What's helped you eat healthier?

[Cookie]

A couple of great websites I've found for recipes are manjulaskitchen.com (vegetarian Indian food) and glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com. Not all of the later is about gluten free although every recipe is. There's some indulgent stuff there, but there are also a ton of recipes.

I use an iPhone app (and I think they have an Andriod app as well) called "Lose It!" I use it to record everything I eat (that alone is motivation to not eat so much) and it will tell you the number of calories you've consumed. Other nutrients as well, but it's mostly geared around calories. You enter your weight, height, and weight loss goals - total weight loss as well as how fast you want to lose it. It will give you a net calorie budget for the day. As you enter your food, it deducts from that budget. As you exercise and enter that, it gives you more leeway. It's motivating to exercise because you end up seeing you can have a better dinner if you do.

[cashierbex]

I have myself been bettering my diet. I went from drinking soda and eating candy everyday to only having a little ice cream after dinner.

Portion control is important. My trainer at the gym is also a nutrition specialist. Drink lots of water, esp exercising. I don't exactly follow the size, but a serving of a food item is the size of your palm. Mine is small and I still need to eat a bit more than that for energy. I combine carbs, protein, and veggies. Remember, fruits are carbs. Also, I eat a snack in between meals every so often. I drink tea, too. Low on caffiene, and can help with your metabolism and cleanse your body. Green tea is the best for this, but I prefer my black tea.

Not everyone is the same, but this is what I follow and I feel less bloated and have more energy.

[bhskittykatt]

I love http://www.sparkpeople.com to help me track food and workouts. It is completely free, and if you sign up, tell them bhskittykatt sent you. </shameless promotion>

I was having lots of lower-back pain, which I suspected was tied to my weight. I realized at 21, I was too young to be crippled by back pain, and something had to change.

2 things I've learned really help with diet:

First, track your food. It's a pain (though the site I linked to has a good tracker), but it's worth it. You can see just how many calories you're consuming, which is probably more than you think you are. And if you use a good tracking site (), then you can also track your macro- and micro-nutrients to make sure those are in the right proportions.

Second, cook your food. My best weeks come when I'm cooking myself. Even if I pick the healthiest option on the menu when I dine out, it's not nearly as healthy as what I can prepare myself. I took a month-long healthy cooking challenge on the site I linked to, and it helped me learn a lot, since I'm far from being a chef. (bhskittykatt doesn't normally cook food; she cooks tragedies.) The more you can cook yourself, the better. I love slow-cookers, and things I can make in bulk on my days off and freeze for when I need them quickly later.

A good exercise regime is also important. Hell, just getting out and walking 30 minutes a day or so is good. Even just around the block...whatever he can do, start there and build on it.

[Barracuda]

Remember that veggies are carbs, too, specifically rice, corn, peas, beans (most legumes, actually,) and potatoes. Limit your intake of these veggies. Don't serve them with other carbohydrates; don't have corn chips and salsa and refried beans, that's a double whammy right there. Higher fiber fruits are better for you than low fiber ones, all have carbs. Bananas are the worst fruit in terms of carbs (although they are a great natural source of potassium, so don't cut them entirely.) Personally, when cooking with veggies if I'm trying to avoid carbs, I like to use members of the onion family (green onions, leeks, shallots, red, white and yellow onions,) and garlic. Great tasting combo and not at all bad sauteed with a little real butter or better yet, extra virgin olive oil. Add meat and limited noodles and hey, that's a meal with a little Asian flavoring. Remember for noodles, buckwheat is healthier than regular flour noodles.

[blas]

I remember that carbs are necessary for anyone who actively works out, and they are not teh evil.

Also, I have and always will have a moderation/portion problem. What's really helped me is taking a "break" while eating.

For instance, when I eat before work, I usually eat half to most of what I've made, step outside for a smoke or whatever for a few, come back, and finish. That little break actually makes me feel less full and awful. If I'm out to eat, just stop inhaling and shoveling food and try to chat or look at other people or pictures on the wall and distract yourself for a moment. Your stomach can sense when it's full when you take your time.

That can be hard if you're on a very limited time, like I can be, so at home, I just step outside for a few and call it that.

[Rapscallion]

The general advice is that your stomach won't tell you it's full until twenty minutes after it is. Stopping halfway through and coming back allows your guts to say 'had enough, thanks!'

I love what you say about carbs - the new enemy, if you listen to half-assed diet advice. RK knows her stuff about the Atkins style of dieting, but on a standard diet you're better off taking everything in moderation barring the bad stuff.

Rapscallion

[Rhion]

One thing I found was overlooked was the power of spices. It's the easiest way to add flavour to lean meats and vegetables without blowing out calories. You'd be surprised how bad some sauces and salad dressings are for you, so spices are a really versatile and healthy alternative. I finally convinced a body-builder friend of mine to use spice rubs with his boring chicken meals and he hasn't looked back.

I'll also echo the sentiments of others on carbs... they aren't bad if you're using them, as they are pretty much necessary if you want to do any kind of serious exercise. Just avoid having carbs for dinner, as you won't use them sleeping.

Also, low fat foods are usually packed with sugar, so be wary. Try and avoid processed foods if you can, as they can blow out calorie budgets if you're following that kind of diet.

[Food Lady]

I consider potatoes and corn starches, not vegetables. So if I'm having potato soup, I'm not going to have bread also. It's one or the other. But I think like a diabetic, as my mom is one and has taught me some things. I agree with the recent idea that produce should fill half your plate (double that for salad), but have trouble implementing it. It can be expensive. But I do try.

[Andara Bledin]

Just avoid having carbs for dinner, as you won't use them sleeping.

Considering that it takes much longer to digest carbs than other foods, it actually seems to make more sense to have carbs close to when you sleep and eat other things while you're active. That way, you're using the energy they're providing closer to the time they're providing it.

I, personally, try to limit how much processed foods I eat. Colors, additives, etc aren't food and as such, I try to limit how much gets into my system.

As regards low fat and low sugar, if I'm craving a food, eating something that has the part that I'm craving removed is just going to leave me full of calories and still craving food. My solution is to have a little bit of whatever it is my body says it wants, and that usually takes care of it.

^-.-^

[firecat88]

In my own attempts at losing (and keeping off) weight, I've learned a few things.

1) When you're trying to eat healthier, you want it to not be torture. Which I guarantee it will be if you restrict yourself *too* much and have nothing but dry toast and celery sticks the rest of your life. Not a fan of plain ol' iceberg lettuce? Use spinach or arugula in your salad instead. Don't like apples? Have a pear instead. Love strawberries and blueberries? Awesome. Those are both great for you. Basically, find healthy food that you actually enjoy eating.

2) If you must have chips or crackers or something otherwise crunchy like that (trust me, I get cravings for 'em too. XD), check to see which one has the highest fiber and lowest fat, calories, and carbs.

3) Again, if you must have chips, try to find some that are specifically baked instead of fried.

4) My mom taught me that something as simple as a couple slices of ham or turkey wrapped around a couple pieces of cheese can be pretty filling and satisfying until dinner.

5) If you're hungry, eat. If you're not hungry, don't eat. If that sounds stupidly simple, that's because it is. However, if there's one thing I've learned from studying IT and stuff, it's that the most facepalmingly, 'duh'-inducingly simple things are the easiest ones to overlook.

6) Like Raps said, don't cut things out entirely. Cake, pizza, and sodas are fine as long as you're not having them several times a week/month. A couple years ago, we had a family tradition of pancakes for breakfast every other Sunday. Now it's pancakes for breakfast once a month if not less.

7) Speaking of pancakes, cake, and food in general- Whenever possible, make it from scratch. The stuff that comes from the box is loaded with preservatives, copious amounts of sugar and fat, and other bad-for-you crap.

When it comes to exercise, too, I have two suggestions:

1) As with healthy food, it has to be something you enjoy. If you like dancing, crank up the tunes and dance around the house for half an hour. If you like going on walks, go for a walk around the block or along a river trail a couple times a week. If you prefer biking, do that instead. If you're into football or basketball or something along those lines, get a bunch of your friends together for a game on the weekend. Anything that gets you moving and sweating helps.

2) Music. I've discovered that, unless I have the right music to keep me going, I'm ready to quit after 15 minutes. (S)Norah Jones and Jack Johnson don't do it for me. Give me some Enter the Haggis, Refreshments, or Proyecto Uno, though, and you'll have me saying 'I think I can do one more lap before the hour is up' or 'Five more reps? No problem.'

[Maria]

Wow, I leave y'all alone for one day to get my homework caught up and there's like, a million great ideas here! This is really awesome, just to have such a variety of perspectives. I'm eager to show The Husband after work; I saw several things that looked right up his alley, and a couple that will help me, too. I've discovered that it's really tough to be in a school program that sucks up all of my cooking time, and yet demands that I not gain more than a few pounds because of the low weight limits on the school's training planes.

I love the idea of getting smaller plates. We had a foster child a few years ago who broke all but one of my luncheon plates, and this sounds like just the excuse I've been looking for, to purchase replacement pieces. And I'm definitely looking for sweat-wicking clothes, and if anybody knows where to find such things in the 3X to 4X size range, at any price, let me know. I can't believe I didn't think of that, but I bet he'd really appreciate it. Actually, I appreciate the suggestion, too... I'm going to try that on my next flying day, instead of being all blech, and stuff.

Thanks again, everyone. Can't wait to see what ideas he decides to try!

[Kittish]

I know portion control has already been mentioned, but don't know that my trick for it was. I grocery shop once a month. For meats especially, I cut them into proper portion sizes (rule of thumb is one serving is about the size of a deck of playing cards) and wrap those up in sets of two servings since I cook for 2 people. This means that I don't have to worry about having leftovers or either of us going back for seconds, because I cooked just one serving each.

I do a lot of stir fry type meals, slicing or cubing whatever meat I've got out and using LOTS of fresh veggies with it. I go pretty light on sauces, generally a base of a quarter cup of teriyaki with a tablespoon or two of Thai sweet chili or tahini, then add fresh ground pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, curry or other seasonings depending on what sort of mood I'm in that night, along with a quarter to half a cup of water so there's enough sauce to coat everything. I usually serve it with brown rice, but fairly often with whole grain barley (cooks just like rice, but takes a bit longer). If you guys like other grains, try it with rolled oats (cook them so they're just a touch on the dry side), rolled wheat, quinoa, amaranth, lentils (I know, lentils aren't a grain. They're still good with stir fry.), or even on a bed of fresh spinach.

For the most part, we don't eat much bread anymore, and what bread we do eat is homemade and is usually made with at least half whole wheat flour.

If you must have sweet snacks, don't buy premade stuff. Learn to make your own. Once or twice a month, have a day of making cookies (make them so they're 2 to 3 bites big). Make a couple of different kinds. Keep one or two dozen in the cookie jar, and the rest in the freezer. When you get a craving for something sweet, have a cookie.

I've found that I can pretty much always cut the amount of sugar called for in a cookie recipe in half without being able to taste a difference. You can also use half white flour/half whole wheat flour in most cookies. Use a combination of real butter and olive oil if you don't want to use all butter to make them. Please, for the love of all that's holy, however, shun margarine like the plague it is.

There are several bonuses to making your own cookies. You can directly control how much sugar goes into them, so satisfying an occasional sweet tooth isn't as expensive calorie wise. You control everything ELSE that goes into them as well, so it's pretty easy to wind up with a cookie that actually has some nutritional value and isn't just empty calories.

[tech_monkey]

For me personally, I ended up with pharmacological assistance. Definately check with the doc before even looking into this as there are interactions you should be looking out for if Hubby is on any meds full time. I really got the stuff to help with quitting smoking, and it effected my appetite and portion size as a side effect, so i am not positive that it would work the same way for anyone else. Just because i have it brought up, there is no magic pill.

[Barracuda]

If he likes Android apps, here's a cool one. It's an audio game you play while running. The story is that it's the Zombie Apocalypse, and you are a "Runner" who goes out and gathers crucial supplies for your enclave of survivors. I understand it's pretty entertaining, uploads game waypoints on your actual GPS, and provides changing and reactive audio commentary over your phone headphones as you run. The storyline also progresses as you play.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...-adventure-for

[ArcticChicken]

If he likes Android apps, here's a cool one.

Aaaand I need an Android phone now.