I am struggling really bad with my diet right now. I feel like I don't know how to eat like a normal person.
I just started tracking my food. I am trying to eat healthier but not strive for perfection right out of the gate ya know? I am watching my carbs, adding in more fruit (which I am doing really well with) and adding in more veggies.
My biggest issue is I don't know what to eat. I am so used to just stuffing my face with pasta and pizza and similar easy to make bad food that I don't know how to be different. I am finding that if I eat something unhealthy I can be higher on my calories but if I try to eat healthy I am always at like 1000 calories because I am full.
Please don't judge but this is what I ate yesterday:
B: a bowl of cheerios & milk. A single serving and an apple.
calories: 230, carbs 51, fat 2, protein 5
L: A salad with chicken, tortilla strips & southwest ranch dressing (I hate vinegar so I only ever eat ranch but less then a serving usually)
calories 334, carbs 24, fat 16, protein 23
D: 3 egg omelet, with onions and bacon. I usually only eat 2 eggs but I was so low on calories I tried bulking it up. I couldn't finish it.
calories 329, carbs 3, fat 23, protein 25
Snacks: I had 3!! low fat mozz cheese sticks & grapes.
That was all only 1043 calories.
Now I know that isnt great or perfect. I was full all day. & I know it is just that I am not eating great meals. But I am not sure what to eat.
I want really simple things for right now. I hate doing big recipes and trying to find out the calories in them. I don't know how to just cook meat. Like I have these chicken breasts in my freezer right now and no idea what to do with them. I could eat chicken and veggies for dinner if I had a clue.
IDK I just feel like such a moron and I don't know how to eat. I can not think of meals. And I search online and most things are these big recipes where I have to buy items Ill use once and never again so it isn't worth it budget wise for me. I am usually cooking for one person, sometimes two.
Just take it a day at a time and make small changes. Chicken breast can be used in a lot of different ways and is a healthy protien. You can put in in tacos, salads, bbq sauce, sandwiches, etc.
I just kind of look through the threads to see what other people are making and search the websites for things that will work or can be modified. Maybe the link below will help.
A serving of pasta is around 200 calories. Do you have a food scale? You could add a serving of pasta to your dinner - I like angel hair mixed with scrambled eggs and some pesto.
You could have chicken thighs instead of breasts (I find them better tasting) and stirfry them with veggies and put them over some rice (1 or 1/2 cup) with soy sauce or a stirfry sauce.
You could add avocado or hardboiled eggs to your salads.
You could have full fat yogurt with berries for breakfast (if I am having plain greek yogurt with berries I usually add some honey too to cut the tang.)
When I am stuck on meal planning I usually try to think of meals in blocks:
a protein block - chicken
a veggie block - onions & peppers
a carb block - 2 tortillas
a sauce block - salsa & sour cream.
Tada, fajitas!
Same with a burger - meat +lettuce/tomato+bun+ketchup.
Meat + tomato sauce + pasta
Ham & cheese + bread + tomato soup.
Moonkissed, congrats on working towards making lifestyle changes. It's not easy.
I have found what has worked best for me is calorie counting and walking.
I am able to keep my calories higher and still lose because of the walking.
I also really enjoy it.
If I only do the walking, but if I eat too much, I will maintain and not lose.
I usually walk an average of 80-85 minutes per day.
But for someone just starting out, I would recommend trying 3 times a week, going for a 20 minute walk each time.
The important thing is to make it a habit.
You can add in more walking minutes, or more days later.
What has also worked really well for me is calorie counting.
Right now I am averaging 1700 calories a day. (but I also walk 80 -85 minutes per day)
I may need to lower them more later as I lose more.
I still eat things I enjoy.
I tell myself every thing in moderation is ok. I just have to plan for it and keep within my calorie range.
I eat spaghetti, french bread, tacos, chicken, burritos, enchiladas, fried chicken, grilled chicken, lasagna, pizza, breads, ground beef, steak, pork, tuna, peanut butter, fruits, vegetables, cheese, salad, mashed potatoes, mac salad, pot salad, plus more.
My point is what works for me is having all the foods I enjoy, I just need to keep an eye on my portions.
I also try to keep the fried/saltier foods to a minimum.
Like for instance I do eat fried chicken, but I may only have it twice a month.
Where as I may have chicken breast 2 or 3 times a week.
I will make pizza maybe 2 or 3 times a month. But I make the dough from scratch and I portion out what I can have.
I do burritos, I will make a pot of beans, cook pork or chicken or hamburger meat, make fresh salsa, I will portion out cheese, and a little avocado and sour cream.
Most the times I will make my own tortillas, sometimes white, sometimes wheat.
Alot of times I make my own bread, sometimes I make white, sometimes I make wheat bread.
I will have a lighter breakfast, usually an egg and toast with a little butter and coffee and creamer, sometimes instead of toast I will have yogurt or kefir.
I like to save more calories for lunch and dinner.
If I make chocolate chip cookies for the family, I will have one.
I may have dessert a few times a month but I portion it out.
I usually stay away from snacky type items cause they just make me crave more. So once a month I will portion out some chips.
Usually at night if I have enough calories, I will have .6 oz's - 1 oz of almonds.
Sometimes during the day I may grab some carrots, or raw brocolli or cauliflour, or slice up some cucumber.
If you want, maybe you can try 1400 calories a day. Plan out a bunch of healthy foods that you enjoy. Add in some other things you like but portion them out.
I use fitday.com to track calories.
Sometimes if you are making a new dish you can create a new food and save the calories in there.
It is a bit time consuming in the beginning but once it is done it saves.
I wanted to add, if you have any issues with sugar, you may need to be more careful with carbs and sugars.
I don't aim for perfect. I have to enjoy what I eat or I'll never stay with it. You might try some other salad dressings, so you will have multiple choices. I have 3 that I use. Fortunately, I like vinegar. One of my other favorites is the low calorie Catalina from Kraft. I like hot and spicy food, so I use a combo of the Catalina dressing and some Sriracha sauce (hot sauces can help speed up the metabolism)
I have a small George Foreman Grill. It is perfect for cooking boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I sprinkle some of my favorite spices on it and cook up a large package of breasts. You can store them in the frig. and use them for meals for a couple of days.
Chicken breasts with bone in: I cook them in the oven or outside in my Traeger smoker/grill. I use barbecue sauce or ketchup. In a perfect world, I wouldn't use either, but I've decided I need to keep some things. If I'm not satisfied with what I'm tasting, I'll never stay with it.
I keep lot of frozen veggies in my freezer. I decided on several Steam Fresh type of frozen veggies and keep them in the freezer. You just pop the bag in the microwave and cook it.
I also cook up ground turkey. I then use some of it in a salad or with eggs. I keep serving size pieces of salmon in my freezer and can cook in the microwave in short order.
I like fast and simple. I use a lot of paper plates/bowls.
Don't worry about the ideal nutrient diet in the short run. Over time figure out how you're going to get plenty of veggies into your diet.
If you're satisfied with 1000 calories a day that is fine. You're not going to die or have any other health problems. Eventually your body will ramp up the hormones and 1000 calories a day will not be enough. The important thing is to not do a rebound binge because you're depriving yourself for too long.
People have a million opinions but if history has shown us one thing it is that people can survive and thrive on a variety of diets. Over time find the WOE that is easiest for you to limit calories because if you're like most people you'll need to be calorie aware your entire life.
Learning to cook and eat real foods is a process. I had to go to culinary school to give myself a head start. It takes time and practice.
I have found eggs to be a lifesaver, especially now that I have two little ones. I don't have the time, or energy, to cook large meals some days. Instead of turning to a box of kd, I can get some eggs on the table just as quickly, with almost as little effort. Plus they last a good while, so u can always have a stock in your fridge.
Look up how to fry, scramble, poach, and hard boil eggs on google and you'll find great step by step, simple to follow instructions.
You can add a piece of buttered toast and some fried tomatoes to fried eggs, throw in some spinach or mushrooms with scrambled eggs, or wrap it in a tortilla with some cheese, and hard boiled eggs can be added to a salad or mixed with some mayo to make a sandwich filling.
Eggs are the perfect place to start learning how to cook and eat real food. Good luck on your journey, weight loss aside, it's one of the best things you can do for yourself
Last edited by CanadianMomma; 07-02-2014 at 02:16 PM.
I'll piggy back off what you said and say don't judge yourself for what you are yesterday! Just by saying that it shows me that you are indeed judging yourself for it.
Learning to cook for yourself can be a really exciting and empowering skill towards your health. If I were you I would definitely take a cooking class, it can give you a jump start into acquiring those simple skills like learning how to grill a hicken breast, how to cut an onion, how to make chicken stock, how to cook ground meat etc. I'm a major foodie and cooking is my passion. I can't imagine leading a healthy lifestyle without these skills.
Cooking a chicken breast. Take the breast out of the freezer and put it in the fridge over night. Be careful that you place it on the bottom rack in a dish and away from vegetables and other foods you eat raw. The next day it will be defrosted. Take it out of the package and rinse it in cold water and put it on a plate lined with paper towels. Dry the chicken as much as possible and throw away they towel. Hear up a nonstick pan with a tsp of olive oil. Season your chicken breast with salt and pepper on both sides plus some other seasoning like dried herbs, tandoori spice, masala spice, herbs de Provence or Cajun seasonings. These are all available at the grocery store and I own them all and interchange my flavor profiles for variety. Play the season chicken in the pan once the oil heats up. You want to hear a sizzle. If no sizzle then your pan is not hot enough yet remove the chicken as wait a minute. Try again and just leave it there. Don't turn it, shove it, lift it, or move it around. Just wait a full 4 minutes or so until the sides of the chicken starts to turn white. The turn it over and cook it for another 3-4 minutes. Then it's done. Let it rest for 1 minute and then dig in.
first off, I see nothing wrong with what you ate yesterday. to lose weight you don't always need to eat healthy. you just have to have smaller portions of stuff you love and you lost 20 pounds so you are obviously doing something right. losing weight being healthy its all a learning process but as time goes on it becomes a lifestyle a way of life. when I first started weight watchers, I felt the same way you did I was overwhelmed but now I am not. it is such a way of life for me now I cant imagine ever going back to how I was before. so keep going on the path you are on now and best of luck! and don't give up! you will feel so much better about yourself believe me.
Last edited by Purple1993; 07-02-2014 at 03:28 PM.
As mentioned, the George Foreman Grill is the best thing invented. Another thing you might consider investing in is a crockpot. Use google to search out low calorie versions of your favorite foods. Skinnytaste is a good place to start. Anything you want, they have a low cal version of the recipe. Even copycat restaurant swaps. I recently made the low cal KFC coleslaw.
For example, if you love chicken wings, I searched and discovered if you mix some Franks hot sauce into some nonfat Greek Yogurt you have a tasty low cal marinade. I then cut the chicken up into chunks and put them on the disposable wooden skewers you can buy at the dollar store or supermarket. Another marinade is fat free Italian dressing, any make. Just cut up the chicken, stick them into a bowl and pour the dressing over it. Also, I like the frozen steamer bags of veggies and they even sell brown rice in a steamer bag. I cook it, measure out 1/2 cup as a serving. I save the rest in the fridge for the rest of the week. you can get 3 or 4 servings out of one bag.
So after you have 5 or 6 go-to meals, just rotate them. Also you can eat more than once a week or eat for dinner and then for lunch another day.
Don't worry about the ideal nutrient diet in the short run. Over time figure out how you're going to get plenty of veggies into your diet.
If you're satisfied with 1000 calories a day that is fine. You're not going to die or have any other health problems. Eventually your body will ramp up the hormones and 1000 calories a day will not be enough. The important thing is to not do a rebound binge because you're depriving yourself for too long.
People have a million opinions but if history has shown us one thing it is that people can survive and thrive on a variety of diets. Over time find the WOE that is easiest for you to limit calories because if you're like most people you'll need to be calorie aware your entire life.
This. Everyone's different. There is no such thing as normal, just normal for you. Keep trying things and observing the results. You'll figure out what works for you. Good luck!
Thank you all so much. My anxiety was roaring up and I started second guessing myself I think.
You guys are right that I shouldn't strive for perfection and doing everything just right. I can make small steps and if I keep making small changes I will get there. I need to remember that.
Wannabeskinny wow is it really that easy to cook chicken? I think last time I tried cooking it I didn't use oil and the outside got like crisp, not burned but inedible. I can't describe it lol I have a bunch of chicken and spices so I will try that.
seagirl that is such a simple way to think about it. I love it! I will definitely remember that and try to apply it.
really thank you everyone all your meal ideas and advice were super helpful!
It's been said already but don't be too hard on yourself! There's nothing wrong with what you ate!
My advice is to find a program and stick to it. I'm on Weight Watchers so the carb ratio is not important to me. I track my Points and eat what I want when I want, even if it's a brownie. With time and practice, your eating habits will get better but that's all up to you.
You mentioned ranch dressing...I found a very low calorie yogurt based ranch dressing. it's only 30 calories a tablespoon and is really good! It's called Bolthouse Farms and it's in the refrigerated section. You can eat a whole serving if you wanted to!
How to eat like a normal person?
Thank you all so much. My anxiety was roaring up and I started second guessing myself I think. 
