Eating healthier..Help!

[XxXMidnight MelodyXxX]

Hi guys!

So about a year ago I went through a bad break up; it messed up my diet, I ate maybe a whole whopping once a day, if that, I worked long days and well..Needless to say, life got better, I've got a brand new life, a house, a puppy and a loving boyfriend, however, my eating habits still are just so..Ehg.

I eat two or three times a day now; because of my work schedule, it's hard to eat 'small portions' and 'snacks' every three to four hours like I've seen so many online things recommend. I work in a pharmacy, and we get a designated lunch from 1:30 to 2, and really, it's just about the only break I get (Not because they don't give me a break, but because I just choose not to take it because we're just always so damn busy.) And when I do eat lunch at work, it's always something from the food court that's no doubt riddled in unneeded calories and god knows what else.

My love and I used to eat out a lot, at least two or three times a week, but because of money, we don't really eat out at all anymore, which honestly, thank the lord.

So..I guess my real question here is (And, likely one of the most COMMON questions) is..What foods out there are better for you other than your typical vegetables. I love vegetables, don't get me wrong, but I can only eat so many of them before my body is like, nah, go ahead and eat that brownie, it won't hurt.

Also, I wouldn't mind losing a couple of pounds; I've gained 10 since I last went to the doctor to get weighed; I used to weigh 122, but now I'm up to 132, and if I could get down to 125 I'd be pretty darn happy. I know I'm no where near overweight, but it's more of just..A personal thing than anything.

I've also been a little lazy walking the dog 'cause he's got a nice big back yard to frolic in now and >>;;

[IIBREAIID]

you have to eat your greens, but other than that, consume the food pyramid besides except the oils and sugars. you dont need those and you can get enough of those from the right type of food like fish and carbs.

anyway, what food other than veg? well get proteins from the right animal. getting it from fish is really a good idea. but you can have a few of beef and pork at times. make it 60:20:20 ratio.
dont get me wrong here, vegetables is a must in a diet.

and choose the right amount of carbs. my advice? the less process it went through, the more healthier it is. Instead of rice, eat brown rice. love potatoes? eat sweet potatoes instead.

cooking methods are also involved. avoid fried foods, and instead eat simmered, boiled steamed or baked. the lesser the oil used the better.

wanna lose pounds? there is no better way to say this, but ill say as lame and as simple as it is. Diet and Exercise is like a happily married couple. they can't live or work without the other one.
Eat less, work out more. even during a busy day, walking around for 5 mins every hour helps out a lot in the long run.

you cant avoid not snacking? eat a piece of fruit every 3 hours. i suggest grapes, apples and bananas. and sometimes, your not really hungry, it just might mean your just thirsty. anyway, goodluck!

[Morbid Bubblegum]

I used to eat at the food court all the time too and then I switched to making my own meals. If you've got a tight budget, you can always look up your local farmers' markets as they'll typically have cheaper produce that's more organic and less pesticide-ridden and you can catch them on end of harvest sales.

Try to stay away from unecessary carbs, sugars, starches like potatos, rice unless it's brown rice or organic wild rice, and deffo try to stay away from gluten (there's delicious gluten free whole grain breads you can get though,) and pasta (same thing there's quinoa pasta you can get that's healthier). Substitute regular cheese for goat cheese or dairy free cheeses. There are some really delicious types out there that are healthier for you and control your portions with those. Go for plain organic greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt and instead of milk, try something like almond milk, which has less calories and hormones that your body doesn't need.

You can also look up vegan recipes on making your fruits and veggies more exciting and tastier to eat (don't have to be Vegan either but they do have some pretty helpful recipes). I incorporate them in things like bison lasagna, healthy stews, chickpea chutneys, curries or I'll even for dinnertime wrap them up in tinfoil with spices and balsamic/coconut oil and roast them. You could even make fruit smoothies that taste fantastic or incorporate berries in your cereal (I eat gluten free cereals like panda puffs, leaping lemurs and holy crap) or in your yogurt.

Instead of using sugar, I use sugar replacements from the health food store or organic honey/agave nectar.

Try to avoid a lot of juices and carbonated drinks and make sure you're at least drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day and at intervals throughout the day. I usually go to work or lug with me when I work horses a reusable bottle filled with ice water because my body has to work to bring down the temperature.

As for meats, eat lean proteins. Limit your red meat, look for healthier alternatives like elk or bison which has less preservatives and also less fat and is very good for you. Eat white meat chicken, turkey, look at alternatives like tuna, chickpeas, hummus is delicious (plus really good if you don't like plain veggies... you can find organic hummus that has healthy carbs), tofu's fun to cook especially if you fry it with a homemade lemongrass sauce etc.

Hemp hearts are also your best friend when you're trying to keep tabs on your cravings. It helps give you the illusion you're full. I'll usually shove those in salads, yogurt, cereal.

Don't eat past 8 PM if you can help it and try to better figure out your daytime of when to eat. At least three meals a day are preferable. Talk to a nutritionist too if you have coverage for it so you can find out what amount of calories you can safely ingest on a daily basis to help kickstart a little bit of weight loss.

[JollyTraveler]

Hiya i know what you mean i am terrible with food i will try and go for easy option thus i have eaten alot of rubbish so for dinner i have a wonderful device for the lazy cook i have a slow cooker throw everything in one pot leave for most of day come back later so after a long day dinner is sorted not much hassle.You can even make a whole chicken in them.For lunches i suggest you pack lunches for work to avoid the junk you can even pack hot lunch with a soup thermos available from place like amazon you dont have to put soup you can put just about any meal.

my fav slow cooked meal

i served this with rice

http://www.kidspot.com.au/best-recipes/Slow-cooker+32/Slow-cooker-vegetarian-dahl-recipe+2672.htm

i use this site called yummly makes finding recipes for healthy meals easier hope this gives you some ideas =)

[caro_san]

I'd say start making lunch to bring with you to work.

Make : sandwiches, wraps, leftovers from dinner

On the side: chips, veges, fruit, salad

Maybe instead of buying all your lunch there only buy the brownie.

Also I'd say give up soda, Gatorade which are liquid calories.

[Your_NewLunarDoll]

Focus on protein and fiber: the two things that will make you feel full and satisfied. Carbs are ok as long as they provide a good ratio of those two things. For example: great stomach filler with good ratio of carbs (energy) protein (energy) and fiber (you know)? oatmeal. Eat it for lunch with a tbsp of peanut butter (protein!) and a handful of raisins, maybe just a squirt of two of honey in there? Good to go until dinner. Snack to go with it? Greek yogurt -- but make sure the ingredients don't include sugar in the first three.