yourself smaller portions. Fill plate once, no seconds allowed. This will start you on the road to smaller portions without measuring.

Then start measuring serving sizes on things you have around the house. Do you typically eat a serving size, or is your portion equal to 2-3 servings?

Oops...got to run..be back later to post again. :)

Thanks Beerab :)

Sherrie,

One of my biggest problems is SNACKING. I know I snack on the WRONG things, ie. mainly crunchy things like chips, crackers, etc. I'm not a big sweets eater though.

In reference to the serving size though ... before this weekend I wouldn't have known how to answer that question but after reading about what a serving size looks like for meat, etc ... and the size of plate I should be using ... I was MORTIFIED to realize how much I OVER eat. I use the big 12 in dinner plates for breakfast, lunch and dinner ... even if I'm not filling the whole plate. However what I'm suppose to be eating wouldn't even cover half of that plate. Then I read about portion sizes and how to compare to your palm ... and fist ... etc. I've been eating 2-4 portions MORE than I should be. It's very confusing to me right now but I know I'll get hte hang out of it but thats why I thought atleast cutting things in half for the next few weeks would be a decent start. Tonight at dinner I fixed my plate the way I normally would ... and then took half of everything away. Then I used a smaller plate and put everything on that. Surprisingly, I did NOT feel deprived afterward.

You're getting a great start - keep up the good work!

Mine, too! Ice cream is my weakness, so it's no longer allowed in the house.

The only snack in our house is 100% white corn tortilla chips, ingredients are whole grain white corn, corn or sunflower oil, and (low)salt. Serving size 1 oz (about 21 chips), calories 140, low sodium. These are mostly for hubby, but if I want a few, I count them, usually have just 5 (35 cal) or 10 (70 cal).

You're just like me. I like chips. I don't like sweet but good gawd i like chips.

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