how to know what to eat?

R-mona

I'm new here and hoping for some advice. I am looking at a June 2010 wedding and would like to lose 50 lbs, although would be happy with any lose. My problem? I have NO idea how to eat healthy. I was never taught by my family (probably the beginnings of my issues) and I can't ask my fiance since when he met me he didn't eat anything that didn't come from a drive thru or could be cooked in a microwave. My other set back is I work a desk job 12 hours a day and due to the work do not have the option of getting up and eating whenever I want. At times I can be stuck at my desk for 8 hours straight! Does anyone have any ideas for places where I can look for a healthy eating plan. I don't want a diet. I want something that will teach me and my family how to eat. I figure that in itself should help me take off the weight. Also any ideas for things I can take to work that can sit for that long without going bad or needing to be warmed up would also be fantastic. Thanks for taking time to read this, Ramona

smoo&brown

I'm not too much help with most of your questions. I think I'm in the same boat. But I have found a few food items reallyh helpful at work. I always have nuts at my desk as a filling snack if I get hungry or tempted. Keeping a big bottle of water at my desk also helps. Check out the daily accountability boards for more ideas on what to eat. Good luck. This is a great place to hang out.

BubbleJ

Ramona,This probably won't help too much, but when you are sat at your desk try and have a few healthy snacks handy. Almonds, dried or fresh friut, rice crackers etc. And have a bottle of water with you all the time. Healthy snacking is a big part of my problem. And eating breakfast helps me too, gets my metabolism started.In terms of meals I mainly eat grilled meat and steamed vegies, but healthy takeaways are things like subway (no cheese and sauces etc).

Nebb

Firstly - you need to go to sparkpeople.com, enter in your information and they will help determine your required range for the day. It will tell you the high and low amount of fat/protein/carbs/calories you need to eat to lose a specific amount of weight per week. You need to stick to this!Secondly - you need to cut processed foods out of your diet as much as possible, there is far too much sugar and sodium as well as awful preservatives that will not help you on this journey. Invest your money in fresh local produce, lean protein (seafood, poultry, pork, etc), low fat dairy, nuts and nut butters, whole wheat foods. Third - Learn how to read labels. if you are buying something, check out how much fat is in it, or how much sugar, how how much a serving actually is and what components are in a serving. This will really help you decide if it is worth eating it or not.Forthly - you need to eat breakfast, something high in protein and something filling is your best bet (I have a protein drink in ff milk, an english muffin with pb on it, and im usually full  most of the morning). Then bring healthy snacks to work - cottage cheese or yogurt, fiber one or kashi bars, healthy lunch, lots of fruit and vegetables, some cheese if necessary.One of the best steps you can take is learning what is in your food, and what your body needs. Good luck!

iamjoesgurl

Nebb has some great tips. Also, I wanted to add that I always pack an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack or two and a few snacks that need to be kept cold. Some of my favorites are light string cheese (or regular if that's all you can find), light (i.e. low in sugar) yogurt, laughing cow cheese wedges and sliced veggies. Every night before going to bed, pack your bag and put it in the fridge. ALso, pack a bag of stuff that doesn't need to stay cold (high fiber crackers, apple/banana/peach/etc., 10 almonds, a baggie of cheerios, etc.) and then when you get up and get ready to leave for work, you just need to throw the ice packs in your lunch bag and grab both bags to go. Of course these things are in addition to your normal meals. If you want to keep your metabolism high, it is important to eat 5-6 smaller meals so these will serve as the snacks between breakfast/lunch and lunch/dinner. Two things that have really helped me are doing intervals and weights. Find a routine that you enjoy and will stick with. For me, the 18-minute intervals program I found was just what I needed to get started in the morning without having to get up really early. I do more cardio later in the day on the days I have time, but the morning routine gets my heart pumping and boosts my metabolism for the day. My final recommendation is to make small changes to your habits like ALWAYS take the stairs. My co-workers pick on me about it but I have not taken the elevator since October. I also park further out in the parking lot to get extra exercise walking into work or into a store. These changes may not add up to much, but it makes me feel like I am doing the things I need to be healthy. GL!! Keep us posted.

chicagochocolate

Okay first of all, you really sit at a desk for 8 hours straight with NO BREAK- not even to go to the bathroom? I'm pretty sure that's against labor laws. If you just mean you don't have time to go eat lunch or make or buy something, that's different. I pretty much second what everyone else has said. Get an insulated lunch bag or cooler, and keep lowfat yogurt, fat free cottage cheese, fruits, veggies, skim milk, hard boiled eggs, and light string cheese next to your desk. When I had a desk job I always had a snack drawer filled with granola bars, nuts, even a jar of peanut butter!I agree with Sparkpeople- I've been using it solidly for a week now (I weigh myself on Mondays so I'm not sure if I've lost yet) but it does help to keep you on track. Another really healthy eating plan is the Weight Watchers "Simply filling" plan. It's basically all about eating whole grains, lean proteins, fruits and veggies.  It might be worth it for you to go to just one meeting to find out about it!

iamjoesgurl

Chicago - I would keep p.b. in the desk too, but if I did, it would last about 2 days and there goes my weight loss. LOL. I LOVE it!!

chicagochocolate

Obviously certain things require strict portion control- pb,dried fruits, nuts, etc.  But man, do I loves me some peanut butter!

R-mona

Thanks everyone for your advice. I realy appreciate it. It's going to be a long trip to the grocery store tomorrow! I signed up for sparks people tonight and that seems like it has a TON of information on it. chicagochocolate-I meant what I said. I work in the emergency service field. I work by myself for 8 hours. I can't leave the building during that time. But what is more I can't use the restroom or go get food without having an employee who works in another part of the building to cover me. Both the restroom and kitchen are not near my work area. The problem I run into is if they are busy they take priority and if no one is available I don't move. Thanks everyone, Ramona

hall_ky

Like some one else said, if you want to speed up your metablosim then you are going to have to eat 5-6 meals a day.so cook your meals ahead of time and bring them with you to work. I do this everyday and it has helped me lose weight and also save money. I grill a whole family sized pack of chicken with Mrs. dash seasoning which has no salt in it, then I make plenty of brown rice and plain broccli. I divide my meals into individual tubberware the day before so in the morning all I have to do is pack them in a lunch bag and go. It's hard to get into this routine but once you do it is very worth it. And no this isn't a diet, this is a lifestyle change.