Hello, I am new here....I am a first time dieter....I want to change my poor eating choices to a more positive and healthier way of living..... I LOVE TO COOK!!! however, it has come to fruition that I am a very unhealthy cook.... I love bread, butter and sweets and just by chance started Medifast a week ago and became very ill for several days with a monster of a headache-unsure why I had such a bad headache-I had diet soda, so it wasn't the caffeine.....on the third day we figured it out....It was the lack of sugar I was putting into my body. I was flabbergasted.....I must of had some sort of withdrawl from the sugar.... I still can't believe sugar that taste so sweet could hurt me so badly. Anyways I survived that but came to realize I cannot afford Medifast so here I am in search of a way of living more healthier that I can afford....If anyone has any tips for healthier cooking or even less expensive meal replacements I would be interested in some feedback.....I have been more aware of my labels when I shop and will continue to fight this battle until I meet victory..... I am not sure but does anyone know if there is a good rule of thumb for counting your sugars and carbs etc....I am not sure whats an appropriate amount or guide to follow to meet my goal reasonably. I would be interested in any feedback to help guide a newbie..ty

Welcome, it's great that you love to cook, a wonderful and productive hobby. Wish I cooked more so I could give you pointers. One thing I do know is sometimes it's not what we could but how much of something we use, for example, try dabbing a little less salt, adding less oils, sugars, etc in your meals. Just those little things really make a difference. Go for less meat if you can. Also, stay away from DIET SODA that stuff is absolute artificial crap. I'm also addicted to sugar, yes a valid addiction, believe it or not. Drink lots of water!! It helps cleanse your system, and drink regular soda..but not as often if you can. best.

Congrats on wanting to make a healthy lifestyle change! It can't be really hard changing how you eat, like for me I LOVE bread. I never used to pay much attention to labels but when I decided on a change I took notice of it, so that's an awesome thing you're doing. I tend to use google a lot to find healthy recipes. I like the allrecipes site and browsing under the healthy section. They have low-calories, 100 calorie, 200 calories and so on sections. Whenever I get a craving for something sweet I've been substituting my normal junk food for peaches, strawberries, watermelon, and other fruit or a nice yoplait light yogurt. (I love the boston cream pie!) I also stay aware from greasy food (I miss my delicious hamburgers) but I found that I feel a hundred times better and have more energy to work out. Counting calories works for me but you'll have to try around and find out what works for you and makes you feel happy and good. Unlike a diet, a lifestyle change has to be something you like and are happy with or else you'll just feel deprived and unhappy.

Welcome! Enjoying cooking is one step in the right direction already - home-cooked food is far better, and it's easy to make substitutions for healthier ingredients.

Thanks for the in-put I appreciate it...

I like the allrecipe site....I will check out their lighter fare....appreciate the feedback :)

You hit the nail on the head....Diet soda is a crutch for me....I am integrating more water into my daily life and hopefully can break that nasty habit too.... Thanks