# I'm ready to change my eating now.



## Emma (Jul 20, 2007)

Ok, I'm ready to start eating properly now. No more junk and healthy. But where do I start? I don't want to follow some fad diet, I don't know naff all about portion sizes, I can't seem to include veggies in our diet. I hate the thought of just eating dry veggies. I can't really think of healthy meals, I don't really know what to eat. 

I want to increase my energy, eat less and more healthy. Please help!


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## GrowingBoy (Jul 20, 2007)

CurvyEm said:


> Ok, I'm ready to start eating properly now. No more junk and healthy. But where do I start? I don't want to follow some fad diet, I don't know naff all about portion sizes, I can't seem to include veggies in our diet. I hate the thought of just eating dry veggies. I can't really think of healthy meals, I don't really know what to eat.
> 
> I want to increase my energy, eat less and more healthy. Please help!



The key thing to understand about diet is "your mileage may vary". The right diet for someone else will not necessarily work for you. 

Finding the right diet is really about discovering how different foods affect you, and making choices based on that. People's body chemistries can be amazingly different. Some folks have allergies. Or genetic predispositions. Or religious or personal preferences. For example, in my case, I nearly died from drinking too much green tea and eating too much spinach one week. Not too much cheesecake or death by chocolate -- spinach!

So I don't think there is any "proper" diet that is universal. One approach that can help is to keep a food diary, and carefully note what you eat, and how you feel after eating it. Did you feel sleepy? Did you feel hungrier soon after eating it? Or did you feel more alert or did it leave you feeling full for quite a while? It can also help to have an allergy screening, so you can know what you react to without having to discovery it over a long time period. 

In terms of setting a baseline, it can help to start out with high protein (e.g. South Beach Phase 1), and then add foods back in, and note how you react, whether you gain or lose. Since it's about being scientific, its best to only make small changes, then note the effects. 

If this sounds tedious, it is. But at the end of it, you'll know more about yourself and how food affects you. Remember: food is a drug. The key is to find the right drug, and the right dose.


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## Emma (Jul 20, 2007)

I've just done my shopping online. Here's the list of what I've got to try and be a bit healthier. lol Any comments on what I should add/take away would be greatful (yes I knowwwww about the custard slices, but I need one little treat)

This is for 2 people btw. 

2 x Tesco S/Fresh Wholemeal Medium Bread 800g £0.76
1 x Tesco 4 Mixed Seed Topped Rolls £0.79
1 x Tesco Custard Slice 2 Pack £0.87
1 x Value Orange 1kg £0.54
5 x Bananas Loose £0.55
1 x Gala Apples Pack £1.29
2 x Baking Potatoes Tray 4 Pack £1.36
1 x Tesco Caesar Salad 305g £1.99
2 x Tesco Alfresco Salad 225g £0.98
1 x Chinese Stir Fry Vegetable 475g Bigger Pack Better Value £1.29
2 x Beef Steak Mince 250g	£2.20
1 x Tesco Cooked Sandwich Ham 125g 10 Slices £0.78
1 x Tesco Cooked Sandwich Beef 125g 10 Slices £0.78
1 x Tesco Cooked Sandwich Turkey 125g 10 Slices £0.78
2 x Cooked & Peeled Cold Water Prawns 110g £1.82
1 x Tesco Smoked Salmon Slices 100g £1.98
2 x Tesco Healthy Eating Skimmed Milk 2.272ltr/4 Pints £2.30
3 x Tesco Value Low Fat Yogurt 4x125g £0.87
1 x Columbus Free Range Eggs Box Of 6 £1.49
1 x Tesco No Added Sugar Salt Swiss Style Muesli 750g £0.75
1 x Tesco Chilli Con Carne Mix 41g £0.34
1 x Slimmer Sweeteners 1000 Tablets £0.86
2 x Tesco Cream Of Tomato Soup 400g £0.60
2 x Tesco Value Chopped Tomatoes 400g £0.30
2 x Princes Tuna Chunks In Spring Water185g £1.78
2 x Napolina Whole Wheat Penne 500g £1.98
1 x Tesco Pasta Sauce Spicy Withpeppers 500g £0.52
1 x Hellmanns Honey & Mustard Salad Dressing 235ml £1.17
1 x Tesco Original Pickle 310g £0.52
1 x Tetley Softpack 160 Teabags 500g £2.79
1 x Tesco Classic Coffee 300g £1.79
1 x T.High Juice Summerfruits Squash 1 Litre £0.99
1 x Tesco Mens Shower Gel Teide 250ml £0.58
1 x Tesco Mens Shower Gel Nebula 250ml £0.58
1 x Tesco Limescale Remover Toilet Cleaner 750ml £0.62
1 x Cif Bathroom Spray 500ml £1.27
1 x Tesco Value Toilet Tissue 12 Roll 2400 Sht £1.13
1 x Whiskas Pouch Kitten In Jelly 12x100g £3.08
1 x Tesco Value Cat Litter 8 Litres £1.19


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## Friday (Jul 20, 2007)

High protein works for some people, but it's not really a long term solution. It can be really expensive and frankly it just wasn't my cuppa. I had more success giving up smoking than giving up carbs. The only dietary revamp I ever had any success sticking to was the one they outlined for me when they said I was borderline diabetic. They didn't expect me to do it all at once and they never expected me never to cheat (good thing because hey, I'm diabetic, not some bloody will power giant).

First they gave me the following figures. You should eat every 3-4 hours and a meal should be about...

45 - 60 grams of complex carbs. Whole grain crackers or bread, whole grain pastas, brown rice, that kind of thing but pretty much cut out the white foods, rice, potatoes, things made with white flour (including regular pasta). Dried beans are an excellent choice also.

2 -3 ounces of protein, could be meat, chicken or fish you cook at home, canned tuna or chicken (packed in water, not oil), lean deli meats or lowfat cheese. Those Laughing Cow cheeses are quite good and come portioned and individually wrapped which makes them very convenient.

1 serving of fruit or vegies. I admit, I'd rather eat fruit than vegies. I like my vegies cooked, not raw and that isn't always convenient or even possible when you're trying to pack a portable meal. So, I try to eat vegies at least once a day at home and eat fruit when ever I want.

My biggest downfall was fast food. I was never prepared with stuff I could grab quickly and it was just easier to stop somewhere, even 2 or 3 times a day. When you're eating appealing food every few hours it's a lot easier to drive past the burger place even though the fries will always call to me.

I also gave myself permission to buy things even if they weren't on sale. Like quality fruits and vegies and good lowfat cheese (the bad stuff is disgusting). My sister helped a lot when she said 'I can't believe you'll spend $4 on a burger and fries but you don't think that you're worth a $3 lb of grapes.'. I decided she was right.

So far it's working. I feel better (boy does it show in my skin and hair), I'm on minimal oral medication and my blood sugar is way down from what it was. As a side benefit I lost enough weight (although that was not my goal per se) to really help my blood sugar, improve my ability to do the things I want to do and best of all made me able to tie my own shoes again. 

eta: Never deny yourself an occasional treat and don't feel guilty about it. This is something good you're trying to do for yourself, not some kind of punishment. And on that note, I'm going to have a cookie.:happy:


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## lemmink (Jul 20, 2007)

Whee, healthy eating. 

I usually get 3 fruit a day with a fruit smoothie in the morning. It's soooo good!

Are you into different culture's cooking? Mild indian foods are pretty good for you, and stir fries are also great. If you aren't into that, you can make lots of really healthy pasta dishes with fresh vegetable sauces, super-healthy pizzas or make your own burgers (you can look up ways to make veggie+meat burgers online). 

I eat piles of nuts & seeds too, seeds like sesame seeds are great to have around for snacking. (No, honestly. They are!)

Depending on the time of year, soups are fantastic. 

It might help to get some cookbooks, that can start you... then you can get an idea of what you want and begin searching for things online.


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## Waxwing (Jul 20, 2007)

If you start gradually it's easier. Try straight off cutting out things like sugary sodas and processed snacks. It's amazing how much difference that makes to your health. 

In general the closer something is to its natural state, the better. Whole grain bread? Great. Processed white bread? Worthless and bad for you. Potatoes? Awesome. Crisps? Not so much.  

But don't drive yourself crazy by doing all or nothing. Try slowly adding in more veggies in your main meals. Stir-fries are a great idea already mentioned, salads, fresh fruit as a snack during the day.


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## Miss Vickie (Jul 20, 2007)

I'm a little short on sleep, but your shopping list didn't look too bad. I saw lots of fresh stuff, some meat, veggies, and the like. Doesn't seem too bad to me. When I try to change my eating habits (and it's still a struggle, even post WLS, because I can eat most ANYTHING -- which is unfortunate, believe it or not) I work from the standpoint of adding to my diet, rather than taking away. So, rather than not drinking soda, I just add in more non-soda drinks like bottled water and sun brewed tea. Rather than focusing on eating less salty snack foods, I add in healthier versions (pretzels versus doritos, or even fresh popped popcorn which is even better) or healthier snacks. Rather than ice cream, I'll make smoothies, which are lovely this time of the year. Just knowing that I can have something makes it less desperately appealing to me.

A good way to get veggies into your diet is a) stir fry's, and b) grilling. (Not sure if you guys are set up to grill outside, but even if you're not, an indoor grill is nice). You can coat veggies lightly in olive oil, salt, pepper and whatever herbs or spices you want and they're so good grilled on kebabs, either with chunks of meat or all by themselves. My favorite are onions, bell peppers, zucchini and other squashes and mushrooms. They don't end up drying out and have lots of flavor. Or you can use dipping sauces or salad dressing. I'd rather eat a healthy food with lots of nutrients, even if you give it a good dip of ranch dressing than NOT eat the healthy food at all, and often that's a good way to learn that you like the taste of veggies. You can't go from hating veggies to scarfing down dry salad overnight, dear heart.

If you like meat loaf, you can shred up veggies like carrots and squash and "hide" them from yourself by mixing them into the meat mix. It actually adds a nice flavor to the meatloaf, and you're getting extra nutrition and fiber as well. 

Another idea are soups and stews. I love to sneak some extra veggies into a freshly made soup. It's a great way to get things like broccoli and cauliflower into you without feeling like a bunny.

I liked how you got some stir fry frozen veggies. Frozen mixes are a great way to easily add extra veggies to a meal. I add them to frozen pasta dinners like Bertolli pasta dinners to make them a wee bit more healthy and they can be added to just about anything -- even tomato sauce, pesto or alfredo sauce, depending on the dish. Here in the US they come in many different kinds of mixes. They're great. I have a rice cooker and have even added them toward the end to a rice pilaf mix to sneak some in that way, too. It's great!

Oh, and if it takes adding some shredded cheese or a pat of butter to a vegetable to make it palatable? I'd rather you do that than skip the greenery altogether. You gain far more in benefit by getting the veggie in than you're harmed by a little bit of fat or cheese. Just don't overcook the veggies, okay?


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## love dubh (Jul 20, 2007)

I agree with everything mentioned!

And yes, don't worry that a bit of olive oil or butter will negate all the nutritional properties of the vegetables. If anything, boiling the hell out of them will do that, and leave all those goodies floating in the water. And unfortunately, veggies-boiled-to-hell is what most of us grew up with.  No wonder we don't like our greens! 

While it's bad to drown your veg in butter or oil, giving them a light brush (+ s/p, herbs, etc)and grilling/sautéing them works wonders.


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## Tracyarts (Jul 20, 2007)

A nutritionist told me that the best way to eat, is to try and eat foods that are close to their original source. Meaning the less processing and fewer additives, the better in most cases. 

Which is what I try to do. 
Tracy


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## lemmink (Jul 20, 2007)

Steam veggies. Best way, keeps in the nutrients.


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## Dr. Feelgood (Jul 20, 2007)

lemmink said:


> Steam veggies. Best way, keeps in the nutrients.



True! But be careful not to overcook: for most veggies, five minutes is about right. You want them bright green and crisp!


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