Foods That Are Ok While on Diet

I started using MyFitnessPal.com about a month ago and it helped M. to realized that though I thought I wasn't eating a lot I actually was consuming a lot of calories. By paying attention to calorie count I made better food choices. I track what I eat everyday. I am not on a diet but just watching my calories. However, in general, vegetables are winners when it comes to low calorie choices. Pasta is a killer, as are breads and even tortillas have more calories than I would have guessed. I've lost about 5 pounds in about a month.

Oh so many. So much information out there, it's overwhelming. I can help if you'd like - for free ;-) If you want to send M. a private message, I can send you some of the information and newletters I have.

Google Michi's Ladder... that's always the first one I point out. Has lots of stuff listed on it from "good" to "bad". I didn't mean to sound weird - I just didn't want to post links in here - people will think I'm soliciting ;-)

My email: ____@____.com

Eat whatever you want to eat - just eat less of it and move more.

Check out SparkPeople and MyFitnessPal.

The key is not to avoid anything. Any diet based on deprivation will fail. Bottom line.
If you like these foods, eat them in moderation.

Basic calories:
Banana - medium size = 100 cals
Whole wheat tortilla, 8" = 90 cals
Eggs = 70/80 cals each
bread of any variety = 70-100/slice

I use calorie count.com to keep track of what I take in daily. I worry less about what I eat, and focus on total calorie intake. Helped M. lost 20 lbs 2 yrs ago, and now I can eyeball food portions and know pretty quickly what is good vs. what to avoid.
You'll find that as you reduce calories, you'll naturally gravitate towards higher protein foods to keep you full (like eggs..the WHOLE egg).

I agree that SparkPeople and MyFitnessPal are good places to start. SparkPeople has a lot of info in addition to meal plans and calorie/fitness trackers. Most of the info is good, some is a bit outdated or makes assumptions that don't work for everyone but it's a good place to start.

What to eat is highly individualized. For some people, an "everything in moderation" approach where you reduce your calories to a reasonable range, eat normal, fresh, real food with an occasional treat and increase your activity but don't cut out whole categories of foods is effective. I wish I were one of those people but after attempting to lose weight like this for years, I'm just not.

My metabolism is really out of whack so I've taken a more drastic approach and am doing a 30-day detox where I'm monitoring things like blood sugar and ph and when we start phasing foods back in, I'll have an idea of how my body reacts to certain foods and what to avoid. For M., I'm currently off of red meat, alcohol, sugar and sugar substitutes, caffeine, gluten, dairy and cleaning/beauty products that have chemicals. I basically eat vegetables (at least a pound a day), poultry, fish, legumes, coconut oil, avocado, nuts, ghee, unsweetened coconut, and shakes made with vegan protein powder, maca, berries, coconut or almond milk, greens and avocado. Lost 3 lbs last week, which is twice what I lost the entire month of January, when I was working out 6 days a week and tracking calories, etc.

If this is your first real attempt at weight loss, then start with something like SparkPeople or MyFitnessPal. If you've been struggling with weight loss for years and your body isn't responding to normal changes that should work, then I would highly recommend that you consider a real food detox (not a 3-day cleanse or a juice fast or something else wacky like that).

Good luck to you!

Do you have a smart phone or a tablet? There are are ton of great free apps.
What I did was cut out sugar completely. Hard at first, but after the weight loss I really don't care for anything sweet. I also only ate whole grains-100% wheat bread. That wasn't nearly as hard because the only white bread I ever cared for was bakery bread.
I keep a large bowl fully stocked with fruit and that is the go to for snacks. I make wraps(whole wheat) with salsa, turkey, and lettuce.
If you just search for healthy recipes, healthified recipes, or diet recipies you can find what suits your taste. Tons on Pinterest too.

Fortunately, I don't have a weight issue but I stay keen to what is going on with my body.

I believe moderation and exercise are key. If you starve yourself from something you need, then your body will react. Think about it , people who demand fat free, etc. It does not work!!!

Please stay away from the MLM's advertised ( here on your post) which for the most part are responding only to sign you up for the greatest deal on earth to help you lose weight and become a millionaire!

If something sound too good to be true it is .... Ugh on people trying to prey on others.

Be logical and think through everything you need to do. Speak with someone who is there to help you vs make money on you.

Go to a listened professional nutritionist vs mail order. Please.

Best wishes.... You can do it

It is all very confusing isn't it? There is a website for EVERYTHING!
eat meat...don't eat meat!
Eat pasta...don't eat pasta!
eat bread...don't eat bread!
eat fruit...don't eat fruit!
You can find ANYTHING you look for.

Here is what I teach:
Stay away from C.R.A.P.
C = caffeine - now I know there are many "types" of caffeine and the natural healthy kinds are good for you like Yerba Matte, but in 98% of the cases...it is not good for overall health.
R = refined sugars - anything that has glucose fructose, high fructose corn syrop, candy, most packaged goods
A = additives - watch for anything that has a # on the package.
P = processed preservatives - anything packaged is highly processed - and most if it is not good for you.

You will find conflicting info on everything you brought up - eggs yes and no, bananas yes and no...the list goes on

Here is what I know for sure...
I know that i only have one body and my nutrition is my full time job.
I know that it is MY responsibility to feed my body right. It is not the responsibility of any company to ensure my health, they are a business and therefore are looking to make a profit.
I know that I have done my research on many companies and have made choices to buy from them or not based on my own research.
I know that I trust M....if I am leery, i don't eat it.
I know that I have found a team of people to work with that I trust completely.

I have been on this path for over 10 years. An illness really opened my eyes to better health.

How can I help?

B.

I have a calorie counter app on my phone. I can't just cut out a certain type of food because of what I do for a living, it's just not practical. The app helped M. figure out how many calories I need to eat every day to lose a pound a week, so that's what I do. I do NOT like sugar substitutes, so I do allow myself a small amount of sugar in my coffee. And I did not cut out fat-containing foods like half and half or butter, I just use less. I still have pizza with the kids on Fridays, but I only have one piece and a huge salad.

I've been at this 4 weeks and lost 5lbs. No additional exercise, I calculated my calorie needs based on a sedentary lifestyle, which it is most days but not all the time. And although I could "earn" more calories by putting in the exercise that I do (I'm on my feel a long time at work, which supposedly burns like 1200 calories), I don't eat more than my allotted calories.

My portion sizes for things like meat and rice have shrunk significantly, but my portion sizes for fruits and veggies have gone way up. I'm also a late night eater, so instead of trying to change that, now I just eat frozen fruit at night. Sometimes I'll add some cheese to that if I have some calories left over from the day.

That's what's working for M..

i like sparkpeople.
but really, there are hundreds these days.
khairete
S.

We lost weight by using a book called "The Formula" It's premise is based off a low glycemic diabetic diet where everything you eat is balanced carb/fat/protein and it worked amazing! It even lays out meals and portion sizes that are so easy! Like for instance, bananas are good but they are high glycemic so more sugar. You'd be better with grapes or strawberries every morning to lose weight. You can eventually work your banana back in but that is when you want to maintain your weight. I highly recommend it!

Hi Jen,

As long as your body is getting nourished you don't have to avoid anything but processed (ridden with synthetic chemicals) foods. My husband is on an absorbable multivitamin that has detoxed his system and his nutrition is getting to where it needs to be. He has lost 145 pounds and has kept it off. He did NOT diet. The body is not meant to have extra pounds. The only reason that happens is that the body doesn't know what to do with the chemicals. They don't go away. You have to remove them! PM M. if you'd like details.

Regards,
M.

I really like Weight Watchers online, and have used it for over a year. Weight Watchers taught M. how to eat healthy & it was easy to track my food via my cell phone. I lost 60 lbs. with WW & consistent exercise. I recently decided to start a vegan lifestyle. I've cut out all dairy & meats and eat very clean. It's taking things a step further, and I have had incredible energy since I've done it. I've learned that my body is different then everyone else's and what works for them may not work for M.. I urge you to find your "balance". For M., it's working out 4 x a week, eating a vegan diet & watching my carbs. I can have a steady weight loss that way. Good luck to you!!!

Weight Watchers will tell you that there are no food off limits but have the bad stuff in limited moderation. And the less processed stuff the better. Don't cut out things completely and don't call it a diet. You are trying to eat better to lose weight. Measure your foods until you get used to what portion sizes look like.

Oh, there are so many different diets out there that tell you "you CAN eat this, but DON'T eat that" and they are all different. I think what it all boils down to is eating less. Calories in vs calories out. Now, if you hate counting calories, then it can be quite easy to subscribe to a strict "avoid these foods" sort of diet. But, you are really just cutting down the amount of calories you are consuming, in the end, which leads to weight loss.

Personally, I think the foods to avoid, for the most part, are just the white foods- white flour, sugar, rice, potatoes. That is because they do not have nutritional value and they are really easy to go overboard on. Sugar is addictive and I find if I eat a little then I just want more and more and it snowballs...

I like Daily Burn calorie counter (on my phone). I have also used Weight Watchers before and it is a good program.

Eggs are great, I think. They fill you up, are inexpensive, easy to fix and are only 70 calories each. They say to go easy on them if you are watching your cholesterol. In fact, all the things you listed are just fine, in moderation. If you are eating those things and then a lot of fruits and veggies and lean protein, it sounds like a healthy diet. You are watching portion sizes and cutting out the junk. It sounds like a good, long-term plan to M..

You might to better to check with your doctor, who (presumably) knows you better than online web sites do.

I use an online source called My Fitness Pal to journal what I eat. In a very user-friendly way, it tells M. how the food translates to calories, fat, sodium, carbs, proteins, sugar, etc. It also tells M., in a general way, what my limits should be, so I find it very useful. My objective is not only to lose weight but to change my permanent eating style, so I'm looking for all the good resources I can find!

I love bananas and do try to have one every day. My husband can't have them at all because of their sugar (he's diabetic). But that's us. Eggs can be a good protein, but again, check with your doctor about how many per week. With bread you need to read the labels - multi-grain may not be anything but white bread with stuff in it, or it may be something good. For that, a web site may come in handy. See what you think of this one:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/multigrain/expert-answers/faq-2...

Portion size? Don't go by restaurant servings. Measure with a scale or by sight. Here's something helpful

http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/news/PressKits/HealthyVirgini...