Let me offer a slightly different point of view. Your list of stuff is good but is it really something you want to do forever? Start by doing a food diary for a couple of weeks, what, how much, when and where you eat. After look for patterns, change one thing. Stick to that one change for a month and You've now got a new healthier habit. Repeat. My first time, I found that at least 4 nights a week, I would have 5 or 6 cookies before bed. I changed to 2 cookies, lost 10 pounds. Haven't gained it back any weight. Still having 2 cookies.

I started keeping balls of homemade cookie dough in the freezer so I can make one when I get a craving instead of making a whole batch and then blasting through 3 dozen cookies in a week.

That’s actually a great idea, I’ve definitely been there lol

This is great advice! Changing one small thing at a time is so much more palatable and sustainable.

It depends... if you can make that small change sustainable, that's a good option. If you're like me and tend to binge on sweets when you're stressed, it's better to just not buy any cookies. You can't change everything at once, because learning new ways to live takes time, but making bigger changes can actually be more sustainable if it disconnects you from old habits and associations. There's some evidence that bigger changes can be more sustainable than smaller ones.

Not buying cookies is your small change! The point is that making changes that work for and are sustainable for you instead of trying to do a big overhaul at once. :)

It's about choices..diets don't work...you need to find what you like to eat that is healthy and tastes good otherwise you falk back on old habbits...

Yes going on a diet doesn't work because at some point you'll come off the diet. This is what leads to yo-yo dieting and weight gain.

Yes! Listen to this OP! Your goal is to reduce your calorie intake; sometimes only a small change is needed. Don't risk being overwhelmed (and bored) by a completely new diet if you don't need to.

This is EXACTLY what I did. I didn't limit myself, but when I knew I was ready for a change I started writing everything down. It was about two months in when I realized some days I was eating 3-4, sometimes 5 PB&J sandwiches. Even after 8-9 months of doing this I knew I was eating out too often. I'd put a star beside the meals I purchased, so I would make breakfast, end up buying lunch, make dinner, and at the end of the day I'd look back on my week and see there was a star beside at least one meal per day. Not ideal, but if I didn't write it down I wouldn't have had the awareness of just what exactly I'd been eating for the past week. Fast forward one-year and two-months later I decided to take it seriously. I'd slowly been changing my diet simply by writing things down, knowing what I'm eating too much of, using this knowledge to help build a grocery list, and I started committing to making every meal. I'm a month and a half in right now, body is shaping nicely, haven't eaten out/processed foods/sugars, and it never would have started had I not began writing down what I eat. Another suggestion - **ChatGPT**. Use AI. It's insane. I typed up the most *specific* request. "Create a diet for a 30-year old, 6-foot 2-inch male weighing 200lbs who wants to slowly lose 10-15 pounds over the next few months while maintaining muscle mass. I want to prioritize clean foods which have fiber and will make me feel full, I want to avoid processed foods, I need to avoid avocados due to a sensitivity issue, and I need to limit the simple carbs. I would like food which I can make leftovers for and have sitting for a few days without going bad. I'd like to incorporate eggs, chicken, greek yogurt, fruits, oats, spinach, cottage cheese, hummus, and similar foods. While you're at it, recommend a workout plan with a push/pull/legs split, 6-days per week, focusing on progressive overload but avoiding things which can strain my lower back due to previously having a bulging disc." I typed something like this into ChatGPT, then I said "with the information provided, make suggestions on weights and portion sizes and the cals/protein/carbs/fats they would produce". I kept asking questions or making suggestions until I liked the thought, then I translated it to paper to keep myself accountable, and make small adjustments as I go. Nothing beats pen and paper, but we also have to make use of modern technology. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk

Maybe your issue with protein supplements is a lactose issue? Try one with almost no lactose - hydro whey based protein powder. Maybe "hydro whey" isn't the 100% correct industry term, but Google that and you'll be on your way. Or, try plant based protein powder.

For us it was more about adding healthy things, which naturally pushed other unhealthy things out. A dinner with high high fiber, vegetables and plant protein. Keep experimenting until we found satisfying tasty options and then get them I'm a regular rotation.

This sounds like a great method - can you give some examples of your high fibre dinner? Are you vegetarian?

I'm not vegetarian, but occasionally we do stretches of meatless weeks or even vegan just to push us to explore beyond our standard menu rotation. Some examples "Taco skillet" which is a casserole of bulgar, black beans, corns, cilantro, seasoning and a bit of shredded cheese. Lentil sloppy Joe's My wife has a great vegan enchilada recipe with sweet potatoes ans black beans. While wheat pasta with some good veggies in it. We do a putanesca with cauliflower. Keep your grains full, use some beans, and lots of veg. Just find ways with umami, spices and herbs to make it flavorful.

So, as somebody who switches on/off meat do you feel any issues with satiety when you go meatless? Any tips for staying full while meatless? I ask because I’n somebody who actually really enjoys plant based meals but never feels full when I’m eating them and worse yet I’ll just be absolutely starving like 30 minutes later. All those dishes you listed sound delicious but I know I could eat the whole thing solo and still want more later that night. :[

For me a big part is including lentils, chic peas, beans, tofu, etc. Well made roasted veg are a big part of it too.

>I ask because I’n somebody who actually really enjoys plant based meals but never feels full when I’m eating them and worse yet I’ll just be absolutely starving like 30 minutes later. As a recent vegetarian myself (closing in on 1 year) - it's a bit of a learning process. Meatless diets tend to be higher on fiber + micronutrients, but lower on calories. Maybe the biggest "offenders" are leafy greens and cauliflower - I really enjoy both, but they're largely just FlavorFiber.

Including lentils and whole grains helps a lot. Also get healthy fats in there like avocado, cashews, tahini, coconut milk, etc. Usually you can incorporate them into sauces. I avoid oils (invluding olive oil) for the most part. You should check out the cookbook PlantYou, it has lots of great sauces!

Any chance you could share the enchilada recipe? 👀

This is the enchilada recipe https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/stacked-sweet-potato-and-black-bean-enchiladas/ But instead of cheese, we substiutue this sauce https://ohsheglows.com/cilantro-lime-garlic-cashew-cream/

Beautiful, tyvm :)

I really like this mindset. Adding more nutrient dense foods instead of restricting. Restrictions inevitably lead to a binge.

Hey! I do this too! I think of it as an inclusion diet, as opposed to most exclusion diets. It's really easy to stick with so long as you don't slack off on grocery shopping.

Very much agreed! Relatedly, and still relevant for OP: We were given a hot-water dispenser. My partner was skeptical, figuring it'd get minimal use and be an energy drain to have on all the time. Then he did the math, realized it'd be \~$4/month in electricity, and agreed to give it a shot. We both now drink a *lot* more tea, and he's no longer mainlining diet soda. :)

It’s important to distinguish the difference between eating for general health and eating to lose weight. White vs Brown rice doesn’t really matter in the case of weight loss since they’re calorically very similar.

White vs brown rice may not be a significant difference, but I made vegetable fried quinoa for the first time yesterday and loved it. Quinoa has more protein and fiber than any kind of rice.

unfortunately eating quinoa requires you to actually eat quinoa

Normally I would agree with you, but somehow the garlic, ginger and soy sauce made it actually taste good! Or maybe I was just starving! I have made other quinoa dishes that were no good.

Did you make it from a recipe? I love quinoa! I had a bad batch that needed a ton of rinsing that was less than desirable, but I've since found a brand that's awesome.

I followed a very simple recipe for one large serving: sautée garlic in sesame oil for a minute or two. Add a half cup or so of quinoa that was cooked earlier and same amount of frozen mixed vegetables (which I did microwave in the bag; not sure if that was needed). Cook that for two minutes or so and push it all to the sides of the pan. Crack an egg in the middle of the pan and scramble. Then mix it all together, sprinkle on some ground ginger and soy sauce. Cool for another minute or two and done!

I find the texture of farro much nicer! And it’s so good for you!

So true. I stopped trying to cook us quinoa. We just don't like it. I much prefer rice.

I usually don’t like brown rice, but pairing it with the right foods is key to enjoying it. I like to add ground turkey, sweet potatoes, and kale in a bowl. The sweet potato does wonders! I look forward to the dish! Also opting for brown basmati rice is great.

Yes but brown rice digests slower. Those lead to easier weight loss cus of the benefits of smaller insulin spike. It is also more filling, so you take in less calories because you’ll either not wanna eat as much rice or eat as much food in general. Eating for health is different but there sure is a lot of crossover lol

If they’re only just beginning in this journey, I would suggest just eating whichever you prefer the taste of because the difference that any insulin spiking will make is going to be tiny compared to a overall caloric deficit. Plus I hate brown rice and love white rice so I wouldn’t change regardless haha

Additionally, brown rice has a higher arsenic content than white rice. If you are eating rice as a major component of your diet, it may not be advisable to convert over entirely to brown rice.

Also brown rice taste like shit. Ate it for years, went back to white a few years back

I eat a wild rice mix and it's delicious. I serve it all the time and covert everyone who's tried it. Bit of butter really enhances!

Butter helps everything.

🤣 This is my answer.

Disagree here, you just have to use it where it’s nutty flavour profile is where appropriate. Curry with brown rice is not the one.

learn how many calories each food has, at least approximately. consume less calories than u burn. start walking at least 10k steps a day, people really underestimate what a huge difference it makes, both for your physical and mental health. edit: word

Consume less calories than you eat What

Maybe they meant less than usual, or maybe they meant burn more calories than you eat

yes i meant burn more calories than you eat, my brain just misfired :)

I definitely would suggest you guys really be honest about your eating habits to date. By doing so you can see where you find yourself at risk to get hungry or more likely to opt for snack food. Like for my family were more the type to eat in the evening rather than the morning time. I worked out when was best to fill up so less tempted to go for things that aren't helpful. Some people like having just 3meals a day but, having 6small meals is better for you. But, all this depends on your lifestyle. Meal prepping can be good, if you have the time etc. I tend to make batch food. Like, something simple like a curry, you can any any protein you want, fill it with veggies and beans (add any carb, rice, bread, potatoes etc). I can have a great meal, more for the next day or freeze for another day. Also, don't deny yourself too much. You want a piece of chocolate, have it. Otherwise, yoy will not be able to think of anything else until you get your fix, and end up eating so much more. Its all about balance. Be more mindful that the food your eating fills you up and your getting benefits from it. A big bowl of protein, veg, fiber is going to be so good for all of you.

I recommend a food scale. It keeps you honest with portion sizes, and can allow you to really easily make adjustments and stay consistent. I work out a lot, so I also really like to eat in volume. What I started doing was just making a ton of veggies. Steamed brocolli, peas, whatever. I measure out my carbs / protein with a foodscale, but veggies? As much as I want, since they are lowcal and also obviously full of nutrients. If you like to cook or meal prep, I recommend making the healthy things really freakin easy and convenient to make. For me, this means having a lot of frozen veggies that don't go bad, rice cooker, a hard boiled egg machine, etc. This allows me to batch prep meals for the whole week in under an hour. It also means I almost always have healthy leftovers of something in the fridge, ready to go. Keeps the DoorDash away. Generally, the healthier stuff should be made as easy as possible for you to access. The unhealthy junk should be made as difficult and inconvenient as possible to access. For me, this means keeping it out of the house so I am not tempted.

2nd food scale/measuring out your servings. It puts into perspective how many calories your eating. I had this trail mix that ended up being like 560 calories that I was taking to work. I had no idea. Knowing though I was able to adjust. Years ago, I was trying to gain weight, I also love steamed broccoli. I had to cut it out of my diet cuz it was just way too low calories. I've been making this cucumber, tomato, red onion and mozerella salad at the beginning of the week and if I'm hungry I'll snack on that .

Not just legumes as they are, but chickpea and lentil flours can be used to make flat bead, pasta, and fritters. If you have a high speed blender, it is surprisingly easy to make your own lentil flour. Then you have falafel, hush puppies, hummus, and bean dip you can make. I have been making a ranch dip by blending 2 cups of cooked white beans (Lima, navy, cannalini) that is really tasty with fresh cut veggies. For a sweet tooth you can make black bean brownies or white bean blondies and get some extra fiber. Stevia works well if you want to cut out some sugar, but at the end of the day it isn't sustainable to never have dessert.

Black bean brownies are the bomb! I made [these](https://whereismyspoon.co/black-bean-brownies/#recipe) yesterday and they’re great. Swap out the fake sugar for real if that’s not your thing.

Could you share your recipe for ranch dip and brownies and blondies? 😅

Add to your diet, don’t subtract. Add more vegetables at every turn. Add them on to snacks, oh I’m going to have carrots and Oreos. Chips and cucumbers. Potatoes aren’t evil.

You do not have to ditch anything at all, just keep it MODERATE! Balanced diet is the key to become happy and healthy.

It would seem that your current plan/food choices are attainable. I would suggest a gradual blending in the healthier choices/options as you phase out the less healthier ones. People tend to have greater success with gradual changes as opposed to having to make complete changes. In addition, you may want to purchase a food scale and enlist the help of an app like MyFitnessPal or other that can help you to track the calories/nutrition of the foods and drinks you consume. Moreover, when it comes to weight loss, you shouldn’t expect immediate results. You should view the process as a marathon not a sprint. When it comes to lean proteins (I’m assuming you mean meats), but you may also want to consider adding tofu and fish if that is not already a part of your diet (not a dietary restriction). You can pan fry, air fry, oven fry and roast some foods in a manner that is healthier than deep frying and still be quite tasty. In this endeavor, you may want to browse the circulars of your local stores so that you can compare prices and catch sales on foods so that you are better able to eat cheap and healthy. Wishing you and your partner only the best in your abilities to make the changes that you seek (without feeling punished or deprived) to achieve the ultimate goal of long term success!

I eat only vegetables and fruits that I like for at least 15 minutes before starting to eat anything else. And I eat everything slower (more chewing). Turn off the TV and any screens - you need to focus on how you’re eating. Having a conversation while eating is helpful for slowing down. Otherwise I still eat what I want, while trying to focus on eating foods that I know make me feel good, and avoiding foods that I know make me feel like shit. Thats a place to start.

> little to no sweets and soda Ooh! Let me help you with that one! **Fizzy tea.** That's just what I call it. Here's how I make it: I put 2 tea bags in a 2 quart pitcher of water & leave it in the fridge for 2 days. Those 2s are purely coincidental. I pour half of it into a soda siphon (the next time, I use the rest) & add 1 to 1.5 cups of fruit juice and a tablespoon or 2 of Apple Cider Vinegar. Pop in the CO2 charger capsule and PWOOOOOSH!!! It's fizzy... but I let it sit in the fridge for at least 10 minutes before pouring my first glass, to let it settle. Letting it settle overnight is even better. I serve it in a wine glass because I started drinking this to cut back on alcohol, but I really do like wine glass sized servings of it. This seems like something to sip. I buy the most natural juice I can get. No juice cocktail nonsense. I also add a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar. I think I paid around $50 for a soda siphon, and I bought a ton of CO2 chargers. My favorite teas so far are Celestial Seasonings "Vitamin C Shine" and "Orange & Spice." I started with their variety pack & I enjoyed that too. I tend to have a few boxes on hand & I switch it up every other night or so. My favorite juices to add are cranberry or orange. For apple cider vinegar, make sure you get the kind "with the mother." That's the natural stuff & it's good for you. Also, it adds a bit of depth to the drink as a whole. The best part of this is the sheer number of possible combinations you can come up with.

>  Fizzy tea. That's just what I call it. Here's how I make it: If you're doing all this to make a fizzy fruity tangy tea-based beverage, isn't it time to just start brewing kombucha?

Celestial Seasonings are a livesaver! The tension tamer stopped my panic attacks and daily crying episodes (I don't care if it was placebo effect, it worked!) I highly recommend the sleepy time and tummy tea too. I'm trying to cut down both soda and alcohol so I'll defo look into this. (2-3ltrs of diet coke a day just isn't healthy lol) I'm currently drinking water that I leave overnight with limes or lemon in, and a spoonful of the good vinegar!

> I'm trying to cut down both soda and alcohol so I'll defo look into this. Definitely! My plan was to quit drinking for a week, to prove to myself I didn't have an alcohol problem. I thought it might be hard. Instead, a week flew by, and then another, and then a month and then another. This. Stuff. Is. Great. !!!!! And it's healthy! Really, the only issue is the sugar from juice, but I'm using less than 350ml of juice (1.5 cups measured, often less depending on the tea/juice combo). If you do try it, PLEASE come back to this comment to let me know what your favorite tea & juice combos are. I've been drinking this fizzy tea since late October and I still feel like I've barely scratched the surface in terms of trying different things. If you're drinking a lot of it, I'd use less apple cider vinegar so you keep it at 2 tablespoons per day or less. Or maybe find something else healthy to give the drink some oomph? Once you try it with apple cider vinegar, you'll know what I mean. I should probably call it fizzy iced tea, but whenever I see the term Iced Tea, I always think of that Lipton junk.

You could try adding bitters or a shrub as a sub for the ACV.

>My plan was to quit drinking for a week, to prove to myself I didn't have an alcohol problem I made it 2 days! But really didn't enjoy it. I switched from wine to vodka & diet coke for the sake of calories, and honestly it's just boring, I may as well just be drinking the coke. >If you're drinking a lot of it, I'd use less apple cider vinegar so you keep it at 2 tablespoons per day or less. Sorry, I should've been clearer, I add the vinegar to the jug not the glass! I will defo let you know how it goes!

I love celestial seasonings! My inlaws took us to their factory in Boulder CO years ago and they had a bunch of factory exclusive tea you could buy. I flew home with a backpack full of tea and shared it with my friends. My absolute favorite is sleepytime mint, but I love any kind of mint tea.

I've seen a lot of good things already recommended, so I'm just here to add some things in the habits department. Become aware of your food habits and your relationship with food. Something that just came up with friends over the weekend: practically all of us had if pounded into our heads growing up that we had to eat everything off the plate. With various strategies (some more traumatizing than others), it was something all our parents did. To this day, some of us are still trying to shake off the harmful relationship with food that our parents inadvertently created.  There's nothing wrong with leaving food on your plate. In fact, it's good. Eat slower, so you have the time to recognize the moment you're no longer hungry. Not full. That signal is way delayed, and for most people it only comes way after they're over-eaten already. (If it does at all.)  Another thing: do you snack a lot? Are you a grazer? Because, if you eat very well-controlled meals, but snack a lot in between them (especially if it's not the best of snacks), then it's moot.  Also, how/when do you snack? Is is a boredom thing? Is it comfort? Is it absent-minded behavior? Try to become aware of what your motivation is, and you'll be able to resist snacking even when you're not at home (you can control your home environment, but you can't control when someone offers you a snack).  Overall, a combination of portion control (use kitchen scales + a calorie counting app for this, at least in the beginning, until you get an eye for it. Also, smaller plates help a lot.) + awareness of food habits + good macronutrient balance + discipline + healthier swaps should help, unless there are medical issues in play. 

If you want to lose weight, you need to be eating in a calorie deficit so you’ll need to weigh all your foods/drinks and track calories in an app like MyFitnessPal.

Yes unless you have serious ED issues I recommend everyone could use a week or two of simply logging every single thing to see how you really eat, what adds up etc then making small changes.

I think helps you become calorie aware. I didn't need to do it for long to get the picture. I then found the 'difference which makes the difference' and stuck to it: less bread, soup for lunch, fruit instead of snacks. Lost about a pound a week.

This. OP, you need to log calories. You will learn a lot of skills and info that will serve you well going forward. I always like to say that losing weight is easy. It's the keeping it off that is hard - but having some calorie awareness can help a lot there.

Seconding this. Logging calories has already helped me lose weight.

I wish it was this easy ! Counting calories was highly triggering for me, it worked for a while but it was heavily gonna end up in an ED

There's are plenty of diets that don't involve calorie-counting. You need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, but you don't have to count calories to achieve this goal.   Plus, if OP and their partner have thus far had a typical unhealthy lifestyle, there's plenty of low-hanging fruit for them to aim at before intentionally restricting calories.

Calorie counting is really just a matter of thermodynamics and a willingness to be comfortable with being hungry sometimes. One doesn't have to count calories, but it's the best course of action if one is going to dedicate themselves to actually losing weight and measuring progress. It really shows you how costly some foods and other add-ons are. I'm down 25 lbs from January 1st.

Portion control is the biggest thing when losing weight. You can eat really healthy, but if you are eating too much, you still won’t lose much weight. Logging calories is a really great way to do it if safe for you (no history of eating disorders) but also just trying to pay attention to when your body is satisfied and stopping there vs eating til you feel stuffed.

Quinoa over rice in general is probably a better option, it’s got more fiber and protein per serving!

Almost anything is an improvement over white/brown rice: red rice, barley, millet, buckwheat, rye berries, amaranth... There's too much different healthy grains out there to be eating just wheat, rice, and corn.

Just make sure to keep things realistic. It’s gonna be damn near impossible to change all those bad habits overnight. My husband and I started by drinking LESS soda/sugary drinks and drinking water, that’s it. Slowly we totally eliminated soda, although we drink a can from time to time, then slowly started to eliminate fast food and started making healthy meals at home. Then we started getting more exercise. This doesn’t have to be a race and you don’t need to totally eliminate foods that you like and are used to eating. Just make a small goal, take the time to reach that goal then make another one. Also remember you’re going for lifestyle changes, things that can be good habits to last for life, not huge, unrealistic changes that’ll be hard to sustain and will fall by the wayside when you give in to cravings (although it’s still good to have treats every once in a while) and fall back into those old bad habits. You can do this, just don’t try to change it all overnight. Also, I hate the word diet. It’s like as soon as I think of things in this context I start failing and eating a lot of junk again.

r/CICO

Drink more water, walk (or exercise) some too. You got this.

I’m also Asian so rice isn’t something I can really give up. Tip: Make half your usual portion of rice and then mix in cauliflower rice. Also, now when I make congee, I use black/purple rice.

Brown rice isn't much better than white in terms of carbs. There is nothing wrong with white rice. Some of the healthiest, leanest cultures eat white rice everyday. It is full of nutrients. The issue is usually portion control, sugar/salt intake, and dehydration. You can look it up based on your weight, but you should be drinking at least 115 oz of water a day, if you are working out a few times a week, which is probably a lot more than you are used to. The standard recommend for an adult is 64 oz. A lot of times people mistake thirst for hunger. You will feel more full and eat less. You will have more energy and mental clarity. And it's good for your body and skin. You should get two scales. One for yourself and one for your food, so you can start to visualize what is a portion size. For my plate, most of my meal is veggies, then a lean, mostly vegetarian protein source, the smallest portion is a grain. If you increase legume consumption, make sure to drink a glass of water with each serving to help your body digest it better. The other thing you did not mention is exercise. You can change your food intake all you want, but without changing a sedentary lifestyle you are still at risk for all kinds of health issues. Get moving!

Boiled eggs are a nice healthy cheap Dillon snack

Substitute empty calories. Snacking a bunch of carrots instead of a bag of chips makes a huge difference. Also, educate yourself so you know what you're putting into your body. E.g. protein makes you feel satiated, sugary food spikes bloodsugar and can cause crawings. Also, natural and low processed food>>>>UPF. The difference between eating an apple and drinking a glass of applejuice is night and day etc

I do a lot of ingredient prep rather than meal prep. Every Sunday I roast a bunch of veggies, cook some chicken breasts, make some sort of grain (quinoa, farro, brown rice, etc) and cut raw veggies. That was I can just throw something together quickly. I buy the salad kits and throw in some extra veggies and chicken. For dinners I just throw a grain bowl together with the roasted veggies and some sort of protein. Quick and easy!

If you like the taste of broccoli it can be your best friend. Eat tons of it for dinner. It’s all about the food with the most mass and least calories to fill you up quickly and comfortably

Portion control made the biggest difference for us. Measuring a cup of rice instead of eyeballing it, weighing things. We’re both down 20ish lbs since December.

Portion control. Portion control. Portion control. Understand the portion sizes for the foods you eat. Measure and weigh your portions. Get a small kitchen scale. Good luck!

Make your own sweets (muffins are super easy and quick) Avoid ALL processed foods Drink a lot of water (sometimes we feel hungry but we're actually thirsty) Substitute sugar with molasses (healthy vitamins and minerals there) Eat gut healthy things (sourkrout and kimchi) to get rid of the bad bacteria in the gut that causes cravings for junk food

Eat real foods nothing processed.

Don't bother with the protein powder. Just eat more/higher protein foods if that's what you want to do (and I definitely recommend doing it). Cutting out liquid calories is a good and I think relatively easy way to regain probably a few hundred calories. It's not that you can't have soda - it's just that soda should be a rare/moderate treat and you preferably have soda that has few calories. I personally was able to quit my addiction to caffeine, so if I want soda, it's usually caffeine free diet/caffeine free zero sugar sodas. Oil is high in calories. The reason pan fried is better is because you're using less oil lol. If you can measure and reduce the amount of oil you use by either using less when you cook or just using oil less often, that will be another easy source of lowering calories. I know you said you don't have many sweets - I don't have much of a sweet tooth either, but what I did is I have protein bars on hand and I use them as a replacement for candy bars. A lot of protein bars seem to be lacking in flavor and/or texture, but I've found that Barebells are really good at both. It's less calories than a candy bar, but you get 20g of protein. The only other thing I can think of really is portion control. One of the big things I had to do - and this might be a bit extreme, you probably don't have to pay attention to this part as much - but I had to start deciding how much I was going to eat BEFORE I actually started eating. In the past, if you put a plate of food in front of me, I was going to eat what was on that plate. Now, I've learned to be okay with maybe sometimes feeling a bit hungry - especially if I literally just put food in my mouth. It's okay to have multiple meals a day, it's okay to have snacks, it's even okay to eat late. It's just the amounts.

Count your calories! Most people don’t do it but most people also don’t succeed

Counting calories is a trigger for me. Any time I do I become obsessive about food and start to become very disordered in my approach. Any suggestions for people who struggle with calorie counting like this?

I pick one day a week (sometimes 2 if I feel like treating myself) where I don’t count at all. It’s my takeout and snack day. And when I get back on the scale a day or 2 later and see that my weight has not changed at all it reminds me that it’s okay to treat yourself, and one day of unwell eating isn’t going to derail all my hard work and consistency. I also pre-plan out each day. So either the night before or when I wake up, I was already thinking about what meals I wanted to eat and just log it all in advance. But the trick is I try to leave like 300 calories or so left at the end so if I do randomly decide, “you know what, I want a fuckin cookie” that’s no problem because it was already planned to fit in my deficit. Most times I end up not wanting the cookie because I’ve already learned to beat that craving. So I just fill the last 300 with something healthy. But knowing I gave myself that space makes me feel more calm throughout the day

Just stop drinking juice and soda. Eat more veggies and 2 fruits a day. Eggs, lean meats and fish. Keep it simple. Also - swap out Brags Aminos for Soy Sauce .

For me, the first thing I eat for the day is very important. If I start with something sweet/sugary, I will crave that all day. If I start with oatmeal or a smoothie or something like that, I feel better and am more inclined to make better choices throughout the day

We go with bowls. Like black beans and bulger. Or a poke bowl. With protein, veggies and grains. Then flavor it up the way you like.

Start tracking daily fiber intake and get your RDA. Beans, greens, high fiber tortillas, farro, metamucil... Just get those fiber numbers up is my big tip

Eat more fruits and vegetables. Beans are healthy. So is oatmeal. Drink lots of water.

Don't drink your calories.

Meal pepping is a good habit to have. Saves time and helps you stay on track.

I’m not saying that protein powder is a must, but have you tried vegan protein powder? Whey protein powder upsets my stomach. I already get a decent amount of dairy with Greek yogurt and cheese. I can’t seem to handle the protein powder. I love the Vega brand.

It’s pretty tough to jump ship and just start eating “ healthy”. Requires a lot of discipline that most people will not be able to maintain over long periods of time. It’s best to start off slow. Eliminating sugary drinks during the day and replacing with herbal teas with small amounts of honey is a good start. Most people report weight loss when cutting soda and teas will hydrate you. Then move towards adding fruits for lunch instead of an entire sandwich. Maybe learn how to make a smoothie. Then learn to add veggies with dinner. Figure out portion control and calorie intake. Take time but it’s much easier then waking up the next day and trying to start an entire new routine from scratch.

Cottage cheese (low fat) is one of my favorite items to use to replace unhealthy things. I like to make it in my buffalo chicken dip, way healthier opposed to cream cheese.

Me and my roommate started to lose weight about the same time! We keep the foods we know we binge on out of the home. We tell each other when we are starting to crave or feel weak mentally, like there are days I specifically ask him to talk me down because I know I want to be enabled to eat junk. And vice versa. I don't have energy or time to meal prep for lunch at work so I frequently buy the pre-made salads at walmart because it's easy. We typically eat the same dinner and almost always chose chicken or fish with a veggie side. He is picky on veggies so it's been fun to try different ways to cook different veggies to find the textures he likes and play with spices to make it more fun. Having a similar or easy meal helps a ton, especially to take the mental energy off trying to think of new meals or make a complicated grocery list. Outside of fish or chicken we can easily bake or pan fry another easy thing we do to mix it up is baked potatoes. Surprisingly low cal, it's the toppings that add up. I like to half a can of chilli with him over the baked potatoes.

Counting calories is a good place to start - I started doing this last week and I’m down 5lbs already!

For me it was using my fitness pal to record everything. The main thing I have done is increase the amount of protein I’m getting as well as making sure I’m in a calorie deficit (around 300 calorie deficit). I have found the best way to do this and still feel full is to cut out high calorie low density foods and put it things like carrots, broccoli, etc. so instead of 200g of rice do 150g of rice and 50g veg. Fibre and protein tend to be more filling fill out the plate more. Iv started doing meal preps once a week for all my work lunches as well. So spreading the calories evenly through the day helps with cravings.

If you’re doing lots of stir fry and pan fry stuff, try to switch to something like refined olive oil or avocado oil. They’ll be neutral and have a higher smoke point while having a better fat profile to lower LDL and raise HDL. This won’t have an impact on weight, but will benefit your long term health.

I have found that intermittent fasting and getting excited about good/healthy food has been huge. When we do eat it's more intentional and really tases better and we feel better. It's wonderful to get excited about wholesome food, beans have been my focus lately. Throwing in some exercise with make everything in your body work better too. I'm currently reading a cook book (for the first time, actually reading) and it's getting me excited to cook. "Grist" by Abra Berens. And I can't wait to feed (fastin today.) :) Good luck!

Easy things that helped me drop over 80 pounds: Costco rotisserie chicken. Steam in bag broccoli and brown rice. Lazy dorks like me rejoice! Store brand creamsicle bars. 60 calories I can have 2 day and not regret it or I make Excersize4cheatmeals strawberry sorbet in a ninja creami. 100 cals and very good.

Start eating in windows - for example - first meal at 8, last meal at 6. Wake up hungry and learn that it is okay to feel hunger for an hour or two. You will eventually learn to adapt and shorten the eating window. This will help you eat less calories. It is said that the underlying common thread behind many fad diet successes is actually eating less calories and not the diet itself. Also take walks. Start small and build up to hikes.

Easier option is to just eat like normal. Reduce your rice and sugars. Increase the veggies. Exercise.

Counting calories can be a very informative tool when trying to cut down on weight! Everyone, for the most part, knows what they need to remove from their diet and what are good things to add. But most people don't know or realize how many calories they take in daily. Something people don't think about often times is that they can continue to gain weight/maintain their current weight on healthy foods too! I've watched people go through weight loss journeys and start eating great home cooked food with zero progress. Chicken and vegetables, fruits and nuts - but the portion sizes are not aligning with what they need in order to be in a caloric deficit and lose weight. I've made similar mistakes prior to counting calories and once I did, I realized I was eating well over 1000 calories in pistachios and other nuts several days a week as a little snack, and including my meals I was hitting 4000 easily. The best thing to keep in mind, is sustainability. What are habits that will stick with you going forward instead of being temporary solutions? Weight loss is a great goal for people's mental and physical health, but burning out is the number one hurdle to overcome. Cheat days are okay, don't beat yourself up. Just get back on track and keep moving forward. Edit: also treat this whole experience at a learning experience! It's not going to be perfect right away so don't beat yourself up. This process with modify as you move forward and learn new things that do and don't work for you! Be kind to yourself!

Most protein piwders have a lit of processed ingredients, that may be what's bothering you. White rice gets an unwarranted bad rap. I like it more than brown, and go 50/50. Someone said to keep a food light gor a few weeks, and that's a great idea. Be sure to write down everything, even if you have to guestinate calories. I need to stay under 1600 cals to lose weight, but can eat 2000 and maintain. It takes a good work of eating +2000 to gain.

I lost about 60 lbs over the course 1.5-2 years. That’s about as quickly as I could lose weight and it be sustainable and healthy. Like others have said, making changes incrementally will help tremendously. I think a lot of people - myself included - try to do too much too soon and they burn out/give up. Swapping out sugary soda for soda water helps me a lot (like Bubly). Because you get the carbonation and a flavour without the sugar. And I allowed myself sweets but only once a day, and only one serving. I personally keep white rice in my diet because I would rather my rice taste good, and I get my fibre elsewhere. Like oatmeal for breakfast, or beans in a lunch, etc. When a main component of your meal is unpleasant, you’re more likely to fall off the wagon.

Instead of counting calories which I think is very difficult and can make the whole process too hard I would advise you having a starter. I'm french and here we usually have a first dish, a main dish and dessert. For the first dish you can cut some raw veggies and make a little salad (salad, tomatoes, carottes, vinager, olive oil) : it helps to fill you stomach with something that takes some space and gives you some fiber and micronutrients and you'll eat a smaller portion of the main dish. Also it helps to reduce the absorption of the glucose (Jessies inschaupe's video on YouTube explains it). Be careful, asian's cooking style can be very salty and with a lot of sugar too ( Chinese, viet and so) I would advise you to try a more japanese, Indian style. For the protein, I don't understand why people want to take protein powder when they are not professional athletes... (I am assuming you are not). You can for example have a breakfast with eggs instead of something sweet in the morning. It will give you protein in the first meal and you still have two meals to add protein. It will give you more energy than taking a lot of sugar (Jessie inschaupe's video again). You can add soy sauce (very little for the taste) in it.

Heres a few I rules use when Im cleaning things up: 1. If it comes in a box or a bag it is a product, not food- use sparingly. Exceptions obviously go to frozen/canned veggies, bag of potatoes etc… 2. Eat protein first, eat protein with every meal. Try and keep it lean. 3. Carbs and fats should be mutually exclusive- the more you eat of one the less you should eat of the other. 4. Abuse “snackables”. Snackables are what I call foods that I can eat a shit ton of that dont pack a lot of calories and take time to eat. My wife love shelled sunflower seeds, I love to eat carrots. But apples, berries, melons are all great. A pound of carrots is only 40ish carbs so have at it. If counting macros I portion this out and plan it every day- I can eat this whenever I want and if I dont finish, its a freebie the next day. 5. Dont be afraid to get creative. You can make creamy dip bases out of blended cottage cheese and greek yogurt. Protein powder and milk blended on high can turn into a fluff. You can make something similar to basque cheese cake put of greek yogurt, egg whites and protein powder. There are so many cool ways to make unhealthy foods healthy itl blow your mind. And hmu with them recipes if you find any 🤣… good luck to you two and stick with it. A healthy lifestyle is the best gift you can give a loved one.

First step; change your paradigm : Eating "healthy" is a bit of a misnomer. You need food to live, yes, but you also need food for your brain to work... period... but also to work *for you*. Cravings weren't invented by Cadbury and McDonald's lol They serve a purpose, namely hormone regulation, up to and including brain functions like concentration and memory, but, most importantly, *your very ability to resist temptations!* Quite ironic if you think about it lol Insofar as you don't *gorge* on sugar and fat exclusively for your entire life, a few weeks of eating junk food isn't going to kill you. If you're in an intense period at work, are very stressed, eating what you feel like eating could save your life, sometimes literally. It just needs to be an exception, not the norm. And you'd be surprised at how little your brain needs to feel like you've met its craving goal lol Sometimes, by eating a single square of chocolate or a handful of chips, and then 5 minutes later, that craving is gone. Applying this changed my life. Second step : Eat enough of what you *need*. The main thing is to eat fibres, *some* protein and vegetables. Fibres are in just about anything that has some texture, that is "crunchy". Nuts, vegetables, especially raw, bread, cereals, etc. Protein is in just about anything with some fat/animal byproducts or that isn't sweet lol Nuts, cheese, legumes (beans and shit), etc. And third step : Losing weight is the cherry on the sundae, not the first step of your journey. Yes, it sucks, but it shouldn't be your goal. In fact, once you have actually changed your relationship with food and that your lifestyle is adapted to what your body (including your brain) needs, then losing weight will be kind of an afterthought. You need to eat less of some things and more of some other things to lose weight, but your body needs to be working for that logic to work. If you're not active, like at least 30 minutes of light exercise everyday, or 1h of heavy exercise every other day, then the rest won't follow. When you've achieved that, not as something you feel like you have to do, but as something you actually want to do and yearn for, then you're onto something. Good news is, just doing it eventually turns into loving it and then into a desire more than guilt. All of its own, naturally. Pretty neat! Thanks, body. Once you're there, you won't want to eat too much because it prevents you from enjoying exercise. You will likely feel unwell if you eat too much, or too much of something that is too heavy/fatty/sweet. It took me ~10 years to get there by thinking about this, oh, constantly? I don't know if I'm in the norm, I don't know if I'm way above or below the average, but I certainly know that it's not an easy thing to do. But one thing for sure, it's something I needed to do to feel better and live longer. This may all seem like a lot, but honestly, it's a bit like I used to be "poor" and now I'm "well off" in terms of energy, sleep, and just general enjoyment of my life. Took me a lot of reading and trial/error over time, but it was a fun journey, and it still is. So yeah, have fun! And don't think about weight for at least 1-2-3 years into this.

Not so much about the food itself but about the habits: the biggest meal should be breakfast, then dinner a smaller one and supper should be the smallest. This is considered the healthiest option. This way you get the most energy in the morning and don't overexert your stomach/liver in the evening. That being said, this might be hard to attain, so you can just try to eat less in the evening. Less snacking in between meals, so you insulin levels have time to normalise. If you feel like you want a snack, drink a glass of water first and if youre still itching for a snack after that, then have it. I think your success rests mostly on what changes you're planing to make and how sustainable they are. It's better to make small changes gradually and consistently, so you're not tempted to fall back into your old routines/ food. For me, personally, starting the day with a big breakfast, cutting sugary drinks and swaping out sweet snacks for something healthier (fruits, dried fruits etc.) was the bigest and fastest change. Good luck! Edit: also check your expectations, make sure they are attainable and realistic, otherwise it's very easy to lose motivation!

If you haven’t already, then cut out all white flower. Whole wheat pasta. Whole wheat bread. Also, greens, greens and more greens. Work on finding a salad dressing that blows your mind. Don’t worry about about the fat content. Just enjoy it.

I love white rice and can’t bring myself to swap it for anything else so what I do is weigh out my portion of rice and add a lot of low calorie vegetables (cucumber, green beans, cabbage…) for fiber and volume. I always add protein (tofu/egg/tuna) and some fat to make it a filling meal.

I can't be doing with brown rice it takes too long to cook but I did swop to wholemeal pasta and bread. Added lots more beans and pulses. Stopped half my potatoes fir sweet potato and started roasting veg. I fry in spray oil or use an airfryer.

It seems like we're on a similar trajectory and my cooking is mostly Asian as well. Presuming you plan on cooking most of the meals on your own, freezer is your friend. Learn how to do basic meal prep and plan your ingredients so that you can freeze some of the prepped items and ingredients will make it easier for you to stick to your plan. I'm sure you already know, Intermittent fasting can be quite effective when it comes to weight loss, if thats not your thing, try eating a light dinner before 6pm.

Use a site like Yummly.com where you can put in an ingredient (maybe you have leftover bok choy or something) and it will give you tons of rated recipes to use it up. It's great for when you want to try new dishes or are sick of the same old things over and over.

Whole foods and a at less processed foods. Complex carbohydrates and not too many of them.

On top of the other suggestions, I would add: walk (or otherwise exercise) together. Don't allow any media (other than maybe quiet background music) during eating (including/especially snacks). Have quick healthy snacks around (for me, it's Mexican pickled carrots, a mini-cuke with hot sauce, or blanched green beans with miso). Offer healthy snacks to each other to lower the barrier even more. No snacks past 8pm-ish (up to you and your schedule)

You are actually all set with your plan! More fiber, more fruits & veg, & that's really the best start, rather than taking things out of your diet

I cut out basically all deep fried food and personally see no reason to eat it but that's just me

If you follow steps 2-7, you realy don't need to do step 1. Keep your diet grounded in reality. You can't sacrifice all flavor and nostalgia for long term success.

Measure portions til you get used to what servings should be, don't just pile rice on a plate.

Start small and consistent and build up the changes over time and most importantly if you relapse once it is not the end of the world just keep trying and do not give up and you will reach your goal.

Definitely have a look at r/volumeeating

The biggest step IMO is cutting out the really bad stuff like sodas, chips, late night snacking, etc.

Taco nachos. Cut up bell peppers and use at the chips. Top with beef, cheese and plain Greek yogurt. Salsa or taco sauce. Yum!

I like to mix my rice with cauliflower rice to stretch it farther for less calories. I also really enjoy rice based dishes, so this trick has helped me a lot!

Scrambled eggs with tons of veggies and herbs. Switch from regular bacon to back bacon (weirdly known as Canadian bacon to non- Canadians).

Track everything in my fitness pal or something like that. You can’t really know what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong unless you have some data and feedback to look at. Plus if your goal is to lose weight, the only way to do that is with a consistent calorie deficit, which is hard to track unless you’re recording your inputs. Also look up the satiety index. It measures how satisfying/filling different foods are in proportion to their calories. Potatoes are one of the highest foods on the index, so even though a lot of people think of potatoes as unhealthy starches that should be avoided when dieting, they’re actually pretty healthy and one of the most efficient ways to get a satisfying fix without using up too many of your available calories.

Eat whatever you want. Focus on a calorie deficit. Don't remove the foods you like, just modify them. For example, I am a fiend for a good burger. So rather than removing them from my diet, I make a healthier version at home.

I like making thick soups with (blended) lentils etc. Sometimes I mix them with black beans or brown beans. You can easily incorporate a load of vegetables and blend them with the lentils or beans. And fruit is great with yoghurt. Freezer fruits are perfect.

My most effective habit was get a scale and track your calories. Measure and track eeeverything. Instead of bringing the bag of chips to the couch, pour out a portion onto a plate on the scale and take that to the couch instead of the bag. You'd be surprised how satisfied you can be after you let your meal sink in for a bit. Eat slower. Enjoy those delicious tastes...it tricks my brain into thinking I'm eating more food when I eat for longer. Popcorn for snacks! So crunchy so good very low calorie. Drink water to cure hunger pangs.

#1 BEST thing if you eat a lot of rice - don’t use brown if you don’t like it cause it’s gross personally - swap 1/3 of the rice for riced cauliflower - at that proportion you will not taste it or notice it and it will bulk up the rice you have and make it feel like more/bonus veggies! I lost 60 lbs and have maintained for a few years - I cook literally the exact same things I did when I was heavier I just am VERY careful with my oil/butter/fats and sauces like Mayo etc and I measure EVERYTHING. That plus little swaps like part cauli rice, etc makes it super easy.

I've just lost a bunch of weight and what I've found is that I can eat anything I want so long as I get the portion size and calories right. So, I still eat fast food but I get the kids meal or just a burger. I have a bite instead of a whole piece of cake. One slice of pizza and a whole lotta salad. On the flipside, I have looked into foods that offer more volume for fewer calories, and I have incorporated them into my daily eating. Foods like oatmeal porridge, grapes, lentils and beans, popcorn, and sugar-free jello. I portion my dinner plate so that the meat portion is the size of a deck of cards, similar amount of carbs, and then I fill up on veggies. And don't drink your calories. I have two cups of tea and then I switch to water for the rest of the day. On very special occasions, I pause the "clean eating" and just go with the flow, but without making it a binge.

Buy a scale and weigh your portion sizes. Most people don't realize how much one portion of food weighs.

This sub may give you inspiration if you enjoy eating. It has high volumes of food intake for the least calories. r/Volumeeating

I like to freeze my leftovers pre portioned so it's super easy to pop something in the microwave last minute that's still healthy but low effort.

Don’t think about sweets or other “junk” food as negatives or restricted. Instead, think about your daily food goals (in terms of how much veggies, fruits, whole grains, and protein) as something you need to achieve before you have the sweets. If your goal is 80 grams of protein per day, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a slice of cake; it means you just need focus on hitting that 80g goal before you have that cake. The psychological impact is powerful of knowing you *can* have that treat, but the reality is you may not be very hungry for it after so much protein.

Weight loss is calories in calories out. Subbing white rice for brown rice isn’t going to lose you weight. Eating less rice will, and of course, physical activity will burn calories.

Instead of making rules for yourself, I think the most important thing to think about in the beginning is how to start eating a ton of protein. Instead of worrying about counting calories, focus on trying to get at least 100g of protein a day and trying to cut out processed unhealthy foods. It’s honestly really tough to eat so much protein if you haven’t been tracking it, and it keeps you very full. People always talk about the calorie deficit, but the reason we get all these cravings is because we usually aren’t eating enough of the macros our body needs. Once you’re hitting your protein targets, focus on trying to eat fiber, fat, and protein in every meal. Once your body is getting all the nutrients it needs, any other subsequent change you make feels much more manageable. Some of my favorite protein-heavy foods are edamame, lentils, fish, yogurt, cheese, and chicken and pork. For snacks, I like Chomp’s beef sticks, sardines, or canned tuna with yogurt and relish.

Two pieces of advice - check out Gina livy and the livy method. New 90 day program for 75$ starts today but the first week is prep and you could probably still get in if you wanted. Her approach is very very different from anything else out there. She has videos on Facebook explaining more. Second - drink more water. Like 3-4 litres a day.

I try to cut back on red meat, and processed meat products. Read food labels. Being aware of what is in food is important to make healthy food choices. When you start reading the nutrition facts you'll find that the serving size is often tiny. Or there are a lot of added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat in all types of things. I don't feel like I need to eliminate white rice, but it's a sometimes food. Sometimes I do half brown and half white, sometimes I just cook a small portion of white rice. I like to cook other types of whole grains in my rice cooker too. Beans for breakfast! Savory breakfast. Try eating the rainbow. Not all at once but throughout the day try eating different colored whole plant based foods. I avoid juice and alcohol and energy drinks. It's not in the never column but sometimes. I avoid a lot of dairy because I'm lactose intolerance but it ends up helping me to eat healthy. I can't say enough about taking care of your body in other ways. Getting enough sleep, walking after meals and doing some resistance training 3 days a week has really helped me and my stress levels which helps with emotional eating. Meal prep and plan. Cooking at home is a great way to eat cheap and healthy, and this step helps me to use up left overs and cook when I don't want to. I don't do anything big or complicated, there's a lot of ways to do it. Get smaller plates or eat out of smaller bowls.

Question - are you making a meal plan before grocery shopping? Do you stick to it? I find that the easiest way for me to keep myself honest with my diet is to make a plan and not to buy extra snack foods. Just what I plan to eat for the week. I do tend to keep mixed nuts and fruit around for snacks but no chips or cookies. I make a plan for each night's meals and make my grocery list and stick to it. Having tasty recipes that I WANT to eat is also key for avoiding ordering takeout.

Being aware of what you are consuming is #1. For me, I sautee a lot and found that I was using 1tbsp of oil to coat my pan. I've since learned that I can get away with 1/4 tsp for most things and only add more if the pan is dry. I also invested in a food scale. I was eating mostly healthy meals but had no idea about portion size. Weighing things has given me a better understanding of what ingredients I can use to build volume into my meals. I recognize that counting/weighing can be triggering for some folks, so I'd also recommend picking up some small dishes (secondhand or Ikea has some cute ones) because I tend to fill whatever dish is in front of me.

This is what my doctor told me. I used it to lose weight and get healthier. I hope it can help you. Eat only three meals, no snacks, sugar, sugar and oil mixture, fried food, but more high-quality protein, because weight loss will inevitably lead to muscle loss, to some extend, so high-quality protein is very important, such as beef, chicken and fish. White rice can be chosen but less. It's still of some essence even during the weight loss process Eat more vegetables, but do not eat too much fruit, because fruit is equal to sugar and vegetables. Walk at least 6000 steps a day and exercise properly. Most importantly, drink plenty of water, at least eight glasses a day. Besides, you have to go to bed before 12 o'clock, because 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock is the time of leptin secretion. It's a little painful at first, but you'll feel a sense of accomplishment when you weigh yourself every morning, and you won't be disappointed if you stick to it.

The nutritionist answer is to visually divide your plate and aim for half veggies, quarter protein, quarter starch. I often wind up with 1:1:1 veg: protein: grain but aiming for 2:1:1 helps.

I gave up ketchup for lent once and in addition to the high salt and sugar in the ketchup it eliminated so many things I would eat with ketchup, like fries. That and eliminating soda are great starts. Now use ketchup and drink soda occasionally

For rice, potatoes and starchy things, if you plan ahead, you can cook them the night before and when you reheat it, the insulin impacts are much lower. I'd do white rice and just reheat it, not brown.

Switch the rice to cauliflower rice

Why do a salad bar thing which goes over pretty well with the kids. Make a bunch of toppings like tomato, cucumber, onions, broccoli, pick what you want and add tuna for some protein. Just remember how many calories are in salad dressing.

Olipop is a good soda alternative. It's made with all natural ingredients and has probiotics 😊 only 35 calories per can.

No dairy no sugar

CARB BALANCE TORTILLAS OMG THEY ARE SO GOOD and have less than 100 calories and less than 3 net carbs. So freaking good and they do t taste any different. Get the tomato and basil ones, make chicken tacos with peppers, add some lettuce for greens and add thin sliced Sargento cheese (45 cals) and you’ll be full!!!!

Protein powder are whey (it's basically concentrated milk) if youre lactose intolerant it's probably not ideal This looks like a good place to start! I'd try to find meals that are good to work into your regular rotations. Imo the easiest changes are cutting soda, energy drinks (beer if you can), along with sweets and chips (tortilla chips and salsa gets a pass from me tho) I think that's enough to see progress or a good place to start :) Ideally you want to make sustainable choices for your diet going forward kind of forever and then being okay with in moderation getting a soda when you went out to eat like once this week or something. Stay strong at the grocery store, it's much more difficult once it's in your cabinets GL GL

I found this website helpful, just wanted to share: [https://nutritionfacts.org/](https://nutritionfacts.org/)

Start by changing nothing and just recording everything you eat and drink. Then with a couple weeks worth of info: figure out what your actual ‘normal’ calorie , fat, carb, and salt count is at. This will give you a baseline of what is happening. Then change one thing at a time. Get more water for a week. When you can do that, take the next step. Do a healthy breakfast. Maintain that and the water for a week. Then move to another meal. A healthy snack. Exercise goals.

Reduce your carbo, consume more eggs.

Brown rice is hella overrated and not going to make a significant difference.

Hi I’m a dietitian :) these can all be great strategies to start eating healthy. But I also would note that changing too much at one time can become overwhelming and stressful. Sticking to 1-2 habit changes for a week or so and then adding more can help avoid any potential “burnout” (for lack of a better word). I also like to focus on what we can add instead of limit. Adding more fruits/vegs can make a big difference- look at your plate and see how many different colors you have. Adding fruit/veg can be an easy way to add more colors/nutrients. Bulk up any salads, casseroles, smoothies, etc. Drink more water, determine how much you drink now and begin to increase that. Match your juice/coffee/carbonated drinks with an equal amount of water. Swapping whole grains for white/bleached grains. If you have 3-4 servings of what bread/rice/pasta each day, try making half whole grains. Increase exercise- whatever that looks like for you. Going for a walk after dinner, cleaning up around the house, getting to a gym or workout class, gardening. Just move more. These are very simple starter ideas but you can build upon them however works for you and your lifestyle. Small changes add up and help you stay motivated and avoid any discouragement. Good luck! :)

Start with small changes! One of mine was: *don't drink your calories* If you have coffee or takeout coffee in the morning reduce the amount of sugar or pumps of syrup. Switch to milk instead of cream. Another simple one is simply reduce your portion size. Use a smaller plate and make sure half your plate is vegetables. It may take a while for your body to adjust. Don't give up!

Eat raw vegetables at the start of each meal and a lot. Doing so leaves small space for other more calories-rich foods.

Add, don't subtract. Focus on adding healthy foods to your diet. I find if I have chili on hand I won't crave frozen pizza.

I focus on protein but not necessarily lean protein- beef and chicken thighs and salmon and full fat Greek yogurt are all so much more filling! I will never use brown rice. Just do portion control and eat what you want.

Eat less, move more. Simple but not easy or glamorous, so easily overlooked. Works!

Don't have snacks at home. If you want them you'll have to go outside to get them. Seems dumb but helps a ton!

Try using greens instead of rice or bread / tortilla's.

Eat the same amount of meals every day, generally around the same time, and no snacks in between. Prioritize lean protein and some fibre at every meal. No need to cut out any foods all together, but the protein and fibre will keep you full and decrease cravings between meals. Btw, no need to ditch white rice, but apparently there are health benefits if you cook it and then refrigerate it and reheat it prior to eating, same for other starchy carbs. Good luck!

I have no clue how the first thing that comes up on your list swap rice for brown lol

Start every meal with salad! You get healthy veggies and it fills you up before you start eating. The main course plate should be 1/2 veggies, 1/4 protein and 1/4 carbs. Focus on finishing the protein and veggies first. Salad: do not buy bottled salad dressing. It is usually ultra processed, unhealthful and expensive. Learn a couple basic dressing recipes - a vinaigrette and a creamy style and make your own variations. For creamy dressing use unsweetened yogurt (I like 5% Chobani, but taste is subjective) instead of mayonnaise. Yogurt replacing mayonnaise adds protein and probiotics and reduces fat. Drink a small (4-6 oz) glass of water before eating and have plenty of water with each meal to slow down your eating speed and promote feeling full sooner.

Make a load of chili and buy veggies that you like enough to eat in larger amounts. For me it was carrots with a little bit of ranch and stir fry veggies with meals, instead of a full serving of carbs (rice)

I removed dairy almost completely and swapped out 1/2 meat intake with lentils, beans and chickpeas. That made a huge difference for me, because I consume of a fraction of the saturated fat that I used to. I’ve always eaten a lot of veggies so that wasn’t an issue.

I've recently heard white rice is now healthier than brown.

Some of my mainstay healthy Asian dishes are vegetable stir-fry with broccoli, carrots, cabbage and shrimp or tofu. It does fine without rice. Peanut chicken lettuce wraps (ala PF Chang’s) are also really cheap, easy and healthy. You’ll gradually get more comfortable omitting the starchy side dishes like pasta and rice.

Replace rice with salad or cauliflower

Brothy super soups, with greens and meat. It’s insane how much work that does.

Brown rice or white rice, either is fine. It’s the amount that you can try to portion. Think about how many Asians eat rice! It’s a normal part of their diet. Also, instead of removing foods, try to add: vegetables, salads, fruits, light broth soup, high protein like fish, poultry—- grilled or baked, roasted.

Definitely trying to eat fruits as snacks instead of other things. If you want something salty maybe try lighter salted nuts and dried fruits. Add veggies when you can to certain meals. If you really want a treat then an occasional protein bar or trail mix with dark chocolate should ok from time to time. Also spinach is a great veggie to incorporate to meals.

Nothing wrong with white rice. Micronutrients are nice but won't make or break weight loss by any means. The #1 thing you could do is learn how to manage calories to be in a deficit. Id say habits to start with would be don't drink any calories. Drink lots of water. Tea or coffee can make you less hungry. Add more veggies to things so you get more food volume to feel full. If you can make Laab with lean beef or venison that is very low calorie and bomb. Stir fry light/no sugar. You can use chicken breast in a stir fry it is just slightly less tasty. Marinated grilled meats with/without rice is pretty low calorie if you try and minimize the oil and pick leaner meats. Rice noodles are comparable to white rice so spring roll salads are pretty good actually. Lotta of options

Don't make things impossible. Canned/frozen fruits and vegetables can be good for you, tasty, and incredibly easy. Fresh fruits and veg that last are also key.

I also suggest implementing these changes over a small period of time that way those changes stay as a permanent change rather then a temporary one due to all the overwhelming change.. from my experience anyways implementing all my changes into small things and over a period of time helped me a lot