Ok, I have had what I thought was a healthy diet in the past. Then I go to fitness message boards and am told I need to eat this with that and this often and this many minutes before I work out and this many after I work out...AHHHH!
I dont get it.
I need to lose 30-45 pounds. I joined the gym and will be working out either cardio or strength training at minimum 5 days a week. SO I intend to be quite active. SO I do need to maek sure I am eating right. I am willing to eat how I should to get the best results. I jsut don't know how to do that...Any help...
Thanks
Amy

I am new here too. One thing I did to begin with was to start with whole foods. I got rid of all pre-packaged meals and snacks. It really makes you aware of the food you eat when you have to prepare it.

Also, keep a food journal or log. I use FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal. It has a section that tells you exactly what nutrition value you get from the foods you are eating. And it is free. It's not 100% accurate but it is still quite revealing. I use it as a guide.

Also - read a lot here. You will learn a lot.

you also have to consider other people's advice is subjective. What works for them may or may not work for you. If someone says you need to eat this and that and imposes all these different rules, I would only follow them as guidelines and not rules to be followed exactly. Using other people's advice, find your own path and add or substract what works and what doesn't. Remember, healthy living is in for the long haul (i.e. the rest of your life).

so here's some advice on things that are OBJECTIVE.

1st is water intake, rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water. so a 200 pound person would drink 100 ounces of water. Diet soda doesn't count.

2nd is exercise. Gotta get your body moving if you want to firm up and get the metabolism running. start low then increase intensity and/or time. doing the same stuff over and over can and will cause a stall.

3rd is nutrition and not so much counting calories. Eat until you are content (not stuffed) and eat good things. Lean meats, fruits, veggies, whole grains, dairy, fats are the key. low fat means 30% of your dietary calories Every 2 weeks or so, go ahead and splurge on a dinner of your choice. Cheating for a night on your diet, then going right back on it signifies you have control over your food, not vice versa.

Lastly, don't diet alone. have a friend, relative, coworker go on it with you and give each other feedback and praise when neccessarily. Give it a month and you'll see results

"hey, have you lost weight?" will be the sweetest words you'll ever hear.

Well, since we're out to be objective here, let's talk about water.

Here is one of MANY references to the "8 glasses of water a day" myth:
Dartmouth Medical School - 'Drink at Least 8 Glasses of Water a Day' - Really?

This myth probably started when the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council published a finding that recommended approximately 64 to 80 ozs. of water intake per average person. However, the next sentence of the report also stated that most of that comes from the food and drink we consume regularly.

Look, I'm not against water. I drink a lot of it myself. But the way people on the internet talk about it -- it's like water is some sort of magic potion that will guarantee weight loss. Not only that, but people also state things that categorically are untrue, such as the idea that other liquids don't count in your water intake (watermelon is 85% water, after all!), or that beverages like coffee are such extreme diuretics that they don't count either.

The whole thing does little more than remove people's focus from the real thing that affects their weight -- their energy balance. The same nonsense went around regarding the thermogenic effect of certain foods. Yes, eating a lot of celery won't hurt you, and neither will drinking 8 glasses of water a day, but come on -- this is NOT what will cause you to lose weight!

Or take this idea that we're all walking around under-hydrated. Well, if we're dehydrated, what about our ancestors 100 years ago. Talk about dehydrated! They didn't have anywhere near the access to clean water that we do today. And if our ancestors from a century ago were dehydrated, then our ancestors from 10,000 years ago must have been positively dry. And what about original mankind that evolved on the savannahs of Africa. If you believe we're all walking around dehydrated today, then it stands to reason that the entire human race for the sum total of its existence has been dehydrated. And if you believe that, then "dehydration" is in fact the normal human condition, and our genes have evolved to take care of that little problem.

You're absolutely right. Water alone will not cure weight loss, but it IS a neccessary component of it. The extreme diurectics like coffee are made of mostly water but what does a diuretic do? makes you dump fluid, whether your body likes it or not. And out in that fluids goes your neccessary vitamins like potassium, chloride, etc.. Its why people who take diurectic pills usually take a potassium supplement. so if drank coffee all day, I would be dumping out not only excess water but the water my body uses as well. I would eventually become dehydrated if i didnt supplement it with pure water itself. I can't say i drank 32-40 ounces of coffee or diet soda and have it count as my half of water for the day.

and most importantly, fat burning is a hydrolysis reaction. this means you need water in your system to burn fat,. Now, as a dieter, wouldn't you want an excess of water rather than a minimum amount? Not to mention the fact that water itself pushes out extra water in your system, effectively combating water retention.

Dehydration probably was a normal condition in the past, no argument there. But we evolved around a land that has water and our bodies wanted more and more of it. We passed this trait onto our children and thus now, we need more water for biological processes. We also started out as a race that could make our own vitamin C, but centuries of eating fruits has told our bodies to stop and to get outside sources for it. this is why we can't make our own but other animals can. We just gotta roll with the changes

About number 3....I totally agree that it is (or at least should be) about the nutrition 1st...but taking in the right amount of calories is (just IMO) a part of practicing good nutrition...and guestimating how many calories you're taking in based on how full you feel can be misleading...think about the foods that have low volume (i.e. olive oil, nuts) but high calories vs. foods that have high volume (i.e. cabbage) and low calories. Counting calories and looking at what nutrients you are getting with those calories is a good place to start...the Fitday suggestion was a good one...it's a neat little tool. Also you might want to read:

weight-loss.fitness.com/nutrition/5534-nutrition-101

First of all, we don't drink coffee all day. Most of us have 2 or 3 cups. And all the peer-reviewed studies that I know of, as opposed to segments on Oprah, say that the diuretic effects of coffee and tea for regular coffee and tea drinkers are practically negligible.

And then there is the water that exists in all the other stuff we ingest. Milk, for example. Milk is about 70% water. Fruit, for example. Fruit is about 65% water. In fact, just about everything we eat and drink has water in it.

No one's disputing the idea that we need water for all kinds of things. What I do dispute is the idea that we have to drag a bottle of water around with us everywhere we go, or that if we don't one ounce of pure water a day for each kilogram of body weight, our bodies will somehow break down. There is NO scientific evidence for that. NONE. Furthermore, I'm not going to ingest 120 ozs. of water, causing me to pee every 4 seconds, all in the service of some myth.

What the evidence DOES show is that while we do need water, it can and does come from LOTS of sources. It DOES show that people who exercise more probably should drink more water, to replace the water they lose in sweat.

Here's another good article on the subject:
"Drink at least eight glasses of water a day." Really? Is there scientific evidence for "8 x 8"? -- Valtin 283 (5): 993 -- AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology

we're getting a bit sidetracked, so silverrose the main takehome message is to drink water. that's the objective part.. the subjective, rule-of-thumb, part is how much you want/need. If you want to carry around a water bottle with you to drink all day, feel free to do so. find your own course of action that best fits you and your dieting needs.. all we can offer you is guidelines. Remember dieting should be interesting and not a grueling chore.

Nice little water debate. Well, since I am pretty much addicted to diet sodas it works best for me to carry around a water bottle to keep me away from those diet dr peppers!
Still confused on nutrition though. Where is a good resource to understand what I need to get all my nutrients and to lose weight. Obviously calories do count.
But what I need to know is what I should be including in those calories. Do I need to worry about what to eat and when as far as in before and after workouts?
Is it dinner if I only have soem brown rice and veggie stirfry? Do i need protein with every meal? Carbs? etc?
Thanks for all teh very intersting conversation and advice!
Amy

There is an excellent sticky on nutrition on this site:
http://weight-loss.fitness.com/nutri...ion-101-a.html

and fitday is a great place to get started on tracking your cals as well.
FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal

• Eat wholesome and natural, avoid processed foods/drinks - look at a food product, if you can not imagine it in its live and natural state - don't eat/drink it!
• Eat lots of vegetables, especially greens.
• Fruit, eat some daily, especially berries, tomatoes, etc. Aim to eat at least five portions of veg/fruit per day.
• Grains / cereals - the 'carb' family. Replace white bread, white rice, white pasta with wholemeal / whole grain alternatives. Eat smart low GI carbs. You may want to reduce your total carb consumption - but if you do, then increase your consumption of greens, not protein alone.
• Good fats - don't discriminate against all fats. Eat small amounts of nuts and seeds. Buy some good quality hemp oil or flax oil for dressing. If you like them, a portion or two of oily fish such as sardines are a good idea.
• Meat. I'm an omnivore, but vegetarianism isn't such a bad idea. However, if you like your meat, then eat more fish - oily fish, white fish, and sometimes even shellfish. Alternatively, the white breast meat (skinless) of chicken and turkey. Red meat can be ok, but shop wisely - buy lean cuts only, buy good quality, preferably organic and grass fed. Wild venison is a good buy.
• Dairy. If you are going to have it, then choose low fat, skimmed, semi-skimmed, etc. I eat a lot of reduced fat cottage cheese and yoghurt.

Above all, eat real food, avoid junk food. It can take a long time, but the cravings do eventually subside.