Starting a diet. Foods to avoid?

OK, I'm about 5'8" and my weight has recently shot up to an uncomfortable 165 lbs. I would like to lose ten by, say, March. The basic question is "what foods should I avoid?" I've never dieted before, so I'm not well informed. Since someone will bring up alcohol by the second or third post, I haven't had a drink in exactly a week and am trying to keep it that way until New Year's. Maybe I'll even start drinking in moderation! Thanks in advance.

Whenever I need to drop 10-20 lbs I just start running. I try not to eat a lot of bread (1 piece of toast instead of 2), I stay away foods with a lot of sugar, drink only water and black coffee, try not to eat after 7pm, eat a lot of tuna in water (not oil), and instead of eating say a piece of cake ill eat some dark chocolate.
Don't deprive yourself. If you must have a cookie then eat one otherwise you will find yourself eating a whole box at 2am.
I don't worry about alcohol too much. Just don't get wasted every night and you'll be alright.
After some time the better shape you are in the less crap you are gonna want to eat. All those bad habits naturally get dropped as you become more in tune with your body. Don't think of it as a diet, but just eating healthy(er).

Originally Posted by Connemara

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OK, I'm about 5'8" and my weight has recently shot up to an uncomfortable 165 lbs. I would like to lose ten by, say, March. The basic question is "what foods should I avoid?" I've never dieted before, so I'm not well informed.

Since someone will bring up alcohol by the second or third post, I haven't had a drink in exactly a week and am trying to keep it that way until New Year's. Maybe I'll even start drinking in moderation!

Thanks in advance.

I'm in relatively the same boat you are. I know that this news will be sad, especially for you, but you'll probalby have to cut back a little bit on the bacon... or switch to evil turkey bacon.

And that is all I have to add b/c i'm clueless.

Like underwearer said drink water, coffee, and i'll add hot tea because that's what I drink most often. Milk is supposed to be pretty good for you as well, though i'd opt for 2% or skim only. Otherwise, portion control is the primary skill you need to utilize. I imagine you probably eat at an awful college cafeteria type of place for most meals... This can be disastrous if you do not utilize portion control as well as pick the healthiest options. Try not to eat too much pasta or potatoes. Otherwise, just use common sense and try some light exercise a few times a week. Best way for me to get exercise is to join in some sort of sport.

I'm home till late January, so I'm able to avoid most of the garbage. Being of Irish descent, elimination potatoes is near-impossible

Originally Posted by Connemara

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OK, I'm about 5'8"

You look taller in your pics.

Bacon.

Refined white flour and processed foods.

Eat fruits, veggies, lean cuts of meat (turkey, chicken, sirlion, lean ground beef, etc), nuts, whole grain products. Food is meant to go bad, if it's in a box it's most likely not good for you. Get foods with as little preservatives as possible. Natural vs regular peanut butter is an easy example.

go to the gym Dieting is great to lose weight, but when you diet and then put on weight again without exercising it's all just fat. Doing some strength training will help to increase muscle mass assuming your eating enough protein which will burn extra calories. That, and you won't look frail when you lose the weight.

Originally Posted by Connemara

Click to expand...

OK, I'm about 5'8" and my weight has recently shot up to an uncomfortable 165 lbs. I would like to lose ten by, say, March. The basic question is "what foods should I avoid?" I've never dieted before, so I'm not well informed.

Since someone will bring up alcohol by the second or third post, I haven't had a drink in exactly a week and am trying to keep it that way until New Year's. Maybe I'll even start drinking in moderation!

Thanks in advance.

165 lbs? Jeez you are a big girl, aren't you?

Tuna is very high in protein and overall good for you. Do a lot of cardiovascular, and I mean a lot. Refined sugars are your enemy, so stay away from them as much as possible. And yes, while dark chocolate may be a great source of antioxidants, it's all so 54% fat...so if you must snack on something, a fruit or vegetable is a much better idea.

Jon.

Here's what I ate yesterday:
3 eggs + 3 egg whites
Protein supplement
3/4 c Blueberries

2 oz. Almonds
1 oz. Beef Jerky
Apple

6 oz Chicken
1 1/2 c Broccoli
Plenty of Olive Oil

4 oz Turkey
1 slice Wheat Bread
3 Pickles
Orange
4 g Fish Oil

Protein Supplement
1 can Tuna
1 slice Wheat Bread
3/4 c Blueberries

8 oz Venison
1 1/2 c Broccoli & Cauliflower
Plenty of Olive Oil
4 g Fish Oil

I'm about your height and weight.

These are the steps I go through when picking foods:
Did it swim? Ok, that's what I want.
If it didn't swim, did it fly? Ok, that's fine.
If it didn't swim or fly, did it at least walk? Alright, I'll settle for that.
These things that didn't move: did they come directly from the ground? Ok, they're good.
Bread? Well, maybe one slice won't hurt.

Originally Posted by imageWIS

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165 lbs? Jeez you are a big girl, aren't you?

Do a lot of cardiovascular, and I mean a lot. Refined sugars are your enemy, so stay away from them as much as possible. And yes, while dark chocolate may be a great source of antioxidants, it's all so 54% fat...so if you must snack on something, a fruit or vegetable is a much better idea.

Jon.

Damn. Got one of three. I run like a politician, but I eat and drink whatever I like. This time of year is really bad for the diet. For the record, I'm 6'0" and 165#.

A few things that work for me.

Do your cardio first thing. Before breakfast, after a cup of coffee. At least 30 minutes steady-state (after warm-up). Do resistance exercises (recommended) promptly afterwards. Eat something promptly afterwards, low-fat yogurt is great if you don't have a supplement like Endurox R4, et al. Do not stuff yourself at any time during the day, but beyond that, if you're craving something, have at it.

Move the legs every day. When you train, don't wear yourself out. All you want to do is get the blood moving and the heart pumping, for now. You want to stress yourself but not so much that you can't exercise again tomorrow.

Oatmeal, with fruit, is a good thing. Blueberries, peaches, strawberries, whatever.

Good luck.

When I started dieting, using http://www.fitday.com really helped. I don't need it that much anymore since I can ballpark a lot of foods, but I think it's pretty invaluable for the newbie dieter.

Of course, you still need to watch out for sugars and white/refined carbs.

Eat less, exercise more.

Eat whatever you want but less than you do now. Just keep the basic food plate model in mind. No need to complicate things. Combine that with a bit more exercise whether it be going for a 60 minute walk per day, swimming or running, basically whatever you can manage.

You should never eat less if you are exercising more. You should eat more. You should also eat better. And, you should also exercise better. You should also get some more better.

Originally Posted by Thomas

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Damn. Got one of three. I run like a politician, but I eat and drink whatever I like. This time of year is really bad for the diet. For the record, I'm 6'0" and 165#.

A few things that work for me.

Do your cardio first thing. Before breakfast, after a cup of coffee. At least 30 minutes steady-state (after warm-up). Do resistance exercises (recommended) promptly afterwards. Eat something promptly afterwards, low-fat yogurt is great if you don't have a supplement like Endurox R4, et al. Do not stuff yourself at any time during the day, but beyond that, if you're craving something, have at it.

Move the legs every day. When you train, don't wear yourself out. All you want to do is get the blood moving and the heart pumping, for now. You want to stress yourself but not so much that you can't exercise again tomorrow.

Oatmeal, with fruit, is a good thing. Blueberries, peaches, strawberries, whatever.

Good luck.

Well, with your height and your weight your BMI is 22.4, which puts you in the optimum range. The trick is not to eat for the sake of eating, but to eat because you are hungry.

Jon.