I am looking in to becoming more healthy. So I figured I'd start with diet. Does anyone have any suggestions for meals, tips about stopping cravings etc..?
Back to basics. I am kinda where you are and am looking for new alternatives too really.It seems the simpler and more alive the food the better off you will be. I have been slowly weaning myself off of processed food and premade store bought items. It hard, esp. when you realise how much crap you actually eat. I was so bummed, nearly everything I ate was essentially dead food. It is neat discovering that there is such a thing as living food and I can feel my energy levels shifting as my diet does.
There are quite a few health/medical problems that run in my family that can be controlled and/or prevented by diet. So that is 1 reason I have joined weight watchers this year (and also want to lose about 35-40 more pounds) My dad used to tell us "You are what you eat, ya eat junk then ya turn into junk" weird how after all the kids grew up & left home he turned into junk with lots of medical problems that he wouldn't have if he had stuck to his own advice.
I lost 50 pound a few years ago... I think it is easyest to make small changes (thats how i lost the weight just small changes) I stopped drinking soda and sports drinks and drank water instead... Id let myself have one glass of something besides water. but water is a good change.. Drink lots of it.. It will also help you feel full... Then I switched one meal a day to a salad.. My lunch.. I work in a place where there are somany resturants to chose from... but i just have a salad.. every once in a while alowing myself to eat something else.... I decided not to say i cant have that piece of pizza.. It can have it as a special treat... An I starting talking vitimins... Also i gave up all forms of fast food. Easy enough, tastes like shit anyways... And then starting doing things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator... and power walking to my car as apose to stolling to it after work.. Next thing i knew i needed new cloths cause nothing fit me anymore... this type of diet may not work for anybody... but usually just small changes for the better... (skipping that muffin and having a apple) youll start to lose weight and your body will be happy. Its been easy to keep the wight off cause its not a diet.. i let myself eat things i shouldent... just no where near as much as before.. I have sweet mabey once a month.. i dont want them most of the time now... Ive just altered what i eat for the better no changed my entire life for a diet, thats why most people fail at dieting.. Also dont get upset.. its gonna take a while before you start to notice any weight loss.
just stick to fresh food, no processed foods fresh vegies and fruit, nuts and seeds, tofu, beans & lentils, juices, tea, stuff like brown rice, wholemeal bread, salads.. its simple to know 'how' to be healthy its just a matter of whether you have the self control if you're used to eating junk and you like it. Goodluck! I pretty much stick to this except i binge on dark chocolate every night as well
Good advice in this thread! As well, green tea is supposed to help with those afternoon cravings for junk food...and it's also supposedly good to flush the toxins out of your body.
nuts and legumes are good fats! I just made the yummiest chick pea curry ever! You probably dont wanna have too many peanuts if you wanna lose weight another mistake a lot of people make is eating meals that are just too big and they end up full. you should try and never feel uncomfortably full, eat slowely and more often rather than having a huge meals at a time
Eat to live, don't live to eat. But yeah, I say if you're craving it...have a little. Maybe try first eating something healthy to fill up a bit (fruit, water...some nuts...maybe?) and THEN allow yourself some of whatever you're craving so that you don't over-indulge. But you know...not ALL the time...just once in a while when you're REALLY craving something. I think that if you entirely restrict the things you crave you'll set yourself up for setbacks. And setbacks are ok, I think....but too many and it won't work out for you.
A basic strategy is to count your calories everyday especially those from saturated fat. Write that number down and then the next day try to cut those back further. Your metabolism plays a big role also. Try looking here http://www.truestarhealth.com/members/cm_archives59ML4P1A8.html to find methods on how to raise your metabolism.
Could you give me the scientific research to suggest that cutting down on saturated fat is a healthy thing to do?Consider this: as the consumption of saturated fat has decreased the rate of cardiac arrests has increased.To blame cardiac arrests on saturated fat is twisted logic indeed!
Even though I was never over weight here are some things that have helped me feel the best I ever have and lose weight without trying too hard: Cut out processed sugar completely. If you're going to use a sweetner, use honey, maybe maple syrup. It might be hard at first, but after a few weeks if you try and eat processed sugar it will make you feel like crap. Cook your own food. Processed foods have huge amounts of bad fats, sugars and salt in them so they will keep. Eat complex carbs and whole grains. Try and use stuff made from durum wheat (its much more nutritious) eat brown rice instead of white. Don't drink more than 1 cup of milk a day. Do not consume soy products. (These too will make you feel like ass after not consuming them for a while, just be diligent those first few weeks) Eat LOTS of fruits and veggies. Drink lots of green tea. Don't be afraid of good fats (ie: nuts, uncooked olive oil, fish fats, etc.) It might seem hard at first, but after a while you start to really notice a huge difference in your overall health.
Drink Green Tea, or take a supplement of it! It speeds up your metabolism. I've heard eat a lot of food with lots of color, stay away from lots of soda pop. If you eat a lot of carbs, make sure you burn them off with exercise. Water is great for the body, drink lots!!! HOpe it helps!
Eating well isn't that hard if 'ya plan it out. Drink lots of water (be sure to get plenty of salt),eat moderate amounts of grain carbo-hydrates, (oatmeal, wheat bread) moderate amounts of meats and plenty of fruits or veggies. And get plenty of exercise.
