Hey everyone. I just started this diet last week, so I don't have the healthiest of food options in my apartment right now. I want to go grocery shopping tomorrow or tuesday to stock up on some healthier food, but as I'm new to this I don't really know where to start.

What are some foods you all would recommend that are good for weight loss? Obviously I'm going to go for fruits and vegetables, but what else? I've seen "Kashi Go Lean Cereal" [Or whatever it is, I know the name was close to that...] mentioned on the boards a few times, so I figure I'll pick that up. Are Kashi brand foods generally a good idea?

Anything else that you would recommend as a good food item to have if you're trying to lose weight?

My favorites:

1% or 2% plain Greek yogurt (or just plain yogurt if Greek is unavailable)
Uncle Sam Breakfast Cereal
Unsweetened Soy Milk
Low-fat Cheeses
Frozen fruit for smoothies (raspberries, blueberries, etc.)
Flaxseed meal (to add to smoothies, oatmeal, & baked goods)
short grain brown rice
steel cut oats
Miltons whole grain breads (high in fiber and no HFCS)
bananas
Lots of in season veggies
other fruits
no salt added natural peanut butter
high protein extra firm tofu (for stir fries & such)
mori-nu lite silken tofu (for smoothies)
ww high fiber tortillas (La Tortilla brand)

I have other faves as well, but this is all I can remember right now.

salmon, tuna, chicken, lean beef like little steaks, fat free cottage cheese, pounds of baby carrots and bathtubs full of greens.

Fiber One Cereal-Honey nut clusters are more pleasing to the palatte but the original isn't that bad either. I like F1 cereal way more than kashi and it keeps you REALLY full...Fiber One bars are yummy too but I hate that "candy bar" mindset.

Whole wheat tortillas
Egg Beaters
Salsa, lots of flair, spice, for little calories
Chicken that you can individually thaw/cook each breast at a time
Skim milk, 2% if you're trying to wean down
Black beans- I find I'm adding them to EVERYTHING! Salads, etc.
Produce of course- baby spinach (try to stick to darker greens more so than iceberg type lettuce), spaghetti squash-just try it once! You'll like it!


I found that I MUST avoid treats, even if they are "diet" fare, Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches are YUMMY *and* low cal....but if that kind of thing sets you off onto the next binge, skip em! I learned this lesson the hard way. With the Skinny Cow, the WW desserts/ popscicles/bars....so just because it's "light" or "diet" doesn't mean you're ready for it early on in your journey.

Let us know how you do!

oh and olive oil and a spritzer thing for it ... right now I'm heavily into spritzing vegetables for the barbeque. Today is onion, green, red and yellow pepper and zucchini.

Gretchy -- Obviously, a lot of it depends on what you like, if you cook, how often you really WANT to cook, etc.

It might help to think in terms of meals and snacks.

For breakfasts, I eat oatmeal, or yogurt with frozen blueberries and some kind of cereal, or an english muffin with turkey sausage and low-fat cheese.. those cottage cheese/protein pancakes people write about on here... etc.

For lunches, especially during the week, I often bring sandwiches. So think bread (I often use whole grain pita bread), lunch meat, sometimes light cheese... in addition, I usually have baggies of veggies and lunch, and/or fruit.

Dinners vary a lot, but if you cook, think about some sort of meal you can eat over several days (this is how I build in time to exercise -- I can't seem to exercise and cook on the same day during the work week).

Snacks: light cheeses, fruits, veggies, maybe some hummus, nuts, etc...

I personally love Kashi products and often have kashi granola bars on hand as a snack. And I love the Kashi go lean crunch in my yogurt with my blueberries.

My current faves are:

Bananas, frozen strawberries, mixed berries, mixed fruits and plain (fat-free) yogurt -- for smoothies.

Romaine lettuce -- piles and piles of it because I love salads. I should start buying spinach as well. I also add mushrooms, fat-free shredded cheese, and (off and on) black olives to it.

Fat-free cheeses and even fat-free sour cream to season up as a dip/spread once in a while.

Lentils, tomato juice, and frozen corn and peas for making veggie soup.

Fiber One Honey Clusters cereal -- just tried this tonight for the first time and, while I don't like cold cereals, this is tolerable and a huge source of fiber.

Frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots for tossing on the George Foreman grill with some onion powder, garlic powder, and S&P.

Spinach and asiago cheese chicken sausages -- another new addition that I'm going to keep on hand now -- only 110 calories per big link and, while not the healthiest food in my kitchen, sure does hit the spot when you need a "real food" hit.

Bottled water up to my eyeballs. Yeah, I could just get it from the sink but I drink so much more when there are fresh 20 oz bottles of it chilled in the fridge. I love my (generic store brand) bottled water and think it's worth the splurge for me.

Olive oil, boneless/skinless chicken breasts, eggs, canned diced tomatoes, various canned precooked beans, unsweetened applesauce, and whatever produce is available at a decent price -- all miscellaneous stuff that works its way into omelettes, salads, or whatever strange concoctions end up happening.

Sheesh, I may have to write this down to remind myself of my options next time I'm having a "But there's nothing good to eat..." whiney day. LOL

Grizzlies porridge... sold in bulk and several varieties. My favorites are Harvest and Peach Porridge Hot

This is a really cool thread, I got a lot of great ideas from it for when I stock up my new apartment next week!