Clean eating when you HATE vegetables
zumbalover523
Posts: 3 Member
So I am trying to loose 40lbs. I track my food on a daily basis (233 days straight!) I eat between 1200-1400 calories a day and exercise at least 4x a week. (Zumba, treadmills, CX workout, calisthenics, weights, etc). I can not loose an ounce! I am 47 and super frustrated! A co-worker was seeing weight loss doctor and he put her on a high protein diet, but all she eats is chicken and vegetables and I HATE vegetable (except corn and potatoes.) I will eat a salad with lettuce and carrots, but not much else. Any ideas on how to eat some veggies when you have an intense dislike for them? Love fruit an eat about 3-4 servings a day.
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You could mix the vegetables into a smoothie with fruit and juice/milk/water. The flavor of spinach completely goes away when mixed with certain things. If you google spinach smoothie you get many results. This could get some vegetables into your diet.6
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I think that you shouldn't do a diet that you will obviously hate. So maybe you lose some weight, but what do you think will happen when you stop eating that way?
How long has it been since you lost weight?4 -
If you haven't lost a pound in 233 days I don't think the issue is your lack of veggies.
However, yes- smoothies!
I'm not big on veggies either (depending on the week). If I'm working out & eating in my calorie range- i still lose with or without eating the proper amount of vegetables.2 -
Time for a check up with Dr and get some blood tests done including thyroid. Are you close to your goal weight? If you are at or close to the weight you are suppose to be, then it could be slow going. It could also be water retention due to salty diet.0
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Thanks for the ideas. I will definitely try adding some spinach or other veggies to into my smoothies. My weight has been stagnant for about a year. I am thinking that its not the number of calories I am eating, but maybe what I am eating since counting calories doesn't seem to be working. I have spoke with my doctor and have had my thyroid checked and it was fine. She basically told me that metabolism is slowing as you age and it gets harder to loose weight. She actually suggested going on fen-phen or welbutrin as a weight loss aide. Not sure I want to go that route because of the side effects and I think that may be a short term solution. I basically feel great, I just can't loose any weight! Ugh!0
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it is not a matter of what you eat but how much you eat - you can eat as clean and healthy as you want but if you eat too much you will still pile on weight.
All this to say - you dont like vegetables? don;t eat them, it won't have any side effects on your weight loss (possibly on your colon but that's a different topic all together...;))2 -
You've tracked your food for 233 days. Open your diary and prove it.2
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If you haven't lost weight in 233 days, then you are not in a deficit and/or you have a medical issue.3
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Fruit is sugar. It is basically natural candy. Corn and potatoes are both not "vegetables" in the sense of health. Eat 3-4 servings of veggies every day. Broccoli, kale, spinach, asparagus, etc. If you want to see change, you have to make change. "I don't like vegetables" sounds like what my 9 year old nephew says when he won't finish his plate. I'd rather eat tacos every day over chicken and broccolli or spinach and turkey over and over and over but you do what you have to do if you actually want change. That said, review your caloric needs to make sure they are correct and take a moment with yourself to make sure you are being honest with quantities and amounts and timing of what you're eating vs what you're logging.4
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Everyone who says it's not what you're eating but how much you're eating is probably right. Are you weighing everything? Is your calorie input accurate?
I didn't know Welbutrin worked as a weight loss aid, but would advise against a doctor putting you on antidepressants for weight loss!!1 -
zumbalover523 wrote: »...She actually suggested going on fen-phen...
I didn't think they could prescribe that stuff anymore. My mother-in-law has permanently damaged heart valves from using that crap back in the day.
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When people say, "CICO doesn't work", have you tried not eating for a few days? You didn't lose any weight? See a doctor.
If you did, then you are eating more than your calorie burn. (CI >= CO).
Drop some calories from your daily total, log that stuff you are ignoring (creamer, fruit), maybe try IF.
If you are exercising a lot, try not eating back your calories....0 -
It sounds scary, but maybe you're not eating enough. I am almost 40, and when I eat 1200-1400 calories, I don't lose any weight. I bumped my calories to 1700 based on the amount of exercise I do, which is in line with your activity level, and slowly, the scale has started to move again. I suggest reading up on IIFYM (flexible dieting), and listening to Half Size Me podcast. The host has tons of information that had me thinking and eating differently without a lot of sacrifice. I do eat some vegetables, but not a ton...I don't really like them either.1
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zumbalover523 wrote: »Thanks for the ideas. I will definitely try adding some spinach or other veggies to into my smoothies. My weight has been stagnant for about a year. I am thinking that its not the number of calories I am eating, but maybe what I am eating since counting calories doesn't seem to be working. I have spoke with my doctor and have had my thyroid checked and it was fine. She basically told me that metabolism is slowing as you age and it gets harder to loose weight. She actually suggested going on fen-phen or welbutrin as a weight loss aide. Not sure I want to go that route because of the side effects and I think that may be a short term solution. I basically feel great, I just can't loose any weight! Ugh!
You are eating more than you think you are, plain and simple. 1200-1400 calories for a year, even with a "slow metabolism" should have resulted in your 40 lbs being gone.
There's no issue with WHAT you eat .. just with how much of it you are eating. This is most likely due to errors in or flaws with your food measuring methodology.2 -
JenniferHorrell1 wrote: »It sounds scary, but maybe you're not eating enough. I am almost 40, and when I eat 1200-1400 calories, I don't lose any weight. I bumped my calories to 1700 based on the amount of exercise I do, which is in line with your activity level, and slowly, the scale has started to move again. I suggest reading up on IIFYM (flexible dieting), and listening to Half Size Me podcast. The host has tons of information that had me thinking and eating differently without a lot of sacrifice. I do eat some vegetables, but not a ton...I don't really like them either.
Usually when people experience this it's because they're actually eating less at 1700 than they ate at "1200". Generally, you decide to increase your calories, and start measuring carefully again to make sure you eat all 1700.0 -
zumbalover523 wrote: »Thanks for the ideas. I will definitely try adding some spinach or other veggies to into my smoothies. My weight has been stagnant for about a year. I am thinking that its not the number of calories I am eating, but maybe what I am eating since counting calories doesn't seem to be working. I have spoke with my doctor and have had my thyroid checked and it was fine. She basically told me that metabolism is slowing as you age and it gets harder to loose weight. She actually suggested going on fen-phen or welbutrin as a weight loss aide. Not sure I want to go that route because of the side effects and I think that may be a short term solution. I basically feel great, I just can't loose any weight! Ugh!
If you have been logging that long: you are not in a deficit. Get. A. Food. Scale: finding out I was drastically underestimating meals completely changed the game for me...and pre-packaged individual serving sizes are off as well: Finding out that MARS bar I was having at 1 bar = 49g 170 calories..actually weighed 54g: those tiny differences add up through out the day and unfortunately this may be keeping you in a maintenance level for calorie counts.2 -
When you say you track your food, how do you do so? Do you weigh your food, use measuring cups, or do you just eyeball it? Most likely you are eating more than you think.
If you're not weighing your food, get a food scale and weigh everything you eat. Make sure the entries you choose are also correct with the calorie amounts. Then you know you're being more accurate and after several weeks see the results.
Eat foods you love. It's more about how many calories you're eating by the end of the day than about what you're eating.1 -
quote <I am thinking that its not the number of calories I am eating, but maybe what I am eating since counting calories doesn't seem to be working.>
I'm sure you have heard this before, that there is no magic "solution" to losing weight. It's just the science of calories in/calories out. While you may be staying within a certain calorie range, please review your food diaries and see where the bulk of your calories are coming from.
I am not making any judgment against you, but when someone says that they haven't lost any weight in a really long time but are faithfully journaling, I have to question if there is total honesty in the journaling, i.e., really accurate amounts. When you eyeball things, many times, the amount is greater than what you think it is. Take butter, for example. There isn't that big of a difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon when looking at it, but the calories are much different.
My suggestion is, if you are not already doing so, get a good digital food scale, get out your measuring cups and spoons, and use them. Also, if you really won't eat vegetables, then clean eating may not be the wisest choice for you, personally. Perhaps a lower carb eating plan may be better for you. I certainly advocate eating organic as much as possible, but that's feasible for everyone.
One tip to get in vegetables is to cook and puree them, and then add them to tomato sauce. This works really well with summer squash, eggplant, spinach, kale, etc.
Good luck!1 -
SoDamnHungry wrote: »Everyone who says it's not what you're eating but how much you're eating is probably right. Are you weighing everything? Is your calorie input accurate?
I didn't know Welbutrin worked as a weight loss aid, but would advise against a doctor putting you on antidepressants for weight loss!!
Everyone I know on Wellbutrin GAINED weight. That's so bizarre that they suggested that.
And OP, yes, open your diary and let us look. And get serious by buying a food scale and measuring EVERYTHING, even packaged foods.
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Lasmartchika wrote: »When you say you track your food, how do you do so? Do you weigh your food, use measuring cups, or do you just eyeball it? Most likely you are eating more than you think.
If you're not weighing your food, get a food scale and weigh everything you eat. Make sure the entries you choose are also correct with the calorie amounts. Then you know you're being more accurate and after several weeks see the results.
Eat foods you love. It's more about how many calories you're eating by the end of the day than about what you're eating.
This is exactly what I was going to say. You'd be surprised how quickly "healthy" food adds up calorie wise if you don't make sure to measure EXACTLY what you're eating. A good example is nuts. I eat them everyday but 30g (roughly a handful to give you a visual although I prefer to actually put them on a scale) is 200 calories! You can go overboard pretty quickly if you're just eyeballing it.
There are somethings I do not weigh (lettuce, celery, water obviously, etc.) but for the most part if you want to really know what's going in your body you need to log it as accurately as possible.1 -
Oh! Also I realize my previous post didn't even address the actual question (HA! XD)...
I don't like veggies much either but have experimented with different preparations and that seems to help. If you use a relatively small amount of oil, salt, and pepper you can roast lots of veggies and it helps the flavor tremendously. Tastes way better than steamed IMO.
Also, fresh herbs and fresh lemon or lime juice! A little fresh dill with cucumbers (or on lots of things really) changes a lot. Fresh basil, thyme, oregano, and cilantro are other favorites.1 -
zumbalover523 wrote: »So I am trying to loose 40lbs. I track my food on a daily basis (233 days straight!) I eat between 1200-1400 calories a day and exercise at least 4x a week. (Zumba, treadmills, CX workout, calisthenics, weights, etc). I can not loose an ounce! I am 47 and super frustrated! A co-worker was seeing weight loss doctor and he put her on a high protein diet, but all she eats is chicken and vegetables and I HATE vegetable (except corn and potatoes.) I will eat a salad with lettuce and carrots, but not much else. Any ideas on how to eat some veggies when you have an intense dislike for them? Love fruit an eat about 3-4 servings a day.
you do not need to eat clean to lose weight. Losing weight is a function of calories in vs calories out. I would suggest the following:
1. set MFP to one pound per week loss
2. eat to that number
3. get a food scale an weigh all solids
4. make sure you get adequate nutrition and keep your protein macro high
5. find a form of exercise that you enjoy and do it..
6. realize that no foods are bad and you can enjoy the foods that you like as long as you get adequate nutrition and stay within your calorie goal.2 -
zumbalover523 wrote: »Thanks for the ideas. I will definitely try adding some spinach or other veggies to into my smoothies. My weight has been stagnant for about a year. I am thinking that its not the number of calories I am eating, but maybe what I am eating since counting calories doesn't seem to be working. I have spoke with my doctor and have had my thyroid checked and it was fine. She basically told me that metabolism is slowing as you age and it gets harder to loose weight. She actually suggested going on fen-phen or welbutrin as a weight loss aide. Not sure I want to go that route because of the side effects and I think that may be a short term solution. I basically feel great, I just can't loose any weight! Ugh!
if you are not losing weight, then you are not in a calorie deficit, period.
you can eat a diet of 100% clean calories (whatever that is), be in a surplus, and still gain weight.
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thatdesertgirl777 wrote: »SoDamnHungry wrote: »Everyone who says it's not what you're eating but how much you're eating is probably right. Are you weighing everything? Is your calorie input accurate?
I didn't know Welbutrin worked as a weight loss aid, but would advise against a doctor putting you on antidepressants for weight loss!!
Everyone I know on Wellbutrin GAINED weight. That's so bizarre that they suggested that.
And OP, yes, open your diary and let us look. And get serious by buying a food scale and measuring EVERYTHING, even packaged foods.
I've been on it for a year or so and I've gained 8 or 9lbs; granted I've also started lifting weights 4-6x a week in the last year and upped my caloric intake to support that so I'm thinking it's not so much the medicine that caused my weight gain. I know people that have lost weight from taking it however I wouldn't recommend it for weight loss unless you're a heavy snacker. I find myself snacking and mindlessly eating a lot less than I did before I was on it but come meal time I'm still eating just as much. I think for people that have a habit of sitting in front of the TV and eating a whole bag of chips or whatever it works in the short term.1 -
Why? If this person said they are doing or eating and not losing why are you questioning them. I know what they are saying could be going on. Last year I was hitting the gym 3-4 times a week and watching what I eat. By the end of the year, I was about the same weight as when I started. I got discouraged and was backing off my workouts. Dr. told me I was building back muscle and muscle weights more than fat. So I'm back at the gym, but now I'm tracking my calories with MFP. I can now see some of the things I was eating last year weren't as good as I thought.1
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zumbalover523 wrote: »She basically told me that metabolism is slowing as you age and it gets harder to loose weight. She actually suggested going on fen-phen or welbutrin as a weight loss aide. Not sure I want to go that route because of the side effects and I think that may be a short term solution.
Metabolism does tend to slow down as we age, but I agree with several other posters who said that you're probably eating more than you think you are. Digital food scales can definitely help if that's the case.
As far as fen-phen, I also agree with someone who said that the drug is no longer legal in the US, though there are a couple variants that are legal now. I had initially thought it was likely just Phentermine, which my husband was put on by a "weight loss doctor" last year. (Don't even get me started on that nonsense... They were making him come in for B12 shots & other shots, eating one time per day, taking the drugs for 30 days at a time, etc... He lost weight but he was VERY irritable, and of course, put most of the weight back on after "finishing" the program... Sigh...) But, after Googling, I came across this article (https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/pph_class_action/pph-fen-phen-primary-pulmonary-hypertension-18-18412.html?utm_expid=3607522-13.Y4u1ixZNSt6o8v_5N8VGVA.0&utm_referrer=https://www.google.com) which says "The Fen-Phen of today, so to speak, is the weight-loss drug Qsymia (Topiramate-Phentermine)." Either way, I would agree that this is probably not the road you want to go down with "just" 40 lbs to lose (my husband could lose 100 and still be in the "overweight" category).
Welbutrin, though, I took bupropion (generic form) once upon a time for depression. I *gained* weight while on it. I found forums where others experienced the same thing. It also seemed to initiate anxiety in many people. I wouldn't recommend it at all.
Get a food scale, make sure you're logging everything, and go from there. Also, consider trying vegetables again,maybe in different ways than you have in the past. As I've gotten older (I'm 43), I periodically try new foods, to include vegetables that I never liked before, and have found that my taste buds indeed HAVE changed over time. It's opened me up to a whole new world of things to try. You may find some that you actually *like.*
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You could mix the vegetables into a smoothie with fruit and juice/milk/water. The flavor of spinach completely goes away when mixed with certain things. If you google spinach smoothie you get many results. This could get some vegetables into your diet.
This. Or learn to cook them, which might help you like them. Vegetables are pretty diverse, so I never understand how people don't like them as a category. Many of them are particularly good roasted.
Enjoying them in a soup or stir fry or pasta sauce might help. One way I eat them (although I love them) is by taking whatever I have around (maybe zucchini and summer squash + cauliflower) and sauteeing them in olive oil with some mushrooms and garlic. Add some protein (shrimp works well here) and then maybe some olives and then mix it with pasta (which would have been prepared separately) in a bowl. Add feta cheese and mix about. Something like that might be easier than just a side of vegetables.
Another option to start out is to do a tomato and lean ground beef based sauce and then add in lots of vegetables--they aren't that noticeable if you don't want them to be. Experiment.
Some of these ideas aren't "clean" as you are defining it, perhaps, but I personally think learning to include vegetables in your diet is a worthwhile thing.1 -
bigguyreed wrote: »Why? If this person said they are doing or eating and not losing why are you questioning them. I know what they are saying could be going on. Last year I was hitting the gym 3-4 times a week and watching what I eat. By the end of the year, I was about the same weight as when I started. I got discouraged and was backing off my workouts. Dr. told me I was building back muscle and muscle weights more than fat. So I'm back at the gym, but now I'm tracking my calories with MFP. I can now see some of the things I was eating last year weren't as good as I thought.
how did your Dr determine you had added back muscle? How much muscle did you add?
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Exactly which vegetables do you dislike?
You say you hate veggies, but that covers a lot of edibles. You can tolerate carrots and lettuce (what type of lettuce? Iceberg, Romaine, kale, etc.,...?") in a salad. So are we to understand you don't like tomato, which botanically is a fruit. Eggplant is considered a vegetable, but actually is a large berry. There are other such examples of actual fruits (e.g., olives, squash) that are considered and used as vegetables.
You might try soups and gumbos in which pureed vegetables are added, much like the smoothies that have been recommended.
I say this as someone whose husband dislikes vegetables; he doesn't like asparagus ("It's nothing but a grass!") artichokes, green beans or spinach. But as long as it's not overcooked, he will eat broccoli and snowpeas. And he will eat salads that are packed with all sorts of veggies.
He's also willing to try new additions to our diet--some which he himself has discovered--such as jicama. I even got him to eat okra that was pureed into a chicken and sausage gumbo--a vegetable that many people are put off on because of its sliminess. Check out different cuisines (or the Mediterranean diet) that may utilize vegetables that you might not have considered such as grape leaves, chickpeas, chard.
In any case, it does matter what you eat, for the purpose of eating is to take in nutrients. So, it'd be counterproductive to eat 1400 calories worth of corn chips and other junk food, right?
So find out what vegetables and low-sugar fruits you can tolerate and run with that. And since your doctor has indicated that you're just fine as far as your thyroid and general health is concerned, carefully measure what it is you are eating, dine out occasionally, and try to avoid fast foods that highly processed and laden with chemicals, salt and bad fats.0
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