No-preparation diet

Elliot315

Hello all,

First, my stats. I'm a 22 YO male, 5'5, 175. I walk about twenty minutes per day. I've always been a bit chunky, but have yo-yo-ed from 160 - 185 over the past few years, but even at my thinnest, I could still stand to loose. Ideally, I would like to get to 140 or so by this December. I used a calculator that suggested I eat between 1000-1500 calories per day to loose.

Being a 22 year old, I'm not really interested in cooking. Instead, I like to eat things out of the package, fridge, microwave, etc. If it takes more than 10 minutes to prepare or clean, I probably won't incorporate it into my diet. When I eat healthily, my staples are tuna, eggs, cheese, berries, nuts, and occasionally tofu. I would really like a consistent, convenient, tolerable diet that doesn't require much preparation nor frequent shopping, but that will lead to weight loss. Preferably, I would eat the same things everyday. Any suggestions?

Christine_72

Sounds like you may be limited to ready meals and eggs and such. If you can afford it and don't mind high sodium and stay within your calories then you'll lose weight eating convenience meals, just like with any foods/meal plan.

It's never too late to learn how to cook.. I don't want to sound like your mother lol But i had 2 kids, a husband and mortgage when i was 22. I had no choice but to learn how to cook good meals, and it doesn't mean spending hours slaving over a hot stove. Maybe google 5 minute meals or quick meals etc

Sorry,sorry giving advice that wasn't asked for, my maternal side rears it's head every now and then

leanjogreen18

first I'm pretty sure as a male you shouldn't go below 1800 but double check me on that. second I don't cook, I eat boca burgers (chicken too) with 60 calorie Daves' killer bread. Tuna sandwiches and eggs and toast for breakfast. tacos with refried beans and salads. Thats pretty much been my diet for the last 30 days and so far so good.

dmt4641

Have you ever used a crockpot? You can throw chicken or other meat in there with one of those slow cooker liners so no clean up. Lots of recipes online for simple crockpot meals.

My grocery store has cooked meats (chicken breast, shrimp, etc.) in the deli area, along with cooked veggies, grains, even salads. It would be more expensive than cooking it yourself, but it is definitely a no prep diet.

Have you ever tried roasting meat or veggies. It is so simple with almost no clean up if you put foil on the sheet pan. A spray of oil, salt and pepper (plus any other seasonings you want) and just roast until it's cooked. Clean up is throwing away the foil and washing cutting board and knife.

queenliz99

Eat what you like but stay in a deficit. The recommended minimum amount of calories for males is 1500 calories.

dmt4641

Also 1000 a day is way too low even for a woman. I think 1500 is the lowest healthy calories for a man.

VintageFeline

Eat what you eat now. Don't eat under 1500 calories per day (as a young male you should really eat more) and you'll lose weight.

Could your diet do with improvement? Sure. Is cooking a good skill to have, even if it's quick basic meals? Sure. But none of it is necessary for weight loss.

Due to my health I go from making all the things all the time a la Jamie Oliver to your typical student fayre of frozen food, ready meals (though the best quality ones I can afford) and easy to grab snacks. None of it has hindered my weight loss. I don't even really plan anything, I do it on the hoof. Exercise saves me in this respect, gives me a lot more to play with so I don't need to meticulously plan things (again, not possible a lot of the time due to health).

RodaRose

Canned tuna or salmon, endamame, over night oatmeal, rotisserie chicken, baked potato with cheese or beans, burrito or veggie/sandwich meat wraps, and some precut fruit and veggies from the grocery store.

Change your goals to lose one pound a week. You will be more successful losing at a reasonable weight than if you put a December deadline on reaching goal weight.

liznotyet

You didn't list them but they are easy to add - greens like spinach, arugula, and other prepackaged salad green that are already washed. I add them to almost every meal. My favorite breakfast recipe is to microwave two cups of spinach with an egg or two broken in, it is fast and easy to make and easy to clean up, no frying pan. I make it in a glass measuring cup (2 minutes, covered with a plate) and then serve it on a piece of toast. Another favorite is peanut butter arugula toast. If you don't like greens just start with a much smaller amount. Cooked spinach shrinks to almost invisible.

thunder1982

I have tried the prepackaged food diet. Lean Cusine/Weight Watchers etc. I personally found that they didnt keep me as full as a home prepared meal for the same calories. I have to get back into it but I purchased takeaway containers and would cook big batches of meals (It took more than 10 mins but wasnt very frequent). Then every day I just needed to grab a frozen meal and reheat. Unfortunately we've had freezer issues at home so this has gone a bit to the wayside after I lost a heap of food. But before that I had a huge selection of meals.

Frozen fish fillets was another staple of mine, salmon fillets with roast veggies. I would use 2 small trays/plates in the oven. One for the fish and one for the veggies. They took about the same amount of time to cook so it was put in oven go do what ever and dinner was ready.

A great breakfast was tomatoes and zucchini in a small bowl crack an egg over it (cheese optional extra). You probably could microwave it but I used to chuck it in the oven while I showered/dressed. You can cut the night before or cut a couple days worth at a time. Snuck in an extra serve of veggies and replaced carbs which worked well for me.

That being said there are a few things pre-packaged that I buy for snacks. small bags of popcorn, cheese & biscuits.

Sued0nim

Big bags of prepared vegetables and salad leaves...throw the former in the microwave

Carefully selected ready prepared meals ...look at calories (limit to under 600) and nutrients (high protein, good fats) ..heat and eat over an entire bag of veg or salad leaves ..if you don't like it don't buy it again

You could choose a day to batch cook for an hour then have your own meals prepared in fridge to grab and go

Cooking

Chicken breast ...wrap in foil with salt, pepper, lemon juice, thyme and throw in oven for 20 minutes
Any cut of meat or fish generally takes unde 20 mins to broil or dry pan fry ..it's all in the seasonings and accompaniments

But if I'm honest I read your post and thought "You're a 22 year old, not a child, time to grow up and learn how to cook"

Get a starter book like https://www.amazon.com/Jamies-Ministry-Food-Anyone-Learn/dp/1856132846

jemhh

I eat the vast majority of my fruits/veggies raw. The only prep work necessary is washing and cutting, which you are well able to do. Other than that, cooking meat is extremely simple. Throw it on the grill or in a baking dish with salt/pepper, apply heat, presto.

Food preparation doesn't have to be complex.

MoveitlikeManda

seriously? because your a 22 yo male you cant be bothered cooking?? not sure wht your age or sex has to do with it tbh.

get in the kitchen and make some proper food.......its cheaper than ready meals and if ya dont wanna go shopping get it delivered once a week.

cooking is a life skill! god I was cook full roast dinners for a family of 7 at the age of 10

read this comment "But if I'm honest I read your post and thought "You're a 22 year old, not a child, time to grow up and learn how to cook"
and couldnt agree more

Lounmoun

Elliot315 wrote: »

Hello all,

First, my stats. I'm a 22 YO male, 5'5, 175. I walk about twenty minutes per day. I've always been a bit chunky, but have yo-yo-ed from 160 - 185 over the past few years, but even at my thinnest, I could still stand to loose. Ideally, I would like to get to 140 or so by this December. I used a calculator that suggested I eat between 1000-1500 calories per day to loose.

Being a 22 year old, I'm not really interested in cooking. Instead, I like to eat things out of the package, fridge, microwave, etc. If it takes more than 10 minutes to prepare or clean, I probably won't incorporate it into my diet. When I eat healthily, my staples are tuna, eggs, cheese, berries, nuts, and occasionally tofu. I would really like a consistent, convenient, tolerable diet that doesn't require much preparation nor frequent shopping, but that will lead to weight loss. Preferably, I would eat the same things everyday. Any suggestions?

Your age has nothing to do with your interest level in cooking. I learned to cook young and was cooking dinners for my whole family as a teenager most days because my parents workedand I liked to cook. You just aren't interested in cooking or don't have a compelling reason to do so most of the time. Plenty of people of all ages are like that.

You can eat whatever you want as long as you stick to your calorie deficit and lose weight.
1500 is the minimum recommended calories for a male and 1200 for a female. Don't eat 1000 calories.
Try to get enough protein. Eat whole grains where you can. Eat vegetables and fruits- frozen or canned if necessary.
Don't go ultra low fat. Do watch your sodium intake if you are eating a lot of packaged stuff.
Yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, tuna, lunchmeat, nuts, canned beans, hummus, bananas, carrots, apples, oranges, pasta, oatmeal, bread, peanut butter, etc.
A lot of slow cooker recipes you prep quickly and then walk away while it cooks.
Cook once a day or once a week and have leftovers throughout the week.
Look up no prep or low prep recipes, 5 ingredient or less recipes, 10 minute recipes
http://www.tasteofhome.com/simple---delicious-magazine/10-minute-recipes
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/10_minute_recipes

dmt4641

Sued0nim wrote: »

But if I'm honest I read your post and thought "You're a 22 year old, not a child, time to grow up and learn how to cook"

I thought this too. My 8 year old can cook eggs several ways, chop up all veggies and fruits, sauté, etc. I haven't let her use the oven yet but only because she is not tall enough.

On the other hand, my husband couldn't cook to save his life until a few months ago. He tried to cook for me 3 times in our 10 year marriage and each time cut himself or hurt himself severely, needing stitches once. However, he has gotten more into bodybuilding lately and started prepping lunches and snacks for the week for himself. One easy thing he makes (with no injuries!) is turkey taco meat which he puts on top of microwave brown rice (Uncle Ben's, you microwave for 90 seconds), canned black beans (drained), and some sautéed veggies.

nowine4me

Stouffers (the makers of Lean Cuisine) has a new line called Fit Cuisine, which are larger, more filling and high-protein. They are all pretty good (steak Fajita is my fav) and in the 400-500 calorie range. Pair with some fruit or salad. Other pre-packaged staples: greek yogurt, hummus, bread with peanut butter, cottage cheese, protein bars, etc.

cee134

I do things differently now but here (FYI alot of your healthy foods are high in fat and calories, that may have something to do with yo-yo weight gain):

For protein - I would buy skinless chicken I could microwave
Then I would buy microwave vegetables and starches (like rice and noodles, etc.)

It's easier to log, but make sure you pay attention to the calories.

TeaBea

dmt4641 wrote: »

Also 1000 a day is way too low even for a woman. I think 1500 is the lowest healthy calories for a man.

This^

Breakfast is easy - hard boiled eggs, string cheese, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, fruit, instant oatmeal (although that tends to be high in sugar....not terribly filling) or even a peanut butter sandwich.

Salads - pick up ready grilled chicken strips (Tyson).....although it will be much cheaper to make your own. I cook up a bunch of chicken on Sunday and parcel them out in zip-lock bags (store in the freezer).

Sandwiches with a fruit & veggie side. Ready to serve soups....again with a fruit & veggie side.

Dinners - there is a large assortment of frozen meals (Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, Fit Cuisine). Most of these will be marketed to women (lower calorie counts).....look for the higher calorie meals and be prepared to add some veggies. Steam Fresh veggies are very easy. Even some of the regular Stouffers' and Marie Calender meals will work.

PaulaWallaDingDong

A lot of the time, I just throw one or two salmon fillets with some sauce into a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, and during the last few minutes, nuke like 250 or 300 grams of mixed veg or brussels sprouts. While the fish is cooking, you can do laundry, keep your netflix binge flowing, or whatever. The oven is doing all the work.

If I'm going with prepared foods (the employee store where I work is selling 2-packs of crab cakes and fish cakes and I'm sort of going ham on those things), I'll just have that (the cakes, a lean cuisine, banquet meal, whatever) with the veggies on the side.

misskarne

Are you planning on eating pre-packaged foods for the rest of your life? What's wrong with cooking?

Christine_72

Sued0nim wrote: »

But if I'm honest I read your post and thought "You're a 22 year old, not a child, time to grow up and learn how to cook"

I'm glad somebody said what I was thinking.