I hope I'm posting this in the right place! I'm pretty clueless in a lot of the food related aspects of this weight loss thing. I've lost about 85-90 pounds of the course of 2 years... but I haven't been on a "diet" really. Meaning, I haven't counted anything or tried to figure out percentages. Mostly it's been cutting out processed sugar as much as possible (now it's diet soda, sugar free pudding and apple sauce sweetened with Splenda) and just stumbling through, with semi-regular trips to the gym, and Wellbutrin XL.
It's worked to a point, but it's been 2 years now and I still have a lot to lose. I want to buckle down. I keep reading people talking about eating a lot of protein. I tend to eat a lot of carbs, not even really thinking about it. I'm not talking about donuts and white bread, everything is now whole wheat and so on. But even the Lean Cuisine meals I've started taking to work are pretty high in carb content. Can anyone suggest to me some foods that are high in protein and relatively healthy otherwise?
Renee
p.s. Now, if only I could force myself to like veggies...
tuna is a great one. just mix in some dill pickles cubes to moisten it and sweeten it up some. it has tons of protein, no carbs and very little fat. (that's my favorite dish right now. i eat it at least twice a day lately.) i tend to add one peice of whole wheat toast to it for some good carbs.
also, lots of skinless boneless chicken breast. i buy lots of that for dinner. put a little lemon pepper on it and bake it in the oven.
those are my two favorites proteins for now. i'm sure others will have lots of other choices.
Tofu has a very high protein content, and has also been linked to preventing all kinds of cancers. So if you don't think you like it, it may be time to make friends! And it's great in anything; stir fry, soups, or scrambled like eggs. Just make sure to mix it with really flavorful items, as it doesn't really have much of a taste on its own.
By the way, and 85 pound loss is amazing! You rock!
Renee - wow, congratulations on your fabulous weight loss so far!
Here's a list of some good protein sources and their approximate portion sizes:
Protein Sources
Eggs, Cheese, and Dairy
Cheese, light or fat free = 2 oz
Yogurt, low fat and sugar free = 8 oz
Egg whites = 4
Eggbeaters = ½ cup
Cottage cheese, low-fat = ½ cup
Fish
Any fish or shellfish = 4 oz
Meat or Poultry
Skinless chicken or turkey = 3 – 4 oz
Lean beef or pork = 3 – 4 oz
Lean deli meat = 3 - 4 oz
Meat Substitutes
Soy chicken patty = 1
Soy burger = 1
Soy hot dog = 1
Soy cheese = 2 oz
Soy milk = 8 oz
Soy nuts = 1/3 – ½ cup
Tofu = 4 oz
i use ground turkey for everything now!!! its low fat and has the protein you need. make chili, spaghetti, burgers whatever! use whole wheat pasta and watch the portion...and i use the lipton beefy mushroom dry soup mix in it when making burgers...
i also eat alot of chicken. and salmon. the canned kind makes just as good of salmon patties as the fresh in my opinion, and you dont have to cook it!! i cant stand tuna fish so i am out on that one
i dont eat those frozen dinners anymore. way too many carbs and salt if you ask me. i would rather make mine fresh.
and yes you need to start to like veggies!! they are your friend!!!!!!!!!!
Hey, you are doing so well! I have to tell you, I believe more in gradual lifestyle changes like you are doing more than I support organized, calculated diets. Well done!
About protein, be careful of too much tuna. It is an excellent source of low-fat protein, but consuming more than one can a week, I've heard, puts you at risk of consuming too much mercury. (Mercury is of course poisonous.) As far as my other favorites go, I am a big tofu fan, (hardest consistency usually has highest protein content), I love peanut butter even though you really have to watch the fat content, and protein powder that you can add almost tastelessly to smoothies. Good luck!
Make sure it's ground turkey BREAST because the regular ground turkey is about the same nutrients as lean beef. It's the breast that is lower in cals, fat, etc. And I love it, too. Soy meat works for me too...they have new soy taco and soy BBQ stuff out in the produce department and it is yummy!
Ok, I guess I should start replacing the cereal with yogurt, and some of the Lean Cuisine with chicken breast... I LOVE lemon pepper chicken so that's going to be great. I've never had tofu before, but I'll try anything.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone, this was great! Now it's time to hit the gym...
thanks for the warning on the tuna. i had an email from someone warning me to watch it. so i think i will watch my tuna intake for the weeks to come. i don't want to be poisioned trying to lose weight.
i am really going to take my time at the grocery store this weekend looking at all of the foods that i want to try. try to have fun looking for healthy foods.
Another protein question... sorry for hijacking Renee, and WELL DONE on the weight loss so far. What a fantastic achievement!
I'm another person who has just been going along watching what I eat and exercising more. Not measuring or weighing food, and not really being aware of how it breaks down into fat, carbs and protein. I've just started using Fitday to track my food to check out this side of things. I really want to learn more about how food affects my body.
My question is that people say 3 to 4 oz of protein. Is that in the entire day, or with each meal. I have that with lunch AND dinner, but maybe I'm having too much. Perhaps I should be just having that as my DAILY intake. Oops!
I eat 3 servings of protein a day: usually 5 oz. of chicken, 2-4 oz. of turkey, and 6 oz. of tuna.
Okay, I've heard the warnings about mercury and tuna for pregnant/nursing women and children, but for everyone else too? So, of course I looked it up and this is what I found: http://www.gotmercury.org/ I'm eating 230% of EPA limit for mercury exposure. Yikes!!!! I had no idea. I guess it's tuna every other day for me now. I haven't gotten sick yet and I've eaten many cans of tuna a week ever since I was little. I guess I've built up a mercury tolerance.
If anyone got freaked out like I did, here are the symptoms of mercury poisoning:
1. Psychological Disturbances (erethysm)
Irritability, Nervousness, Fits of Anger, Memory Loss, Lack of Attention,
Depression, Low Self Confidence, Anxiety, Drowsiness,
Shyness/timidity, Decline of Intellect, Insomnia, Low Self Control.
2. Oral Cavity Disorders
Bleeding Gums, White Patches - Mouth, Stomatitis, Bone Loss Around Teeth,
Loosening of Teeth, Ulcers of Gums- Palate- Tongue, Excessive Saliva,
Burning of Mouth, Foul Breath, Gum Pigmentation, Metalic Taste.
3. Gastrointestinal Effects
Abdominal Cramps, Colitis, Gastrointestinal Problems, Diarrhea.
4. Systemic Effects
Cardiovascular, Irregular Heart Beat, Changes in Blood Pressure, Feeble or
Irregular Pulse, Pain or Pressure in Chest
5. Neurologic
Chronic or Frequent Headaches, Dizziness, Ringing or Noises in Ears, Fine
Tremors (Hands, Feet, Eye Lids, Tongue)
6. Respiratory
Persistant Cough, Emphysema, Shallow or Irregular Breathing.
7. Immunological
Allergies, Asthma, Rhinitis, Sinusitis, Swollen Lymph Nodes in Neck
8. Endocrine
Subnormal Temperature, Cold Clammy Hands & Feet, Excessive Perspiration,
Muscle Weakness, Fatigue, Hypoxia, Edema, Loss of Appetite, Loss of Weight, Joint Pain
Most of the websites I saw said that the gum problems were the first signs. My gums are nice and pink and healthy, so I think I'm okay, but I do have 6 out of 13 for the psychological disturbances, damn Charlie Tuna! I can't tell you how many summers my sisters and I ate tuna sandwiches EVERY day for the whole summer. And we are 3 messed up individuals. Now at least we know what's to blame . . .
Another protein question... sorry for hijacking Renee, and WELL DONE on the weight loss so far. What a fantastic achievement!
I'm another person who has just been going along watching what I eat and exercising more. Not measuring or weighing food, and not really being aware of how it breaks down into fat, carbs and protein. I've just started using Fitday to track my food to check out this side of things. I really want to learn more about how food affects my body.
My question is that people say 3 to 4 oz of protein. Is that in the entire day, or with each meal. I have that with lunch AND dinner, but maybe I'm having too much. Perhaps I should be just having that as my DAILY intake. Oops!
Thanks for any answers.
Zelma
Zelma - for me, 3-4 oz of protein is a serving for one meal. I shoot for something like 20-25g of protein per meal, though it varies depending on what I'm eating. I eat five small meals a day and my daily protein total is usually around 120g per day.
You'll find that opinions are all over the place about how much protein (or anything else!) you should eat. The reasons that I eat as much protein as I do are 1. it keeps me full longer - very important! - and 2. it's the building block for muscle/tissue repair and growth. I lift weights and spend a fair amount of time in the gym, so adequate protein is a necessity.
Fitday is the best place to start to track what you're eating.
Regarding mercury, the Chicago Tribune recently did a big expose on mercury in fish. It was very eye opening, and I walked away with a couple of thoughts:
1) there is a lot more mercury in fish than we thought (esp tuna, swordfish, orange roughy, and walleye. Shellfish, it seems, is not affected)
2) small children and pregnant women should be most concerned
3) if you do notice effects, the good news is that it seems to be reversible -- but there are issues with children that are, I think, more complicated.
I will not stop eating fish, but I do monitor fish intake more closely and think about warning signs. Again, if you are not a child or pregnant, these issues may be less pressing.
They even include a calculator on how much of different kinds of fish you can eat safely, based on your weight (though I'd be cautious here... what do we really know?)
Harpo, i was thinking the same thing about the phychological effects. except i never at much tuna as a kid!! lol. thanks for the link. i meant to look it up myself but was too busy playing around on this website to leave. lol.
i am going to cut my tuna intake down to about 2 cans a week too. darn....now what will i eat for breakfast? my krystal breakfast this morning is tooooo high in fat . i've got to find much more protein today to even out the scales for today.
Protein is very important... and eating food you prepare yourself is better than any of those frozen dinner things. What I like to do on Sunday nights (or any night I have time) is make chili. I usually use lean ground beef, but I've tried it with ground chicken, too, and it tastes virtually the same. Basically all I put in my chili is ground meat, diced tomatoes, kidney beans (washed of extra salt, great source of protein and fiber), onions, and seasonings like garlin, chili powder and cumin. I make a batch, then get individual plastic containers and freeze them. I usually get 4 servings out of it, so any night when I'm too tired or lazy to cut I can just heat one up in a jiffy, and voila! A healthy, protein-packed meal that will keep you full and is around 300-350 calories. Not too bad, in my opinion.
Protein foods?
Renee - wow, congratulations on your fabulous weight loss so far!
