I am struggling with food. I am frustrated because I feel like a child learning to eat. I never fully understood or grasped it before the band, thats partly why I have a band. I know what starches are and carbs and proteins are. I have the plates that section them out. I just can't grasp the making a meal out of it. I work on the go. I have trouble putting a sensible 1/2 cup meal together. Then I find my self compromising my diet by eating fast food. I can't stop this. I feel as though I am setting my self up for failure. I dont want to fail. I can not continue to be FAT. My life, job, and other ppl lives depend on me. Help! Someone help me understand how to eat healthy and stay away from fast food (comfort food).

Fast food was tough for me too...but the longer I stay away the less I crave it...recently my hubby got a cheeseburger and I had a bite...wasn't as good as I imagined. With the band you always eat Protein first. That can be lean meat, cheese, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, eggs...all good sources of protein. The second food choice should be veggies. Lastly, should be carbs and by then the theory is you will be full or close to full so you won't eat as many.

Edited December 19, 201312 yr by Sherlock1969

how to put a meal together. lets do Breakfast first. most breakfast items are high carb's like your cereals. but there are cereals so good for you that you overlook it. like oatmeal. the instant ones are great. just add some walnuts to it and perhaps a apple to create fullness. or eggs, now i love eggs, i will eat a omelet with chives, mushrooms, vegetables leftover from the night before, add a bit of low fat cheese or some parmasan cheese in the green container, use spices you love. most of the time if i scramble or omelet my egg i have srirachi on the side. love the spice. dried chives adds a lot of flavor,, use garlic anything that will fool your brain into believing it is happy. now that i have permission to eat carb's i also like 2 eggs over easy. i use a non stick pan with pam sprayed into it. i than toast sara lee 45 cal. a slice of whole wheat bread. i like my eggs on top of the toast. the yolk adds the liquid for the bread. i don't need any butter on my toast this way.

okay now lunch. lunch is the hard one for me. well today i had 2 pieces of sara lee's bread with mustard and lite mayo, and than 2 tbls. of braunschweiger. this is the first time i have tried this. but this total sandwich was 14g of Protein and 280 cal. i feel full satisfied and happy. i also will eat a salad with chicken or fish. cottage cheese low fat and add tomatoes, peppers etc. to make it more solid. at fast food places, i have found that jack n box has a fajata pita that stays within the calorie count. good in protein. any of the grilled chicken just ask for it without the sauce and ask for xtra tomato. this adds the moisture. chili is also a good fast food order. i haven't done it yet but wendy's is susposed to have a bomb chili.

dinner is my favorite meal. i plan for my protein first. fish, chicken and once a week beef or pork. 4 oz. i poach, or broil my meat. i use my seasonings well here too. i really want my protein to taste good and it changes up what i feel like, example, spicy or citrusy or seasonal like using sage on chicken. i use dried basil alot too. ginger if i feel like asian. use soy sauce.

i will than make either a salad or cooked vegetable. i make my own salad dressing so i can really control the fat and type of fat. but we all need fat for our digestive system. olive oil comes in so many flavors its great i love this certain one i get online at temeculaoliveoil.com it is a blood orange olive oil. omg...i use it to poach my fish. i use it to rub my chicken before baking. a little dab goes a long way. using my saucer i will put my vegetables on the bottom and my protein lays on top of the vegetables. i eat my protein first and than the vegetables. i don't do convience foods so i can't help you on those. but everything is dolable. just read the labels and ask yourself does this have enough protein to warrent the calories. for a serving size, is my meal staying within 300-400 calories? i get a headache from all the reading i do before i prepare food. even fresh food has labels or i need to look it up in a book.

good luck and i'm sorry i rambled on so much but i love this subject.

Get the jimmy John lettuces wrap sandwiches. Great on the go. Eats like a burger!

I eat on the go a lot. I still do fast food, I just had to learn how. One thing that helps is always knowing what I'm going to order before getting up to the menu. Some examples of things I eat on the go...at McDonalds i'll get an oatmeal (they serve it all day) and an Iced coffee, or a southwest salad, at Wendy's I'll get the chili, or a half size salad, at subway you can have any of their sandwiches made into a salad and they're delicious! I'm not saying that fast food is the best choice, but I know for myself and my busy life it's just too difficult to cut out completely.

When I cook things at home, I always make sure I have a Protein and make my meal around that. That seems obvious, but I used to make so many meatless meals, because they were easier and more convenient. For example, I made spaghetti for dinner one night. My family had it with Pasta (obviously! haha), but I just put sauce over meatballs and topped it with some parmesan cheese. Yummy, filling, and gave me my pasta fix without eating the noodles.

When you're struggling with what to eat, just remember the protein first rule! That rule alone helps me so much when making food choices on a whim! You can do this!

It was difficult for me too but I had a consult with my nutritionist and that made all the difference in the world. Check with your nutritionist. One or more hours of one on one can develop into a better understanding by the nutritionist of what your lifestyle and eating habits are.

tmf

eating is not the issue

it is what we are eating that is..

TMF is dead on in speaking with a nutritonist to learn or relearn what foods are...

i learned that boxed/processed items are full of sodium and words that are like 20 letters long.......i learned to choose better options.....baked vs fried.....fresh vs frozen or can (but hey, frozen/canned is better than fried any day).....

eat to lose weight

eat lean Proteins, fruits and veggies and drink alot...

eat foods YOU love (as you are doing the eating)

fast food is the easy way out......and its tasty also...

i speak from a formerly 336 pound super morbid obese woman point of view

terry and mand and blue also gave great posts...hope it all helps you

dont overthink it, just do it....and do it like you know you should.

*you said you go to fast food.....you know what you are doing....nothing wrong with fast food, we all eat it......but there are CHOICES....make the right ones*

You are all so right! I know I will be rethinking how I look at food, and eat it. I have started to play the awful head games with myself but after reading everyone's posts on these boards I think I am about to change that.

Getting a fill today!

carolinagirl, awesome weight loss!

I guess I have come to the shameful realization of how much food controlled my life.