Hello ladies ,

I like many others love to read this thread for good, solid, tried, & true information.

I have been exercising since December and I have given up sodas. Doing just that I have lost 15 lbs. Now it's time for a little more.

A few of the changes I plan to start implementing are:

1. No eating after 7pm

2. Really paying attention to my hunger level and to stop eating before I'm full, I really have a problem with this at dinner time. I know it's because I need to eat a snack around 4pm so I'm not ravenous at dinner.

3. Eating "cleaner" this is where I would like some advise from you guys. I am so anti-diet, I don't want to follow some "plan", all I want is simple, quick meals that are a good mix of protein and carbs and fat. Nothing too complicated.

I have seen some of you list your basics before but would you mind giving me some of your ideas. I don't mind eating different from my family (hubby & 4 kids).

Breakfast and lunch should be quick and easy so I can take and eat at work.

Also, do many of you eat small meals several times a day, or 3 squares? I really resisted the idea of eating several small meals a day because I didn't want to have to think about food that often and have to stop to eat that often but if I keep it as simple as possible I want to try it and see if that's the change I need.

Thanks a bunch,
Tina

"Clean eating" Is basically no processed carbs. No 100 kcal snack packs, no "low-fat treats" no cool whip, no empty non-nutritious calories. Ok sorry that sounds like a big "no-no list" (we used to have one posted on the fridge when I was a kid - all my favourite foods). But really try to cut back on the processed stuff. Try to cut down on the bread too ( I love bread!). Substitute processed carbs for salads, fruit, veggies and whole grains.

I eat 5-6 meals a day and I like to snack on stuff at work, so it's not bad. Sometimes I take mixed nuts and raisins, cottage cheese and fruit, yoghurt, chicken and bacon salad (no dressing) more fruit, er fruit? For dinners try lean protein (fish/chicken/tofu) and a portion of brown rice or wild rice and a heap of veggies, or stir frys, or lean pork or boiled fish with rice and veggies. Egg whites are also a great source of protein, try scrambled egg whites with one whole egg, or egg white omlettes with veggies or low fat cheese.

There really are a lot of "clean" foods you can eat without feeling deprived. And what I'm beginning to realise, just this week, is that 1600kcals of clean food - fruit, veg, chicken, salad and dairy fills you up more than if you'd included bread or crackers or 100kcal snack-packs in your day. Some evenings I have trouble finishing dinner since I'm so full of veggies!

Good luck and I'm sure more experienced maintainers will be along to help soon! My problem is, I know the theory but I find it hard putting it into practise.

I'm sure someone smarter will come along but I can't keep my hands off this one. I am a bit of a whole natural food nut.

Don't worry about recipes until you get the clean thing under control. Foods have awesome tastes and textures of their own, without sauces and combinations.

Real food ... take a look at it. Did it grow that way? If you can't figure out how they did that ... it's probably not food. An apple is an apple. Fish is fish.

I told a friend the other day that the four food groups are protein, vegetables, fruit and oatmeal.

I make ordinary protein, vegetable and starch suppers for my family. I just don't eat the starch.

Susan, I am beginning to see the ways of the fourth food group and the fact that the fourth food group is NOT bread...

I still eat the "starch" at my dinners. I used potatoes (WITH the skin, since that's where most of the nutrients are), brown rice, and whole-wheat pastas. I also NEVER use butter when making pasta--I just add a little of whatever marinade I used on the meat with the meal. I also always add veggies to the pasta/rice so it's not so plain.

I know I'm not a maintainer, but I also know what works for me to lose (now if I could just stick with it ). I usually actually only eat 1 real "meal" a day, and that's dinner in the evening at home--I typically have lean chicken and the aforementioned pasta/veggie side. During the rest of the day, I sort of just eat a bunch of little stuff. I'll have a yogurt in the morning, oatmeal when I get to work, a veggie burger or sandwich around lunch time (I don't consider it a whole meal since I'm not having anything with it), a snack of some sort of fruit in the afternoon, maybe a glass of milk...lots of smaller eats throughout the day keeps me from getting too hungry and overdoing it at any one sitting.

Like others have said, the key is to eat as little processed food as possible. Even with my sandwich (which I rarely have), I use whole-grain bread or a small whole-wheat tortilla to make a wrap. With my veggie burgers (which are processed, I know, but it's a good way for me to sneak in more veggies than I would normally eat), I use a whole-wheat bun and spinach instead of lettuce.

I'm also too busy to stop at the store every day, so I keep my freezer full of frozen fruits and veggies--just a tip

GREAT THREAD TINA!!!

It sounds like you have a wonderful plan for your "non-diet". I'm also a non-dieter who just started this journey and am not a maintainer either.

My plan includes:

• Drinking 80-90oz of water/day,
• Eat 4-5 small balanced meals (approx 300 calories) through the day (vs. the 3 meals-2 snacks I'd always followed when dieting),
• Incorporate a lean protein source, vegetables, and whole grains in most if not all meals,
• Keep fats healthy (I use mostly almonds and avocados),
• Lots of fiber,
• Exercise 6 times per week,
• SLEEP! Sticking to a regular sleep schedule...8-9 hours per night...although I'm up feeding a baby a couple times a night still.

As far as eating "cleaner" it's really a newish concept for me. And I'm by no means SQUEEKY CKEAN yet! I started buying organic foods for my 2 year old last year and that started the "cleaner" eating for us. I just simply noticed they tasted better and I knew I didn't want her eating pesticides, growth hormones and chemicals...

Whenever I tried losing weight before I would stock up on sugar-free, fat-free foods and after eating them was NEVER satisfied - or at least not for long. This time I am using my intuition. I'm eating foods I enjoy and learning moderation - including fats (healthy ones)! I don't think I have a fat free item im my house--except for the foods that naturally come that way. I like whole grains, veggies, chicken and fish, so this isn't that hard for me. One thing I haven't been able to kick yet is occasional (1-2/week) diet sodas. I know they aren't "good" for me...

As far as meals we do alot of simple things - chicken stir-fry w/ veggies, whole grain pastas, brown rice, salmon, lean pork and occasionally lean beef. I cook more than we'll need for that meal, and then the next day use the lean protein in my many small meals the next day. I could never eat just 3 meals - it was too long for me inbetween and that led to overeating. I'm not losing weight as fast as I have while on restrictive "diets" - but I feel soooo good - lots of energy, eating foods I enjoy and know that this is so,ething I can do for the rest of my life.

To me "Eating clean" means eating the right kinds of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Good luck!!

Things I have done that worked:
cut out diet soda (I drink water, iced tea, flavored seltzer, sometimes V8, plus I feed my caffeine addiction)

no white flour of any kind, at any time--this includes white pasta, white rice, any bread or rolls--I do eat many whole grains (quinoa, bulgur, millet, etc.
)
a big focus on increasing fresh veggies--paying more to get the pre-bagged pre-washed kind so that they are easy to eat

fat-free organic dairy--I am concerned about the hormones so I only buy organic even tho. it is always more expensive
some nuts--walnuts, cashews, almonds


For supplements, I take 2 grams of Omega 3s (in fish oil), a B complex and daily iron. I am 99% vegetarian so I tend to get anemic if I skip the iron.

Hi,
I think that eating smaller meals more often is essential. I guess we overeat sometimes because we are hungry and just eat non-stop, while if you have small meals, you adjust to the fact that you are hungry and your hunger will go away from small meal.
For me I eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and sometime snack (depending on when I go to bed). My breakfast is oatmeal with cottage cheese and egg whites, my lunch is ALWAYS big plate of fresh spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes and sweet peppers with either small turkey breast sandvich or can of tuna, my dinner is what I please. Snacks are fruit once a day or sometimes twice or fruit and nut bar or protein shake after workout. I sometimes eat dessert at dinner if my weight is under control, but it is usually small one (like one brownie)...
Cheers,
Sandy.

All of the above (and I'm not perfect about it, so don't sweat it).

Examples: Pick one or two at each time

Breakfast:
Smoothie (homemade & real ingredients). 10 min to make
Oatmeal
Yogurt (not as filling but gives me calcium)- instant
whole wheat english muffin (one slice) w/real cheese melted on it 3 min

Snacks (one in morning and one in afternoon):
Fruit (if you haven't had the smoothie..personally too much fruit only gives you more and more of vitamin C and not enough of other things) instant
Sugar snap peas (ready to eat) instant
hummus and some raw veggie 2 min
almonds or other nuts (PRE-MEASURE!!) 2 min
v8 juice -instant
cheese stick (cheese is heavy in calories, so a little goes a long way) instant
Canned Chicken (mixed w/ light mayo, onion, salt/pepper, lemon juice)10 min
No Butter Popcorn (there is a thread about other cool stuff to put on popcorn)
Carrots and other raw veggies (I had some today!)

Dinner/Lunch:
Palm size Meat, 2 veggies.
Whole Grain Pasta, Brown Rice, Whole Potato, (read the box, a little goes a long way)
Chilli (VERY little lean meat or turkey meat, mostly beans and stewed tomato)
Tuna w/ Wheat Crackers (max 10)
Fish
Salad (watch the dressings!)
Homemade Soups (veggie, beef or ckn noodle (wheat)) watch the sodium
(make soup on Sunday and have it for 3 lunches that week).
Stir Fry

Basically be creative and learn to portion control (try www.fitday.com, our portions are often bigger than we think).

Some things I try to do is:
have leftovers (to take the next day)

Leave 15 min in the morning to prepare my day. I put my breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks. I try to make sure my snacks are ready to eat stuff. I eat breakfast and lunch at work. It has to be instant or microwaveable. I make sure I have 3 bottles of water.

I've been doing a lot of reassessing and soul searching this morning and I think the place for me to start my restart is at the grocery store. Ah shopping, yes!
So my list, according to my four food groups, goes something like this.

Protein- tuna, salmon, chicken, fish, fat free yogurt
Vegetables- fresh for crunchies and salad, frozen brussels sprouts, broccoli and maybe a nice mixed depending on the sales
Fruit- I buy big bags of frozen for my shakes and snacks. One is mixed berries and the other is peaches, pineapple, grapes, melon
Oatmeal- I already have lots
And stepping outside my own guidelines ... I need olivina which is an olive oil based margarine.

Wow, this is a great bit of information, Nice thread!

For me, if I really focus on eating my fruits and vegetable, at least 6 servings a day and 10 is better, and two servings of protein (when left to my own devices I'd only eat meat a couple times a week) everything else more or less takes care of itself.

I do eat the 100 cal packs of cookies and such, but when I'm really getting the veggies down, it is really a small treat instead of a diet staple. When I'm not focussing on the veg things start to get a little iffy.

Anne

A good enough thread to BUMP.