[BlessedBe]

The past two day, not counting today, I've been changing my diet. After logging my food for one day, I realized just how badly I had been eating. So I've been trying to change it. But it's hard. Yesterday I felt...off. Not bad, per say, just off. And today I feel kind of depressed and unmotivated, for lack of a better term. I don't know if it's just the weather, since I'm kind of weather sensitive in my sinuses, or if the change in diet is making me weird. Like when people go through caffiene withdrawl. Which I am not. Haven't had caffiene in years, except in really small amounts. Also I have been thinking of going low carb, but I don't think I can give up my whole grains. I don't eat a lot of them, but still. And carbs are in a lot of other foods as well. I don't want to end up eating nothing but veggies and lean meats. Any suggestions, tips, comments, or help?

Oh, and if looking at my food log will help, it's down below. I've logged everything I've eaten, minus some very minute amounts that weren't worth trying to calculate.

[s0nali]

You can do it ... remember that this doesn't have to be done in a week or a month. Low-carb diets aren't for everyone. It is a process, to find the foods that work for you and those that don't. Maybe portion control and a 40-30-30 plan will work for you... there are 748392 diets out there, and maybe your "magic bullet" is one of them or maybe something different. Just listen to your body and make the right choices according to you - you know what makes you feel good and what doesn't, what helps you gain weight and what helps you lose. And if you're not sure yet, you will be soon

[alinnell]

It is completely understandable!!! I love my carbs and my doctor wants me to go low carb. It's really hard, so basically I've taken a middle-of-the road approach. I limit my carbs as much as possible but I don't completely eliminate them.

I checked your eating over the past couple of days. May I make a suggestion? Try making your own tea blends and use either no sugar or an artificial sweetener if you have to have it sweet. That will reduce a lot of carbs and calories. Also, try bulking up on more vegetables--add a salad to your lunch and/or dinner. It will help fill you up with minimal calories and very few carbs.

Best of luck to you!

[BlessedBe]

I thought about just using tea bags and such. I love my herbal teas a lot, caffeine-free of course. I may finish off the cane sugar ones I have now, since I bought them. And I have to limit salads a little, since I'm hypothyroid and all lettuce-greens are goiterogenous. But yah. It might be the missing refined sugar that is making me feel strange. Or the new supplements my homepathic doctor gave me. She wants me to not eat any grains at all. None, period. I can't do that. I think I'm going to stop seeing her and go my own path. I just feel down today. Maybe sitting in the sun for ten minutes will help...

[PhotoChick]

Hey there.

First of all know that you don't have to do everything at once. Small steps will make a difference and you can gradually build into healthier eating. None of us here made instant changes in our lives ... it takes some time to adjust.

So I looked at your diet and I can kind of see where you're running into trouble. I think one of the reasons why you're feeling run down and "off" is taht while you're sticking within a reasonable calorie range, what you're eating is kinda ... well ... junky. It's all processed food, high in fat and sodium and preservatives and probably a lot of high-fructose corn syrup. You're also not getting a lot of volume for what you're eating, because a lot of it is fairly high calorie.

I would think that the first step for you would be to really work on cutting out the canned and packaged stuff and adding more fruit and veggies to your meals.

For example, on the 5th you used 1/3 of your total daily intake on a few tablespoons of peanut butter. That's hardly very filling and yet it's 1/3 of your calories. A better use of those calories would have been (as an example) to have ONE serving of peanut butter (160) calories, spread on apple slices (60 calories). The apple and pb combination would fill you up much more, add more vitamins to your diet, and use 1/2 the calories.

And you certainly don't have to cut out carbs entirely. Just choose healthy carbs. For example, yesterday you hardly ate anything - didn't even make 1200 calories. You could have added a serving of brown rice to your dinner, maybe a piece of grilled chicken, and had a really healthy dinner for under 300 calories.

Honestly I do believe you'll feel much better if you ditch the packaged foods and eat whole, real foods instead. You'll be amazed at how much difference it makes.

.

[BlessedBe]

That peanut butter thing was just that one time. I wanted to finish the jar and needed some more calories for that day. That won't be happening again, I assure you. same with that stuffed sandwich. I had one left and ate it. They weren't very good, and looking on there at the stuff in it I won't be getting them again. same with the Campbells soup. I may still have the Amy's now and then, but hers are less sodium and such. But most of the stuff on the first day I won't be having again. That day is what shocked me about how much of what I was eating.

[the slim me]

I agree with all the above. I don't think I could stay on a diet that cut out one whole food group! I think you can eat anything in moderation. I did see where you were drinking a lot of your calories. But you said you were going to stop after you finished with them. It's not worth finishing them! Get rid of them! I am WAY past the point that I think i have to finish off what's left of anything. I am not a human garbage can. I know we were taught not to waste. So, give it to someone else who doesn't have to worry about drinking a lot of empty calories.

I count calories. But my main focus is on health. I eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, I use olive oil and i have some good protein and fat at every meal. Even a little dark chocolate is healthy. Think health, not cut out an entire food group!

[PhotoChick]

That's good that you're recognizing what you're doing and working to eliminate it.

Mostly though, I was trying to answer your question about why you were feeling "off".

Good luck with your plan!

.

[JayEll]

Hi! I think I remember you from awhile back!

I looked at your foods also. I think you can work on the balance of nutrients a bit better. To me, your plan looks low on protein and pretty high on carbs and fats. I'd suggest getting your protein up from 50 g to 70 g or even a little more. Can you figure out percent of calories on The Daily Plate? If so, try that 30%-40%-30% ratio, protein-carb-fat. I think you'll find you feel better, once you get over the shift in your eating.

Glad to see you here!

Jay

[BlessedBe]

Yah, I've been here a lot before. Mostly for answers to questions I have no one else to ask. *grins* And I'm not sure if I can do that or not. I'll have to check. I just started it. I'm just glad I don't have to have only eggs for breakfast. I like the pancakes I make. Bob's Red Mill Organic High Fiber Pancake and Waffle mix. I have this spice I got at the local co-op that is so yummy! If I add that and maybe some stevia next time, I may not even need the syrup. Or I can see if the co-op has a sugar-free version. I'll check.

[mamaspank]

Blessedbe,

I don't think you necessarily have to go the low carb route. It has never worked for me. I found success with WW. I do it at home and don't pay a dime. The tools are available on the internet on a lot of different websites I could point out to you. I love that I can eat what I want on this diet. WW is all about portions and getting in your greens.

[BlessedBe]

I've thought about going WW. I thought you had to pay for it though, even if you didn't go to the meetings.

[Redheaded I am]

The others have given you wonderful advice, but I just wanted to throw in one small thing.

There's a wonderful author/inspirational person named Sark who talks about "Micromovements." A Micromovement is a very small step that you take towards a huge goal. (She even has a worksheet for them!) For instance, if you're having trouble overhauling your eating habits, just pick small thing for today--say, reading labels of the food in your house. Then tomorrow, pick another small step, and do it. And so on and so on.

It's the same thing as the wonderful quote someone here has on their siggy: "I can't lose 100 pounds but I can lose 5 pounds 20 times."

[delitaagain]

You can do it, it is just like climbing a mountain.

The steeper the climb and the weaker your condition, you just adjust your trek to fit - shorten your steps and slow your pace to fit.

[walking2lose]

On the plus side, it's great that you are logging everything!

Great job with that!