I'm in a really, really bad mood. Not like angry and grumpy, but like heartbroken and depressed. I've been crying for pretty much 2 days straight now. I can't take much more of this.
Bam, I highly recommend that you go to
Free Diet Plans at SparkPeople and sign up. Whether or not you're interested in tracking calories, you can get A TON of nutritional information and food suggestions from that site. Also, you can customize your setup so that it tracks things like salt for you (it automatically tracks calories, protein, carbs, and fat). It REALLY helps you get a handle on exactly what you're putting in your body - as long as you log on daily and input what you ate. Didn't take me long to get used to doing that, though.
Secondly, buy a kitchen scale. Doesn't have to be the fanciest or most expensive, but it does have to be accurate. Preferably it will measure in grams AND ounces. MEASURE ALL OF YOUR FOOD. Every bit, at least for a while, until you learn what a true portion size is. I was SHOCKED.
Thirdly, two different personal trainers both told me this: don't eat 3 meals a day. Eat 4 - 6 smaller ones. They told me I should be eating approximately every 3 hours, approximately 300 - 350 calories each time. Oh, and they said I shouldn't eat after 8 p.m.
I know this stuff isn't geared toward cutting out sweets and junk, but if you're tracking what you eat sometimes it's a huge eye-opener and you start to WANT to cut back on the bad stuff all on your own. And it's incredibly useful to have your protein/carbs/fat/salt tracked for you.
Good luck! If I think of anything else I'll let you know.
