Not too good with food

ErikaAurelia

Hello all!

I have been quite poor with food for the last 4 years (since I moved out), junk food has been my lazy-food. Now, recently (new year thing), I scrapped all junk food and I am trying to follow a quite simple food schedule. But it is hard sometimes since I am lazy and when I am hungry I usually just feel sick (=don't want to start cooking), so it happens, a bit too often, that I take some nuts and water and just wait until it is time for the next meal (= I skip a meal). But well, this is the schedule I am trying to follow:

Breakfast: omelette (2 eggs) + some cherry tomatoes and a little paprika/pepper (because else it would be boring)
Lunch: carrots, broccoli or asparagus with some meat (usually meatballs or cold smoked salmon since that is easy), will add sweet chili sauce unless I eat cold smoked salmon, I have not really figured out what easy sauce I can add to that.
Supper: Usually eat whatever is served at my parents place, if I am not with them I eat something similar to the lunch.

Where I live I have one small hob plate, a microwave and no oven. A small (very small) fridge and a small freezer (one freezer-box/drawer). So that limits me a bit in what I can do. I like cold smoked salmon since I don't have to cook it (+ delicious).

I am not sure if I eat too little or too much calories, no idea at all. I have nothing to weigh my food on, and tbh I'm not sure if I would want to do that. I do not eat large portions, maybe enough veggies to cover my hand and one piece of cold smoked salmon or 6 meatballs.

As snacks I keep to nuts or ölkorv ("beer sausage"), slim dense sausages (they look like this http://www.meloncorp.com/arch/0116/elkorv.jpg ), I've been quite a snacks addict so I try to keep it down.

Do you think I eat enough? Is there something I should add or do you have any suggestions to maybe some more fun food when I only have one plate to cook on?

Thanks in advance

ErikaAurelia

I forgot, I also like gravad lax/gravlax (not sure what it is called in english) since I don't have to cook that one either x)

LKArgh

No one can answer if you are eating too much or too little. Especially since you cannot log your food. If you are too thin or losing fast, you are eating too little. If you are obese or keep gaining weight, you are eating too much.

If you are interested in cooking, then there are many sites with recipes for new cooks. Google one pot recipes, as this is what I understand is currently available to you.

ErikaAurelia

I guess I meant more like "am I eating varied enough to get all I need", might still be hard to answer but it would be nice to get some advice anyway. I am 56 kg and 168 cm long right now (124 lbs and 5'6"), was some weeks ago I checked so it might have changed. I can't really know if I am eating too little or too much by just looking at my weight, I am dropping water weight since I stopped eating chips every day.

I have tried to google recipes but the ones I find seem to want me to have 10 different ingredients, and that won't work for me. I am keeping it very simple. I boil and it is done, I fry and it is done. Ofc I add salt and pepper, but more than that? I have lemons when I eat salmon and sweet chili sauce for the meatballs + veggies.

I don't like cooking at all, haha.

LKArgh

ErikaAurelia wrote: »

I guess I meant more like "am I eating varied enough to get all I need", might still be hard to answer but it would be nice to get some advice anyway. I am 56 kg and 168 cm long right now (124 lbs and 5'6"), was some weeks ago I checked so it might have changed. I can't really know if I am eating too little or too much by just looking at my weight, I am dropping water weight since I stopped eating chips every day.

I have tried to google recipes but the ones I find seem to want me to have 10 different ingredients, and that won't work for me. I am keeping it very simple. I boil and it is done, I fry and it is done. Ofc I add salt and pepper, but more than that? I have lemons when I eat salmon and sweet chili sauce for the meatballs + veggies.

I don't like cooking at all, haha.

56 kilos for 168 cm sounds just perfect
Nutrition wise, personally I would add some fruit and also some dairy.

ErikaAurelia

aggelikik wrote: »

-snip-

56 kilos for 168 cm sounds just perfect
Nutrition wise, personally I would add some fruit and also some dairy.

I came to this weight by eating 300g bags of chips 6 times a week + junk food and then occasional "good food". (I was a skinny teen before that, 48 kg) I'm trying to do a lifestyle change and with that my body will probably shift around some, most of the weight I gained since I moved is probably water and fat x) I don't mind this weight at all, but since I am planning to do aerobics and some more (and ofc strength exercises) I will probably lose some fat and build some muscles. If I have understood things correctly it takes more time to build muscles (especially since I won't use gym equipment, just a kettlebell), so I might drop several kg in weight before I start gaining muscle weight.

I am avoiding dairy to some extent since I noticed that my skin looks way better without it (it is hard, I love milk and drinkyoghurt), but I can definitely throw in some fruit

LKArgh

ErikaAurelia wrote: »

aggelikik wrote: »

-snip-

56 kilos for 168 cm sounds just perfect
Nutrition wise, personally I would add some fruit and also some dairy.

I came to this weight by eating 300g bags of chips 6 times a week + junk food and then occasional "good food". (I was a skinny teen before that, 48 kg) I'm trying to do a lifestyle change and with that my body will probably shift around some, most of the weight I gained since I moved is probably water and fat x) I don't mind this weight at all, but since I am planning to do aerobics and some more (and ofc strength exercises) I will probably lose some fat and build some muscles. If I have understood things correctly it takes more time to build muscles (especially since I won't use gym equipment, just a kettlebell), so I might drop several kg in weight before I start gaining muscle weight.

I am avoiding dairy to some extent since I noticed that my skin looks way better without it (it is hard, I love milk and drinkyoghurt), but I can definitely throw in some fruit

You will not build muscle doing aerobics, you need a strenght training routine. And to build muscle, you need to add more calories, not lose weight. At your height, you cannot afford to lose more than 3-4 kilos max or you will be officially underweight.

ErikaAurelia

aggelikik wrote: »

ErikaAurelia wrote: »

aggelikik wrote: »

-snip-

56 kilos for 168 cm sounds just perfect
Nutrition wise, personally I would add some fruit and also some dairy.

I came to this weight by eating 300g bags of chips 6 times a week + junk food and then occasional "good food". (I was a skinny teen before that, 48 kg) I'm trying to do a lifestyle change and with that my body will probably shift around some, most of the weight I gained since I moved is probably water and fat x) I don't mind this weight at all, but since I am planning to do aerobics and some more (and ofc strength exercises) I will probably lose some fat and build some muscles. If I have understood things correctly it takes more time to build muscles (especially since I won't use gym equipment, just a kettlebell), so I might drop several kg in weight before I start gaining muscle weight.

I am avoiding dairy to some extent since I noticed that my skin looks way better without it (it is hard, I love milk and drinkyoghurt), but I can definitely throw in some fruit

You will not build muscle doing aerobics, you need a strenght training routine. And to build muscle, you need to add more calories, not lose weight. At your height, you cannot afford to lose more than 3-4 kilos max or you will be officially underweight.

I did say I want to do some strength exercises too, I have not fully planned that out but I don't want to go to a gym so my TRX strap and kettlebell will have to do. I want to have better stamina and movement, that is the main reason I thought aerobics would be good + it looks fun. My goal is not to lose weight, but I think I might since 1. I stopped eating chips with a ton of salt and 2. I will try to get more active. I don't think I can avoid it tbh.

I'm not sure what I should add to add more calories, could it be anything or is there something that is prefered?

OyGeeBiv

Some more things for you to try, to give you more variety without needing to cook a lot:

• canned beans
• peanut butter (put it on celery or apples!)
• canned tuna
• ask your parents to let you take a portion of what they're serving for dinner, so you can have it for another meal
• applesauce
• pre-cooked rotisserie chickens (you can get several meals from one small chicken)
• instant oatmeal packets

For your smoked salmon, put it on a 1/2 bagel with some cream cheese! YUM.

ErikaAurelia

64crayons wrote: »

Some more things for you to try, to give you more variety without needing to cook a lot:

• canned beans
• peanut butter (put it on celery or apples!)
• canned tuna
• ask your parents to let you take a portion of what they're serving for dinner, so you can have it for another meal
• applesauce
• pre-cooked rotisserie chickens (you can get several meals from one small chicken)
• instant oatmeal packets

For your smoked salmon, put it on a 1/2 bagel with some cream cheese! YUM.

Thank you so much for the suggestions!! I have some canned white beans, it is like emergency food to me because I don't know what to combine it with. I love chili con carne but that would be too much hassle to make. I tend to eat it right out of the can, but then I'm good after about 1/3, and then I don't know what to do with the rest (I usually put it in the fridge after that).

Is peanut butter healthy (or well, OK)? I, for some reason, think of it as something close to chips and ice cream, but I guess it is much better than that.

Applesauce sounds nice too, totally forgot it existed (haven't had applesauce since I was ~ 9 years old).

Thanks again

TheLittleRedHairedGirl

What adding in a protein shake? You can buy them RTD, or buy a shaker container. Most of them you can mix with water or even milk. The best shaker I've seen is something like this... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MVMCUK8?keywords=shaker bottle&qid=1453128535&ref_=sr_1_4&s=sports-and-fitness&sr=1-4

Any one that has a ball with it is a good one as it really breaks up the powder and mixes it fairly well, eliminating large clumps.

ErikaAurelia

I'm not sure if that is something I want to start with at this point, sounds so...like I'm working out a lot, haha. Maybe it will be a thing for the future when I might exercise more, but don't know about now.

OyGeeBiv

ErikaAurelia wrote: »

Thank you so much for the suggestions!! I have some canned white beans, it is like emergency food to me because I don't know what to combine it with. I love chili con carne but that would be too much hassle to make. I tend to eat it right out of the can, but then I'm good after about 1/3, and then I don't know what to do with the rest (I usually put it in the fridge after that).

Is peanut butter healthy (or well, OK)? I, for some reason, think of it as something close to chips and ice cream, but I guess it is much better than that.

Applesauce sounds nice too, totally forgot it existed (haven't had applesauce since I was ~ 9 years old).

Thanks again

How about canned white beans and tuna, mixed together and add some bottled italian dressing?

I make a vat of "3 bean salad" at a time, I love it. I like to cook, so I make the dressing from scratch, but bottled is fine - something that's vinegar-based. Take 2 cans of beans (different colors for more visual fun - red, white, black...) and a can or package of frozen green beans. It makes a lot, probably more than you want to eat, so bring some to your parents!

Or just for yourself, a can of beans and dressing?

You can get "fancy" and mush up white beans and some garlic, and thin it with a little water, and call it "hummus" (it's not really hummus, but make believe is fun).

Peanut butter, like anything else, is healthy if used within your calories. It's high fat, but also protein - like all nuts are. You said you eat nuts anyway. I like cashew butter too, but I make it myself - it's just cashews in a food processor for 10 minutes. Anyway, I recommended it because nuts are good for you in moderation, and it's a food with a crazy long shelf life even after it's opened.

ErikaAurelia

The only beans that I like to eat that way is white beans, but thank you for the suggestion I actually just bought peanut butter, haha. (and applesauce, everything tasty is totally me)

kmsoucy457

It's a shame you're avoiding dairy, because as soon as I saw 'smoked salmon' I thought: plain yogurt and dill. I also like smoked salmon with fresh tomatoes and capers.

ErikaAurelia

kmsoucy457 wrote: »

It's a shame you're avoiding dairy, because as soon as I saw 'smoked salmon' I thought: plain yogurt and dill. I also like smoked salmon with fresh tomatoes and capers.

I am considering trying some vegan type of yogurt that I've heard people say taste like sourcream (I love the combination you mentioned, but I usually used sourcream and not yogurt).
Since my skin is looking so much better I don't want to go back to dairy, but yeah, it is sad.