Small Fridge and dieting

Mols86

Hello all,

I've been dieting for awhile now, but I find it very hard to make meals and store them since I have a tiny fridge. We rent, so there's no alternative. Anyone get around this? Making my meals and putting them in containers is the best way for me to lose weight. If I don't I get tired during the week and don't cook. Any suggestions?

Jewels_in_the_rough

Can you get a mini fridge for extra storage?

scottaworley

There might not be an easy fix. A couple things you could try:
1) Prepare dishes that do not need refrigeration.
2) Realize that you do not have to cook every meal to lose weight.

Bridgetthegre

See if you have space for a tiny little freezer somewhere. Maybe in the utility room, if there is one, or the kitchen, or even a closet. When you move, you can bring it with you.

moontyrant

Eat what's in your fridge before you put more things into it. I find this is the key to success.
or you can just buy additional fridges and strew them around your apartment like everyone else is suggesting.

Pandorian

Pre-assemble some dry fixings into meals... see 'soup in a jar' type recipes where you just gather the ingredients dry... store them in a jar on the counter / cupboard/ junk drawer... open one and dump it into a pot when you're getting ready for the meal. Depending on the meal some can be made into a soup if you want the liquid, some can be drained once they've cooked. I have success either steaming or pressure cooking.

Also look at your fridge, many people refrigerate things that don't need to be, taking up cooling space that could be dedicated to the things that actually need it.

AllTehBeers

I only have a mini fridge as well. Here's a few things I do:

I buy lots of canned fruit and vegetables. Most of the food I buy I can store in the cabinet and only keep meal staples in the fridge. Canned chicken is my best friend. I like it way more then tuna and find it's a lot more versatile. Soups you can buy now that have only 80 cals a serving.

Staples - Eggs, milk, butter, cheese, bacon, lunch meat, bbq sauce/hot sauce, salsa, lettuce for salads and sometimes pickles/olives. All this stuff you can make a single meal with no leftovers to store. You can round out the rest of the space with your own preferences. I don't drink anything other then water normally so I just have one or two refillable water bottles for my only drinks. If I do want a soda, I'll buy a 12 pack of cans and put one or two in at a time.

I also buy tortillas to make single wraps with the eggs and bread so I always have stuff for sandwiches. I also buy crackers and chips to snack on.

Once a week I can make a big meal and eat on it for three days. Fajitas, chili, a roast in the crockpot, tacos, and stir fry are some of my favorites. Usually the leftovers can fit into one medium tupperware and doesn't take up much space.

AllTehBeers

Eat what's in your fridge before you put more things into it. I find this is the key to success.
or you can just buy additional fridges and strew them around your apartment like everyone else is suggesting.

The OP could always just turn the air condition really really low and hang meat from the ceiling like a meat locker.

eylia

I actually find having a small fridge helpful, it makes me think carefully when shopping about what I need and what I don't. If you can, buy a small freezer, I tend to store individual potions of meat in the freezer and only keep what I intend to use that day in my fridge. I store some veg in the fridge, but freeze some things that defrost well in chopped, ready to go containers. Most fruit I buy doesn't need to be refrigerated. Also, invest in some containers that stack neatly, this way you can keep a fair bit stacked on each shelf and get to it without making too much mess.