Food Plans: Frustrated, exhausted, lost. Need help.

iNickStuff

Right.

I'm currently at around 91.4 kg. Otherwise, 14.4 stone, or 201 pounds. I decided to lose weight a month ago. Getting into it, I dropped a few from 98(kg), to 95, to now just over 90. That's great. My target is 1,880 calories (188g carbs, 164g protein, 52g fat). I am currently sedentary but will ramp it up in the coming weeks.

But the problems are here:

1. I don't know what to eat. I've searched around the internet in foods that I could cook and prepare - honestly I am far from the best cook, in fact I rarely do in of itself - and cannot find anything of substance. Ultimately I pick out a few recipes, minding the calories, and see if I can put them into a weekly meal plan. No dice.
   
   I've looked at meal planning. Dinners are fine, but it's breakfast and lunch that get me. Moreover, I come back to needing a way to hit the right macronutrients and invariably come unstuck. I've looked at this shopping list from Greatist, and whilst it's somewhat helpful, I cannot for the life of me turn it into something pragmatic. As in, get food plans going so I can meet my 1,880-caloric target.
   
2. Next there are suggestions of going to the gym every which way possible I have looked for help. Except I've only recently had surgery to repair my torn meniscus and therefore still need to rehabilitate some more before I can even jog on the streets. I don't think I can follow a full-body strength training program either.

This isn't supposed to be a rant, but looking for advice. This really shouldn't be complicated. But it is for me. I've bought the measuring equipment necessary to count calories, but that doesn't render me able to cook consistently and lose this weight.

Soon I'll have to be getting pre-cooked meals anyway because of a busier schedule, so timing is critical.


Any help?

LKArgh

First, relax. You are losing, and losing too fast actually, so you are not going to fail in losing weight, If anything, you should be eating a bit more.
Second, what have you been eating the previous years? Even if you never cooked and just ordered takeaway for every single meal, these things can be cooked at home too. Start with favourite meals as a basis and look for recipes. Cooking is a skill you perfect with practice, no one ever was born knowing how to cook. And when you have no time, or simply are not in the mood, either look for ready meals (frozen, restaurant etc) but check the calories when deciding, or have always the ingredients for some basic and easy to prepare meals: salads, sandwiches, rice, pasta, sir fries, omelettes etc

Francl27

Start by walking for exercise. It's better than nothing.

Regarding food, you don't have to make it complicated. Buy some protein (chicken, fish, steak, pork, whatever you like). Bake or pan fry it (or grill it. Love my George Foreman grill). Buy frozen veggies and cook those (stir fry, boil, or just buy the steam in the bag stuff). If you want, buy some potatoes or rice or pasta and cook some on the side. Done, easy meal that takes 5 minutes to prepare.

I rarely do recipes still, and when I do, it's because I want something specific, then I find an easy recipe (less than 8 ingredients typically!) and do it... but otherwise, I just do the above - one protein, veggies, sometimes a second side, and done.

For breakfast, I'm a bit in a rut right now but if you do a search on 'breakfast' on the forums you will find a TON of threads with ideas. Out of my head, a few easy things to make - oatmeal, eggs, bacon, breakfast burrito, pancakes (I just use Kodiak mixes now), Greek yogurt with fruit and granola or cereal...

Lunch? I don't do 'lunch' food. I do the same thing as dinner. When I feel lazy I'll have a low carb wrap with some ham and cheese or something with an apple or baby carrots. Or just make extra at dinner and have leftovers.

It doesn't have to be complicated, seriously. I was a horrible cook when I started, never cooked anything and just ate whatever from the fridge. I'm still not great but I'm motivated to be able to make dishes I crave without a gazillion calories.

kommodevaran

I think you should start keeping it simple. Your life is busy enough. Try to hit your calorie goal - disregard the macros for now.

You don't have to use special recipes. What do you like to eat? What have you cooked before? Dinner is just meat - starch - vegetable. Any meat. Any starch. Any vegetable. Variety is good. Something you like is good. Breakfast can also be anything - eggs/bacon, porridge, waffles, bagels - what do you like? Prelog and make it fit. Lunch? Depends on what you like. See where this is going?

Using someone else's grocery lists at random is not gonna work. They are supposed to be made from what you are going to make, minus ingredients that you already have.

You don't have to exercise to lose weight. In fact, you should wait intil your body is healed until you do something strenous. Controlling intake is the most important factor for weight loss. After some rest and eating well, you'll most probably want to get moving. Then you'll have to start slow, maybe get a PT to guide you.

iNickStuff

Thank you for the help, I'll answer your posts.

aggelikik wrote: »

First, relax. You are losing, and losing too fast actually, so you are not going to fail in losing weight, If anything, you should be eating a bit more.
Second, what have you been eating the previous years? Even if you never cooked and just ordered takeaway for every single meal, these things can be cooked at home too. Start with favourite meals as a basis and look for recipes. Cooking is a skill you perfect with practice, no one ever was born knowing how to cook. And when you have no time, or simply are not in the mood, either look for ready meals (frozen, restaurant etc) but check the calories when deciding, or have always the ingredients for some basic and easy to prepare meals: salads, sandwiches, rice, pasta, sir fries, omelettes etc

I can only cook the very basic, individual ingredients. But rarely into a full-blown meal. It's not that I've been having takeaways, it's that they were from frozen. Unfortunately I don't have any favourite meals, which makes it slightly more difficult.

Francl27 wrote: »

Start by walking for exercise. It's better than nothing.

Regarding food, you don't have to make it complicated. Buy some protein (chicken, fish, steak, pork, whatever you like). Bake or pan fry it (or grill it. Love my George Foreman grill). Buy frozen veggies and cook those (stir fry, boil, or just buy the steam in the bag stuff). If you want, buy some potatoes or rice or pasta and cook some on the side. Done, easy meal that takes 5 minutes to prepare.

I rarely do recipes still, and when I do, it's because I want something specific, then I find an easy recipe (less than 8 ingredients typically!) and do it... but otherwise, I just do the above - one protein, veggies, sometimes a second side, and done.

For breakfast, I'm a bit in a rut right now but if you do a search on 'breakfast' on the forums you will find a TON of threads with ideas. Out of my head, a few easy things to make - oatmeal, eggs, bacon, breakfast burrito, pancakes (I just use Kodiak mixes now), Greek yogurt with fruit and granola or cereal...

Lunch? I don't do 'lunch' food. I do the same thing as dinner. When I feel lazy I'll have a low carb wrap with some ham and cheese or something with an apple or baby carrots. Or just make extra at dinner and have leftovers.

It doesn't have to be complicated, seriously. I was a horrible cook when I started, never cooked anything and just ate whatever from the fridge. I'm still not great but I'm motivated to be able to make dishes I crave without a gazillion calories.

That's a fair point. But I will be soon working just under 25hrs/pw, up until 2am, on top of studies of 15hrs per week. I don't know how I will be able to pre-cook these meals and eat them, how I will fit them in, etc. Argh.

kommodevaran wrote: »

I think you should start keeping it simple. Your life is busy enough. Try to hit your calorie goal - disregard the macros for now.

You don't have to use special recipes. What do you like to eat? What have you cooked before? Dinner is just meat - starch - vegetable. Any meat. Any starch. Any vegetable. Variety is good. Something you like is good. Breakfast can also be anything - eggs/bacon, porridge, waffles, bagels - what do you like? Prelog and make it fit. Lunch? Depends on what you like. See where this is going?

Using someone else's grocery lists at random is not gonna work. They are supposed to be made from what you are going to make, minus ingredients that you already have.

You don't have to exercise to lose weight. In fact, you should wait intil your body is healed until you do something strenous. Controlling intake is the most important factor for weight loss. After some rest and eating well, you'll most probably want to get moving. Then you'll have to start slow, maybe get a PT to guide you.

I prefer simple meals. Chicken, fish, steak with rice or pasta, topped with vegetables - for example. Can't say that they are a favourite. However it's fitting in these meals when I am working from 3pm/6pm until 2am that I don't know where I will be able to fit these meals in.

EDIT: errors.

socioseguro

OP: You are making your journey too complicated. Go back to basics.
Activity: If you do not have time, then you have no time. I have the same problem and I go the gym at 5 am Monday -Friday and 6 am on Sat-Sun. I have to go to bed early. Exercise is for fitness. Eating at a deficit is for weight loss

Food: If you do not wish to cook, then buy your meals. It will be more expensive and you may not know the ingredients hence you will not be sure about the calories. You can try frozen entrees and use the microwave. I prefer to cook 2-3 meals on sunday afternoon, for the entire week ( breakfast, lunch and dinner). I found out it was
more economical to cook my own meals and I know exactly all the ingredients. I weigh all solids and measure the liquids.

Good luck in your healthy journey

RodaRose

iNickStuff wrote: »

Thank you for the help, I'll answer your posts.

aggelikik wrote: »

First, relax. You are losing, and losing too fast actually, so you are not going to fail in losing weight, If anything, you should be eating a bit more.
Second, what have you been eating the previous years? Even if you never cooked and just ordered takeaway for every single meal, these things can be cooked at home too. Start with favourite meals as a basis and look for recipes. Cooking is a skill you perfect with practice, no one ever was born knowing how to cook. And when you have no time, or simply are not in the mood, either look for ready meals (frozen, restaurant etc) but check the calories when deciding, or have always the ingredients for some basic and easy to prepare meals: salads, sandwiches, rice, pasta, sir fries, omelettes etc

I can only cook the very basic, individual ingredients. But rarely into a full-blown meal. It's not that I've been having takeaways, it's that they were from frozen. Unfortunately I don't have any favourite meals, which makes it slightly more difficult.

Francl27 wrote: »

Start by walking for exercise. It's better than nothing.

Regarding food, you don't have to make it complicated. Buy some protein (chicken, fish, steak, pork, whatever you like). Bake or pan fry it (or grill it. Love my George Foreman grill). Buy frozen veggies and cook those (stir fry, boil, or just buy the steam in the bag stuff). If you want, buy some potatoes or rice or pasta and cook some on the side. Done, easy meal that takes 5 minutes to prepare.

I rarely do recipes still, and when I do, it's because I want something specific, then I find an easy recipe (less than 8 ingredients typically!) and do it... but otherwise, I just do the above - one protein, veggies, sometimes a second side, and done.

For breakfast, I'm a bit in a rut right now but if you do a search on 'breakfast' on the forums you will find a TON of threads with ideas. Out of my head, a few easy things to make - oatmeal, eggs, bacon, breakfast burrito, pancakes (I just use Kodiak mixes now), Greek yogurt with fruit and granola or cereal...

Lunch? I don't do 'lunch' food. I do the same thing as dinner. When I feel lazy I'll have a low carb wrap with some ham and cheese or something with an apple or baby carrots. Or just make extra at dinner and have leftovers.

It doesn't have to be complicated, seriously. I was a horrible cook when I started, never cooked anything and just ate whatever from the fridge. I'm still not great but I'm motivated to be able to make dishes I crave without a gazillion calories.

That's a fair point. But I will be soon working just under 25hrs/pw, up until 2am, on top of studies of 15hrs per week. I don't know how I will be able to pre-cook these meals and eat them, how I will fit them in, etc. Argh.

kommodevaran wrote: »

I think you should start keeping it simple. Your life is busy enough. Try to hit your calorie goal - disregard the macros for now.

You don't have to use special recipes. What do you like to eat? What have you cooked before? Dinner is just meat - starch - vegetable. Any meat. Any starch. Any vegetable. Variety is good. Something you like is good. Breakfast can also be anything - eggs/bacon, porridge, waffles, bagels - what do you like? Prelog and make it fit. Lunch? Depends on what you like. See where this is going?

Using someone else's grocery lists at random is not gonna work. They are supposed to be made from what you are going to make, minus ingredients that you already have.

You don't have to exercise to lose weight. In fact, you should wait intil your body is healed until you do something strenous. Controlling intake is the most important factor for weight loss. After some rest and eating well, you'll most probably want to get moving. Then you'll have to start slow, maybe get a PT to guide you.

I prefer simple meals. Chicken, fish, steak with rice or pasta, topped with vegetables - for example. Can't say that they are a favourite. However it's fitting in these meals when I am working from 3pm/6pm until 2am that I don't know where I will be able to fit these meals in.

EDIT: errors.

Buy a pannini press or Foreman Grill. Also a crock pot. Look on youtube for cooking assistance. Here is a recipe for chicken thighs on top of the stove:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCKY1nO5U0Q

ctraill

I opened this thread because I have similar concerns about meal planning. I have never been good at cooking and I'm even more terrible at planning out meals and schedules. My friends (none of whom have a weight problem) make it all look so easy. My husband is a chef and works brutal hours and doesn't have a weight problem so he can [and does] eat whatever he wants. I have always relied on take out and other unhealthy things because a) I can't cook & b) it's lonely to eat alone.

I can't really offer any advice but I'm sympathetic. At least for me, meal planning hasn't been as easy as other people make it out to be.

Francl27

Francl27 wrote: »

Start by walking for exercise. It's better than nothing.

Regarding food, you don't have to make it complicated. Buy some protein (chicken, fish, steak, pork, whatever you like). Bake or pan fry it (or grill it. Love my George Foreman grill). Buy frozen veggies and cook those (stir fry, boil, or just buy the steam in the bag stuff). If you want, buy some potatoes or rice or pasta and cook some on the side. Done, easy meal that takes 5 minutes to prepare.

I rarely do recipes still, and when I do, it's because I want something specific, then I find an easy recipe (less than 8 ingredients typically!) and do it... but otherwise, I just do the above - one protein, veggies, sometimes a second side, and done.

For breakfast, I'm a bit in a rut right now but if you do a search on 'breakfast' on the forums you will find a TON of threads with ideas. Out of my head, a few easy things to make - oatmeal, eggs, bacon, breakfast burrito, pancakes (I just use Kodiak mixes now), Greek yogurt with fruit and granola or cereal...

Lunch? I don't do 'lunch' food. I do the same thing as dinner. When I feel lazy I'll have a low carb wrap with some ham and cheese or something with an apple or baby carrots. Or just make extra at dinner and have leftovers.

It doesn't have to be complicated, seriously. I was a horrible cook when I started, never cooked anything and just ate whatever from the fridge. I'm still not great but I'm motivated to be able to make dishes I crave without a gazillion calories.

That's a fair point. But I will be soon working just under 25hrs/pw, up until 2am, on top of studies of 15hrs per week. I don't know how I will be able to pre-cook these meals and eat them, how I will fit them in, etc. Argh.

That's the thing though... there's nothing to precook. You just take your meat out of the package, put it on the stove or grill, throw the frozen veggies in the microwave, and it's ready in 6 minutes. That's how long it takes me to cook a chicken breast or two in the George Foreman and to steam a bag of frozen veggies. If I want salmon, it just takes 20 minutes in the oven, but there's nothing to do, so I can do something else while it cooks.

If you want extras, you can bake a few potatoes or make a pot of rice when you have more time and just reheat some for your meals. And you can make a double portion of the meat and just reheat some later (or use it in salads or whatnot).

Again, it doesn't have to be complicated. My meal 'planning' consists on going to the store, buying a bunch of frozen veggies (ok fresh too when I feel like bothering with those), 2-3 types of protein (let's say salmon, chicken breasts, and chicken sausage), some low carb tortillas and lunch meat and sliced cheese for when I'm feeling lazy, stuff for breakfast (it takes 2 minutes to make a breakfast burrito), and snacks (and whatever else I'm running out of, I just keep a list on my desk that I update as I go until I go to the store).

I mean, you have to eat. And assuming you have to go to the store at some point anyway to buy something, it will take you 5 more minutes to get some frozen veggies and meat, then it's faster (and cheaper) to cook the meal I mentioned above than to go to the drive through to buy food.

Then if you want something fancier, just make it on days when you have more time to cook.

RodaRose

1. That "GroceryListForOne" is weird and confusing as all get out. Forget about it.
2. Ignore the macro numbers for fat and carbs. Do pay attention to protein.
3. If your doc/physical therapist agrees, do upper body weights in the gym. Also consider some yoga floor exercises.
4. Here are three day meal plans for eating 1800 calories a day.
http://www.discovergoodnutrition.com/2013/10/1800-calorie-diet-plan/

RodaRose

ctraill wrote: »

I opened this thread because I have similar concerns about meal planning. I have never been good at cooking and I'm even more terrible at planning out meals and schedules. My friends (none of whom have a weight problem) make it all look so easy. My husband is a chef and works brutal hours and doesn't have a weight problem so he can [and does] eat whatever he wants. I have always relied on take out and other unhealthy things because a) I can't cook & b) it's lonely to eat alone.

I can't really offer any advice but I'm sympathetic. At least for me, meal planning hasn't been as easy as other people make it out to be.

My husband does the cooking for us. When he is not around, I often get prepared foods from the grocery store like some rotisserie chicken and some pre-cut veggies or fruit. Occasionally, I cook rice or quinoa in our rice cooker.
Some fast food can fit into your day. A large Wendy's chili has low-ish calories and a good amount of protein. Or get a small chili and a plain baked potato.
The Grilled Chicken sandwiches at fast food places are good ideas.
McDonalds has a Southwest Salad it that is good for protein.
Also consider the Burger Kind Tendergrill Chicken Garden Salad.
Taco Bell has the Gordita Supreme Steak for 280 calories.

aozzy14

Hi! Here's a breakfast suggestion. Take 1 egg, when you crack the egg fill one side of the shell about half-full with water. Whisk the egg, water, salt & pepper & a few red chili flakes. On a cutting board, prepare a small quantity of 3 veggies (for example: onion, red bell pepper, broccoli). In one nonstick pan, sauté the vegetables in about 1 T. avocado (or olive) oil on medium/med. high heat --not for too long, just a couple of minutes. Take another nonstick pan and add some olive oil. Heat the pan to medium. When the pan is hot, add the egg mix (it should sizzle). Don't stir, just let it be and watch it set. You can loosen the edges with a pancake turner (non metal), as it is starting to set, lay the veggies on top. Flip half of the egg over and give it just a minute. Then remove it to a plate. Sometimes I have this for lunch, if I didn't have time at breakfast.
One thing I've finally learned to do is to do veggie prep as they come into the house. It takes some time up front, but it makes meal preparation SO MUCH EASIER. Best!

Yi5hedr3

Keep it simple. Cut your carbs to 100, eggs and bacon for breakfast, cheese and turkey for lunch/dinner.

Francl27

Yi5hedr3 wrote: »

Keep it simple. Cut your carbs to 100, eggs and bacon for breakfast, cheese and turkey for lunch/dinner.

Completely unnecessary.

melimomTARDIS

I definitely vote for relaxing and keeping it simple. I like quick grain based breakfasts (cereal, toast, or oats) typically a sandwich or salad for lunch.