Diet Discovery

I am currently trying to lose weight and I was wondering what foods can and will help me with weight loss. I I am trying to lose weight I gained from an injury I am still suffering from. So please ensure that this food is not to heavy. The only exercise I can do know is some yoga and walking! Thanks!

A good healthy diet high in fiber, lean meats, eggs, complex carbohydrates, whole grains, antioxidant foods, healthy beverages and low in added sugar and salt help people lose weight, gain weight, lower cholesterol, increase energy, improve brain function, lower blood pressure, reduce cancer risk and have a more positive lifestyle!
You need to eat a lot more food and a lot more fiber!
Diets that exclude foods from any food group are fad diets and do not lead to permanent weight loss or solve any other health issues.
First, try to kick your fiber intake to 40 grams of both soluble and insoluble fiber.
Whatever you do, get your fiber from your food, not from a jar.
Fruits and vegetables have good fiber in them.
Try a breakfast cereal with at least 20% of recommended daily allowance of fiber in it. They are usually low in sugar so there is a double benefit. Blueberries or raspberries on top add more fiber and antioxidants. But fresh or frozen, not the kind in syrup.
Raw nuts are a great source of fiber, healthy fats, and antioxidants. Avocados are the best.
Lots of beans, peas, and grains are high fiber. Whole grain breads. Fiber kicks up the metabolism so you actually burn more calories. These foods will give you more gas in the beginning but if eaten daily, the bacteria in the digestive tract will elevate lowering the gas output.
This will get you on the path for a healthy daily bowel movement. This helps clean the system and aids healthy digestion.
I know it goes against everything you’ve heard but eating lots of the right foods will actually help you lose weight!
Next, take a basic daily multivitamin. Don’t look at your multivitamin as nutrition but more as an insurance policy. Think of it as filling in the gaps in your daily diet as opposed to a primary source of nutrients. If you are a woman, you may want a plus iron formula.
Last, you HAVE to drink lots of water to be healthy. But you can disguise it. Fill your glass all the way full with ice before pouring low sugar beverages. Try iced green tea with a splash of orange juice in it for sweet. More antioxidants. Add lemon juice to water for flavor. Slice up a cucumber and float it in pitcher of water. Gives it salty fresh taste. But you must drink up to 100 oz of water daily to help your body get rid of waste and the toxins it contains.
You must combine a healthy diet with exercise to multiply the benefit. Whether an hour a day in the weight room or just a 30 minute brisk walk every day, the added benefit of a regular exercise program really do increase and accelerate healthy weight loss. Add exercise as your injury allows.
You will get motivated when the changes start happening, I promise.
Good luck.

I’m very interested in the macrobiotic diet. I have a lot of questions one in particular being does it always include fish? I’m vegan, so that’s why I’m asking. Are there any books/websites about vegan macrobiotic diets?

A close friend and biochemist recommended this diet to me and he surprised me with his emphasis on local vegetables his stringent avoidance of highly processed or refined foods and he avoided just about all animal products except fish. He worked at a food science laboratory and he wouldn’t eat any processed foods that he helped develop!

More recent research I’ve found suggests that people consume ground flax seed instead of fish for the Omega-3 essential fatty acid requirement. The problem with fish is the mercury and other heavy metal contamination. Other contaminants can be even more dangerous in fish because fish concentrate environmental pollution. Fish also contain the undesirable fats that cause cardiovascular problems.

The latest research supports the idea of eating mostly fresh whole plant based foods and minimizing animal based foods. In fact, there is absolutely no need to eat any animal based products if you eat a well balanced vegetarian diet. A key is to eat a wide variety of leafy greens, legumes, whole grains, and fruits. You may need to supplement B12 (if your intestinal bacteria don’t help you) and D (if you don’t get enough sunlight on your skin).

The best cook books I’ve found are by the following authors:

Rip Esselstyn (son of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr.)
Dr. Dean Ornish
Dr. Neal Barnard

There are many other cook books that claim that they are "whole plant based" which is what you are looking for. You should cook food and eat raw foods. For example, some nutrients are best released when beans are cooked, and others are released when the beans are sprouted. It’s best to eat some raw and some cooked foods.

The "vegan" cook books often contain too much sugar, salt, vegetable oils, and processed ingredients. Some can be too complicated for me, a sub-average cook.

I am in my early twenties and I am looking for a little bit of help in weight loss. I am looking for a good supplement to buy. I do not want something that just curbs my appetite, I would like a little help with that but also something that can help speed up my metabolism. Any ideas? Something that has personally worked for you or someone you know.

If you’ve got a basic multivitamin in your medicine cabinet you already have the only weight loss supplement you need. Be advised that no "dietary supplement" including multivitamins are approved or proven to the FDA. That is why they must be labeled as supplements and not proven drugs.
80% of weight loss is diet.
You can eat a healthy diet and lose weight.
You can eat a healthy diet and exercise and lose more weight.
You can exercise and eat a poor diet and not lose and even gain weight.
A good healthy diet high in fiber, lean meats, eggs, complex carbohydrates, whole grains, antioxidant foods, healthy beverages and low in added sugar and salt help people lose weight, lower cholesterol, increase energy, improve brain function, lower blood pressure, reduce cancer risk and have a more positive lifestyle!
You need to eat a lot more food and a lot more fiber!
Diets that exclude foods from any food group are fad diets and do not lead to permanent weight loss or solve any other health issues.
First, try to kick your fiber intake to 40 grams of both soluble and insoluble fiber.
Whatever you do, get your fiber from your food, not from a jar.
Fruits and vegetables have good fiber in them. A high fiber diet increases the metabolism.
Try a breakfast cereal with at least 20% of recommended daily allowance of fiber in it. They are usually low in sugar so there is a double benefit. Blueberries or raspberries on top add more fiber and antioxidants. But fresh or frozen, not the kind in syrup. Oatmeal with berries or a bit of fresh honey is also good.
Raw nuts are a great source of fiber, healthy fats, and antioxidants. Avocados are the best.
Lots of beans, peas, and grains are high fiber. Whole grain breads. Fiber kicks up the metabolism so you actually burn more calories. These foods will give you more gas in the beginning but if eaten daily, the bacteria in the digestive tract will elevate lowering the gas output.
This will get you on the path for a healthy daily bowel movement. This helps clean the system and aids healthy digestion.
I know it goes against everything you’ve heard but eating lots of the right foods will actually help you lose weight!
Next, take an age appropriate basic daily multivitamin. Don’t look at your multivitamin as nutrition but more as an insurance policy. Think of it as filling in the gaps in your daily diet as opposed to a primary source of nutrients.
You have to drink lots of water to be healthy. But you can disguise it. Fill your glass all the way full with ice before pouring low sugar beverages. Try iced green tea with a splash of orange juice in it for sweet. More antioxidants. Add lemon juice to water for flavor. Slice up a cucumber and float it in pitcher of water. Gives it salty fresh taste. But you must drink up to 100 oz of water daily to help your body get rid of waste and the natural toxins.
Last, you need to get 7-9 hours of quality sleep depending on your age. All recent sleep studies report a connection between poor sleep patterns and weight gain. This includes going to bed as close to the same time every night including weekends. Most of us stay up late Friday and Saturday night and it throws us off.
You must combine a healthy diet with exercise to multiply the benefit. Whether an hour a day in the weight room or just a 30 minute brisk walk every day, the added benefit of a regular exercise program really do increase and accelerate healthy weight loss.

I lost 30 pounds in 5 months by spending my money at the grocery and gym and have kept it off for over two years. Less than 3% of people that attempt weight loss lose it and keep it off for two years. It is not easy. It is a lifestyle change. You need to change your perception of food and dieting from "denial" to "what is right to eat".
Good luck and good health.

I started a diet yesterday but the only thing I wanted was girl scout cookies. I ate the entire box. It seems like i eat worse on diets than off.

don’t think about the diet while you’re doing it. just tell yourself you’ll have a cookie later, and later.. trick the mind into thinking you’re going to treat yourself with a cookie later on. this trick works wonders.
you should also get rid of all junk, boxed, and processed foods from your house. plenty of water, natural fruits, veggies, meats, and whole grains shouild rule your kitchen.

Any exercise routines? Any pills? Any drinks? Any diets? Recipes? Things that work for overweight females.

Errrr. I went from 160 to 120. First step was incorporating exercise into my routine. Just exercise alone I dropped from 160 to 140, without changing diet. I actually recommend this because it gets you into the habit of exercising. Exercise = LIFT HEAVY. A few days of cardio and a few days of weight training. You won’t bulk up (went from size 14 to size 10). Moves included rows, pushups, bicycle crunches, supermans, deadlifts, squats, lunges. 3 sets of 8-12. I LOVE STEP. Low impact, can be low or high intensity. I took classes at my college gym (loved it so much I became an instructor), but you can get routines from youtube for free.

To lose the last 20 lbs (down to a size 6), eat clean. Lots of veggies, saved junk food for once a week treats, only whole grains, snack on fruit and nuts and seeds. Watched portion sizes. I couldn’t do the eat multiple times a day thing, it was easier to eat three squares. No soda (I used to not care, but now I HATE soda, only drink it when I get the vapors…yea, I get the vapors once in a while, like twice a year…I love that I get such an old, funny ailment). If I want to change up the drinking water thing, drink tea of very diluted juice. Only eat junk food you make at home (so…I learned how to bake. If you need recipes, check out food.com and read the reviews. When making donut holes, fry on LOW temp, not on french fry temp). Splurge once a week.

I’m not saying that I didn’t eat cleanly when I was exercising, but I started to pay attention to portion sizes. I pretty much ate good food, but A LOT of it. If you’re hungry, drink tea. I tend to eat only when I’m hungry now, so sometimes I’ll eat 4 times a day, other times once a day…LISTEN to your body.

The meal plan of eating dinner at breakfast lunch as lunch and eating breakfast at dinner time, does this really help to burn fat and help lose weight? I have school so i dont eat for about 5 hours from breakfast to lunch so will this diet help me stay full and help me lose weight!??

10 points best answer!
and i will report spam or rude comments.

Meal plan to stay full & lose weight is: your breakfast should be the heaviest meal of the day and your dinner, the lightest. So, the answer to your question depends on what you usually have for breakfast & dinner.

If you usually have light breakfast & heavy dinner, then, yes, replacing your breakfast with dinner & dinner with breakfast will help you to stay full and lose weight. But, if you are already having heavy breakfast and light dinner, then, you’ll have to change the type of food you eat. Whatever you eat, make sure its healthy (like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, lean meat, eggs).

I’ve been eating clean (for the most part) a few weeks now and I’ve noticed change, but only in my upper body, mostly. My thighs and calves have pretty much stayed the same. I was wondering if I’m supposed to work off the fat on my lower body, or should I just trust in the process and continue eating healthy?

Eventually, I’ll start working out, but I’d really like to know how far healthy eating will take me.

Most of the way.
80% of weight loss is diet.
You can eat a healthy diet and lose weight.
You can eat a healthy diet and exercise and lose more weight.
You can exercise and eat a poor diet and not lose and even gain weight.
A good healthy diet high in fiber, lean meats, eggs, complex carbohydrates, whole grains, antioxidant foods, healthy beverages and low in added sugar and salt help people lose weight, lower cholesterol, increase energy, improve brain function, lower blood pressure, reduce cancer risk and have a more positive lifestyle!
You need to eat a lot more food and a lot more fiber!
Diets that exclude foods from any food group are fad diets and do not lead to permanent weight loss or solve any other health issues.
First, try to kick your fiber intake to 40 grams of both soluble and insoluble fiber.
Whatever you do, get your fiber from your food, not from a jar.
Fruits and vegetables have good fiber in them. A high fiber diet increases the metabolism.
Try a breakfast cereal with at least 20% of recommended daily allowance of fiber in it. They are usually low in sugar so there is a double benefit. Blueberries or raspberries on top add more fiber and antioxidants. But fresh or frozen, not the kind in syrup. Oatmeal with berries or a bit of fresh honey is also good.
Raw nuts are a great source of fiber, healthy fats, and antioxidants. Avocados are the best.
Lots of beans, peas, and grains are high fiber. Whole grain breads. Fiber kicks up the metabolism so you actually burn more calories. These foods will give you more gas in the beginning but if eaten daily, the bacteria in the digestive tract will elevate lowering the gas output.
This will get you on the path for a healthy daily bowel movement. This helps clean the system and aids healthy digestion.
I know it goes against everything you’ve heard but eating lots of the right foods will actually help you lose weight!
Next, take an age appropriate basic daily multivitamin. Don’t look at your multivitamin as nutrition but more as an insurance policy. Think of it as filling in the gaps in your daily diet as opposed to a primary source of nutrients.
You have to drink lots of water to be healthy. But you can disguise it. Fill your glass all the way full with ice before pouring low sugar beverages. Try iced green tea with a splash of orange juice in it for sweet. More antioxidants. Add lemon juice to water for flavor. Slice up a cucumber and float it in pitcher of water. Gives it salty fresh taste. But you must drink up to 100 oz of water daily to help your body get rid of waste and the natural toxins.
Last, you need to get 7-9 hours of quality sleep depending on your age. All recent sleep studies report a connection between poor sleep patterns and weight gain. This includes going to bed as close to the same time every night including weekends. Most of us stay up late Friday and Saturday night and it throws us off.
You must combine a healthy diet with exercise to multiply the benefit. Whether an hour a day in the weight room or just a 30 minute brisk walk every day, the added benefit of a regular exercise program really do increase and accelerate healthy weight loss.

I lost 30 pounds in 5 months by spending my money at the grocery and gym and have kept it off for over two years. Less than 3% of people that attempt weight loss lose it and keep it off for two years. It is not easy. It is a lifestyle change.
You are on the right path. Congrats on the success so far.
Good luck and good health.

I’m trying to start a little diet. I know that is is part physical and part diet, I have the physical part under control, but the dieting part will be the challenge because I find myself eating often and unhealthy. Im looking for tips to tame this bad habit, Ideas of exercise that tones the body, and foods I should avoid and why. Thanks!

Okay, well congratulations on wanting to take better care of your body. You’ve taken the first step.

Eating better is really pretty simple. Here are foods you want to try to eat more of:

Lean meats (baked or grilled turkey and chicken or fish, if you are not vegetarian) — fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains. There are a lot of healthier frozen dinners now that taste really good (I prefer the Healthy Choice Steamers). When eating carbs try to avoid anything made with white flour. For snacks, nuts or peanut butter is good as it contains healthy fat, but both are high in calories so keep that in mind.

The idea is that you want to never get too hungry, so eat healthy snacks in between meals to control hunger. When you get hungry you crave fatty foods that are not good for you and are full of calories.

Avoid things like pizza, donuts, highly processed carbs, and things with lots of sugar but no nutritional value. For example, stop drinking soft drinks if you currently do. They are full of sugar but nothing else. Drink water instead.

Here’s the most important thing to remember: it’s not a "diet". It’s a lifestyle change. You have to eat in a way that you can maintain. If you limit yourself too much, you will never stick to it, and gain all the weight back. Just use common sense and try to limit your portion size and eat generally healthy. Also, allow yourself to eat your favorite foods on occasion. If you love pizza, you can still have it, once a month or so is not going to hurt in the big picture. this will give yourself things to look forward to.

I would like some suggestions which others have used and find the diet recipes great and healthy…. I have tried to look up on google but there are thousands to search through and I would like some first hand recipes which real people have tried and think works… any ideas???

I am also planning to go swimming and do a whole bunch of physical activities aka bike riding and occasionally going to gym.

The only way to lose weight, get fit and stay healthy is the slow way – healthy diet and regular exercise. If you rush, you fail, and you have only yourself to blame. Think long-term: don’t you want to get fit and stay that way for the rest of your life?

No dieting: dieting ends, healthy diet is a lifetime of good habits. A basic healthy diet: lean meats and legumes, dark veggies, whole grains, lots of water, reduce processed carbs (soda pop is Satan!) and increase fiber. Snack on fruits and veggies instead of salt and sweets. You don’t have to count every calorie, but you should be aware of your overall intake.

It’s unrealistic to say you will never treat yourself to deliciously evil food ever again. The first time you fail becomes the excuse to quit completely. Allow yourself a moderate splurge once every two or three weeks. It’s easier to be good if you know there’s a treat in your future. Avoid temptation – don’t buy it until you eat it, and never get extra.

Exercise: start easy and work your way up. Make the time 3-4 days a week – an hour walk (your dog will love you!), a stroll on the treadmill, swim, dance, whatever. NO EXCUSES – it has to become a habit. Add exercise to your day in small ways: take the stairs instead of the elevator, do isometrics at your desk, ride your bike to school instead of the bus. After a few months start challenging yourself – add leg weights, join a gym, take jazzercise, something. Keep working up from there.

Sadly, exercise doesn’t burn enough calories to lose much weight – a two-mile fast walk equals about half of a Big Mac. But exercise is irreplaceable for a healthy heart, stamina and flexibility. That means a longer and more active lifespan.

Each body has different needs – develop healthy habits tailored to your body and mind. Educate yourself – anatomy and physiology is the owner’s manual for your body. There are thousands of websites with nutrition and exercise information. You can tell the good ones – they aren’t selling quick diet fixes or the patented Abdominatorizerinator.

Don’t quit just because you fall off the wagon one or twelve times – everyone has weak moments. That’s no excuse! It took years to develop bad habits; it will take time to change them.

Your biggest obstacles are laziness and unrealistic expectations. Your best tools are perseverance and education.

Good Luck!

Some links to get you started
Nutrition http://www.mypyramid.gov
Exercise, nutrition, and a lot more http://www.webmd.com/

I want to lose about ten-twenty pounds and in order to do that, I want to eat extremely well, eliminating foods from my diet. However, I’m sort of an idiot when it comes to healthy eating.
What foods can I eliminate from my diet to make me live better? Should I cut bread/ butter/ grain? I don’t know. I want to do a radical but temporary diet in the beginning.
I’m also a vegetarian.

Losing 10 lbs a month is a good and safe target. Any faster weight loss is likely to be temporary only and in most cases you regain it all.

Running, jogging, cycling, swimming, dancing, push ups, sit ups, squats, brisk walking and power walking all help for weight loss but dieting helps more.

One of the healthiest weight loss diets is the DASH diet.

The healthy DASH diet can help you lose weight safely and effectively, lower your cholesterol and lower your blood pressure.

It is based on an eating plan rich in fruits and vegetables, and low-fat or non-fat dairy, with whole grains. It is a high fiber, low to moderate fat diet, and is rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

You can see further details in a web search for "dash diet" + "lose weight".