Please help me design a doable plan

[Anonymous]

I have about 20 extra pounds on me. The weight feels awful and it’s just made me feel weighty and bla.

I do not have great eating habits. I cannot cannot cook and eat a combo of ok foods and garbage. I like to eat a good volume of food. I struggle with portion control. I am addicted to simple sugars and the white stuff. Whenever I try to eat well, I start out good for a day or two and then right back to the drawing board.

Do you have any ideas? Deprivation seems to make me crazy. Taking sweets away does the same. I work out a lot, so I’m sure that’s why I don’t weigh more. I want to learn the transition piece that can make me successful. I have thought about low carb, but that’s as far as Its got. Help.

[Anonymous]

Make one change at a time. Maybe focus on breakfast first. F
Plan your food and make sure your plan has some limited portions of things you love.

[Anonymous]

I eat a lot of pasta and I love sweets and fast foods I don’t deprive myself of any of it, but I do track my calories and weigh everything and log it in the Fitbit app. This helps me with portion control, seeing it in black and white.

I lost 25 pounds in 2009 doing this (age 29) and now at 37, I’ve maintained my weight within 5 pounds of my lightest weight—and I am a size 4. I do run and work out a lot. I work out or run 6 days a week, running anywhere from 20-35 miles a week. I believe most diets where you cut out entire groups and categories of food are not sustainable long term.

[Anonymous]

Do you have a family? Do you have time in the evenings? Perhaps consider some of those meal boxes to get better at cooking real foods instead of relying on processed foods? Home Chef has some simpler meals. Plated is often tastier, but a bit more exotic. I like them both though. They've definately expanded what my family eats and I've learned some new ways to prepare different things.

[Anonymous]

^^ agree with weighing/measuring foods and tracking calories. Eat around 20% less than your maintenance.

I had success with keto to lose 10-15 pounds, but I would not do it long-term.

[Anonymous]

Also I found Lyle McDonald’s “flexible guide to dieting” helpful. There’s a free pdf of the first version online - google it.

[Anonymous]

I eat the same meal for breakfast every morning because who wants to think about that?

For lunch and dinner, I have a lean protein, a whole grain side, and a green vegetable side.

I have to include some good fat through out the day, or I feel famished. I think low fat diets are not a good idea. I include olive oil, nuts, avocado, full fat mayo, in moderation.

I don't eliminate anything from my diet.

[Anonymous]

If you like to eat large portions, have a lot of healthy food in the house that is easy to eat and doesn't require much prep. Like hard boiled eggs, plain yogurt (easy to make a dip for vegetables or add to a smoothie or mix with fruit), different fruits and vegetables (canned and frozen are ok if that's easier for you and you like them). Try to drink more water and tea to fill you up. I have an air popper for popcorn and that's great for filling you up without too many calories (unless you need a lot of butter on your popcorn).

Look at weight watcher's new freestyle plan. Basically you can eat all the fruit, vegetables, beans, eggs, fat-free milk and plain yogurt, and certain lean meats you want, and you track nutrients for the other stuff and you get points. You don't have to cook for yourself--in fact, it's honestly easier to either make a meal from the points-free stuff and a slice of bread or something, or to buy a frozen meal and just use the nutrition facts on it to figure out the points.