Please help me change my diet

[heartmama]

I need help.

I want to change my diet but am unsure where to start.

Me:

--My weight is fine, that is not the problem. The problem is my health.

--I am prone to kidney stones, and just had another one
--I am experiencing irregular menstrual bleeding over the last year--I've had two physicals, a CT scan, and ultrasound. I have some cysts but no obvious problem beyond that.


Even though people at work think I am 'healthy' I do not really think it is true--objectively, I have a high sugar, high carb, high fat diet. I burn through calories.

I have an insatiable love of sugar. I am the type that if you give me a plate of 8 brownies, I will eat all 8 in one sitting. If you order biscuits at a restaurant, I will eat the whole basket. Bottomline--I have poor impulse control near carbs and sugar. Just because it is organic, it is still sugar, kwim?

I don't think I break down dairy well. I avoid large amounts of it. It makes me glands swell up.

I don't like eating much meat. I try to only do organic meat.

I also love caffeine. Again, it is organic, but still caffeine. Coffee in the am, then green tea through the day.

Help!

I need a recommendation for a low sugar, low carb, but not meat or dairy based diet--I also need a specific recommendation for what to eat ie. eat this, eat that, buy this, make that. I am not very creative where meals are concerned.

I'm also clueless as to how to replace the sugar. I think if I go cold turkey I will fail.

[SollysMom]

You sound a bit like me. I also don't have weight problems but have a love for sweets, and poor portion control. What works best for me is focusing not on what I shouldn't eat, but on what I should eat. So every day, I focus on getting plenty of veggies (a few green, at least one other color), plenty of fruit, and protein. I find that if I focus on those, the carbs and fat fall into place. I'm a vegetarian and don't rely too much on dairy. I'm loving green smoothies for breakfast, hummus with veggies and whole wheat pita for lunch, snacks are usually fruit, hard-boiled eggs, avocados, nuts, or homemade popsicles from fruit and yogurt. As far as the sugar and junky stuff, I have an everything-in-moderation attitude.

Hope this helps a bit.

[heartmama]

Yes that does help. Portion control is a good point. I eat more than I need to eat, imo, and the wrong things. But like I said to most people I am 'healthy'...just because I don't eat at Burger King. I want to actually eat well.

I like the suggestion of focusing on what I should eat.

Can I ask how you prepare the veggies and smoothie? I need to prep in advance. Once i am hungry, it's over. I'll eat whatever is convenient.

So, preparation is key.

[SollysMom]

For the smoothies, I put in my fresh greens and my liquid (usually 1/2 cup of milk or juice) and blend. Then I add a banana, 1/2 cup yogurt (if I'm out of yogurt I'll up the liquid to 3/4 -1 cup), any "extras" like coconut oil or flax seed meal, and 1 cup of frozen fruit. Blend again and enjoy!

Prep/ease is key for me too. I always buy ready-to-eat bagged baby spinach and kale so I don't have to worry about washing or cutting. Bagged baby carrots too (organic at Wegmans aren't much more than non-organic). I'll often do carrots and cucumbers with my hummus and pita at lunch, and cucumbers are very easy to wash and slice as I go; I don't bother peeling. Avocados and kiwis I just cut in half and eat the insides with a spoon, using the peel as a bowl (I also like to sprinkle garlic salt on the avocado...yum). I make a big batch of hard-boiled eggs on Sundays and DH and I eat them over the course of the week. Oh, and I've recently discovered frozen mango chunks (I buy Dole, but they have organic frozen mango at Wegmans too) are absolutely delicious and a very healthy and convenient snack. I bought them for smoothies but found myself sneaking a bite every time I passed through the kitchen (which is often!).