AIBU to no longer know what a healthy diet looks like?

[iloveruby]

I'm just so confused about all the various diet / health information that I no longer know what is considered healthy, or how to plan my meals so that they are nutritious.

I suppose the background to this is that I'm about 4 stone overweight and have tried various diets to no success but in the process have become so confused about what I should or shouldn't be eating.

I no longer know what is the right choice. For example, the 5 a day message is simple but then fruit is considered too sugary and sugar is bad so does that then mean 5 a day is just veg?

Then there is the message to cut down on refined carbs and increase protein, but at the same time to consume less meat (one of my main protein sources).

Am I the only one who is confused and if not, what does a healthy diet actually look like?

:-)

And I follow Angry Chef on Twitter plus a few dietitians and specialists. Helps keep my mind focused on the science not the junk!

I think that is the approach I am trying to take Pootle and why I'm reluctant to go down the route of counting calories again (although having an appreciation of portion size etc is important).

One of the real motivating factors when I stopped drinking was the health benefits - physical and mental. I'm trying to harness the same motivators with food, to eat in a way that supports my body and my brain and that is why all the conflicting advice is so confusing.

This thread has been really useful in understanding which foods are going to be genuinely beneficial, and how to choose what to eat.

I think you're doing the right thing. Having looked into diet (partly for work, partly personal reasons), there is good evidence that the Mediterranean diet is still a good one to bear in mind. But what that means is: fruit and veg, a little fish, dairy, meat, nuts, pulses. Not too much (I agree with the 'size of your fist' comments previously)...

But even this is contentious as what really is a 'Mediterranean diet' and is it food, lifestyle or genes that really makes the difference?

Bottom line that I follow personally is to eat food that's actually food - eg full fat dairy, nuts, veg, rice...mostly plant based. And not too much.

When I've lost weight it's as much to do with exercise and eating patterns as diet. It's easy to get hung up on food but start with the basics like eating proper food, 5 a day and not too much and it'll fall into place.

Er, this thread is full of contradictory advice!
But I'm glad you feel more confident, OP.

If the focus at the moment is weight loss then you're going to have to calorie count. You can eat 100 % 'healthy' food but if you eat more calories than you burn you still won't lose - the only way to lose weight is a calorie deficit. 500 calories a day defecit = 1lb loss a week. I'm living proof, I've tried 5:2, low carb,slimming world etc but only calorie counting has given me consistent weight loss

This is the best diet advice

I'm reluctant to go down the route of counting calories again
It could work for you if you think of it positively as what can i eat with all these caloroes today? I quite enjoy the challenge of finding low calorie things that I really enjoy like fried mushrooms or baked courgette.

Me too 'myother', I had a double caramel magnum yesterday and managed to fit it in! It stops me binging, if I know I'm going for lunch, or taking Ds out for a day so il he having a latte or ice cream I just make sure I plan it in

I do take the point about calorie counting and completely recognise that the only way to loose weight is to create a calorie deficit.

I suppose I could use calorie counting to reposition how I view portion size, and to encourage me to find healthy foods I can fill up on.

The issue that I've had with calorie counting previously is that it has become a negative experience - I would go over my calories and then be angry with myself so think "fuck it" and to simultaneously punish and comfort myself would then eat shed loads of food.

Conflicting advice but it always comes down to the same thing burn more calories than we eat . Add protein to your breakfast 🍳 eggs for example or real Greek yogurt and remove some carbs from meals by adding green vegetables 🥒 lots of them. That is what I do (or try). Best advice I have heard is change one small thing drop a fizzy drink or go for a short walk every day. Don't drop everything from your diet or you will cheat. And we all like to cheat.

You need to chase that attitude out OP. I have the odd day where I go over my calories but I just think ah well tomorrow I will have lots of veg. Don't punish yourself. The odd day over won't do any harm whereas then binging cos you're cross about it will do harm. Draw a line under each day and if one day you feel disappointed that you ate something that took you over your goal just start afresh the next day. I find using a calorie counting app is really helpful cos then I can look back on my trend and see that actually since 1st May the vast majority of days have been significantly lower than before I changed my eating habits. I was really surprised at how quickly my tastes changed.

Oh yes and make friends with low cal food that you really enjoy. I love eggs and sometimes hard boil half a dozen to keep in the fridge for when I suddenly need to eat something. My other low cal friends which I've already mentioned up thread are courgette and mushroom which I love.

Eat Less, Do More is my motto Try and move as much as you can throughout the day; every little helps.

Eat well; buy the best quality you can afford, take care & prepare your food with love & respect, enjoy every mouthful, savour the tastes & textures instead of wolfing food down as so many people do.

Drink lots of water. Eat more fruit & veg.

Stay away from diet plans & clubs unless you are confident you can keep up the principles for life. Having said that, I am a big fan of intermittent fasting; it's a lifestyle for me. So I think finding something that works for you personally is the key.

Exercise if & when you enjoy it (don't be a slave to the gym - do whatever works for you & your lifestyle). Diet is more important for weight loss, although moving more obviously helps.

If I go over I just log it and move on, one day won't make much difference in the long run. I also weigh daily against most diet advice as your weight naturally fluctuates - if I weighed weekly I might hit a day when I'm retaining water and see a gain. If I weigh daily I can get an average weight for the week, if it's lower than the previous weeks average then it's all good. I track it on my Fitbit app and love seeing the graph heading down!

Doesn't sound like calorie counting is for you OP.

Perhaps get used to measures of portion sizes - we use a cup etc - so that you're not overeating if you think that's an issue.

I'm not sure there's great evidence for long term weight loss with calorie counting plans, usually they only fit to re-educate on portion size and learning when you are full.

The best diet advice I ever received was simply this:-

Eat less food. (Our portion sizes are too big.)
Eat real food. (Nothing processed, packaged or preserved)
Mostly plants.
Most of the plants you eat should grow above the ground.

If you stick to this 90% of the time, you will lose weight.

Oh dear, so no tasty homegrown onions , spuds, beetroot, radish?

I think not!!!

Eat less food - yes, if your portions are too big, good advice. (It's not always the problem though, not everyone eats too much).

'Nothing processed' - so, all raw then? Nothing cooked, no lean meat, chicken or fish, no yoghurt, cheese, pasteurised milk, dried fruit, bread...

'Nothing packaged' - what?! So loose apples are fine, say, but those which come in a packet are somehow nutritionally different and not 'real'? I certainly believe that we overpackage things but it doesn't actually have an impact on what nutrition we get from food - some packaging in fact, helps to retain nutrients and keep things for longer (dark bottles for certain oils for example.)

This makes absolutely no sense. Yes I'm sure if you cut out all this stuff you'd lose weight. I'm not sure you'd be healthy though.

There is a book called Intuitive Eating that is very well thought of. I've not read it, but I've heard the authors on several podcasts.

I listen to Chris Sandell a lot. He talks real sense about food and food issues. If you want to really understand what happens when you restrict calories over the long term, you should listen to his podcast on the minessota starvation experiment : [https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/real-health-radio-ending-diets-improving-health-regulating/id1028907655?mt=2&i=1000369875047].

I'd say cut refined food right down. So hardly any packaged, multi ingredient stuff, butter not marge.

Not much sugar but no artificial sweeteners - so sugar when sweetness is needed.

Don't worry too much about carbs v protein as long as I follow the above rules.

Lots of fruit and vegetables. No limit on these. I've never overdone sugar through eating whole natural fruit.

Maybe focusing on portion size would be a good first goal then. The British Heart Foundation had a good portion size guide on their website. There was also a guide to how many portions of each food group you should be aiming for each day.

Yes, just take a few decisions. You don't want to count calories - fair enough. I hate that too.
So perhaps do what I am doing - no breakfast. Only eat at meal times. No snacks.

I try to ensure there is quite a bit of good fat, olive oil etc with a piece of fish or meat - nothing processed, nothing in batter, no burgers but a real whole egg or piece of fish, then put loads of veg in too. It is very hard to get fat on most veg other than potatoes.

On your portion sizes you might want a handful of veg, a handful of fish/meat and I would not do this as I don't lose weight easily with lots of carbs, but a handful of brown rice for example.

*The best diet advice I ever received was simply this:-

Eat less food. (Our portion sizes are too big.)
Eat real food. (Nothing processed, packaged or preserved)
Mostly plants.
Most of the plants you eat should grow above the ground.

If you stick to this 90% of the time, you will lose weight.*

Yes, because with that dull a diet you'll be taking in less calories.

www.facebook.com/funnyordie/videos/10155527489418851/

God knows!

Also keep busy. The busier you are the less likely you are to snack and comfort eat. Don't just sit down all evening eating, do something.