Newb with a shameful problem

Dorchi22

Checking in for the first time here. I'm in my 30s (165 cm tall) and I've always been fat. My weight escalated to the point where I had 77 kilograms. I got it down to 65 kilograms - TWICE. Now I'm at 66, with the ultimate goal of reaching somewhere between 55 and 58 kilograms.

My shameful problem: I have serious food issues. I can't live without fresh fruit, but fresh vegetables (and all salad variations) make my stomach turn the moment I look at them. I know they're good and healthy to eat, but I just can't get myself to eat it. Over the years I've forced myself to eat red radishes, paprika, leafy green salad and beetroot WITHOUT ANY DRESSING or VINEGAR WHATSOEVER.

Am I alone in this problem? If you had it, how did you overcome it? I'm fully aware that my weight is a result of my sedentary life + bad food choices. The good news is that I completely cut out sugar and processed foods from my diet, and I feel much better.

quiksylver296

Don't eat them. I tried and tried to like brussel sprouts, kale, quinoa. Nope!

I only eat things I like. I just make sure they fit within my calorie target.

ultra_violets

Cutting out sugar is a huge and difficult step so good for you! I'm on keto so my experience may or may not be different to yours. I'm not a big fan of anything green, either, but I refuse to eat anything I don't like. So I stick to what I do like, such as broccoli and tossed salads. There's no need to force it down dry! Check out recipes online and make your own sauces and dressings. I use my own very simple homemade dressing and I like it enough to have it almost every day.

JustinAnimal

Eat the fruit. Maybe consider supplementing your diet with a multi-vitamin. Don't eat the vegetables. You can get fiber and nutrients plenty of other ways.

MikePTY

You don't need to eat every so called "healthy" food out there. Nobody likes everything. You can get a lot of good nutrition from fruits and non-salad vegetables.

kimny72

Dorchi22 wrote: »

Checking in for the first time here. I'm in my 30s (165 cm tall) and I've always been fat. My weight escalated to the point where I had 77 kilograms. I got it down to 65 kilograms - TWICE. Now I'm at 66, with the ultimate goal of reaching somewhere between 55 and 58 kilograms.

My shameful problem: I have serious food issues. I can't live without fresh fruit, but fresh vegetables (and all salad variations) make my stomach turn the moment I look at them. I know they're good and healthy to eat, but I just can't get myself to eat it. Over the years I've forced myself to eat red radishes, paprika, leafy green salad and beetroot WITHOUT ANY DRESSING or VINEGAR WHATSOEVER.

Am I alone in this problem? If you had it, how did you overcome it? I'm fully aware that my weight is a result of my sedentary life + bad food choices. The good news is that I completely cut out sugar and processed foods from my diet, and I feel much better.

You specifically said "fresh vegetables" - do you like frozen? Have you roasted or stir fried or grilled veggies?
Why did you force yourself to eat a salad with no dressing? Would you like some veggies dipped in ranch dressing?

If you're eating cooked veggies, I wouldn't worry about it at all. If all you need to like a salad is put some dressing on it, put some dressing on it. Just measure and log it, like anything else.

virtuallybookish

kimny72 wrote: »

Dorchi22 wrote: »

Checking in for the first time here. I'm in my 30s (165 cm tall) and I've always been fat. My weight escalated to the point where I had 77 kilograms. I got it down to 65 kilograms - TWICE. Now I'm at 66, with the ultimate goal of reaching somewhere between 55 and 58 kilograms.

My shameful problem: I have serious food issues. I can't live without fresh fruit, but fresh vegetables (and all salad variations) make my stomach turn the moment I look at them. I know they're good and healthy to eat, but I just can't get myself to eat it. Over the years I've forced myself to eat red radishes, paprika, leafy green salad and beetroot WITHOUT ANY DRESSING or VINEGAR WHATSOEVER.

Am I alone in this problem? If you had it, how did you overcome it? I'm fully aware that my weight is a result of my sedentary life + bad food choices. The good news is that I completely cut out sugar and processed foods from my diet, and I feel much better.

You specifically said "fresh vegetables" - do you like frozen? Have you roasted or stir fried or grilled veggies?
Why did you force yourself to eat a salad with no dressing? Would you like some veggies dipped in ranch dressing?

If you're eating cooked veggies, I wouldn't worry about it at all. If all you need to like a salad is put some dressing on it, put some dressing on it. Just measure and log it, like anything else.

Exactly this! Definitely don't force yourself to eat something you don't like just because it's 'healthy', but also there are other ways to eat veggies that make them taste way better like they mentioned above!

JustinAnimal

For my money, caramelized onions make every vegetable taste better.

Commander_Keen

Dorchi22 wrote: »

Checking in for the first time here. I'm in my 30s (165 cm tall) and I've always been fat. My weight escalated to the point where I had 77 kilograms. I got it down to 65 kilograms - TWICE. Now I'm at 66, with the ultimate goal of reaching somewhere between 55 and 58 kilograms.

My shameful problem: I have serious food issues. I can't live without fresh fruit, but fresh vegetables (and all salad variations) make my stomach turn the moment I look at them. I know they're good and healthy to eat, but I just can't get myself to eat it. Over the years I've forced myself to eat red radishes, paprika, leafy green salad and beetroot WITHOUT ANY DRESSING or VINEGAR WHATSOEVER.

Am I alone in this problem? If you had it, how did you overcome it? I'm fully aware that my weight is a result of my sedentary life + bad food choices. The good news is that I completely cut out sugar and processed foods from my diet, and I feel much better.

Whats the issue? You like salad or you don't.

Daverneyd

I’m trying to cut the sugar too but OMG it’s hard. I was like that with water. I couldn’t drink water on an empty stomach or I would vomit. Now I’m a little better. I started out drinking water with my meals and then I randomly picked up a bottle. Now my passenger side is full of empty water bottles instead of soda bottles (bad for the planet I know... Working on that next)

Dorchi22

Thank you all for your replies! Some clarifications why I want to force myself to incorporate more salad-y stuff, such as cucumbers and tomatoes and stuff:

Because I'm sick and tired of daily family meals, because I still don't have financial background to move out, which go like this: Are you eating salad? No? Why not? Because I don't like it. No wonder you have weight issues... and so on, and so forth.

I will look into more options like you suggested, for example I'll grate the cucumbers or grill other vegetables I don't normally eat, and see how I like it then.

Orphia

@kimny72 is absolutely spot on.

You've lost 11 kg, that's awesome! And you're aiming for a lovely weight for a female of your age/height.

Are you being shamed for your eating? Despite losing that weight in your own way?

Not liking beetroot makes you perfectly normal in my book. Nobody has the right to force someone to eat beetroot if they hate beetroot.

Healthy vegetables like pumpkin or sweet potato, are a lot like fruit.

Corn on the cob is quite sweet like fruit.

Avocado is a fruit that is not as sweet as others.

You may have replaced "cutting out sugar" by just only eating lots of fruit due to its sweetness. That's fine, but it's something to be aware of that might help you see that you might be biased against vegetables because fruit is so lovely to eat for this and lots of other good reasons.

Don't be too strict and think you must eat vegetables raw. The health benefits of vegetables such as micro-nutrients and fibre don't disappear due to being heated.

I love eating peas and edamame, and add them to nearly every meal because they bulk up the plate but add very few calories, and add lots of fibre and protein which can make you feel full for longer.

Well done on asking in the community about your worries. We're all here to learn and listen.

rheddmobile

One study on picky eaters found that it took more than seven times of eating a novel food to like it. Try this: eat just one bite of whatever it is. No need to freak out and have your stomach turn, because you know you don’t have to eat more than a single bite. If you like it, try a second bite. If you don’t like it, say, “oh well, I guess I don’t like this yet,” and - this is the important part - try again later.

Expanding your repertoire of low calorie foods that you enjoy will make it easier to lose weight, but it’s not necessary. In the meantime, log your food and stay within your calorie limit, whatever you eat.