Meal Planning

"Nad R" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
(snippage)


I'm not a fan of the Oscars (all those celebs congratulating themselves) but
Jennifer Hudson (a singer) swears by Weight Watchers. She's dropped
something like 100 lbs and looks fantastic.

Jill
 
L G wrote:
time?

I agree. Everyone knows these platitudes. Most of us who are
overweight either ignore what we know we should eat or simply
don't have fast enough metabolisms to continue eating what we
want. No one has asked the original poster what he likes to
eat, which foods he enjoys or why he's been frying up nearly
everything for so many years. Does he cook that way because he
knows no other way to cook, because he thinks it's faster or
because he actually enjoys the result?

Orlando
 
On Fri, 4 Mar 2011 22:22:24 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote:

Yes, it was. No problem. The thread is getting to be *that* long.
:)

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
 
Melba's Jammin' wrote:
you will need to eat fewer calories and increase your
exercise. You will need

True, but it doesn't have to become a full-time job.

department of the hospital your doc is affiliated with and see
what classes on healthful eating they offer. Pony up the $50
it'll probably cost and go. See if your insurance will pay
for it. If you're lucky, it will

Really, with the glut of nutritional information so readily
available everywhere we look, I doubt he needs to take
nutrition classes. He needs to reduce his typical portions and
find healthier things to eat other than what he's been eating
until now. A nutrition class isn't going to open his mind to
new ingredients or preparations. It's going to be an
environment in which food is sometimes presented as an
addictive evil and other times as vital sustenance.

doesn't have built in televisions with their treadmills.

Before or after long work days?

will make the time for it, go to the National Institutes of
Health website (www.nih.gov). Get something out of your tax
dollars, fercripesake.

He's going to get all the standard food pyramid propaganda
endorsed by government organizations and websites. He doesn't
need to read pages upon pages of links to learn common sense
approaches to food. Although this doesn't apply to all the
world's cultures, Michael Pollan's dictum definitely applies
here: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." By "eat food,"
Pollan means mostly fresh or frozen produce rather than
processed foods. If the ingredients on a label are
unrecognizable as foodstuffs, don't eat that. "Not too much"
clearly refers to portion sizes. It's important to
differentiate actual hunger from other feelings of satiety
that come from large portions. Sometimes, we're actually
searching for flavor that blows our minds, so we eat more in
order to compensate for a flavor deficiency. "Mostly plants"
is pretty obvious; eat more fruits and vegetables than red
meat or grains. Obviously, a low-carb regimen is going to
emphasize protein over fruit, but even low-carb plans don't
have to be high-fat; South Beach is an excellent example.

(the TLC food plan pages) has more info and a menu planner
that is very useful.

You've turned this diet into his full-time job and life
obsession.


We got that the first two times.

your house ?

I definitely agree with this. But he has to replace the junk
food with food he'll actually eat, that's healthy for his body
and tastes good. A low-carb plan might be an excellent place
to start if he likes lots of meat, cheese and salad.


What if he's not Christian?


Again?

officer who worked with drug felons ? she was part of a team
approach that held them accountable in their efforts to become
sober. I consulted her once

Food is not the same as drug addiction. No one will die from
not using drugs, but we die without eating something. The drug
recovery model is intentionally tough because people in
recovery need to learn that they don't need their drug-using
friends or their old haunts in order to live happy lives. But
food is not a drug as such, even though some people use it for
mood altering emotional purposes. We don't know if he uses
food that way.

Orlando
 
In article ,
[email protected]de says...

If you want three add one.

It does.

I thought first Maybe a

For an inexperienced cook, buying a list of
ingredients is a difficult way to plan a balanced diet. It's easier to
plan seven days balanced menus. (Nothing to stop you eating Thursday's
dinner on Tuesday according to appetitite.

knowing that a balanced diet for the week

You need to eat a balanced diet/steady calorie intake every day, not
just a couple of days a week with stuffing and starving in between.

If you reach friday and find all that's left is a lettuce, carrots
and eggs, it will be blah, and that's how good food gets wasted.. not to
mention good intentions.

Janet.
 
On Fri, 4 Mar 2011 21:57:48 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote:


Break up the times you do it. Instead of one hour, do two half hours.
It's nice having a home gym; you can watch the news and exercise at
the same time.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
 
Nad R wrote:



Nad R,

We're almost identical only I reduced from 270 to 190 lbs. Took me a
year and a half.

I used DietPower (www.dietpower.com). Truth be told, it's very
sophisticated so there is a large learning curve and a lot of variable
and data entry!!! I was anal about every little detail. It runs with
Windows. There's a 15-day free trial so you can look it over and see if
it's to your liking. There are plenty otheers to evaluate.

A few things about my foods. Any foods that were fat filled became non-
fat. Fake butter spread instead of butter. Fat-free milk, Miracle Whip-
Free instead of mayo, etc., etc.

No coffee or tea or other caffeine drinks.

Lots of water. Lots and lots!!! Just guzzling water is a fair appetite
suppressant. I'd add a few drops of lemon now and then for a little tang
to relieve the boredom of the flavorless beverage.

For snacking I ate lots of raw bell peppers, celery and carrots. My jaw
would tire of chewing before long. I probably burned more calories than
what they contained! Another favorite is Kavli hearty rye crispbread
spread with garlic humus or pesto. For sweets, peeled apples, bananas
and grapes and a square of 85% cocoa dark chocolate every day or two,
very rich and satisfying. No added sugar or other candy (a tough one).

What I probably ate the most: Joe's Os (TJs cheerios) with banana for
breakfast or Egg Beaters, microwaved (minimum oil required, compared to
pan scrambled) and peppered to death on non-HFCS whole wheat toast and
fake butter. Lunch and dinner: tuna packed in water on toast with a
slice of pasturized American cheese food product (I afforded myself
that) or baked sesame skinless chicken breasts or tenders (again minimal
oil) with green (mild) or red (hot) salsas for dipping. Spaghetti with
tomato paste (diluted to a sauce with a little water) and TJ's meatless
meatballs. I'd improvise something when I felt like it. Otherwise, my
diet was very repetitious. I was OK with the occasional burger, frozen
pizza, hoagie or Marie Calendar's small frozen lasagna. I was
consistently below the daily calorie intake, between 1,200 and 1,600
daily. The DietPower lets you see at a glance if you're under or
overdoing nutrients. I supplemented with a daily multivitamin, not the
100% everything ones.

Enough about food. I bought a new pair of ASICS walking sneakers (take
great care of the feet) and walked the 4.6 mile pedestrians only paved
trail at the state park every morning. Very clean fresh air, no car
exhaust to breath. Many people listened to music players, I chose the
sounds of nature instead. When I started, my feet blistered up pretty
fast. I wasn't out to set any land speed records and would take a break
on any of a number of park benches when I felt like it. For the major
beginning 1/4 mile steep incline I'd zig-zag it to ease the climb. In
the summer I'd also rent a row boat at the state park and row five miles
a day, two or three times a week. I vacationed in Jim Thorpe, PA for two
weeks and rowed Mauch Chunk lake 5.2 miles end to end round trip,
sometimes twice daily. It added up to over 100 miles total. Both lakes
were electric motors only so not only were the views beautiful it was
peacefully quiet.

I did NOT join a gym for strength training. Nature is much more inviting
and the women on the trail are just as pretty! :)

Optioonal: A cloth tape meassure, if you want to track that stuff.

No-nos: DON'T step on the scale every day. It's depressing when the
weight doesn't fall off in a day. Don't get discouraged when you reach
temporary plateaus of not losing weight.

When I hit my target weight, DietPower was swiftly uninstalled, taking
my carefully crafted data along with it in triumph. I've hovered at my
target weight +/- 5 lbs. ever since. My diet is largely the same but I
do take more liberties now than I did.

I'm sure I forgot some other obvious stuff but this has gotten longer
winded than I expected.

Good luck,

Andy
 
"Nad R" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

A good nutitionist will work with you to make as large or as small of a
change as what works for you and then make changes gradually. One of the
best things a nutritionist can help you with is learning what a proper
serving size is, learn what emotional issues might be influencing your
eating choices and how to circumvent going whole hog off your diet. I
cannot recommend working with a qualifed dietitian strongly enough. If you
get a referral from your primary care doctor, your insurance will probably
even pay for it. Outside of that, Weight Watchers is a program I also
highly endorse (and have used successfully). It teaches you how to eat the
foods you love, even the bad ones, in moderation and how to balance out
those indulgences elsewhere. Dieting doesn't have to be all or nothing! Do
not fall for all the high protein/ultra low carb Atkins crap. You'll lose
initially, but it teaches you nothing for long term weight maintenance.
Everyone I know that has lost "some" weight on it is still fat, just not as
fat. I don't call that successful dieting. What gives my opinion validity?
At one time I used to be overweight but with the help of great dietitians
lost 100 pounds and have kept it off now for more than 4 years.

Jinx
 
Nad R wrote:
fat. Then a damage tendon ten years ago and gained 70 pounds
witch I have not lost. It

What do you mean when you say "eat like a pig"? Do you eat too
much in general or too much unhealthy food? You can eat salad
like a pig, as much as you want, bowl after bowl for hours, as
long as that salad doesn't have cheese, croutons or a
fattening dressing. I like my salad with oil and vinegar and a
bit of fruit mixed in with the greens and other veggies. I
usually don't have croutons or cheese in my salad, unless I'm
going more for a chef's salad approach that's heavy on
protein. If you love meat, grill or broil it rather than
frying it. If you love potatoes, bake them or saut? them in a
mono or poly unsaturated vegetable oil, but more importantly,
eat more meat and salad so you'll feel more satisfied and eat
fewer potatoes. If you love sweets, make some gello or low-fat
ricotta desserts using artificial sweeteners for most of your
week, so you can splurge when you encounter an amazing
dessert. If you love sandwiches, first replace white bread
with whole grain, wheat or rye, then go for open faced
sandwiches, then lettus wraps and finally the good stuff in a
sandwich without a wrapping. If you love crunchy, salty
snacks, eat roasted nuts or roasted soybeans, microwave
pepperoni slices or make cheese chips using low-fat string
cheese or mozzarella. Roast up some vegetables in the oven,
particularly kale and other leafy greens that can be gotten
crisp when practically dehydrated.

I could go on in this vein, but you get the idea. You need to
start by identifying why you eat what you eat, what you like
so much about those foods and what feeling they give you.
Then, you adapt your aesthetics to healthier choices while
expanding your preferences by trying new ingredients and
preparations.
Food is fulfilling and fun on many levels. You just have to
figure out to eat the foods that are good for your body while
making them taste good. Too many people spout nutrition
platitudes while forgetting that people are naturally
motivated to eat what tastes good. If too much of your diet
doesn't give you pleasure, you won't stic to it no matter how
healthy it is.

Orlando
 
On Fri, 4 Mar 2011 22:22:26 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote:


Ditto. If you're rushed for time, you can start them in the microwave
and finish them in the oven... but I always have the time to do it
right.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
 
On Fri, 4 Mar 2011 13:08:04 -0500, "jmcquown"
wrote:


I don't agree. If I am not at least a little bit hungry, I won't even
buy everything on my list. I am not a snack food eater, so if impulse
buying means potato chips and candy bars, it ain't gonna happen. My
style of impulse buying is a can of tomatoes with nothing particular
in mind to do with it. I look at food like I look at clothing - mix
and match. The combination that appeals today may not appeal
tomorrow, so I don't paint myself into a corner and buy things that
can be used one way or another with each other.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
 
On 4-Mar-2011, Nad R wrote:


An hour or two with a good, professional nutritionist is the best choice.
The one I used spent time on goal setting, food preferences and whether/when
I liked to snack. She developed meal plans that identified the quantify and
mix of food types (carbs/protein/etc) that met my goals and tastes. The
plan was for 3 meals plus an evening snack totalling 2500 calories, which,
based upon my activity level, would allow me to reach my goals.

The plan requires one to measure, or become very good at eyeballing, to get
quantities right. If you fail to do that, the plan fails. By measuring,
reading labels and knowing the number of grams of carbs/protien/fat, you can
make favorite recipes that still fit the meal plan. It may mean a measured
70 (dry) grams of spaghettin instead of just piling unknown-size servings of
spaghetti on your plate, it may mean 3 meatballs instead of xx. Breakfast
might be two whole wheat pancakes, not 3 or 4 white flour pancakes; a
tablespoon of butter instead of an unknown pat; two ounces of sugar free Log
Cabin syrup instead of 2 "glugs" of regular Log Cabin.

Stop at McDonalds? Order a quarter-pounder vs Big Mac; say no to
super-size, drink unsweetened drinks (iced tea, diet soda). Say no to most
StarBucks drinks, Smoothies and fruit juice drinks over 6-8 ounces; in large
servings, they aren't healthful. Eat a nice restaurant? Order the petite
steak, not the 12-16 ouncer, order a side of vegetables instead of fries or
baked pot with butter and sour cream.

In summary; have a nutritionist help you develop the plan. Learn to measure
to control portions.

Oh, and don't go into, much less eat at, buffets!! 8-)
--
Change Cujo to Juno in email address.
 
In article ,
[email protected] says...

It is, to the inexperienced shopper.
I don't need to write weekly menus any more to help me plan meals and
a balanced diet; but that was how I learned when I started.

The person asking for advice, is at the beginner end of the spectrum ;
he said so above.

Janet







Janet.
 
Melba's Jammin' wrote:
seen you talk

What if impulsive eating is part of his fun? I know it is for
me. If I know what I'm going to eat for the whole week, I have
no surprises to look forward to. I shop more generally,
stocking up on what I enjoy and what's healthy for my body, so
that I can throw together a spontaneous meal without lapsing
into unhealthy foods.

Orlando
 
sf wrote:

Pre-diabetes, That was always on the back of my mind at work. At work I
felt like a trapped rat and could not get out. Now that I am out, it is
another massive learning curve, one that I do not mind. But I so feel a lot
better now than at work ( stress ).

Three years ago I have been tested for diabetes, but I have my doubts about
the results. They gave my glucose to drink and every so often a blood test.
After three hours my head was banging with dizziness. Five hours it went by
and I felt fine. The test results showed a big rise in sugar levels then a
big drop off at the three hour mark by the fifth hour the sugar levels
were normal. doc said I was fine?
Over time I think my pancreas is going to play out. My sugar levels are
always normal with those instant read meter the doctor always uses.

I have noticed wheat is also a factor. When I eat bread products, I do not
feel as well also. I tested negative for allergies or celiac? The only odd
blood result is high triglycerides. I think it the old saying, white sugar,
white flour. That will be a focus with the dietitian.

I love avocados, however I only use it to make guacamole ( high in salt my
way ). I need to expand my horizons.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)
 
Nad R wrote:

How organized do you want to be? Where in what skills are you for a
beginning?

For me I would rather go shopping for an assortment of foods and then
look at in the fridge to decide what to make. I'm not organized enough
to go by set menus but I can cook well enough to look in the fridge and
picture a meal made from the ingredients I see. So the answers need to
be based on your starting point.

I have a standard pattern for lunchs when I don't buy my food. Four
ounces of meat (cold cuts or leftovers), four ounces of cheese, a raw
veggie about the size of my fist, a raw veggie about half the size of my
fist, a small bottle of water. When shopping I know I can buy a pound
of cold cuts, a pound of cheese, a head of cauliflower, a couple of big
cucumbers and that amount will last me four lunches. Build a set of
meal patterns like that and you'll know approximately what and how much
to buy at the grocery.
 
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