Looking for tips for eating healthy, can you offer advice?

[LibertyLadyNY]

Hi. I am 32, a teacher, and at 5'9" weigh in at 210. I am very down and out about my situation and decided yesterday that change was necessary (I now longer want to blame my fat-ass on my hobby of reading books!). So, I started my first blog, which is on my new BodySpace, and already a friend has encouraged me to throw a baked potato and peanut butter in the mix! I am wondering what you tidbits and tips you have to offer. I am knew to this site, as my friend encouraged me to join for both support and advice. I am not completely ignorant. I used to be very active & lifted weights, in my senior year of h.s. in 1995, I weighed 130 and free weight bench pressed 125! (I was proud) Two years ago, when my kid was 2, I went from post-baby weight of 220 down to 168 in four months by walking 3.5 miles a day and eating healthier. I will list below what I think my diet should be and I would appreciate comments on what to throw in the mix. I know little about complex carbs, so when using fitness jargon, please be ginger with me! lol I teach history, not science : )

P.S. I am going gluten-free just to see if it makes a difference in how I feel, so whole wheat is out of the picture. And I am alone in feeling like if I don't stick to a disciplined diet, I fall off the band wagon???


5:30 Breakfast: egg whites, 3 prunes, and 2 slices of turkey bacon for breakfast OR cup of rice krispies, 3 prunes, and 1/2 cup of low fat Stonyfield Banilla yogurt with banana slices

8:45 Snack: one serving of fruit, or rice cake with natural p.b.

11:00 Lunch: green salad OR cucumber salad OR tuna with celery OR soup, whatever I can come up with! (Maybe I can make a carrot salad with raisins??)

2:30 Snack: carrots OR celery OR olives

5:30 Dinner: Chicken Breast OR Turkey Cutlets (still eating antibiotic-free meats) with a vegetable serving: brussel sprouts OR asparagus OR corn OR peas OR roasted zucchini/squash, and potatoe or rice.

8:00 Jell-O or reduced calorie pudding

[bouncingpuka]

Hallo :-)

first of all, welcome to the forums and yay for your new health kick! I have to run now to be honest, but just glancing at your sample meal plan, I can tell you right away that your fats are waaaaayyyy too low. Healthy fats will be key in losing weight, and ever so important when it comes to keeping you satiated and satisfied. I don't see any fats in your breakfast or your lunch, your dinner or your pre-bed snack....Try adding some olive oil into the mix, or a handful of almonds, avocado etc....Also, your calories look very low in general, especially for your stats, and your complex carbs are also lagging. Complex carbs are the ones that don't raise the level of glucose in the blood in a drastic way (very basically speaking). Complex because they are formed by a chain of sugar molecules (glucose), are bigger and therefore require much more time to be digested and absorbed into the bloodstream. I see you have rice krispies in the mix...um, not a great idea in my opinion, especially not for breakfast. Breakfast cereal in general is pretty much simple sugars (and lotsa sodium), and will get absorbed into the bloodstream very quickly, leaving you hungry soon after and with cravings. This will be even more accentuated by the lack of fat in your meal. For example, if you had your rice krispies, prunes, banana and a little yoghurt for breakfast, your protein and fat intake would be virtually nill, and your insulin levels would spike, leaving you quite weak later on and hungry for more food. At breakfast you want to literally break the night's fast, so have a good source of protein, like eggwhites, a complex carb like oats and some healthy fats, be it peanut butter or almonds or whatever :-)

Have you started thinking about what you will be doing in the gym? :-)

[ivory4646]

jess- awsome you are here!
healthy fats! you need to incorporate more- you have hardly any, with the exception of pb and olives.

Cells ? Fatty acids help your cells stay moveable and flexible, as well as being responsible for building cell membranes.
Heart ? 60% of our heart?s energy comes from burning fats. Specific fats are also used to help keep the heart beating in a regular rhythm.
Nerves ? Fats compose the material that insulates and protects the nerves, isolating electrical impulses and speeding their transmission.
Lungs ? Lung surfactant, which requires a high concentration of saturated fats, enables the lungs to work and keeps them from collapsing.
Eyes ? Fats are essential to eye function.
!!!!****Digestion ? Fats in a meal slow down the digestion process so the body has more time to absorb nutrients. Fats help provide a constant level of energy and also keep the body satiated for longer periods of time. Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) can only be absorbed if fat is present.*****!!!!!
the reason why I told you to add some almonds and natural pb into your morning routine was because of your sweet cravings. Healthy fats help to keep your body satisfied and consistant... without them you are on the course for crash and burn.
here are a list of healthy fats you should incorporate one serving with every meal, with the exception of post work outs:
almonds, natural pb, walnuts, avacado, olive oil, flax oil, sunflower seeds, olives, sardiens, trout.
Immune System ?Some fats ease inflammation, helping your metabolism and immune system stay healthy and functioning.

5:30 Breakfast: egg whites, 3 prunes, and 2 slices of turkey bacon for breakfast OR 1/2 oatmeal!!! 3 prunes, and 1/2 cup of low fat Stonyfield Banilla yogurt with banana slices switch to plain yogurt- check out the amount of sugar in that yogurt your eating.... sugar is BAD. I prefer plain yogurt with a tbsp of honey and walnuts and crannberries for a good morning snack.

8:45 Snack: one serving of fruit, or rice cake with natural p.b.

11:00 Lunch: green salad OR cucumber salad OR tuna with celery OR soup, whatever I can come up with! (Maybe I can make a carrot salad with raisins??) just make sure you eat a few ounces of protien with your meal at this time slot!

2:30 Snack: carrots OR celery OR olives

5:30 Dinner: Chicken Breast OR Turkey Cutlets (still eating antibiotic-free meats) with a vegetable serving: brussel sprouts OR asparagus OR corn OR peas OR roasted zucchini/squash, and potatoe or BROWN rice. olive oil.

8:00 Jell-O or reduced calorie pudding[/QUOTE]

i made some adjustments to your diet.
go on the diet plan boards. there is a forum specifically for diet critique where masters can help you pick and choose.
heres a decent guiedline to help you create options:
PROTEINS

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
Tuna (water packed)
Fish (salmon, seabass, halibut)
Shrimp
Extra Lean Ground Beef or Ground Round (92-96%)
Venison
Buffalo
Ostrich
Protein Powder
Egg Whites or Eggs
Ribeye Steaks or Roast
Top Round Steaks or Roast (aka Stew Meat, London Broil, Stir Fry)
Top Sirloin (aka Sirloin Top Butt)
Beef Tenderloin (aka Filet, Filet Mignon)
Top Loin (NY Strip Steak)
Flank Steak (Sir Fry, Fajita)
Eye of Round (Cube Meat, Stew Meat, Bottom Round , 96% LeandGround Round)
Ground turkey, Turkey Breast Slices or cutlets (fresh meat, not deli cuts)

COMPLEX CARBS

Oatmeal (Old Fashioned or Quick Oats)
Sweet Potatoes
Yams
Beans (pinto, black, kidney)
Oat Bran Cereal
Rye Cereal
Brown Rice
Farina (Cream of Wheat)
Multigrain Hot Cereal
Whole wheat or Spinach Pasta
Rice (white, jasmine, basmati, Arborio, wild)
Potatoes (red, baking, new)

FIBROUS CARBS

Green Leafy Lettuce (Green Leaf, Red, Leaf, Romaine)
Broccoli
Asparagus
String Beans
Spinach
Bell Peppers
Brussels Sprouts
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Celery
Cucumber
Eggplant
Green or Red Pepper
Onions
Pumpkin
Garlic
Tomatoes
Zucchini

FRUIT

(if acceptable on diet): bananas, apples, grapefruit, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, lemons or limes

HEALTHY FATS

Natural Style Peanut Butter
Olive Oil or Safflower Oil
Nuts (peanuts, almonds
Flaxseed Oil

DAIRY AND EGGS

Low-fat cottage cheese
Eggs
Low or Non-Fat Milk
Bottled Water


CONDIMENTS & SPICES

Diet Soda
Crystal Light
Fat Free Mayonnaise
Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
Reduced Sodium Teriyaki Sauce
Balsamic Vinegar
Salsa
Hot Peppers and Hot Sauce
Chili powder
Mrs. Dash
Steak Sauce
Sugar Free Maple Syrup
Chili Paste
Mustard
Extracts (vanilla, almond, etc )
Low Sodium beef or chicken broth
Plain or reduced sodium tomatoes sauce, puree, paste)

[LibertyLadyNY]

Awesome advice! Got me thinking, so thank you!

[Butterfly09]

Check out Tosca Reno's "Eat Clean Diet" book and website for some good info.

[aznprincess]

one thing that's helped me is tracking my calories and macro nutrients with a program like fitday. try to make sure you're getting 1g of protein / 1 lb of body weight and then 20-30% from healthy fats. i personally just started doing a 40p/30c/30f and it's a blast. i love trying to balance my percentages. lol i'm a weirdo.

macro nutrient is protein, carbohydrate and fat.

t