grocery shopping

jenntinn715

just starting out and I'm making my list for the grocery store tomorrow. any tips, advice, must-haves, meal ideas???
Thanks

kristishrider

I hate grocery shopping. I typically find the recipes that look good for the week and then make my list. I always forget about snacks tho, so I always have to make a return trip within a day or so
Lots of fruit. Always fruit with a snack. Veggies and hummus is delicious. Pesto on chicken salads or chicken quesadillas (no cheese). Remember that red meat is fattier than turkey, chicken, and many pork cuts. Ham and bacon are to b used sparingly if at all.
Get creative with salads. My fiancé loved the salad I made the other day.. greens, tomatoes, corn, black beans, my special seasoned chicken, and a jamaican mango hot sauce.
Use olive oil instead of vegetable oil... I always spring for the good stuff on this one.
My problem......... portion control

999tigger

Tbh Id save the bulk buys till I knew what I was going to eat and then shop accordingly.

Staples that I like are oatmeal or bran or weetabix for breakfast, eggs, milk, vegetables, fruit, lean protein be that fish or chicken.

Theer are a multitude of different diets and mixes of foods you can eat. You have to find the one you like and can stick with, then make sure it matches your calorie target.

Why not get more friends with open diaries and then you cna see what they eat or join one of the recipe groups?

SativaMad

My list

Chicken fillets
Lean Mince (ground beef 95/5 split)
Ostrich
Hake Fillets
Eggs
Frozen Mixed Veggies
Basmati Rice
WW Bread
Kellogs Korn Flakes
Granny Smith Apples

So are the basics for me excluding any supplements.

myukniewicz

This is what I like to keep on hand

Protein:
Chicken breast
Salmon
Shrimp
Eggs
Egg whites
Beans (Garbanzos are my favorite on salads)
Greek yogurt

Veggies:
Frozen Kale
Frozen Spinach
(They are so much easier to work with and easy to add to pretty much anything your making, for example I like to saute some up to mix in my eggs for breakfast)
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts (my favorite veggie of all time, its so unappreciated )

Fruit:
All

Dry/Grains/Pantry:
Whole wheat couscous
Quinoa
Whole wheat pasta
Canned diced tomatoes
Beans
Chicken broth (low sodium)
Low calories, High Fiber wraps
High Fiber English muffins

Fridge/Frozen:
Veggie burgers
Veggie sausages
Steamable veggies
Vitabrownies/Vitamuffins
Tofu noodles

threefancy35

What do you normally eat? If you are just starting out, stick to your normal diet and dial back on portion sizes. Too many changes at once may be hard to keep up.

LoriIAM

Don't head to the store when you are hungry. Stick to your list. Take pride in not accepting samples. You can do it!

I love the lists you've been given and I agree with keeping changes minimal and gradual.

mckennasihde

If you have a sweet tooth- I have recently started picking up Yoplait 100 calorie greek yogurt cups. They have many different flavors and I find they really tide me over when I get a craving!

hortensehildegarde

threefancy35 wrote: »

What do you normally eat? If you are just starting out, stick to your normal diet and dial back on portion sizes. Too many changes at once may be hard to keep up.

I like this advice. I love all kinds of foods so when making changes I just opted for the less calorie dense of the stuff I love. Though I do eat a lot of apples now, even though they are not my favorite, but that's more for their portability than anything else.

When deciding between 2 different food choices I equally want I'll pick the one with less calories per gram/oz-more food for the same amount of calories.

I also like to buy a lot of treat foods, like the fancier veggies so I still get to splurge on delicious yummy foods. Leeks are amazing with roasted veggies! Not your cheapest option but it's a nice splurge instead of a $4 bag of chips I'll eat in a day.

earlnabby

Well, when I make out my list, I start with the sale ads for meat, then decide on what recipes I want to make based on what is on sale. Same thing with produce (especially fruit), I look for what is on sale but may change my mind when I get to the store. I then add in the things I need in general.

Things always on my list (assuming I didn't just buy them):

• Whole grain bread
• Coffee
• 1/2 & 1/2
• old fashioned oats
• butter
• peanut butter
• some kind of sandwich protein
• Non fat Greek yogurt
• hard cheese
• nuts (usually almonds)
• salad greens
• cherry tomatoes
• other veggies to add to a salad like bell peppers, onions, etc
• a few bags of microwave steamed veggies
• brown rice
• fruit

The typical recipe ingredients:

• chicken breasts, pork roast or chops, beef roast or steak,
• veggies for a stew or casserole, almost always onions and occasionally turnips, carrots, celery, peppers, parsnips, etc
• garlic
• low sodium soy sauce or Worcestershire

bwogilvie

hortensehildegarde wrote: »

threefancy35 wrote: »

What do you normally eat? If you are just starting out, stick to your normal diet and dial back on portion sizes. Too many changes at once may be hard to keep up.

I like this advice

Me too. Make small changes. I do find that it helps to plan out your meals for the week, and base your shopping list on that. It makes you a lot less likely to get takeout, or eat out, because you don't know what to make for dinner. If you're short on time, do a lot of cooking over the weekend and plan leftovers during the week, or freeze some leftovers to use in a week or two.

After you've logged for a few weeks (be honest!), look over your logs for small changes you can make. Figure out which foods keep you sated longer for the same number of calories, and try to eat more of those. I used to have a bowl of cereal for breakfast (usually shredded wheat with raisins and milk) until I figured out that 150 calories of buttered toast kept me sated until lunch, while 300 calories of cereal with milk left me hungry by 10:30.

But don't cut out any food unless you plan never to eat it again. This should be a lifestyle change, so it has to be sustainable in the long run. There are some foods that I eat less often than I used to, but nothing that I cut out entirely.

Liftng4Lis

threefancy35 wrote: »

What do you normally eat? If you are just starting out, stick to your normal diet and dial back on portion sizes. Too many changes at once may be hard to keep up.

+1

AisWilson

I love the advice in this thread. I struggle with planning ahead and shopping. I'm just getting back into it so I need all the help.

jenntinn715

THANKS!!! this is all great advice!!!!!