I think limiting “floury” foods (breads, pastas, cookies, cakes) to twice a week is probably best if one is trying to control bloat and avoid weight gain. Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re satisfied (not full), and if you’re hungry between meals, choose protein or fruits and vegetables. Limit sweets to once or twice a week, or just have a taste of what it is you want. Often we want to eat something sweet and decadent when we are not even hungry, so a spoonful of ice cream or a cookie or two is usually just enough to satisfy a craving. You get to satisfy your “taste hunger” without going overboard.

Exercise, of course, is important. 30 minutes a day is usually recommended. I like to do hand weights, and alternate between the upper and lower parts of my body every other day. I find that the more dedicated I am to exercising, the more in tune with my body I am..and the more in tune I am, the more likely I am to make better food choices, or at least, not overdo it.

The only drawback to all this is being sabotaged by your own thoughts. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had good intentions, and then have made every excuse as to why I must “pig out” (bad day at work, fight with a friend, etc)..so, for me, the biggest enemy is my thinking. All the common-sense planning and desires to eat healthier, “normal”, or balanced meals mean nothing if emotional eating gets in the way.

Anyway, good luck to you and your family! It’s hard to try and eat in a way that’s balanced and satisfying to everyone, but I think the more you do it and find your niche, the easier it becomes.

Bill

I dont remember my mother ever using a cookbook to conjur up 20 different delictable ways to bake asparagus (for example) I simply remember simple meals and the concept to eat until your full not “until your plate is clean!”

In my mid-30s I had a health problem and a few other issues in my personal life that led me to self-medicate with food. I became overweight for the first time in my life.

About four years ago, some of my girlfriends decided to go on a diet – South Beach, I think it was. None of them were more than a little overweight, and they exercised regularly (I didn’t yet). I had heard some negative things about the diet, so I did a little research and came across a book called Eat to Live. I decided to make the lifestyle changes recommended in the book rather than starting South Beach or any other diet. I had already recently stopped eating eggs (just because I stopped liking them), and decided to give up dairy, which was a big deal for me. I also eliminated all forms of processed sugars and grains (e.g., white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, white flour, white rice) and substituted them with whole foods (brown rice, whole grain flours, maple syrup, etc.). I ate lots of salads and other green vegetables. For breakfast, only fresh fruit, often blended in a blender (but with nothing added other than a bit of water). Snacks consisted of nuts, popcorn (popped in stove in olive oil), fruit, veggies, or the occasional homemade baked goods (made with whole wheat/whole grain flours, no eggs or dairy, and sweetened with maple syrup, agave nectar, or stevia). I starting losing about 1kg a week for a month or so and then plateaued.

In the last year or two, I’ve made more significant changes. I have continued the healthy diet: plant-based, whole foods, about 95% home-cooked, and I drink almost exclusively water with the occasional decaf coffee, soy or almond milk, tea, or beer. Now, however, I have added regular exercise. I get at least 50 minutes of moderate+ exercise 5-6 days/week, and I walk a LOT. Not only have I gotten back down to a very healthy weight, but I have also developed more lean muscle mass so I’m stronger and feel better and I have VERY healthy cholesterol levels. It’s very interesting to note that the dietary changes that I made 4 years ago had a great impact on my total cholesterol and triglycerides and a bit of an effect on my LDL, but the last year of exercise has further lowered the LDL (“bad” cholesterol) and raised my HDL (the “good” one) by 20 points!

I am now a true believer in the powerful combination of a healthy diet (at least mostly plant-based, with little to no processed foodstuffs) and regular exercise. IT REALLY DOES WORK and is WORTH THE EFFORT. After time, it is no longer an effort. I don’t even think of things like cheesecake (a former favorite) as a treat any more because I’ve lost my taste for that kind of thing.

i have been eating mostly vegetarian (some fish) for many years. fish maybe like twice a month. i avoid soy/tofu, wheat (unless its sprouted) and meat/dairy. occassionally i crave dairy and i only eat raw goat dairy, or eggs if they are local.

my diet consists of raw/living foods mostly. i usually eat smoothies with raw superfoods in them for breakfast, salads for lunch, and steamed veggies and grains for dinner.

some points to note:
-if you think you’re hungry, make sure your not just dehydrated
-snacks are usually just a handful of raw nuts or a piece or 2 of fruit
-NEVER eat after dark, its the body’s time to detox
-no fried foods
-no processed/packaged foods (hardly ever does my food come from a box or wrapper)
-you need a lot less food than you think
-you need a lot less protein than you think
-if you feel hunger shakiness, you are just detoxing

1. I eat whenever I’m hungry (if I can) to keep my blood sugar up- if I go too long without eating then I feel starved and will be more prone to eat something bad for me (or too much of a good thing) so I try not to get too hungry.

2. I usually snack on vegies, and sometimes fruits- believe it or not- because I’m lazy. You only need to wash fruit, and do minor slicing for raw vegetables. Sometimes I’ll microwave a big bowl of frozen green beans (slicing and washing already done for you) with a shake of seasoning on it for a snack. You can eat a huge amount of vegetables (if you go easy on sauces and seasonings) without incurring a lot of calories.

3. I have fruit everyday for breakfast. I might have some cereal or oatmeal too if I’m not going to be able to snack before lunch. My cereal is chosen to be high in fiber and protein – low in fat and sugar (Kashi Go Lean is a favorite, and Kix is my splurge).

4. I also eat tons of vegetables with dinner; I usually make at least two plain vegetables, and sometimes three or four. This bulks up the meal without adding too many calories. If I season the vegetables (which I often don’t- I just enjoy their natural flavor) I use garlic and olive oil, salt and pepper, vinegar, or occassionally a wee bit of butter. I don’t like meat all that much- and use it more of a condiment. That way, every meal (if I want) can have meat in it- but it is limited and not the main focus. Also, although making a big meal with the hopes of leftovers is a nice idea, for some families this never works out. My husband’s family always finished it all- no matter how big I made the meal. Making the meal smaller (or putting some of it away in the freezer before you serve) will keep second (and third) helpings down.

5. I make it a point to learn to like things that are good for me.

6. Finally, I drink mostly water, some juice, and lowfat milk or soymilk. I almost never drink sodas or other sugary drinks ( I try to keep my juice intake limited and eat the fruit whole instead which means more fiber and no added sugar). Cutting out sugary drinks is probably one of the simplest (but not necessarily easy) ways to reduce calories.

I have found that eating this way enables me to eat other things that I like without worrying gaining much weight. I get most of my satisfaction from high fiber, low calorie things and then have a little room left over for a piece of cheesecake or bread pudding or other little things that I like (another piece of fruit or a dipping sauce for bread of olive oil and spices).

It is important to make changes you can live with. Start small.

* Switch to lowfat milk (not directly to skim if you hate it, like me).
* Bring baby carrots with you on the run, or eat them at home when you feel like “munching”.
* Make yourself drink two full glasses of water for every other cup of liquid you drink.
* Cut out one thing from your diet that gives you the most calories (like soda).
* etc.
Don’t necessarily try to do everything at once. It can be overwhelming and make you feel very deprived. If you can be patient you can make many small changes in a row and then one day you’ll be doing things “effortlessly”.

Best of luck!