|
eating better to lose weight
I'm looking to lose maybe 10 pounds. I know it's better to eat more small meals during the day than a few big ones, so I'm doing my best to accomadate that plan. But I'm not very good with figuring out how to distribute the meals to be a good size so I have enough energy but I'm not over eating, and how to balance out the nutrients.
For breakfast, I love eggs with cheese and like toast or something... I'm not sure if that's a great idea but it's always my favorite. If it's not good, what else is a better initiative?
For lunch it doesn't matter much but my cafeteria's selection isn't very healthy so I pack my lunch - anything that won't spoil in my locker is fine, so suggestions here would be great :)
For the meal before my sports practice, I would want something quick and not needing any preparation. I only have a few minutes to eat it if I was going to have a small meal here, so would a protein bar or something along those lines be good?
Dinner isn't my decision usually, but most nights I eat a spinach salad and something along the lines of a chicken cutlet and a vegetable or pasta.
I'm trying to also drink a lot more water to keep myself hydrated for my practices and I drink milk for the calcium.
I know that was a lot but if anyone can recommend some foods to make this plan work it would be great!
I know exercise is a huge part also but I think I got that down, lol.
Thanks in advance!
[ ]
Want to answer more questions in the Health & Fitness category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Nutrition?
Instead of counting calories and weighing foods and the hassels of all that to eat healthy....
Eat a good cereal with 2% skim milk for breakfast. Bananas or berries are fine to add. Toast is okay--skip butter--it has to be dry toast. When I say cereal, I mean heart healthy creal, no sugars, no crud, Cheerios, Wheaties, Total, Frosted Mini Wheats, etc. Cluster Nuts, etc.
As far as lunches, have you though of raw carrots, brocoli, cauliflower and dip in low-cal Ranch or the like?
Carry peanut butter cheese crackers with you in your lunches and in your back pack or purse.
Nibble on these crackers (different varieties are fine) off and on all day. This is a trick that low-blood sugar people do and even diabetics. It controls the glucose levels througout the day.
Snack should always be fresh veggies as mentioned above and fruits. No sweets, no fats, no trans fats, no salts, etc.
Be sensible and be smart.
Go through your grocery store diet setion aisle and diabetic aisle too. Look at see. Look at Healthy Choice micro wavables and Lean Cruisines too.
Happy and healthy eating.
]
Ok determining the right size of the portions is really up to a bit of trial and error. Alternatively you could use a calorie calculator to get an idea of how much you burn. Using it in the long run is not neccessary and can be a hasle, but maybe at the beginning its an ok idea.
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
I tried punching in your stats and I seem to get around 1800- 2200 calories (depending on how active you are). So, as an example, if we take a 2000 cal diet and create a 500 calorie deficit, then we have 1500, which divided over 4 meals is 375. Obviously meals can vary a bit, and some will be a bit larger or smaller. However, try to figure out what a 375 calorie meal looks like. Then you will be able to better judge portions.
Now, onto the meals. Breakfast is good if you drop the cheese and make the toast whole wheat. Other good breakfast alternatives include things like oats and other high fiber cereals (with no sugar added), fruit of all sorts, cottage cheese, etc.
Im not entirely sure what is conveniant for you to take to school. Just base it around a good protein source, like chicken, tuna, lean meat, cottage cheese etc., and remember to keep the meals balanced. So, lunch could be something like 100- 150 grams of chicken, a slice of whole wheat bread, some veggies, and a few olives.
Alternatively, a lighter variant could be something like 200- 250 grams of cottage cheese, some fruit and a handful of walnuts. The idea behind these meals is the same, a good protein source, a moderate carb source, and a small amount of essential fatty acids.
I have no idea to be honest about the protein bars since I have never used them. In theory they should be ok, as long as they also have some carbs which you will need for the workout (maybe a protein bar and a piece of fruit could do it). Otherwise you could just take something easy to eat with you (e.g. a pita bread or something like that).
Dinner looks good.
Well, thats pretty much it.
GOod luck.
]
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
You might find that good. Some say it's unhealthy, I dunno. Looks to me like you love veggies, so the above site would be of great help!
And you can also try www.sparkpeople.com. They give you a personalized diet plan according to how much you wanna lose and by when. It also gives you TONS of alternatives for food if you don't like what's assigned for you. (requires registration, might frustrate you if you're not that patient ... )
Best of luck!
Kay.
]
More Questions: |