All my life, I've been overeating and eating unhealthy foods, but I've decided to change all of that. I'm a bit lost on what to do, but I've formed a rudimentary plan of what to eat every day. Could you guys check this out for me? I'm around 5'8, weigh 215 pounds, and don't really exercise - I'm going to start walking an hour a day though.

Meal Plan -

Breakfast
_________________________
Slimfast = 190
Bannana = 120
1/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds = 204 Calories
Total: 514 Calories

Lunch
_________________________
1/3 Cup Macadamia Nuts = 354 Calories
Cup of Milk (2%) = 122 Calories
1 Apple = 50 Calories
Total: 526 Calories

Dinner
_________________________
Cup of Granola = 452
Cup of Greek Yogurt = 100
Total = 552


I really had to work in the Granola, Milk, Nuts, and Seeds though - I kept getting under 1,500 calories, and I've read that's not very... healthy. Any advice would be appreciated - I'm willing to eat the same thing every day.

The first thing I notice is that you're missing vegetables!

My diet is typically a low calorie diet and I aim for half of my meals to be non-starchy vegetables.

Ex: Breakfast - vegetable frittata or egg whites scrambled with veggies, or a runny egg over vegetables

Lunch - Soup or chili (made with plenty of vegetables), salad, stuffed peppers

Dinner - stir fry, zucchini noodles with sauce, stew (made with plenty of vegetables), stuffed zucchini/eggplant/spaghetti squash, burgers made with half vegetables wrapped in lettuce, etc.

You are opening a can of worms here - just telling you now as there are 50,000 opinions on what to eat.

But, before delving into "is 1500 right" it depends a lot on your weight, age, activity level, etc.

Only other comment I have is that this is pretty carb heavy - a cup of granola is over 500 calories and has 65 grams of carbs and has a lot of simple sugars. Not really problem if you don't get hungry quickly after eating it.

Also, apple calories - misleading. A large apple (3 1/4 big) is 110 calories. A small apple 2.5 inches is 55 calories. Unless you are buying small, bagged apples, your apple is probably closer to 100 calories than 50.

So when I plug those foods into my app I have for you: breakfast, as about 500 calories and lunch at 550 and dinner at about 600. That is 1650 calories (based on what I see and know - (like what kind of granola? What kind of Greek yogurt, etc).

Carbs at 167grams (140 net), fat at 86g and protein at 75g.

That in itself seems fine if you are not carb sensitive and it's probably a deficit. But, if you find yourself getting hungry, lower the sugars and add some more filling foods like a salad with chicken breast, etc.

Play around with it. Don't get stuck with one way if you find yourself struggling it. As I said in the beginning, there are 50,000 ways to lose weight - it's finding what works long term for YOU! And not only for just losing weight, but in being able to sustain such a way of eating - life long.

I agree with both of the posters above me. If I were you (and this is just my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt), I would decrease the carbs and sugars - granola especially, as someone else said it can be incredibly high in sugar. You can get a TON of veggies for the same 500 calories you're spending in one cup of granola. One of my favorite lunches is a chicken breast and some steamed veggies (carrots, broccoli, snap peas, red and yellow bell peppers) for around 350 calories - more or less depending on portion size.

Play around with different foods until you find what works for you. And if you find something that works that you LIKE, you'll be more likely to stick with it. But seriously, veggies are super-important for fiber and vitamins.

Thanks for the help guys - Also, is a lot of carbs bad? I can deal with hunger pains - I honestly don't care for food, I'm just trying to eat what seems healthy. Up until now, I've been eating ramen (And not the simple kind), sugary cereal, doughnuts, and a high calorie dinner filled to the brim with meat, a lot of white rice, and biscuits galore.

I'm 19 (Almost 20), 5'8, and around 215 pounds - I'm trying to lose weight, but I'm trying to be careful, I don't want to hurt my body after all. Any more advice? I'm trying to stay away from meats - It's too easy for me to give into temptation on that front...

All I'll say, which has already been mentioned, is add vegetables. If not for the vitamins and nutrients, then at the very least for some low calorie volume of food to fill you up!

The rest, well, you just have to try things out and see what works for you. Find something sustainable. Try new foods. Give yourself variety. Weight loss, as scientific as it may sound, is really not all cut and dry. Be patient with yourself and the process.

It's great that you'll also be adding activity. That may not make you drop the pounds super fast, but it will make you feel better and will improve your overall health! Can't go wrong with that!

I think people "think" granola is healthy. it's not really. It's taken a fairly healthy food "oats" and covered them in sugar now making it basically a junk food.

Just play around - meat isn't bad and is very filling. So, if you are having a hard time with eating the nuts and seeds, exchange it for eggs and meat.

if you aren't a veggie person, that's OK. You don't have to be. (Though it would fill you up better!)

Can I ask why you are staying away from meat? Dense proteins are very helpful for not only satiety, but for meeting protein needs, which you seem to be low in. Greek yogurt and granola wouldn't keep me full for long.

As others have suggested, veggies are missing. And don't ignore fat. A little bit is not harmful and also helps with meal satisfaction.

You've gotten lots of good suggestions so I will just second the ones to increase veggies and maybe add some lean proteins. I understand you're trying to stay away from temptation with certain foods but can you eat things like chicken, turkey or fish?

The granola, sunflower seeds and macadamia nuts are kind of caloric for the little amount you get. I would still be hungry after eating those!

I'm another that will say where are your vegetables but more importantly, what did you eat before you started counting calories? Do you enjoy what you are eating now?

I'll say before I started trying to lose weight, I didn't eat a lot of vegetables, mostly because I didn't want to take the time. I liked a lot of veggies but now days, I love veggies.

Perhaps something like a hummus sandwich, with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes? Or celery with peanut butter? or carrots with hummus as a dip?

When I started to eat more veggies, I chose ones I knew I liked and that I could snack on, like grape tomatoes, baby carrots, sugar snap peas, red bell peppers (eaten with hummus).

My main concern with your food plan is it doesn't have a lot of variety and seems kind of boring as well as including some very calorically dense foods. As far as granola goes, it can have a lot of sugar. One thing if you want to look for something with a little less sugar, I'd look at something like muesli or even grape nuts.

Thanks guys - I guess I`ll try to incorporate some proteins into my diet, maybe some fish in a salad, or some sliced turkey - I suppose I can work in some celery, carrots, and maybe some kale into the mix too.

I guess I can do away with the granola - Grape nuts sound interesting, I`ll look into those.

If you eat eggs , hard boil 2 eggs and A whole wheat English muffin for breakfast instead of slimfast and banana. same amount of calories.

lunch could be a vegetable soup or hummus with veggies a piece of fruit

dinner could bean burrito loaded with veggies /burrito bowl or tofu/protein and a vegg
night snack some greek yogurt and fruit and a few almonds

I was going to say chicken or fish with vegg at dinner but I'm not sure if you eat meat

Sorry I see your post above.
For me dinner is simple chicken or fish and a veg.
Don't deprive your self. Eat plenty of veggies and add more protein, you will do great. Good luck. ☺

As most everyone said def need to add veggies in there and i would also say lean meats which are good for protein. just seams like you could be eating a ton more food for a day for the same amount of calories

I would say what everyone else is saying- add veggies! However, don't be afraid of fruit either, just with correct portion sizes. I would also be careful with the slim fast or other artificial foods. Eating clean and whole foods will bring results besides weight loss; clear skin, more energy, feeling full all day. I wish you the best of luck

so many helps here for you . good luck !!!