I am changing my eating habits for life. But, I need some help. Anyone have any meal plan ideas?

Question

OK this is the deal. Please serious answers only! I want to get tone, lose a little weight, and change my bad ways of eating for good. Here is what I AM doing if anyone could steer me in the right direction, offer advice, or tell me I am on the right path I would appreciate it...

Breakfast: 1 Nutra-grain cereal bar Cherry or Strawberry
Snack: No Fat Yogurt sometimes with 2 tablespoons oatmeal added to it
Lunch: Either a 'wrap' or salad (spinach burrito style wrap bread with fresh spinach, 1 cheese slice, turkey ham 2 slices and pepperoni 2 slices (if we have), & tomatoes if we have it and spicy mustard; salad - ice burg lettuce or what is on sale with fresh spinach, tomatoes, 1 slice of meat, banana peppers, 2 table spoons fat free ranch, 1/2 shredded carrot)
Snack: 1 small Apple or 1 carrot (or both)
Dinner: 1 portion meat about 8oz (beef or chicken) 2 small sides of vegetables

Exercise consists of walking, isometrics, sit-ups or a combo if any...should I get a video???

I am an avid coffee drinker!!! 2-4 8oz cups a day 2 packets Equal and 1 ½ and ½ or 1 tablespoon creamer

Am I not drinking enough water? I try to drink 4 full glasses (about 16 oz each) a day…

I try and add plenty of HEALTHY things to my diet...fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy etc. Where am I going wrong? I just GAIN weight I don't LOSE it. Should I get a workout video for home? Winter is coming I will not be able to walk comfortably outside for much longer...Am I eating the wrong foods? Do I need more water? More exercise? Different foods? more food? Less food? Please help!

Any advice, experiences, stories would be appreciated! Thank you

Answer 1

well your definitely getting the nutrients you need by all the different types of foods your eating...fruit, veggies, meat, etc. however you may want to just cut back on the amounts, especially with the meats. i'm not sure what your weight, height, and gender is so my advice may not work for you but here's my suggestions according to what your doing now:

breakfast:
prepackaged meals/snacks are never as healthy as the real thing so instead of a nutri-grain bar packed with sugar, try plain oatmeal with fruit like the strawberries or cherries for breakfast

snack:
the yogurt is good but if you already have oatmeal for breakfast, try adding granola instead.
also, i've found that dannon yogurt smoothies are even healthier than the yogurt in the cups. it's more convenient (just drink, no spoon), a smaller portion, and has less calories, fat, etc. and more vitamins!
note - i always compare nutrition labels and ingredients on almost everything because they have to tell the truth unlike the advertisements

lunch:
even though the wrap sounds delicious, a salad is way better for you so try a plain spinach salad with lots of veggies like the tomatoes, banana peppers, and carrots (all the healthy stuff from your burrito). maybe even add other veggies like garbanzo beans, corn, sprouts, cucumbers, or any others that you may like.

however stay away from the meats, cheeses, and dressing which is loaded with calories and fat. also, i like to replace croutons with this delicious product called "salad toppings." i'm not sure who makes it but it's usually next to the bacon bits at the grocery store. if you have to have meat, cheese, dressing, etc. then pick one bad thing to add to the salad in a very small portion like the 2 tablespoons of fat free ranch dressing (or even better, try balsamic vinegar). but just make sure there's always double if not more of the amount of salad than there is meat, cheese, and/or dressing.

as for the burrito, maybe have it once or twice a week as a treat for eating more healthy salads.

snack:
an apple or carrot is perfect. but any fruit or veggie is always good of course.

dinner:
instead of more meat, try fish and/or tofu with your veggies like salmon over steamed rice, and use olive oil instead of butter.

you can also buy tofu already seasoned, or you can add plain tofu to your vegetables with a light sauce for flavor. my bf makes a delicous tofu and veggie mix with spaghetti sauce. you can even put it over pasta/rice or eat it as a soup.

exercise:
walking is great but maybe try jogging or running if you can. combo exercises will work out more parts of your body than one so that's a better choice. working out with a video is also good but using a machine like a treadmill, bike, stairmaster, or elliptical can help you keep track of your progress and easily increase or decrease the level of your work out. try getting a gym membership or buying some equipment for your home. but overall any exercise is good exercise and only gets better as you increase in speed and intensity so that should improve your results.

lastly, drink LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of water! and start taking a multi-vitamin daily like "centrum" or "one a day" to make sure your always getting the nutrients you need to help your body function throughout your lifestyle change.

and if nothing else works, see your doctor, a dietician, and/or a personal trainer.

good luck!

Answer 2

Skip the bars for breakfast. They tend to have a lot of calories. A dry toasted bagel with jam is a good sustitute, as is cold ceral- or hot cereal made with fat free milk.
Watch out fo dairy - I think it tends to have a high sodium content.
Wraps with NO mayo, and that flat bread is high in calories. Eat the guts and skip the wrap.
You're doinf good with the vgetables and fruits - eat a lot of them!
8 oz of meat is not a small portion. 4 oz is better. Pepperoni is almost pure fat. Eat big sides of vegatables! Not small ones.

GEt a bike and ride it 1 hour a day. When you can average 12 mph you will burn about 650 calories! and you'll get into great shape and have fun too. Don't be afraid of the rain - it's only water - riding will keep you warm.

Answer 3

Congratulations! This is a very mature decision.
The best thing I ever met was Montignac's method, which is somewhat lengthy to explain but thorough, so I would suggest you check out one of his books

http://www.amazon.com/gp/explorer/0973340517/2/ref=pd_lpo_ase/102-8037693-1934533?ie=UTF8

Everything is explained there, but the main motto is 'don't mix carbs and fats'
I eat 'his way' a couple of years now and I feel just great.

About videos: they are good because they have good balance of exercises for various groups of muscles and generally have a plan that you can follow.
However, try not to get bored. Try acquiring a few videos, and have them changed on a monthly basis.

And most of all have fun and enjoy everything you do! A positive attitude promotes your health like nothing else :)

Answer 4

Unless you aren't being totally honest it sounds like you have a nice, healthy eating plan. Bump up the intensity of your workouts for more cardio to really get the heart going (so if you can find a video that will help go ahead and get one - maybe try TaeBo). And Yes - drink more water. A glass with each meal and between each meal at least.

Answer 5

The best advise I can offer is this: The more food you eat in its most natural state, the better it is for you. For example, you mention pepperoni. That is so over-processed. Its also high in fat. Another thing you should keep in mind as far as your salads go is that iceberg lettuce is nutritionally devoid of many of the vitamins and minerals that you find in spinach, romaine, radiccio, and other leafy vegetables. Good luck to you!

Answer 6

Watch out when you are dieting though.

If you look at the ingredients, make sure you do NOT intake a lot of artificial sweeteners. It can make you really sick. My mom died because she was so concerened about her weight she drank nothing but diet pop and used a lot of artificial sweeteners.

Look for sucralose and aspartame in the lables. Equal and Splenda it in them.


Be careful.

Answer 7

I just recently stopped eating all meat except for fish (in moderation). I have had more energy than I ever have. I would recommend cutting back on meat. Expecially red meats. Eat more vegetables and fruits to get vitamins.

Answer 8

It sounds like you are doing everything right. I would get an exercise video. Try Weight Watchers.

Answer 9

Lean Curisn.