I'm a very picky eater.. help!

sjlafleur

I've had a poor diet for a very long time and it finally caught up with me when I was pregnant with my first child. I gained 50lbs with my first and 30 with my second and even though I've slimmed down since I started actually trying to, I keep going back up over 190. I'm a very picky eater and I can't seem to figure out what to eat or how to eat it, not sure if that makes sense.. I've basically been eating chicken and broccoli for supper almost every night (I don't even like broccoli that much) and I never know what to eat for lunch. I do know how to cook, I just don't know what to cook. If anyone can help me or knows of a book or anything that could help me. I just want to lose this belly fat and get back in shape.

LKArgh

You will either have to work with a dietician to get a plan, or make the plan yourself. This is not something strangers can do for you. There is a reason dieticians get paid: to get your personal preferences, schedule, restrictions etc into account and make a plan that works for your goals.
You can try googling recipes. allrecipes.com has a search by ingredients, same as lots of other cookng sites, so you can start with ingredients you like, or exclude things you hate.

Machka9

Talking to a dietician is a great idea, and I would encourage you to do that too, but also ...

You might also try spending some time walking through your local grocery store, fresh fruit and veg markets, Asian markets, etc. Look at the food. If it is packaged, red the labels ... check out the calorie content and maybe things like sodium if that's a concern for you or how much sugar it has in it.

I've used Nutrition Data as a reference tool to see how many calories there are in various things. If you're not used to reading labels, it might help you out with that too.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/

And try various veggies. Pick one that looks interesting, then see if you can find some recipes giving you what to do with it. If you like it, great! If you don't ... you haven't committed yourself to a whole fridge full of the things. Next week, try another one. Fresh is great ... but frozen is all right too.

For lunches, I use a package of Steam Fresh veggies and often an Uncle Ben's single serve brown rice. Heat in the microwave according to the instructions, mix together ... and there's lunch! I eat other things as well ... but that might get you started.

livingleanlivingclean

That sounds more like you have issues making decisions. Food isn't that hard - buy it and make the effort to cook it. If you are out of inspiration, buy a few magazines or recipe books with easy but tasty recipes (Donna Hay has some good ones if you're in Australia, they're probably available internationally as well)

jackieokenedy

I have been through different phases of picky tendencies myself. Then I tried vegetarian and pescatarian diets, and some really interesting dishes were introduced to me after I started dating a hardcore vegan. Even though I eat everything now, I have to say going outside of the norm and forcing myself to search for new things I like was kind of fun sometimes.
Why don't you make a list of the foods you know you like and look online for recipes that contain those things, and if there are some recipes that are higher in calories, make it a goal to find lower cal substitute ingredients.
Try new things so you can learn to mix and match and create your own dishes. I eat all kinds of crazy stuff together, but since they are all things I really love I feel balanced and happy with my meals.