OK, so I see where it's counter productive to just quit eating until you get down to your weight goal (like liquid diets along with supplements, but with no solid food)... so that is out.
That leaves the question: What foods can be eaten that are healthy?
Just wanted to get some specific meal ideas and portion sizes to try. Thanks.
Anything can be fine in the right amounts. I count calories because its easy for me. I can add cheese on my salad as long as I measure it out. Once I realize waht foods have SOOO many calories, I really dont even crave them anymore because I realize they arent worth it!
But Anything fresh is going to be good. Lots of fresh fruits and veggies.
My favorite salad "dressing" is salsa! Put a little chicken in my salad and drizzle with salsa its sooooo good!
Lean meat, not fried. Fruit and veg, not drowning in sauce. Whole grain. Dry edible beans, lentils, eggs, etc.
There are a ton of choices.
Did you know that popcorn is a whole grain? Air popped, microwave, 94% fat free! Or, guess what, you can buy it, in it's natural state and pop it, with no oil on your stove top? And it's CHEAP, when you pop it yourself!
Ian knows a lot more about canned fish stuff than I do, but canned tuna in water, you can do lots of stuff with that.
Skinless chicken breast, slice it up, add a little wing sauce! Healthy ranch is easy to make, but you have to make it.
Dry edible beans, cook them in the crock pot, (tons of varieties), brown rice and or whole grain rice. You can mix the beans and rice, and season them with anything!
The key is to be open to trying new things, experiment!
For instance, to make the 93% hamburger go further, and more calorie friendly in tacos, I add some shredded Zuchinni. Yes it takes a little longer to cook the water off of the zuke, but then, I can have a little more, because of the veg! I skip the flour tortilla, in favor of the formed corn one, add lettuce, salsa, and fat free sour cream, or plain fat free greek yogurt. Yum!
I also make a mean calorie friendly tortilla soup! Actually I call it salsa soup, but whatever.
OK, but one must have salad dressing... what alternatives are there that are healthy and low cal?
And, I guess adding cheese is out?
If you are a Ranch dressing fan, get some low fat buttermilk, some fat free plain greek yogurt, and ranch seasoning and experiment, with getting the flow right for you. Ditch the recommended add mayo thing, that sucks!
Cheese, I love it, but, I've realized, that as part of a dish, if I can't really taste it, I most likely don't need it.
However, I do love a grilled cheese! So, what I do is, Sara Lee 45 cal a slice bread, 2 slices of, processed fat free cheese, or a proper portion of light velveeta, spray the bread with a cooking spray, (Pam) and grill.
I know it's not the same as the real thing, but, it's not a bad deal!
Over the last month I've been experimenting with a cabbage burger casserole recipe. Healthy and tasty. I've done it twice now. The husband, has been helping me.
After today, I figured out, what I need to do to tweak this, healthy and yummy!
If you take a look at the Food Talk Forum there are several threads with "what did you have for ___" in which people list exactly what they're eating for specific meals.
Honestly, you can eat anything you want. You just have to remember that there's a huge difference between having one donut once a week and having five donuts every day. I've lost 16 pounds in about two months just by watching my caloric intake. In this time I have had pizza, ice cream, and other carb-y foods. I just don't go crazy and have six slices of pizza or an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's. I let myself have one slice or one serving of the ice cream, for example. I also pair my meals with steamed vegetables or fresh fruit and keep my intake within a healthy range that still allows for weight loss. I also measure and record everything I eat.
You'll figure out what's right for you, no worries. Good luck. :-)
WHAT to eat... specifically???
