Weight-Loss New to nutrition

[Bluebear]

I have a lot of questions. I dont really kow where to start. I have so many tabs open on my browser trying to look up everything, but it's kind of overwhelming.

How do I count calories? I've been looking up and researching, but it seems so complicated.

Are fruit smoothies ok? Even if you make them yourself? I love fruit...

To tell the truth, outside of fruits and vegetables, I don't really know what healthy is. I've been trying to use a food chart, and not to 'eat stupid', that is, purposely avoiding things like cookies, candy and cake(my kryptonite), but I'm still always hungry. I don't want to be a vegetarian. Does any one have any recipes they can share? I'm a terrible cook, but I can try.

I reead the nutrition 101 guide at the top, but I am still quite lost.

 

[GoofyNewfie]

I have a lot of questions. I dont really kow where to start. I have so many tabs open on my browser trying to look up everything, but it's kind of overwhelming.

How do I count calories? I've been looking up and researching, but it seems so complicated.

Are fruit smoothies ok? Even if you make them yourself? I love fruit...

To tell the truth, outside of fruits and vegetables, I don't really know what healthy is. I've been trying to use a food chart, and not to 'eat stupid', that is, purposely avoiding things like cookies, candy and cake(my kryptonite), but I'm still always hungry. I don't want to be a vegetarian. Does any one have any recipes they can share? I'm a terrible cook, but I can try.

I reead the nutrition 101 guide at the top, but I am still quite lost.

1/ Calorie counting: you may journey to the dark side if you wish .... All you're doing here is adding up the calories in everything you eat daily. You have a daily number which you don't want to exceed and tracking every calorie will help you to make sure you're not exceeding that.

2/ Smoothies are great. Home-made are good, too. Just remember to watch out for extra stuff being added in that is not nutritionally sound (i.e sugar). Fruits contain natural sugars which are a great source of carbs/energy. I would focus on only having this stuff from morning until late evening. There's no point in having a fruit smoothie 60min-90min before bed... you're stocking up on energy which you're not going to use.

3/ There's a sea of information out there. Start learning so you'll know which foods contain which nutrients and also learn which nutrients and good at what time(s). You need to learn about proteins and fats and their role in healthy living. As I stated above, a late night smoothie isn't a good idea because the nutrients you're receiving will not be effectively used. A better late night snack would be some veggies and lean protein.... chicken+spinach for example

 

[Jericho]

I have a lot of questions. I dont really kow where to start. I have so many tabs open on my browser trying to look up everything, but it's kind of overwhelming.

How do I count calories? I've been looking up and researching, but it seems so complicated.

Are fruit smoothies ok? Even if you make them yourself? I love fruit...

To tell the truth, outside of fruits and vegetables, I don't really know what healthy is. I've been trying to use a food chart, and not to 'eat stupid', that is, purposely avoiding things like cookies, candy and cake(my kryptonite), but I'm still always hungry. I don't want to be a vegetarian. Does any one have any recipes they can share? I'm a terrible cook, but I can try.

I reead the nutrition 101 guide at the top, but I am still quite lost.

It is actually really simple. Part of the problem is people overthink weight loss. It comes down to calories in vs calories out. It comes down to smart food choices and knowledge.

My advice that I give everyone starting here (btw Hello!) is to start a food diary. For one week, record everything you eat. Don't try to be good too hard yet, just be honest. If the food has a label, record caloires. If you know the portion size, record that. Also, record how you are feeling when you eat. Many times, we overeat because of emotions like depression and boredom. This can help you catch it.

After one week, go back over your book. You will likely be surprised just how much you have eaten over the week you don't think about. Now comes the knowledge part. You know what are the foods you can swap about. It's not that difficult. You don't have to give up meat and you don't have to give up the goodies..moderation in all things.

Now, about the smoothies...dump them. Always avoid drinking your calories. You are much better eating the fruit than liquifying it. First, you get the good stuff like fiber and the skin for most fruits. Second is you tend to take in more calories drinking the smoothie because of the serving size.