I desperatly need to lose some weight but I'm not very good at counting calories. Can anyone give me a rundown of foods to definitely avoid

[bigbertha]

If this is possible I would also be grateful for a list of foods I should be eating too

[motivated]

Hi quite a few of us are on NHS 12 week weight loss plan and like you we all were new to calorie counting and really this is easier to learn then yiu think!!!download My Fitness Pal to your phone which will help to record what you eat and calorie content and also there is NHS quide helping you to read supermarket labels!!!in order to compare one brand to another there is a calorie intake per 100gr of food but also compare sugar salt fiber and so on based on 100gr the less the better appart from fiber more fiber the better this is not about list of what to eat and what not to it its about portion control majority of the time (on the pack of food you will see recommended serving size so stick to that as well). Good luck with your weight loss

[Penel]

Try to keep processed food to a minimum, if it comes in a packet then the packet may be the healthiest part. Only have sugar as an occasional treat. Eat the best quality real food you can afford.

Calories are only an approximate guide, keep your portions under control.

[ra220]

Definitely agree with 'motivated'. My Fitness Pal is such a useful app (if you have the capability to download it) and a bonus is that it's free!! Not only can you enter your food and exercise and work out your calorie intake, you can set goals for how much weight you'd like to use and it helps keep you on track. It also has a barcode scanner, so you can scan the packaging of your items to get the most accurate calorie count! Good on you for wanting to lose some weight. I can certainly speak from experience that Couch 2 5k and this forum in combination with My Fitness Pal have worked for me so far and I've lost over a stone (to date) and am on Week 5 of the running plan! It is possible - you just need to believe in yourself!! Good luck

[bigbertha]

Thank you all for your replies. The Fitness Ap sounds wonderful but unfortunately I don't own a smart phone as I live in a fairly isolated area with no mobile phone connections. I suppose I'll just have to do it the hard way.

[Reevespg in reply to bigbertha]

I've created a spreadsheet in excel to do the same thing just keep a track from labels and graph your weight, calorie intake, exercise etc to keep you motivated. It has worked for me. I really don't think you need to worry about the type of food. Obviously fruit and veg are healthier for you than fried chips etc but if you stick to the 1600/1900 Cal/day you are bound to lose weight even if all of the calorie intake is in chocolate!!

[gingernut49 in reply to bigbertha]

You can have MyFitnessPal on your computer and use it that way on your desktop or laptop.

[Hidden]

Hi big bertha,

You clearly have a computer, so you can probably find most of what you need via any seach engine - try googling things such as "calories in brown bread" or whatever. Part of a weight loss journey is developing an awareness of the lower calorie foods to focus on and the higher calorie foods to either avoid or limit. Yes you can eat higher calorie foods but only in small quantities and occasionally.

But it's also important to ensure you are taking in the full range of nutrients.

As you develop better eating habits, they will become the norm and your tastes will change accordingly.

It's about eating a sensible healthy diet, with a bit less calories than you need to maintain your current body weight thus meaning your body adapts and loses weight.

So, if you feel it's time to take control of your eating and through that your body weight - then go for it.

Good luck with your weight loss efforts.

[yvette303]

Hi Bertha, you can use Myfitnesspal via a computer, you dont need a phone. It has been revolutionary for me. You can also get a Fitbit which you wear and links in your steps and calorie burn. The two together really help you understand where you're going wrong.

[albionjen]

Instead of thinking about foods to definitely avoid, or foods that I should be eating. I think about things as (a) foods that should be eaten only in small portion (b) foods that should have larger portion, but still need to keep an eye on portion size (c) foods that I can have as much as I want.

Things to eat in small portions only are those that are very calorie dense, like avocado, oil, cheese, butter, nuts, crisps, cake, dried fruit, ice-cream, wine. As you can see from my short list, some of those might be thought of as "healthy" and some "not healthy". But all have high calorie content, so portion size needs to be small or it is hard to keep calories under control.

Things in my second category are starchy foods (bread, rice, etc), meat/fish, beans, eggs and fresh fuit. I want to have plenty of these things in my diet, but I still need to make sure I am having a normal portion, not supersized...

In the free for all category, I put non-starchy veggies, salad leaves. These have lots of vitamins and minerals and very little sugar or fat so no danger of eating too many and going over calorie target.

I basically use those categories to plan my meals, especially dinner. Big portion of veggies (should be half the plate), some starchy food, something protein rich, plus small amounts of things from the first list. As long as I keep this in mind I find the calorie content seems to come out about right! Hope that helps.