help with my diet!

Posts: 1,363
8/21/12 10:03 A

Joey - congrats on becoming clean and sober!!

You've gotten some great suggestions so far, and I'd second the idea of just tracking what you eat, for a few weeks at least. As you come to the end of each day, check out your totals and then look for small changes you could make to get you closer within each of your ranges. You could work on one meal at a time, to help make it more manageable. You will most likely find that the more processed/fast food you eat, the more likely you are to go way over in calories, fat and sodium. Find and try some simple recipes that you enjoy, and then build on your cooking skills from there. Sparkrecipes is a great place to start. Spend some time reading labels in the grocery store---that's always quite an eye-opener.

You've come to a great place---welcome!

SparkPoints: (3,129)
Fitness Minutes: (5,730)
Posts: 648
8/21/12 7:40 A

Welcome Joey. :)
I think getting active agian will be a big help.

current weight: 99.0

110 107.25 104.5 101.75

99

Posts: 10,786
8/21/12 6:45 A

just start by tracking where you are now. go with however many meals you eat and what you usually eat. then, start running the full nutrition report at the end of the day. make sure you're tracking a variety of vitamins and minerals [under "tracker options" you can do this in "change diet settings"] and then see where you are over or lacking. part of the feedback that report will give you is how to get what you're eating into where you should be eating.
because there isn't just one way to do this. i eat eight times a day in snack size portions because that's how i like to eat. other people like eating three square meals and that's it. as long as it works for you and with you and gets you what you need, it's the right way. the more info you search out, the more contradictory info you'll get. pretty much everyone agrees that veggies are good for you and hohos aren't so much. so just go from there.
so start by seeing where you're actually starting from. do you need more calories? do you need to cut calories? are you getting 3-5 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of veggies a day? enough protein? enough fat? start with those things and you can tweak your way, eating as close to how you do normally as possible. it's much easier to maintain things when you aren't having to struggle to follow some plan that's a 360 from how you eat. start where you are, compare it to where you should be and start making little adjustments to get you from a to b.

Posts: 408
8/21/12 6:28 A

Hey Joey - I'm so amazed at you - it seems like you are really taking your life in your hands and getting yourself on a track that realizes all of your own possibilities!

I agree with Bubble - one of the biggest problems that people fall into is food-phobia where they begin to get too stressed over right/wrong foods. Tracking is best, and healthy calories are best.

In saying so, here are some great sources that you may be able to find at your local library. I really like "The Health Kitchen" cookbook by Andrew Weil and Rosie Daley who go over basics of healthy eating and suggest recipes. Also, Rick Bayless's "Mexican Everyday" is a GREAT cookbook with very basic ingredients, yummy meals that are very nutritious.

For this week, I'd start by making sure you have lots of lean, good protein: I do eggs for breakfast - but you can do an eggwhite omelet if you are too afraid of fat. Because you're young, I don't think you should worry that much about egg yolks. Two eggs can really last you a morning - and adding salsa or some sort of veg - (like spinach) is always really helpful. Spark People have rightly pointed out that your body doesn't burn calories differently at different times of day, but because we are usually more active in the morning, I do like the saying, "Eat like a King at breakfast, a Prince at lunch, and a Pauper during the evening" - which is another way of saying - feed your body when it's active, and reduce as you go into rest.

Finally, don't make the mistake of under-eating. Your body needs calories and I made the mistake of going too low in my calories in the past. It will last a few weeks, then your hormonal balance will cue in and you will start to lose sleep, get edgy and then finally binge. It's a horrible cycle on your body - the importance is eating RIGHT.

Also, here's a great site from North Carolina that covers basics on healthy eating. It's part of a class that I've been taking that is geared towards healthy eating:
https://esmmweighless.com/blog/eat-smart/

Eat lean meats, whole grains, and try at first to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day and add at least one fruit or veg to each meal and you will see results quickly.

Best of luck, and I really am so pleased you posted - you've got everything ahead of you, and you'll do fine!

current weight: 169.0

175 166.25 157.5 148.75

140

SparkPoints: (20,749)
Fitness Minutes: (19,101)
Posts: 2,716
8/21/12 5:27 A

Firstly, congrats on being clean for 8 months. I'm proud of you and I don't even know you!

Now, for the help with your diet. Really, there is nothing that you need to avoid. Nothing is evil, carbs are fine, so is fruit. Everything can be worked into a balanced diet. You should be focusing on eating well most of the time. Eating well looks different to everyone, but I think that a diet containing
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Lean meats
- Whole grains
- Dairy
is healthy and balanced. Heck, I think a diet containing chocolate is healthy and balanced, so long as it is consumed in moderation.

Track your calories here on spark. Eat within your ranges and you will (hopefully) see success.

Just remember, this is a process. Quick fixes to meet deadlines (like a reunion) are not recommended. You need to change your lifestyle to make this permanent, and sometimes that means the weights comes off slower than it would if you followed a fad diet. BUT you have a better chance of keeping the weight off for good, which is the main aim.

Best of luck. Ask as many questions as you need to, we are all here to help!

current weight: 146.0

191 179.75 168.5 157.25

146

SparkPoints: (18)
Fitness Minutes: (0)
Posts: 1
8/21/12 3:31 A

Hey everyone, I could really use some help with my diet. I'll try and keep this pretty short, sweet, and brutally honest!:

Currently I'm 28, 5'10 tall. I weigh 215. Most of that weight is in my stomach and sides. 2 years ago I used to weight 154. I ran 3 miles a day, biked everywhere, and was in great shape. Then I made the stupid mistake of getting into drugs along with the guys in the band I was playing in. So I stopped being healthy, and next thing I know it's 2012 and I'm way out of shape. I got clean 8 months ago, and now I'm ready to concentrate on getting back into shape.

My target weight is 165. I really need help with putting together a healthy diet, as I am terrible with this aspect of healthy living. I have no idea what to eat! Can you guys maybe post what to stay away from, what foods I should be eating, how often I should be eating, etc? I'm so lost. I keep reading contradictory advice, stay away from carbs, don't eat soy, don't eat fruit... I just want to lose weight as quickly as possible (my high school reunion is coming up in a few months.) I know this post is kind of all over the place, but I really need the help. Thank you to anyone who can help me!

-Joey

Edited by: JOEYVENOM at: 8/21/2012 (03:32)