diets

I was wondering if somebody here could give me an idea of good diet plans?

Are you looking to forever change your eating habits or just go on some kind of "Soccer Mom Wants To Use The Latest Fad Diet" sort of thing?

I can help out, but only to help you change your eating habits. I don't know anything about fad diets.



To transition yourself into healthier eating habits, here's some key things to look for and do:
- No Fast Food

- No Soda

- No Chips

- Stay away from white starchy foods like: White Sugar, White Flour, White Rice, and Potatoes. You can have brown rice or burgundy rice, whole wheat spaghetti/noodles, 9 grain bread, flourless bread, yams, sweet potatoes.

- Increase your vegetables at dinner and your fruit in the morning.

- Eat better quality meat. Some people like fish, some people like beef, and some people have chicken on the brain. Example: fishsticks, low quality; salmon steak, high quality.

- If you tend to eat a lot of carbs, then try cutting back a little bit. Too many carbs is bad. To help with this, instead of bread for sandwiches, try making wraps with "low car, high fiber" tortillas. They're not expensive, you can find them with the other tortillas at your local grocery, and they taste just like any other tortilla.

- Eat yogurt once a day, or instead of having some sort of dessert. Plain yogurt, fresh berries, and a small spoonful of brown sugar is really good.

- Try eating more beans in your diet. Kidney beans, butter beans, and garbanzo beans are excellent on salads or as a side to a meal. Refried beans and black beans are tasty alone or on burritos. Beans are high in fiber and protein.

- Try to stay away from pre-packaged meals (tv dinners, hot pockets, etc). This will probably require you to learn to cook a tiny bit - if you don't know how.

Rice is nothing but starch and sugar; eat quinoa instead.

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I'm wanting to change my eating habits. I've already stopped drinking soda I drink nothing but water now.

You might want to have some tea or try those packet things that you put into a bottle of water. I only suggest this because as humans food cravings will occur, especially when you try switching your eating habits, and it's natural to want what you can't have. I usually stick to water, tea, and a few shots of espresso...and I like to have a daily smoothie, which is more a puree` but I guess that should probably just be counted as a drink in this case. I will once in a while feel the need to drink something sweet, so I typically go with a Coke Zero (0g carbs) or a Diet A&W Root Beer (0g carbs) or a small glass of orange juice (if no one's chugged the whole bottle).

If it helps: 2 cups of tea = 1 cup of water and 2 cups of coffee = 1/2 cup of water for hydration purposes.

Do you want any helpful recipes or anything? Food suggestions?

Read this:

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Raven wrote:

Do you want any helpful recipes or anything? Food suggestions?

Yes i would like some recipes.

If you're looking for a diet that is lifetime sustainable, I would suggest the American Diabetes Association Diet:

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I was on it for 3 years as an experiment. After a few weeks your body will be functioning far more easily and efficiently than you could imagine. It also led to clinical improvements in the patients treated at the Wallenberg Institute at Lund University Hospital. The website has recipes as well, I believe.

The first three days are hell, though.

If you have any medical conditions, please consult with your primary physician before beginning lifestyle alterations that could affect your endocrine system.

I moved my post to the Healthy Recipes thread. I thought it was more fitting.

I have heard that eating smaller meals more often is good for keeping your metabolism up.

Idea Man wrote:

I have heard that eating smaller meals more often is good for keeping your metabolism up.

It's very helpful in staying lean and maintaining your blood sugar and consequent energy levels. I eat every 2 hours - usually a piece of fruit or a slice of wheat w/ lunch meat.

I aim for about 200 calories every meal, but I've been doing this so long that it's second nature to me now. It's stopped being something I track and has just become "the way I eat".

Persuasion wrote:

Idea Man wrote:

I have heard that eating smaller meals more often is good for keeping your metabolism up.

It's very helpful in staying lean and maintaining your blood sugar and consequent energy levels. I eat every 2 hours - usually a piece of fruit or a slice of wheat w/ lunch meat.

I aim for about 200 calories every meal, but I've been doing this so long that it's second nature to me now. It's stopped being something I track and has just become "the way I eat".

That is what I am hoping for. I don't want to always have to be "on a diet." I just want to change the way I eat so that being healthy is normal for me.

Idea Man wrote:

That is what I am hoping for. I don't want to always have to be "on a diet." I just want to change the way I eat so that being healthy is normal for me.

That's kinda what the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is all about. Eating normal portions, but not giving everything up. Between that and exercise, I lost nine pounds last week, and a total of almost forty since I started.

balance right? it all comes down to balance.

also depends if you're looking to bulk up or lose weight.

for bulking, 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight, as high as 3g of carbs per pound and a good dose of healthy fats (olive oil for example).

to lose...cut liquid calories (soda, shakes), if you can. avoid the junk food (but don't be afraid to treat yourself even once a week), and eat small frequent meals with a good balance of meat, veggies, breads, a milk or juice.

most guys go through cycles because to maintain an all out lean body year round is tough especially if you want to put on muscle. most do a bulking phase for 3-4 months then a trimming phase for a couple and so on.

The best diet? The one you'll stick to. I did low carb for several years when I was single, and was in the best shape of my life. I ate low fat, and lost weight. I've counted calories (that's what I'm doing now, and have lost over 30 lbs), and that works too. Find a diet that you can do forever. In short, find a diet that doesn't feel like a diet. I eat whatever I want now, for 2,000 calories a day, and I'm doing fine. I might be a little healthier if I added in a little more fish instead of beef or ate more greens (wouldn't we all?), but I can eat like this forever. Find something that works for you, with foods that you like, and go from there.

Make sure you check with your doctor as well. Not sure what kind of physical shape your in but if you change your diet and also start working out alot more you can end up harming yourself if you do it all to quickly.