I need a bit of help

AlainaS0721
AlainaS0721 Posts: 13 Member
edited December 26 in Health and Weight Loss
So I’m a 21 year old female and I weigh 208 pounds. I used to be very sedentary like it’s embarrassing to say how many steps I walked a day because it was basically enough to walk to the kitchen to get food and walk to the bathroom and that’s it. Now I work full time unloading freight overnight so I went from sedentary to a more active lifestyle walking atleast 10,000 steps a day. I’ve been working at this job for 4 months and actually ended up gaining 14 pounds even though I don’t eat more than I did before. I’m usually pretty tired when I get home and tired before I go to work so I snack on crackers at that point and then for lunch I usually have a Turkey lunchable, something sweet like a brownie or cookie, a couple slim Jim’s and goldfish. I do eat like Im in elementary school still mainly because I don’t know how to meal prep yet and I don’t even know what I would like to eat either. I’m kind of picky with vegetables which makes meal prepping and dieting harder and same goes for my poor time management. I sleep quite a bit and when I wake up for work I don’t feel like putting much effort into making something nice and healthy for me to eat before work. So I need to start meal prepping days in advance. I also usually drink about a gallon of water on the job. I guess I’m just confused on why I’m gaining weight and I’m not just paying attention to the scale either. I also measure my waist, bust, hip, arms, legs etc. and all of those have stayed the same or got larger. I initially figured maybe I was gaining muscle? But I’m not entirely sure I’m pretty new to weight loss and have no idea where to even start and what to track. This app can be all sorts of overwhelming with the calorie and macro counts. So if you have have any recipes for meal prepping (I’m thinking about doing crockpot meals and just start them before I go to bed in the morning) or if you have any suggestions on how to lose weight in general I’ll look at and research everything I can lol.

Replies

  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    edited October 2020
    Start by logging everything you eat accurately. You don’t have to worry about macro counts, the app will calculate those for you. Don’t try to hit any goals at first, just measure and log every bite that crosses your lips until you get the hang of logging. Once you are used to it and have most of your frequently eaten foods on your recent list it will take much less time and effort.

    When you have logged accurately for a week, look at your diet and you will be in a better position to decide what to do next.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    When I worked from home, I used to prep a slow cooker recipe at lunch and it would be ready for dinner. (This would be with boneless chicken thighs or beef stew meat - bone-in or larger cuts take longer.)

    You can make a bunch of different recipes and freeze leftovers so you can rotates meals from the freezer. (Soups and stews freeze especially well.)

    Here are > 2,000 slow cooker recipes:

    https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/253/everyday-cooking/slow-cooker/
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    Mithridites wrote: »
    Sounds like you're eating very calorie-laden foods that offer almost no nutrition. Your nrw work activity ramped up your hunger. You're eating more than you think. You might carry marginally more muscle and water weight these days. Are you tracking your calories at all? I would start there. The good news is you're becoming self-aware at an age when your brain is and body are still quite capable of change. Good luck on your journey!

    Wow.... Could not have said it better.... I knew there was a reason I like you. ;) Agreed... protein is the only macro I would worry about. Let the fat and carb amounts fall where they may inside your calorie count. I would also suggest getting to like veggies and fruit. If you just can't learn to like veggies, replace them instead with fruit. Its low in calorie density and high nutrients.
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 703 Member
    Others have commented on the calories, I'm going to make some cooking suggestions.

    Start having a go at making some things, you can tweak recipes to make them more to your taste. A Bolognese or chili can be very forgiving and will take different kinds of veg. Will happily freeze or keep in the fridge for a few days.

    Soup, easy - keeps well, lots to have a go at.

    If I can't really be bothered to make anything eggs are good. An omelette with a baked potato and salad can be on the table in 10 minutes.

    There are lots of learn to cook resources online. As you do more you'll become more confident, and start playing with spices and stuff. You might find you like veg better cooked in different ways. Just jump in, you'll be fine 😃
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,750 Member
    If you are just cooking for yourself, you might consider some of the frozen meals. There are a lot of options. They can be helpful in learning about appropriate portion sizes. Meat and a potato or sweet potato with either a vegetable or salad is simple to make. Pork roast, hamburger, baked chicken are all very simple. Get a slow cooker cookbook. I make pulled pork frequently and bean soup. Chili, stew, soup can be made in batches and frozen if not eaten immediately.
  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,941 Member
    littlegreenparrot1 wrote: »
    Others have commented on the calories, I'm going to make some cooking suggestions.

    Start having a go at making some things, you can tweak recipes to make them more to your taste. A Bolognese or chili can be very forgiving and will take different kinds of veg. Will happily freeze or keep in the fridge for a few days.

    Soup, easy - keeps well, lots to have a go at.

    If I can't really be bothered to make anything eggs are good. An omelette with a baked potato and salad can be on the table in 10 minutes.

    There are lots of learn to cook resources online. As you do more you'll become more confident, and start playing with spices and stuff. You might find you like veg better cooked in different ways. Just jump in, you'll be fine 😃

    Not in the least arguing with your advice but how on earth are you baking a potato in 10 minutes? 🧐 Unless it’s a teeny tiny new potato, perhaps! 🤷‍♀️
  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,373 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    When I worked from home, I used to prep a slow cooker recipe at lunch and it would be ready for dinner. (This would be with boneless chicken thighs or beef stew meat - bone-in or larger cuts take longer.)

    You can make a bunch of different recipes and freeze leftovers so you can rotates meals from the freezer. (Soups and stews freeze especially well.)

    Here are > 2,000 slow cooker recipes:

    https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/253/everyday-cooking/slow-cooker/

    I'll second the recommendation to do slow cooker meals. I absolutely hate cooking but force myself to do it because I'm too cheap to eat out all the time :D and I figure it's probably healthier. I have a little 2.5 qt slow cooker and it produces 4 to 8 portions, depending on the recipe. I bought a bunch of those disposable type plastic food containers. (Tip: label the contents with a piece of masking tape on the lid before you freeze them because stuff looks remarkably similar when it's frozen). Slow cookers are fairly idiot-proof, I've managed to produce some really good food with that little thing. And I'll invest the time in the prep because I know I'm getting multiple meals out of my effort.

    No recipes from me as mine are all vegetarian, but you've got plenty to look at in the link kshama provided.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,099 Member
    psychod787 wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    littlegreenparrot1 wrote: »
    Others have commented on the calories, I'm going to make some cooking suggestions.

    Start having a go at making some things, you can tweak recipes to make them more to your taste. A Bolognese or chili can be very forgiving and will take different kinds of veg. Will happily freeze or keep in the fridge for a few days.

    Soup, easy - keeps well, lots to have a go at.

    If I can't really be bothered to make anything eggs are good. An omelette with a baked potato and salad can be on the table in 10 minutes.

    There are lots of learn to cook resources online. As you do more you'll become more confident, and start playing with spices and stuff. You might find you like veg better cooked in different ways. Just jump in, you'll be fine 😃

    Not in the least arguing with your advice but how on earth are you baking a potato in 10 minutes? 🧐 Unless it’s a teeny tiny new potato, perhaps! 🤷‍♀️

    micro wave....

    Yes, but for more yumminess, bake a few in the regular oven on your day off, wrap and store in fridge, then slice and pan fry with your omelet. (You can pre-slice before storing if your knife skills aren't good enough to let you slice it quickly before cooking.)
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 703 Member
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    littlegreenparrot1 wrote: »
    Others have commented on the calories, I'm going to make some cooking suggestions.

    Start having a go at making some things, you can tweak recipes to make them more to your taste. A Bolognese or chili can be very forgiving and will take different kinds of veg. Will happily freeze or keep in the fridge for a few days.

    Soup, easy - keeps well, lots to have a go at.

    If I can't really be bothered to make anything eggs are good. An omelette with a baked potato and salad can be on the table in 10 minutes.

    There are lots of learn to cook resources online. As you do more you'll become more confident, and start playing with spices and stuff. You might find you like veg better cooked in different ways. Just jump in, you'll be fine 😃

    Not in the least arguing with your advice but how on earth are you baking a potato in 10 minutes? 🧐 Unless it’s a teeny tiny new potato, perhaps! 🤷‍♀️

    Microwave - then if I can be bothetred/ have time the oven for 20 mins to crisp it up. Mostly don't bother.

    There's no denying it's better done in the oven, but as an idle/ time poor/ often badly organised cook it's not going to happen
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    littlegreenparrot1 wrote: »
    Others have commented on the calories, I'm going to make some cooking suggestions.

    Start having a go at making some things, you can tweak recipes to make them more to your taste. A Bolognese or chili can be very forgiving and will take different kinds of veg. Will happily freeze or keep in the fridge for a few days.

    Soup, easy - keeps well, lots to have a go at.

    If I can't really be bothered to make anything eggs are good. An omelette with a baked potato and salad can be on the table in 10 minutes.

    There are lots of learn to cook resources online. As you do more you'll become more confident, and start playing with spices and stuff. You might find you like veg better cooked in different ways. Just jump in, you'll be fine 😃

    Oh, yes, back when I was employed I often made eggs for dinner on nights when I'd had conference calls earlier in the afternoon which killed my headspace for a more complicated meal.
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    You say you are not eating more with the more active job: but if you were not tracking before and were not tracking when you started working the job, it really would be hard to know. Even if you've continued to eat the same sorts of foods, you could easily have started eating more calories. And if you were in the habit of drinking tea, soda, juice, etc. with calories: even drinking an extra 1-2 per day could lead to weight gain. Tracking what you eat & drink, accurately and honestly, is the only way to know.

    The good bit is: you're young and your eyes are now open. It took me MUCH later in life to see that I needed to do things differently.

    What resources do you have? Do you have access to a fridge/microwave at work? If so then you have more options available. If not, then a little bit of planning in advance can still help greatly.

    If no fridge/microwave: perhaps find low cal bread, and pack a peanut butter & jelly sandwich with raw fruits, veggies. Weigh everything. About 20-28g of peanut butter makes a decent sandwich. When I'm eating PB&J I also look for a 'no added sugar' jelly. Its about half the calories of the regular jelly. Or the little tuna & cracker kits, that come with crackers and light mayo.

    If you are not limited, then your options really are wide open. I like to eat leftover type food. I've started a few Sundays each month I will do a lot of cooking, and portion out meals for myself. Some go in the freezer (for use later) and a few go in the fridge (for the week ahead). Today I had baked pasta that was made with high protein penne, spicy turkey sausage, and jarred sauce. I'll also cook/portion potato soup, black beans & rice, chili and similar foods. And sometimes, whatever I have for dinner - I'll just make an extra plate for the next day's lunch. I like fresh tilapia - its fairly cheap at $4-6/pound. I'll cook in a skillet with a touch of olive oil, salt, pepper, blackened seasoning. About 3-4 minutes on each side. High protein, and tasty. I had that for dinner this past Friday night with cauliflower and brussel sprouts. For the veggies, I tossed in olive oil & garlic salt/pepper and cooked in a skillet for about 7-8 minutes on medium heat.
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