Advice for a junk food junkie!

jodymarq

Hi All,
I would love feedback/advice on how I can work on eating better. I am a horrible junk food junkie, and have been since middle school (I'm now 41), and my only saving grace is a good metabolism that I've noticed has been slowing down the past few years. I didn't even have my first salad until I was 20 and hated it. Thankfully I discovered that it was due to the salad dressing so if I do a salad, I pass on the dressing.

My issue is that because of this bad eating, I don't really care for fruits and vegetables. On the veggie side I don't mind cucumbers, peas, red peppers, squash and sweet potatoes, but can't stand broccoli, cabbage and green beans for sure. One the fruit side I like watermelon and grapes best but find most other fruits too tart for my liking. I will eat pretty much any fruit as long as it is in smoothie form but don't care for most by themselves, and I will add carrot, spinach and V8 juice to smoothies as well. I was hoping when I got pregnant that I would crave healthy stuff, but of course not!

Smoothies are all well and good, but if there is any, and I mean any other options around that give me other choices besides fruits and whatnot, the fruit sits. For breakfast I start off decent usually having 2 boiled eggs and a string cheese, but then struggle with lunch and dinner. I do chop up cauliflower and add it to pastas, tacos, etc, but I clearly need to do more than this as my dad is 73 and full blown insulin dependent diabetic. I have his genetics so I want to take action now before its too late.

For me, by biggest down falls are chips & dip and cookies and I have zero willpower to turn away from them. I am also a boredom eater, and I honestly feel that going 'cold turkey' would not be good. I also have to consider my family as I often make the meals for myself, husband and 2 kids (5 & 7).

Lastly, before it is suggested, I SUCK at meal planning/planning ahead. I've tried and cannot get it for some reason. I've done the try swapping an apple for chips theory, but I'm sorry, nothing beats that chip crunch and salty taste. I have also tried having a basic salad at supper, but it never tastes like the ones from a restaurant, even if it is a similar type of house salad, and my husband and kids won't eat the salad either so it just goes to waste.
So if there is anyone out there that is/was like me, I would love your advice, and thank you for taking the time to read this far!

RelCanonical

Eat the foods you like and watch your portions. Weigh and log everything so you know the portions are correct. Heck, even start with just logging so you know where you're at, and then work in keeping the calorie level at a weight-loss rate. Exercise to get more calories to eat.

gjp708

My advice is to learn what a serving size is and don't guess. My goal was to lose 50#. I'm down 35# so far. I didn't give up any foods. I still eat what I want, I still drink beer, but every day and every meal is planned. I have a food scale to weigh my food so I know exactly what I am eating. I eat ice cream most nights. I enter all my food I'm going to eat the next day the night before. There are no surprises. You be surprised when you log everything and see calories and macros that the foods you want to eat begin to change.

Lounmoun

If your goal is mainly weight management then calories are what you need to look at not type of food. Log everything as accurately as you can.

If you don't mind some vegetables and fruits then eat those. You don't have to eat stuff you hate.
Buy less of the stuff you have trouble moderating.
Buy fruits and vegetables that are ready to eat.
Go to a farmer's market or a u-pick farm and try really fresh produce.
If you want to eat more vegetables or fruits try different ways of preparing them and get used to including them more gradually. Have fun exploring not going into it with an I have to do this attitude. Maybe start with adding a serving of vegetables or fruit once a week and then a couple more days. Then once a day. Then several times a day.
Vegetables can taste pretty different depending on how they are cooked. Mollie Katzen has some good cookbooks for vegetable recipes. I liked The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without. My carrot hating dh liked the coconut ginger carrots.
https://www.amazon.com/Vegetable-Dishes-Cant-Live-Without-ebook/dp/B00D193MOS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1530817620&sr=8-1&keywords=vegetable+dishes+i+can't+live+without
My vegetable hating dd will eat vegetables in mixed dishes like minestrone soup, pasta sauces, lasagna or manicotti. She really likes creamed spinach of all things.

If you like potato chips you might find baked chips, vegetable chips, popcorn, roasted chickpeas, wasabi peas alternatives.
If you like salty or sour foods you might like low calorie pickles for a snack. Make pickled vegetables. https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-quick-pickle-any-vegetable-233882

busyPK

I'm a busy mom as well and don't "meal prep" in the true sense of the word. What has helped me is cooking about 3 times a week, but making extra. For example I'll brown some ground beef and put taco seasoning in it and eat it as tacos, then taco salad then maybe a burrito. I'll also make a beef roast in the crockpot with carrots, potatoes, etc. and eat it as a roast with a side of mashed potatoes or the meat on bread as a sandwich. I am also a fan of breakfast casseroles and can eat that for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And honestly, don't worry about the variety of fruits and veggies you eat as long as you some. No need to push yourself to eat something you don't like the taste of so stick to the few you do like. It honestly comes down to weighing your food on a food scale and eating within your allotted calories MFP gives you to lose 1lb per week (or less if you are close to your goal). I still eat chips and dessert, but I log it before I eat it to make sure I have enough calories and enjoy it slowly! lol

debtay123

my advice is to still eat some of your favorites but get the individual serving size bags or packages- yes it seems to be more money but for me it helps- also right now- I have to keep any extras outside in my car(lol)- like the rest of the bags of chips or peanuts etc. because if it is outside I will NOT get up and go outside but I do best if I have each individual serving of items.