I am getting ready but I need to go SHOPPING!

[xXRachie RaeXx]

I am going on my diet tommorow but I need to go shopping for food. I mean I just cant eat junkfood and workout. Anyways...What are some good foods I can have on my diet but can actually help me burn off caloriesw from it or are some just good foods I should eat?

 

[BobbySoxer01]

I would definatley buy lots of fruit and vegetables. Strawberries(when they're in season), peaches, broccoli, lettuce, carrots and all those other fruits and vegeies will give you necessary vitamins and since fruit is sweet it can be like a dessert. If you live near a Railey's try their store brand fat-free Vanilla Yogurt(try other flavors if you don't like vanilla, but besides plain vanilla has the least calories) it's delicous and comes in a single serving size so you don't think you're eating 60 calories but then realise your eating 120. The best part is that it doesn't have High Fructose Corn Syrup. Avoid that like the plague,(Yoplait has it so I don't eat that any more and it's Light version isn't as healthy as the Railey's kind.) get whole weat breads instead of white (multi grain is good too) and for breakfast foods get something high in fiber, it will make you feel fuller longer(bran is healthy) I have Cherios and I just add frozen fruit. Lean meats are good, lots of turkey and chicken, and if you like it be sure to get fish, a healthy diet conists of Omega 3 Fatty Acid and even though the name sounds good it's really important. Oh and avoid the diet bars, protien bars and power bars. They seem healthy but people eat them before a workout thinking they're great, but with upwards of 200 calories in each, it just doesn't work. They're made to replace a meal and the amount of calories reflect that, but they're small and expensive and just not healthy)  

[BobbySoxer01]

Oh yeah Raileys brand Low fat(low fat is good smile ) cheese is tasty and healthy. (The white kindespecially, it comes in a rectangle packace it's so yummy and makes a great snack). Good luck

and be sure to make a list, fi you don't have a list written out you're more likely to buy junk food  

[dangerousfish]

Here's stuff that always is on my shopping list:
low-fat cottage cheese (low cal, calicum, protein = awesome), my favorite is Michigan Brand
sliced chicken breast from the deli
whole grain breads (fiber, protein) I love French Meadows' woman's bread for my sandwiches. XD
nonfat yogurt, Country Fresh nonfat lemon chiffon is one of my favorites
edamame (soy bean pods, they make a really great snack)
broccoli!
carrots
romaine lettuce
baby spinach
cucumbers
random veggie!
oatmeal
chocolate Designer Whey protein powder
I used to get unflavored genisoy ultra xt but they changed the formula : p
raisins (for my oatmeal)
I agree about the High Fructose Corn Syrup, much like trans fats that falls under my heading of things that aren't even real food. lol. I find it easier to cut out trans than HFCS which is in so much pre-made stuff.

I do think you can eat meal replacement bars, you just have to check out the nutrition label to see which ones fit your lifestyle. I don't buy ones aimed at body builders during a bulking phase since they will be full of protein but also will be full of the extra calories they need to gain. Ones aimed for "dieters" may be low in calories but just full of empty nutrition, lots of sugar no fiber or protein.

My favorite bar for running out the door are genisoy's chocolate mint. Kashi made a snack sized bar I liked too, a lot of fiber for a small bar. I think it was in the GoLean line. My health food store sells the genisoy bars cheaper than my super store (oddly enough).

I make a filling high protein, fiber, carb breakfast out of the oatmeal and the designer whey plus some raisins. I also make a protein shake. After I got more into lifting I started adding more protein. The powders allow me to throw a scoop of extra protein into many foods, so I enjoy it. But it isn't something you have to do or that is even for everyone.  

[LadyImpish]

Fruits and veggies are a MUST.
I personally love green tea.  

[hydroh]

BobbySoxer01

I would definatley buy lots of fruit and vegetables. Strawberries(when they're in season), peaches, broccoli, lettuce, carrots and all those other fruits and vegeies will give you necessary vitamins and since fruit is sweet it can be like a dessert. If you live near a Railey's try their store brand fat-free Vanilla Yogurt(try other flavors if you don't like vanilla, but besides plain vanilla has the least calories) it's delicous and comes in a single serving size so you don't think you're eating 60 calories but then realise your eating 120. The best part is that it doesn't have High Fructose Corn Syrup. Avoid that like the plague,(Yoplait has it so I don't eat that any more and it's Light version isn't as healthy as the Railey's kind.) get whole weat breads instead of white (multi grain is good too) and for breakfast foods get something high in fiber, it will make you feel fuller longer(bran is healthy) I have Cherios and I just add frozen fruit. Lean meats are good, lots of turkey and chicken, and if you like it be sure to get fish, a healthy diet conists of Omega 3 Fatty Acid and even though the name sounds good it's really important. Oh and avoid the diet bars, protien bars and power bars. They seem healthy but people eat them before a workout thinking they're great, but with upwards of 200 calories in each, it just doesn't work. They're made to replace a meal and the amount of calories reflect that, but they're small and expensive and just not healthy)

*hugs*
That was so amazingly helpful.

 

[Divash]

Good Health Guidelines (from Weight Watchers, but they're good guidelines for anyone):

1. Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day, as a bare minimum. Add to this one glass of water per (a) 20 pounds that you weigh over your ideal weight, so if your ideal weight is 130 pounds and you weight 175, add two glasses of water; (b) fifteen minutes of physical activity/exercise; (c) sodium-rich meal; (d) 10 degrees of temperature difference between indoors and outdoors EACH TIME you go inside or outside -- so if it's 65 degrees Fahrenheit indoors and it's 25 degrees outdoors, you go outside and need 2 glasses of water, and going back inside you'll need another 2 glasses of water.

2. Get at least 3 vegetable servings per day and at least 2 fruit servings per day. Beans, corn, rice, and potatoes do not count as vegetables, nutritionally speaking. They've got way more starch and way less vitamins and minerals.

3. Get at least two dairy servings per day, or three if you're under 20 or over 60 years of age. Ideally these should be fat-free.

4. For starches, choose beans, corn, rice, potatoes, and whole grain products. Cut down on processed products such as breads, pastas, and cereals unless they're made with whole grains.

5. Get some protein every day. At least 6 ounces of fish, fowl, or meat -- and go for lean or extra-lean. With fowl (chicken, turkey, other birds), prepare them with the skin off. If you don't eat meat, fowl, or fish, try eggs and low-fat or non-fat cheeses. If you don't eat any animal products, see your doctor, and focus on soy and other beans as sources of protein. HOWEVER, don't eat more than 4 ounces of protein in a single meal. The body can't process more than that at one time, and if it can't process it, it'll turn straight to fat.

6. Get two teaspoons per day of Healthy Oils. The ones that count as Healthy Oils (because these contain the things your brain requires if it's going to keep functioning properly) are olive, canola, sunflower, safflower, and flaxseed oils. There are other oils that are also good for you, in small amounts: avocado, sesame, peanut, walnut, and some fish oils such as salmon. The oils that are notoriously bad for you in terms of weight gain, cholesterol, saturated fat, trans fats, and other nastiness are: coconut, cottonseed, corn, and all fats and oils that come from meat or fowl.

7. Make smart substitutions. Try out Healthy Oils and other better-for-you oils as a substitute for some or all fats in your cooking. When baking, substitute up to 3/4 of the oil in a recipe with apple sauce. Baking Splenda, which is half Splenda and half regular sugar, will be only half the calories of regular sugar, while letting your baked goods retain the texture that real sugar gives them.

8. Have a little treat now and then. If you're going on a diet, it means that someday you'll go off of the diet and splurge by binging when you "can't take it anymore!" However, if you allow yourself a tiny piece of candy per day, or maybe one slice of cake or pie each week, you'll be able to stick with your new healthy eating habits for the rest of your life, because you won't be depriving yourself for the rest of your life. Saying the word "forever" makes a lot of us get discouraged. Instead of saying "I'll never eat ice cream again," tell yourself, "I'll never overeat ice cream again." That way, you know that you can still have a taste once in a while and it won't make you a bad person, and it won't make you stay fat forever.

9. Increase your activity level in small increments. Don't start right away trying to run a marathon. It'll hurt you. Instead, just walk about one extra block every day for a week or a month. Walk one bus stop further, or get off the bus one stop sooner than normal. Park your car futher away from the entrance to the shopping center. Go out in the yard and play with your kids, if you have kids. Also, don't think of it as exercise, but as playing. Remember being a little kid, when all you wanted was to stay outside and play until you were forced to come inside for dinner or bathtime? Get back to that. Playtime is fun. Enjoy yourself more -- it burns calories.

10. Learn to measure success by something other than the numbers on a scale. It's nice to say "I used to weigh 275 pounds and now I only weigh 175, and I've only got 50 pounds left until I reach goal." It's even nicer to be able to find success without having to weigh in. Got a special outfit you'd like to be able to wear again? Want to go out dancing and not get tired? Looking forward to not feeling embarrassed to shower after gym class? Would you like to go on your vacation and walk around to see all the sites, without feeling cranky and worn out? Want to be a thin bride or groom? The main goals aren't really weight loss. Weight loss isn't really a goal, it's a tool to reach other goals. Those other goals are health, energy, pride, waistline, and self-esteem. Focus on those, and the weight loss will happen. Focus on weight, and none of it will happen.