I don't know how many times I have to say it, I don't know how many different ways it can be said but your relationship with food MUST be reconfigured. There are two parts of this equation, exercise and food, and neither can be ignored.
Food is a wonderful thing. For binge eaters with food addictions food is the greatest fucking thing since sliced bread and sliced bread is fucking awesome. The problem lies in deciding what foods are actually good. My Mr. Wizard rules are pretty fucking simple but sometimes even that does not help with determining what should and should not be in your diet.
Here are some quick and dirty guidelines:
Meat:
Poultry = Good (baked or roasted/ no skin)
Fish = Good (never breaded or fried)
Beef and pork = occasional treats to be eaten VERY rarely
Veggies:
Steamed or raw is best.
Salads are fine provided there are no croutons, use a low calorie dressing.
Corn is not a vegetable, it is a grain. Do not count corn as one of your daily veggies.
Avoid fried veggies at all costs.
Fruits:
Fruits are fucking awesome, eat them regularly.
Avoid any prepared fruits that have added sugar (check for sugar in juices and frozen fruits, dumbass!)
Bananas are great but they are technically nature's junk food, expand your fruit horizons and eat berries, apples, citrus and melons.
Dairy:
Should be kept to a minimum.
Nonfat options are preferable (skim milk really isn't bad no matter what you've been told)
Cheese is not an every day food. Try to keep that down to 1-2 days a week and use shredded cheese to cover a larger surface area with less.
Grains:
Whole grains.
Whole grains.
Whole grains.
Did I mention whole grains?
Whole grain rice, whole grain bread, whole grain tortillas, etc.
Enriched bleached flour is for assholes.
Sweet:
I like Splenda.
Honey is good in moderation.
Cane sugar is preferable to anything containing high fructose corn syrup.
High fructose corn syrup is fucking stupid. This should not be in your diet at all.
Sweeten things with fruit.
Good ideas for meals:
Breakfast should be a no brainer. Smoothies are fast, easy and cheap. Frozen fruit, fruit juice (no sugar added), nonfat yogurt and blend for 20-30 seconds. You will be surprised how filling this is. Oatmeal is also good provided it is organic or steel cut. Sweeten with honey and/or fruit.
Lunch should be light and simple. I like a salad. Generally I use baby spring greens or iceburg lettuce, tuna, and a light balsamic vinaigrette. If that's not your thing, try a pita bread sandwich (whole grain pita bread, of course) with a side of carrot sticks or hummus. Any meat products should obviously be fish or poultry.
Dinner is most likely going to be where most of your caloric intake comes from. Learn to roast a chicken. It's fucking easy and cheap. Whole grain rice or couscous is a nice side and steamed veggies. Or bake some talapia filets or tuna steaks. It's a fast protein to cook and can be paired with almost any vegetable.
Snacks should be fruit (surprise!) or dry roasted nuts. Almonds are best. Pretzels are better than potato chips (bigger fucking surpise!).
Capiche?
