Beginner Tips

Being a beginner myself, I feel like I should share things that are working for me diet  wise.  Call it a cheat sheet if you will...

Things I include in my diet EVERYDAY 

• Greek Yogurt.  Chobani makes a great yogurt that comes in a variety with fruit at the bottom.  I recommend it because it's nonfat and a great source of protein and it's lower in sugar than regular yogurts.  Greek Yogurt can be a little pricey, but we buy it by the case at a wholesale store which cuts down the price.  
• Green Tea.  Studies have shown that green tea can help to burn more calories during exercise.  It's also been used in Chinese medicine for more than 4,000 years.  Amazing right...yeah I thought so too.  It's recommended to drink at least 3 cups of green tea a day, but I try to include at least one.  Most of the time I have it with breakfast to help wake me up.  There is caffeine in it after all. 
• Almonds.  They're great.  6 grams of protein in 1 oz of almonds.  Yeah, you read that right.  Just 1 oz.  They do contain 15 grams of fat per 1 oz, but 10 grams of that is monounsaturated.  For those who didn't pay attention in health class or just don't remember...monounsaturated fat is known as the "good fat".  It can help to lower blood cholesterol levels. Yeah...that makes it a plus to me!
• Mozzarella string cheese.  Polly O Mozzarella string cheese has 7 grams of protein in one cheese stick!  There's also only 80 calories.  And for the kid in you...it's just fun to play with your food.  I love peeling the cheese, lol.
• Apples or our homemade applesauce.  I've already posted about apples.  Click here to be directed to that post.  They're delicious and very, very good for your health.
• Turkey dogs.   We love our turkey dogs.  The ones we buy are only 40 calories a piece and have 5 grams of protein.  They also only have 0.5 grams of fat per link.  Nice huh.  They're great for lunch.

I can not stress how important protein and fiber are in a diet.  Diet...why am I calling it a diet?  It really isn't a diet.  It's a lifestyle change.  It's very important to think of it that way.  If you think of it as something you're doing for a short period of time, you're more likely to "fall off the wagon" per say, than someone who considers it a major change in their life and plans to continue eating healthy.  Anyway...protein and fiber...there are many different foods that are high in either nutrient.  Why are they important?   Good lean protein can help convert fat into lean muscle, that is...if you exercise as well.  Fiber helps your body to feel full for longer.  (Apples do this as well).  So...cheat sheet...

Lean Proteins & Fiber

• Chicken.  Chicken breast is the least fattening, but not everyone likes it.  It tends to dry out faster than other parts of the chicken.  Thighs are great.  They're very hard to overcook.  We also buy ground chicken for chicken burgers!  Chicken is very versatile.  It can be added to just about anything and cooked pretty much anyway you want...except fried.  Chicken is used most in our house because it's relatively cheap.  We have 5 members, currently, eating at our table every night, so cost is important.
• Turkey.  We LOVE turkey.  Alot of times we buy it ground and make turkey burgers (on a whole wheat bun with a slice of deli cheese...perfect!).  There are a ton of recipes that call for ground beef that can be substituted with ground turkey.  We also buy turkey breast that's been filleted or made into cutlets.  Just like chicken, it can be cooked many ways.  
• Fish.  Our favorite fish is Tilapia.  It cooks very quickly and can pretty much hold up to any spice you wanna throw at it.   My favorite spice to put on our fish fillets is a roasted garlic and red pepper blend.  Here we can get a large bag with each fillet individually wrapped.  It's great.  We can thaw out just what we need and not have to worry about wasting any.
• Seafood.  We wouldn't be from Maryland if we said we didn't like seafood.  Guess what...it's good for you!  Family favorite is shrimp, but we like pretty much everything.  I put seafood at the bottom of the list because there is more cholesterol in seafood.  It's the good kind though.  Seafood is seasonal and sometimes it's outrageously expensive.
• Oatmeal.   Read the back of the box before you go buying oatmeal.  The weight control oatmeal is better for you.  It has more fiber than the regular oatmeal.  We buy it in the variety package (instant oatmeal) so we don't have to eat the same thing all the time.
• Fiber rich cereals.  There are a lot of fiber rich cereals.  Our favorites are pretty much all of the different Fiber One varieties.  They also make bars as well.  Nice way to get a chocolate fix.
• Broccoli.  What what!  I love broccoli and so do my girls.  Great source of fiber.  We generally just eat it raw with a little bit of light or fat free dressing, but there are plenty of ways to cook it. 

These aren't the only foods you have to eat.  There are tons of things that are great sources of protein and fiber.  The foods I've listed are just the ones we use most often.

So far  I've lost a grand total of 41 lbs eating like this.