Dieting when I like nothing healthy!!!

taso42

Try to get away from this mindset of "healthy" and "unhealthy" foods. What the hell does vegetables that "are not that good for me" mean? Your diet, as a whole, is either fulfilling your nutritional needs or it isn't. Figure out your nutritional needs, and ensure you're getting the nutrition you need. I'm sure there are enough foods that you like to make this work.

junejadesky

My daughter (13) is a picky eater. I've been on a mission to find vegetables she will eat, and am cooking them different ways. I don't like brussel sprouts, but I want to. They taste different depending on how they are cooked. I still have hope that someday I'll find a recipe that I like.

My daughter's range is getting bigger for what she'll eat now. I don't like fish either. I wish I did. Doesn't mean I still won't try it on occasion. I kinda like it if it's fried, so goodbye healthy benefits with that one.

But I'd suggest you just try things that you usually ban, if you see it cooked in a different way.

I load up the stir fry with all kinds of vegetables nobody in my family would normally eat. Once it's all cooked, with a little sauce and some noodles thrown in, nobody can separate the flavors.

Check out "The Sneaky Chef" cookbook on creative ways to get your kids to eat veggies. Mine have no clue that sometimes they are getting 4 servings in one sitting!!

Jimaudit

bam under 200 calories and a lunch that feels me up.

I thought you were warned to stay out of those places for lunch? But hey a good reach around is nice from time to time!

badwolves

Find different ways to prepare things you "don't like." I hate raw spinach, but I love it steamed and wilted -- it takes on an entirely new flavor.

A calorie deficit is what you need to lose weight but doing that simply by switching to lower calorie versions of unhealthy foods, with no nutritional value, isn't going to do well for you in the long run. You need to be getting the nutrients your body needs, and baked Lays potato chips aren't going to do that.

Picky or not, try new things. You honestly never know what you might like.

witmer1

You can eat whatever you want. If you eat high calorie foods, you'll have to eat less than if you were to eat more low calorie foods.

ecw3780

A calorie deficit is all that is needed to lose weight. There is no way to spot reduce and the body chooses where the fat will come off first and last. Since you are a very picky eater, eat at a deficit, research for various recipes and maybe try to incorporate new items slowly. Sure, you can eat whatever you want as long as you are in a deficit to lose weight. However, you would be missing out on nutrition.

this. I think you should look into the If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) way of dieting. I also recommend changing your macros to 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat...or at least 30% protein and 30% fat to start with. Do you like eggs and chicken? How about fruit? I am terrible about incorporating veggies, so I usually blend them up and hide them in other foods. Roasted veggies tend to be better than raw. The only raw veggies I eat are in a salad.

Ignore all the eat clean people, and just eat at a deficit until you find things you like.

murphy612

I LOVE most ethnic cuisine, but I have to admit, I HATE Mexican food. I've never had anything Mexican that I would order twice, or even finish. Worst offenders; burritos, tacos, enchiladas, refried beans, spanish rice, and the most horrid of all, nachos with that nasty orange plastic-like cheese. ]

If the examples you gave above is what you consider "Mexican food" then I don't blame you. Go to an authentic Mexican/Hispanic/Latino restaurant and eat there before giving up on Mexican food

mamacita721

I remember going a year only eating grilled cheese sammiches. When I was four. So suck it up buttercup. Now that I am a grown up, I sometimes actually eat things that I may not love, but I know are good for me. Except for pickles. Or any thing pickled. Or any food that has been tainted by pickle juice because there was a pickle on my plate when I SPECIFICALLY ASKED that NO PICKLES come near my plate!!! Errhmm. Sorry.

Anyway. Taste buds mature and change as you do. Try new things along with your favorites. Put veggies in a smoothie and sweeten it up with fruit. Yes, you can lose on a deficit. Yes there are no bad foods. BUT, higher quality, healthy food will keep you fuller longer than junk.

LisaDunn01

My advice to you is write down a list of things you do like, and if they're "bad" for you then take a look at possible alternatives or substitutions. For example:

Chocolate Ice Cream (LOVE)

Have instead:

2 frozen bananas
1 c. almond milk
1 Tbsp. cacao (chocolate) powder
1 heaping Tbsp. peanut butter
Blend into a milkshake! Super yummy and really healthy!

The following is my favorite healthy smoothie, and is a great way to get plenty of fruits and veggies (and have it actually TASTE GOOD):

10 oz. water
1/2 orange
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 c. frozen pineapple
1 1/2 handfuls fresh spinach
1/2 c. fresh parsley
2 leaves of fresh basil
Blend. Everyone I've made this for has loved it - including two very picky daughters!

Don't diet. Just make better, healthier choices. :-)

murphy612

Ignore all the eat clean people, and just eat at a deficit until you find things you like.

That's weird, I've read this entire thread and there has not been one person to preach on the "clean eating" bandwagon. Most of the advice is IIFYM or try to incorporate some vegetables for a more nutrient rich diet. Weight loss or not, incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet is a good thing.

theatregirl4416

Eating a tomato off the vine is a whole different taste, texture EVERYTHING from eating tomato sauce. There is barely even a remote connection to the tastes of each.

Exactly.

This is a really bad, personal example, but I can't STAND prawns. I wont touch them with a ten foot bargepole.
But I like prawn toast and prawn crackers, lol.

Get out there and read some recipes and recipe books, sweetie. Ignore the total *kitten* on this thread who are being, frankly, plain rude with their one liners.

I found cooking for myself opened up a whole world of new foods I wouldnt have tried before. I'm sure you will find some things you like!

Oh and feel free to add me if you want to swap recipes lol

rml_16

Ignore all the eat clean people, and just eat at a deficit until you find things you like.

That's weird, I've read this entire thread and there has not been one person to preach on the "clean eating" bandwagon. Most of the advice is IIFYM or try to incorporate some vegetables for a more nutrient rich diet. Weight loss or not, incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet is a good thing.

I think that response was directly to the OP, not responding to anyone else posting.

The idea behind the OP is you can't lose weight without eating certain foods.

TyandStellasMommy

Some cookbooks I found really helpful were Taste of Home Comfort Diet Food. As long as I am using portion control I continue to lose weight.

theatregirl4416

I like:

meats: Chicken, beef (with the exception of hamburger meat), shrimp, pork

fruits: kiwi, banana, apple, strawberry, flavor of blueberry (not the actual whole fruit), Coconut, Lemon, Orange, Pineapple, Lime, Cantaloupe, Grapes

Vegetables: Carrots, Potatoes, Corn, Pinto beans, Cucumber, Garlic

Nuts and Seeds: Almond, Cashew, Peanut, Pecan, Walnut, Sunflower Seeds

Pasta
Rice
Bread

Just seen this post so few suggestions for meal ideas here

Egg noodles with stirfry vegetables, and beef chunks. Use 1 cal spray fat or similar to cook it in a wok.

You have nuts and seeds there - good for snacks.
Same as above, with the fruit.

Additionally with fruit, you can make fruit salad and breakfast smoothies.
I presume you like pastry too, you can make your own from scratch and voila instant fruit pie

You like a nice variety of meat there, you can NEVER go wrong with chicken, thats loaded with protein. Same with pork. You can have those two staples on a plate and fill the rest of the plate with veggies - cucumber and sweetcorn if you want it with a salad, or you can try corn on the cob or simply have a baked potato with it.

Veggies like carrots you can make into soups, I understand carrot and corindar soup is a good one if you can find a recipe and adapt it to your own tastes.

xx

jr235

Well, from your list you could roasted chicken with carrots and potatoes and a fruit smoothie. That is actually my dinner fairly frequently.

Do you like soup? (And if you don't, how the hell could you not like soup?) You can get away with blending all kinds of things in soup. My daughter has some weird issues with textures lately (she's 2 and goes through a lot of weird stages) but she will eat any vegetable blended in a soup and not care. So will my picky husband. He's even gotten to the point he will still eat the soup even if he knows there's a vegetable he doesn't like in there!

I'd also say try new things in new combinations. Also, try to add some fiber in there. If you don't like beans try lentils. They have a completely different texture and taste from beans.

What kind of seasonings do you like? Just salt and pepper? Do you like any ethnicities of food? Mexican, thai, indian, anything?

And although I don't dislike most vegetables or healthy foods there are plenty of meals where I would much rather eat a nice big greasy plate of chinese food then my grilled chicken and veggies. I choose the light and healthy option 80% of the time so I can enjoy the that kind of food 20% and still fit into my clothes.

SkinnyMsFitness

Here lies my BIGGEST issues when dieting... I am a very picky eater!!! I like almost nothing!!! NO JOKE!!! I do not like anything green except cucumbers and pickles. I do not like hardly any vegetables except the ones that aren't that great for me. I do not like fish. Since there isn't a lot I do like and there's even less that is healthy that I do like I quickly get burnt out on healthy things I do like... Do you have any pointers or advice that might help me lose the belly fat? Thanks

First of all, you should NOT be dieting, you should be 'changing your lifestyle.' Dieting implies you're going back to your old ways once you're done...what do you think will happen then? ...Right or wrong, I don't believe in the clean eating thing. I still eat what I want, but in moderation. Have you ever tried protein shakes? I like Syntha-6. One serving consists of 200 cals, lots of protein and other good nutrients and it tastes like ice cream! ) It's a good meal replacement...but I only recommend replacing one meal a day with it.

Good luck!

storm15918

I agree with the smoothie idea! I sneak kale into my diet that way, and the smoothies are super yummy and filling. I also second making the things you do like healthier. That's what I did and it helps a lot. For example, I switched from white bread to multi-grain, regular bacon to center cut, stuff like that. It all tastes relatively the same, but it's better for you and often has more nutrients too. While I agree that trying new things is also important, I know how tough that is and how awful it can go. Just try to make small changes where you can and don't lose hope!

However, for everyone who is being so wonderfully rude to the OP saying things like 'grow up' and 'you're not a 2 year old', realize that NOT EVERYONE IS LIKE YOU. Not everyone is fortunate enough to like the things you like. Most picky eaters don't like being this way. I wish every day that I could just sit down with a plate of veggies and chicken and be happy. But I can't because it would literally make me gag. For some of us it's just not that easy. For example, I'm a supertaster and also have some issues with texture. Just because you can't taste the chemical compounds in veggies that I can taste doesn't mean I need to 'grow up' or 'suck it up'. It means that it tastes like crap to me and I shouldn't be forced to suffer through every meal of my life because I happen to have strong tastebuds. We're not oblivious to the effects this has on our health. That's why we're trying to fix it. The OP asked for help because she knows this is an issue, not to be belittled. Why do you think people are afraid to get help for picky eating? It's because some people like to be rude about it. Support is a lot more effective than belittling someone.


Edited because I still suck at knowing when to use 'affect' and 'effect'. Also because I was really mad when I wrote this the first time.

herblackwings39

Here lies my BIGGEST issues when dieting... I am a very picky eater!!! I like almost nothing!!! NO JOKE!!! I do not like anything green except cucumbers and pickles. I do not like hardly any vegetables except the ones that aren't that great for me. I do not like fish. Since there isn't a lot I do like and there's even less that is healthy that I do like I quickly get burnt out on healthy things I do like... Do you have any pointers or advice that might help me lose the belly fat? Thanks

Figure out your calorie goal and eat food you do like until you reach it. To lose weight you just need to be in a deficit. You can do that with just about any foods.

bauhausfrau

Here lies my BIGGEST issues when dieting... I am a very picky eater!!! I like almost nothing!!! NO JOKE!!! I do not like anything green except cucumbers and pickles. I do not like hardly any vegetables except the ones that aren't that great for me. I do not like fish. Since there isn't a lot I do like and there's even less that is healthy that I do like I quickly get burnt out on healthy things I do like... Do you have any pointers or advice that might help me lose the belly fat? Thanks

First off, ALL vegetables are good for you, you just have to prepare them in a healthy way. Maybe you could get one of those cookbooks that are written for parents trying to sneak healthy vegetables into their kids foods. Jerry Seinfeld's wife wrote one that was supposed to have really good recipes, but I don't remember the name of it. They have ideas like adding pureed carrots to mac & cheese sauce & adding kale to brownies in a way you can't taste it. I never tried any of those things, but I did try to just add more vegetables everything and make healthy flavor substitutes for unhealthy food cravings. For example, I wanted spaghetti every day, so I used Barilla Plus angel hair noodles since they have whole grains & egg whites, therefore more protein & fiber, but taste exactly like regular noodles, add 90% lean ground beef or turkey, and I would either make my own sauce, or add chopped up fresh tomatoes, zucchini, onions, etc. (you could grate them in so they turn to much & you can't taste them) to a canned sauce. If I was craving pizza I'd eat a baked potato smashed up with sugar free tomato paste & top it with shredded low fat mozzarella & a little parmesan. Just stuff like that. Another thing I did was try new healthy things all the time. I tried to get something new & interesting each time I went shopping. I learned that I love jicama with chili powder & lime juice, kholrabi, chayote squash chopped and added to chicken soup, and duck eggs. Trying soups & salads at ethnic restaurants might end up giving you something new & healthy to like. I now love Mexican goat soup. Sounds scary, but it tastes pretty much like beef when you eat it in soup, but it's leaner & no added hormones or antibiotics.
If none of these things do it for you, then you probably just have to lose weight by exercising more. Non-food socializing is the best thing for me. I like to spend all day at museums, or hiking, or even just window shopping with friends. It doesn't feel much like exercise, but at the end of the day you've probably walked 5 or 6 miles, and when you're having fun you probably won't eat out of boredom, which is my biggest diet problem.

Morn66

Like storm15918, I'm also a supertaster with texture issues, my major one being that I cannot stand the texture of meat, all meat. I can't stomach coffee or sweets. Give me salt over sugar any day. I have problems with acidic things like tomatoes because sometimes the acid taste is overwhelming. Alcohol is pretty much a no-go. I cannot eat broccoli raw because it is unbelievably bitter to me, although I can eat it if it's well-steamed. Likewise, I can't eat cabbage or Brussels sprouts raw (too bitter), but I've come to a point where I can eat them happily when prepared in certain ways. Kale is...very problematic. Even if blended into a smoothie with fruit to "cover it up", I can still taste the bitterness of the kale very clearly (and it does NOT blend well with the fruit sugar) when non-supertasters can't taste it at all. I force myself to eat it raw, with some dressing that helps with the bitterness, taking it like medicine.

So, yes, not all people are the same when it comes to tasting, and "picky eating" is not always a case of needing to grow up...although I agree that sometimes it can be. It can also be that people have psychosomatic reactions to certain foods. When I was a kid, I once got sick after eating spaghetti, and it all came back up again. It was years before I could eat spaghetti without gagging. Totally a psychological reaction, and I knew it, but still not one that I could necessarily control. So...people need to get off their high horses and remember that not everyone is just like them.

And looking at the OP's preferences, I see a marked preference for bland and not overly-sweet. I strongly suspect she is a supertaster. If she reads this and maybe sees herself in my preferences above, that would be further evidence. There are also at-home tests you can do. Possibly a quarter of the population are supertasters, many of them women, and most describe themselves as "picky eaters" precisely because taste affects them far more profoundly than it affects normal tasters and non-tasters. If you're not one, you don't know what it's like. Basically, telling a supertaster to "get over" their avoidance of foods that taste really bad to them is like telling a diabetic to "get over" the fact that sugar affects them badly.

THAT said, given the OP's preferences, there are plenty of healthy, satisfying meals that she could make, and anything that is in deficit because of her food preferences can be made up with supplementation. Even though stuff isn't absorbed as well from supplements, it's better than nothing. To the OP I say go on a hunt through the internet for recipes. Many sites have searches where you can put in ingredients you like/have on hand and it will spit out recipes for you. Have a look. And DO try new things. Even if you are a supertaster, it IS possible to become accustomed to certain things if you work at it and if you want to. I WANT to like kale because it's so nutrient-dense and calcium-rich, but...*sigh*