Looking for advice on which food plan is best?

Linda88

Hi guys

I am interested in hearing some feedback on what you consider to be the best eating plan for a healthy lifestyle. I have tried several regimes over the years, the most successful being Slimming World. However I have regained most of the weight I lost on this programme. I find it hard to keep up the momentum for longer than a few months or possibly sabotage myself as I approach a healthier weight. I am desperate to overcome my issues with food (I tend to binge eat and graze on sugar i.e chocolate and other unhealthy snacks throughout the day). I have a dream of being healthy, trim and fit but I don't know where to start. I think my faith in my ability to change has been dented a lot as I have had several successes but have never maintained a healthy lifestyle for a long period of time.

Open to all advice/ideas!

Cheers

Blacktie.

Keep the vast majorty of your food natural. I mean either things that come from the ground or things that were alive. This would be a huge imporvement on peoples diets if they went this way instead of crash dieting like a lot of people do.

So try to keep your diet with meat, veg, fruits, berries, nuts and seeds. Don;t stress it if you have a pizza one day or something just don't make it the norm.

doctorwhogirl

Linda88 wrote: »

Hi guys

I am interested in hearing some feedback on what you consider to be the best eating plan for a healthy lifestyle. I have tried several regimes over the years, the most successful being Slimming World. However I have regained most of the weight I lost on this programme. I find it hard to keep up the momentum for longer than a few months or possibly sabotage myself as I approach a healthier weight. I am desperate to overcome my issues with food (I tend to binge eat and graze on sugar i.e chocolate and other unhealthy snacks throughout the day). I have a dream of being healthy, trim and fit but I don't know where to start. I think my faith in my ability to change has been dented a lot as I have had several successes but have never maintained a healthy lifestyle for a long period of time.

Open to all advice/ideas!

Cheers

It really is about making sustainable changes so it means that you have a balance. You allow for the occassional treats so that you don't go off the rails altogether. I'm maintaining and while I eat well most of the time I do have days where I don't (more and more lately!) but the next day I always get back to normal.

Read the stickies on the thread here which will give you a guide about food in general. Slimming world suits some people but I disagree with their idea of "free" foods because ultimately if you want to lose weight at the heart of losing is a calorie deficit.

Once you're eating at a calorie deficit (not a huge one mind you, just enough to allow 1-2lbs a week loss) then you can change the amounts of different foods you eat, carb, protein and fat, to suit your needs.

Slimming world isn't good on the 'ol portion control so it's important that you get a sense of that. Weighing out portions of foods so you get an idea of what a suitable portion looks like is important.

You say you're not sure where to start. I'd say do the above. Then go into your kitchen and get rid of the sugary food you're liable to snack on. If it's not there, you won't be able to have it! Last night, for example, I was mad for rubbish. Had some when I was out and about as I was in the shop but then when I came home all there was for me to snack on were rice cakes and peppers! I ate LOADS but sure it was rice cakes and peppers!!!!

Snap Happy

The best one is the one that works for you.

Try diary what you currently eat and how your feel.
Other way is to exclude and then re-introduce.

Have a think about below:


Good insulin response-HCLF
(After high carb meal, you feel full with stable energy and no crashes)

Poor insulin response-LCHF (After high carb meal, you feel bloated, gassy, sleepiness and get hungry soon after)

Really interesting good read by Michael Matthews 12 Health and Fitness mistakes, on google play.

Snap Happy

PS if you call them regimes - then they are prob not lifestyles.

augusta24

Everyone has their own way of doing things but personally I found that reducing the bad food gradually was the only way for me... I just couldn't go cold turkey on everything at the start or id have given up. Instead I cut out all major obvious rubbish but allowed myself to keep eating one packet of crisps a day... Then I cut the crisps out completely and allowed myself to snack on tuc crackers when I needed some kind of treat. The next move was to cut out the crackers.

Do what works best for you but I personally recommend gradually reducing bad food and introducing good foods slowly... The weight loss has been slower this way ... But now I'm finally in a position where I'm much healthier and have very little cravings and can actually resist bad foods even though they're in the house at the moment for other people! I've sat and watched my family eat Pringles and chocolate all day today and I've refused every time I've been offered some so I think in the long run the slower progress is healthier.

rachblue

I'd say limit the amount of bad things you snack on. don't cut them out completely, maybe pick one day, maybe Saturday where you can treat yourself to a bar of chocolate or a takeaway or whatever it is and try eat well during the week. Each day, cut up some veg, peppers and carrots or whatever and snack on them. You can dip them into some hummus. Make a salad for lunch with your favourite veg but try change it up each day. Grilled chicken salad with tomatoes one day, the next a goats cheese salad or whatever. Make up fruit salads, make your own soups in bulk. Eat as much fresh (or frozen) fruit and veg as possible, eating more veg than fruit as fruit has a lot of sugar in it. Maybe buy a healthy cookbook for inspiration. Just some ideas (that I should follow myself!) Also, if you're a big tea or coffee drinker, swap some for herbal teas. Peppermint is nice and refreshing.