Olive Oil

Chrismadison100

I cooked exclusively with olive oil. I worked at cleaning up my eliminating rice, flour sugar, junk food and increased vegetables and fruit. I dropped 15 pounds and then cam to a screeching hault. I could not figure out why and then I eliminated the olive oil and started loosing weight again.

What can I use to cook with in lieu of olive oil? My food tasted better fried in olive oil but I know now there are calories in olive oil despite the fact that it is good for my heart.

mommazach

I use coconut oil, or... I use broth. Depends on what I am cooking of course, but the amount of calories is very insignificant to me. Once I hit a block, my Dr. suggested eliminating dairy. That was currently 12 lbs ago.

janejellyroll

I cook with oil sometimes, but if I don't want to use the calories I will "saute" in a bit of water or broth or use a brief blast of cooking spray.

Unknown

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Ready2Rock206

All oil is going to have around the same amount of calories. You could always try and use less.

NaturalNancy

Spray oil <<<<
or water, cook til water evaporates and add more if needed

lorrpb

Congrats on your loss. How long were you losing and how long were you "at a screeching halt"?
You you can use any oil or butter or margarine. Small amounts of olive oil do not stop you from losing weight.
Perhaps there are other factors involved, like TOM, NORMAL fluctuations, exercise, other aspects of your consumption, etc.
Consider cooking methods other than frying, like baking, grilling, steaming. Consider using herbs and spices to flavor your food.

enterdanger

amyrebeccah wrote: »

Calories are not bad for you, you need them to live. Just like everything else, you just need to balance the amounts. Measure your olive oil and incorporate it into your calories. Cutting out foods is overly restrictive and unnecessary.

This. I'm not adverse to using the sprays like Pam...But I don't usually cook in olive oil...the smoke point is too low. I use it in dressings and cold stuff. I use good old vegetable oil or for stir fry, peanut oil. They have the same amount of calories.

Cooking things in water is a big NO to me unless you are boiling or steaming. I feel like it makes your food blander than it has to be.

JeromeBarry1

I still use a gram of olive oil from a spray can and stir fry my vegetables and meat in it. One gram of olive oil isn't going to hurt. You fry in oil. That much oil of any kind in your food can be so many calories as to sabotage your eating plan. Either learn other ways of cooking or learn how to account for the added oil in the food you prefer.

capaul42

I use butter for all my pan frying, which we do a lot as we like our meat better that way.

Wiseandcurious

Isn't the fat content and hence the calories similar in all oils which would make substitution pointless for weight loss - or am I just showing my ignorance of different oils here... I generally fry or cook with sunflower oil or butter, and use olive oil as a condiment.

MorganMoreaux

Depending on the temperatures I'm cooking at, determines which oils I will use. For high temp cooking I use peanut oil. For medium to low temps either olive oil, coconut oil, or grapeseed oil.

12Sarah2015

Don't fry foods

Wynterbourne

12Sarah2015 wrote: »

Don't fry foods

If you can work it into your calories, why not?

tlflag1620

I only use olive oil for salad dressing. I cook with palm oil, lard, bacon drippings, or coconut oil (higher smoke points). Fats, regardless of source, all have a similar amount of calories per gram, so if you are watching calories it's just a matter of using less and measuring out how much you use.

Christine_72

enterdanger wrote: »

amyrebeccah wrote: »

Calories are not bad for you, you need them to live. Just like everything else, you just need to balance the amounts. Measure your olive oil and incorporate it into your calories. Cutting out foods is overly restrictive and unnecessary.

This. I'm not adverse to using the sprays like Pam...But I don't usually cook in olive oil...the smoke point is too low. I use it in dressings and cold stuff. I use good old vegetable oil or for stir fry, peanut oil. They have the same amount of calories.

Cooking things in water is a big NO to me unless you are boiling or steaming. I feel like it makes your food blander than it has to be.

Yes, i could not imagine cooking steak or a crumbed shnitzel or any meat in water I add oil and count and log the calories in it.

xvolution

Depending on what you're cooking using the olive oil, a decently seasoned wok can help reduce the amount of oil required for a dish by providing a naturally nonstick surface. I've been able to reduce the amount of oil used in stir-fry dishes by a third by using this method.

pebble4321

I use a non stick pan and a small amount of oil. That way I get some flavour and crispiness and a bit of healthy fat but it keeps the calories down a bit. One teaspoon of oil (5ml) is only about 40 cals if I remember correctly, so if I'm cooking two meals that's only 20 cals which I can definitely find room for. Or I use butter - again, not a lot but just enough for flavour and to help with browning.

Chrismadison100

When I say "fry" I mean saute with olive oil. I use olive oil because I thought it was better for my heart than other types of oil.

Chrismadison100

tlflag1620 wrote: »

I only use olive oil for salad dressing. I cook with palm oil, lard, bacon drippings, or coconut oil (higher smoke points). Fats, regardless of source, all have a similar amount of calories per gram, so if you are watching calories it's just a matter of using less and measuring out how much you use.

A nutritionist once told me to use olive oil afterwards but not for cooking.

lorrpb wrote: »

Congrats on your loss. How long were you losing and how long were you "at a screeching halt"?
You you can use any oil or butter or margarine. Small amounts of olive oil do not stop you from losing weight.
Perhaps there are other factors involved, like TOM, NORMAL fluctuations, exercise, other aspects of your consumption, etc.
Consider cooking methods other than frying, like baking, grilling, steaming. Consider using herbs and spices to flavor your food.

I was losing for a few weeks and then I hit a plateau for a couple of weeks. I use strictly olive oil because I thought it was best for my heart.

Mom2Frankie

I use an olive oil sprayer. You can put any oil it in that is liquid at room temp (so coconut won't work). They are $10-$15 and I use it so much it has paid for itself and I use so much less!

Need2Exerc1se

tcjay100 wrote: »

When I say "fry" I mean saute with olive oil. I use olive oil because I thought it was better for my heart than other types of oil.

Whether it's "better" or not is a highly debatable topic. But it has been studied extensively enough to say that it is good for heart health.

I wouldn't give up the olive oil completely if you like it. Your body needs fat. Try using less. One trick I like is to add both oil and a little liquid (water, broth, white wine...). Just enough liquid so that it totally evaporates just before the veggies are done. That way the veggies don't stick but still brown up a little once the liquid is gone and get a light coating of olive oil.

kimondo666

olive oil extra virgin is bad for cooking on it. Cooking on it can make it more carcinogenic. Same with butter. There is something like smoke point(higher then better for cooking). You can cook on olive oil but virgin one. Not extra virgin. As virgin one has higher smoke point. Generally refined oils has higher smoke point and that's why they are safer to cook on it.

Need2Exerc1se

kimondo666 wrote: »

olive oil extra virgin is bad for cooking on it. Cooking on it can make it more carcinogenic. Same with butter. There is something like smoke point(higher then better for cooking). You can cook on olive oil but virgin one. Not extra virgin. As virgin one has higher smoke point. Generally refined oils has higher smoke point and that's why they are safer to cook on it.

No, this is wrong. Extra virgin olive oil does not break down at the smoke point like some other oils do because of it's high monounsaturated fat content.

MelaniaTrump

Eat olives instead.

Need2Exerc1se

JanetYellen wrote: »

Eat olives instead.

You want her to sauté her vegetables in whole olives?

lemurcat12

Ready2Rock206 wrote: »

All oil is going to have around the same amount of calories. You could always try and use less.

This, and count the calories. I use mostly olive oil, but small amounts.

cee134

I saute with water. It works fine and makes a nice sauce. (I am currently only eating a plant based diet right now so that includes different ways to cook lots of vegetables)

I have been trying not to use much olive oil, but it is easy to use way to much and it is hard to log. You may not be reflecting what you where using which is why your calorie count became accurate again when you stopped using it.

I know they say olive oil is healthy, but that's only in moderation. I try to limit the amount of oil I add.

alanlmarshall

I suggest avoiding fried foods and using olive oil sparingly as a condiment. That's more flavor for a smaller portion.

Wynterbourne

alanlmarshall wrote: »

I suggest avoiding fried foods and using olive oil sparingly as a condiment. That's more flavor for a smaller portion.

And a lot of people would totally fail at weight loss if they had to eliminate anything in its entirety permanently from their diet. I eat anything I please when I can fit in the calories. And nearly 90lbs later it's worked just fine for me.

ouryve

I use cold pressed rapeseed oil for frying and sauteing as it's rather delicious and has a higher smoke point than OO. It's also produced fairly local to me, so win win. I use it sparingly and account for it. A teaspoon or so doesn't actually add an impossible amount to the calorie count of a meal, anyhow but it adds so much to the flavour and texture compared with dry frying.