My Menu -- Advice Please

angieskia

I Am A Member of a Non-Free weight loss group. I don't wanna say too much about that group cuz I don't wanna get in trouble from the moderator/monitors here. I'd like to type in here what I've been eating lately and am asking for ideas from members here how to tweak these choices to add more calories. I keep Falling Under 1200 Calories and get the warning message every day.
I KNOW I'm Making poor eatinch choices. This is My 1st Week EVER trying to lose weight. So this is the 1st time I've ever considered changing the way I eat. I am admitting I am making poor choices so PLEASE No Harsh Criticism of my Choices. Just Advice please.
I don't like Veggies or Fish of any kind. If you can think of a way to make Veggies taste good I'll definitely give i a try. So... Here Goes

BreakFast.
Cofee w/3 Tbsp Creamer & 2 Tbsp Sugar.
(Just stopped Energy Drinks)Yes I Usually Don't eat at BF. Sorry

Lunch:
Pasta Sides OR Pizza OR Country Fried Steak Or Fast Food.
(As you can see Mainly Starches)

Dinner:
Repeat of Lunch Usually. Ravioli Today Chunky Noodle Soup Sunday (didn't taste so good)

Snacks: WW Cheddar Twist, Cookies, Dill Pickles

Drinks: Diet Wild CHerry Pepsi, OR Sprite Zero OR Water. (Tried WW Smoothi French Vanilla. Need to try again)

suzi67

Before anyone could give advice, could you say how you are willing to make changes. I can see a lot of ways to help, but it comes down to what you are willing to do.

Rico360

Try fruits for breakfast 2 oranges or fruits you like. Stay away from pasta or pizza unless they are homemade, that way you can monitor all the calories by looking for alternative ingredients that are lower in calories or fat free. I personally don't like much veggies as well, just maybe corn. For veggies I drink V8 fusion light, it gives me my servings of veggies and 8oz. is only 50 calories. Snacks try carnation instant breakfast it's delicious, personally like the chocolate mixed with skim milk. It's low in calories, suppresses hunger, and has lots of vitamins. Stay away from soda go with V8 fusion light. Just something to consider

Cytherea

You can incorporate veggies into a lot of things. If you like pasta, cook them up and add them to the sauce. You can buy the frozen bags of veggies that you steam in the microwave (really easy) that have flavor on them- there is one lightly sauced in cheese (really good- I eat the single serving ones of these for a snack!), asian flavored, with chive butter or rosemary butter, etc. You can make a stir-fry with fresh veggies (or frozen) and the taste of the sauce (teriyaki, or you can use olive oil and garlic) will pretty much mask the taste of the veggies.

If you like pizza, try to do it better. Lean Cuisine has pizzas that aren't bad. Or make your own! You can buy dough from Trader Joe's and put whatever you want on it. I always add Italian seasoning to the sauce to make it taste better and you can add veggies there too, and with the sauce and cheese it will mask the flavor a little bit.

If you don't like canned soup you can make your own. If you have a crockpot that is a great way to do it (and sauces)- just throw the ingredients in before you leave for the day and when you get home, dinner is ready! Again, you can veggies to both of those things too.

If you like the starches (pizza dough, pasta, etc.) try to switch to whole grain. It is better for you. Sometimes you can't tell the difference; sometimes you can. If you can, start off small. Do 75% regular pasta or flour and 25% whole grain. When you get used to that, switch it to 50/50, 25/75, until you can eventually eat the whole grain alone without the white at all.

Pickles are a great snack because they don't have a lot of calories (no fat, etc.) and have a lot of flavor, but you have to be careful because that much sodium will hurt your weight loss. But you gotta start slow, so for now, I'd say you can hang onto the pickles and give up some of the worse stuff, like the fried foods and fast foods.

What kind of cookies? There are kinds you can eat that aren't that bad. Snackwell's taste delicious and are much better than, say, Fudge Shoppe. And if you like other kinds of cookies, definitely get the 100 calorie packs. You still get that cookie, just in a portioned and controlled way. Those things are my lifesaver!

I've never tried the cheddar twists, but I love pretzel thins! Pepperidge Farms makes a cheddar one that is delicious, and Snack Factory makes a ton of different flavors (my favorite is the garlic parmesan). They are still that good salty snack without killing you on calories/fat.

As for breakfast, I never used to eat it either. I've started to eat something small in the mornings and it hasn't been too difficult. Have a piece of fruit or a yogurt with granola or a granola bar (a good one, like the Fiber One 90 calorie ones). Nothing too crazy, you don't need to eat a ton (like a whole egg breakfast), but eating in the morning really does help.

Since this is your first week, it is great that you are keeping track and noticing that you need advice! The first week I was on here, I just ate normally and recorded everything so that I could see exactly what I was eating and what I was doing to myself. Once I was armed with that knowledge, I started my second week with determination that I could do this and do it right! And it worked! You can do it, too!

lordofultima

Drink coffee black, it'll make your life much easier. The cream and sugar route basically gives you more than a meal worth of empty calories.

inskydiamonds

Here's tips, take them as you will.

1. Eat breakfast. I never ate breakfast, not from the time I was a little girl until just a few months ago. My mom used to hassle me about it and try to get me to eat, but it literally made me ill.

I've started eating breakfast and I have to say that while at first it was hard forcing myself to do it, I eventually started waking up hungry. And my portions at lunch are so much smaller because I'm not so hungry come noon.

So, just do it. The thing I do is make fresh fruit smoothies, almost every morning. It's easy to go down and not too much effort.

2. You need to change your lunch foods badly. Even if you're making a sandwich (make them on Orrowheat bread thins, they're only 100 calories for the whole roll) or a wrap on a tortilla or something, get away from the pizza and the fast food and the fried foods. Seriously, I am not the type of person who has the mindset that you need to completely cut these things out of your diet, but if that's the main thing you're eating (since you're listing that for lunch and dinner) you really should try to make some other things that are a lot lighter and better for you. I crave fast food once in a while, but it's definitely not something you should be eating even weekly (in my opinion, of course).

3. And you just need to play it up with the vegetables. I've never been a big vegetable lover (and still am not). But I do find that when they're flavorful I like them. Cauliflower is easy to spice up and make delicious, so are green beans. And really, it's kind of to the point that even if you hate it you really do need to be including them in your diet. But I would just recommend looking up recipes that have other flavors you enjoy and see how that works for you. But unlike fish, you can't just leave the vegetables out of your diet.

4. Make baked chicken at dinner. Or turkey burgers. Or.. Look at my food diary and my blog for dinners that typically are between 500-700 calories. But again, stay away from the fast food and the fried food, it's not going to do you any good. If you want starches, stick with some pasta, some rice, some potato, but still in moderation.

5. Don't snack on cookies. If you want a snack, snack on something low calorie. Have an apple or something equally nutritious and filling.

tierra85

i agree! quit the non-free weight loss group and put that money towards organic fruits and meats.I've gotten more from this site then any other site and even weight watchers. I'd say add something to your breakfast for sure! If you dont like to eat alot in the morning can you handle at least a protein shake? i dont usually like to recommend those buts its better then nothing. I love a bowl of organic steel cut oats, 100% all natural peanut butter, sweetened with stevia and some berries. and like half a pot of tea.

Its hard to say for the rest because im not sure how picky you are. I myself eat a ton of salad but you said you dont like veggies. do you like any veggies at all? Omelets or sandwiches? I get the impression your a smart girl and you have an idea of what you need to do, you just need a good support system. You can get that here!! Feel free to add me if you want. You definitely shouldn't be going under 1200 calories and fast food in evil!! You cant control whats going into your food. lol so is diet pop. Aspartame, for instance, doesn’t have any calories, but one of its ingredients, the amino acid phenylalanine, blocks production of serotonin, a natural brain chemical that, among other things, controls food cravings. When you have a shortage of serotonin in the brain, it will make your brain and body crave the foods that create more of this brain chemical—and those happen to be the starchy, high-calorie, carbohydrate-rich snacks that can totally sabotage a diet.

Im not trying to pick on you, i just want you to achieve your goals. I know what it feels like to be trying so hard and feel like im getting no where. Either way best of luck to you!!

John8188

You don't have to go to black coffee. I love my coffee and use equal (zero cals) and sugar free creamer, mainly Vanilla (30 cals).

Also, have some instant oatmeal with a 1/4 a cup of milk for breakfast. It will help get your body burning for the day and give you about 250 cals right there.

For lunch I like to cook up a boca burger (100 cals) and have about a 2/3 a cup of steamed rice (180 cals) on a bed of spinach (24 cals)

In between meals i might have a snack of one of those 100 cal Oreo packs or something. Made a little beef jerky.

Maybe for dinner some chicken grilled on rice and veggies steamed. (400 cals total)

I maybe eat about 1500 cals a day unless I am working out hard then i add another 300 or so cals to make up for it. maybe an extra boca burger for lunch.

Stay away from fast food and my local store has Lean Cuisine's for $2 each sometimes. that is a nice quick lunch. In just over 3 weeks I have lost 10 lbs. and i have not been hungry and stopped eating junk.

People think that drinking diet soda is good, but there is something in it that makes your body think that it is still hungry so I stay away from that. I like crystal Light Lemonaid. Good stuff.

If you want some real easy things to eat that will fill you up send me a email and i will be more then happy to give you so ideas.

angieskia

Before anyone could give advice, could you say how you are willing to make changes. I can see a lot of ways to help, but it comes down to what you are willing to do.

I'd like to change my eating habits gradually. I'm afraid if I do it all at once I'll give up. Also if a food item has flavor I'm all for it. I can eat Broccoli Raw with Ranch but NOT Steamed. Canned Spinach Maybe. Can Peas if I have too. Corn and Green Beans are a definite yes. Okra only Fried. Eggplant coated with Cooked egg. My hubby makes it and we dip it in Ketchup.

Like I said any advice you're willing to give I'm all for it. I just can't promise to put it in action but ANY advice is good avice because you all are willing to help me through this

KarenBorter

First of all ... coming here is a great first step. I am happy I did !

Secondly, yeah totally eat breakfast within 1 hour of waking up to kick start your metabolism for the day. Think of it as a wake up for your weight loss.

Totally cut out the fast food. That stuff is evil and chock full of calories and sodium. I suggest you start looking at others food diaries to get an idea of how other people are eating. That's how I am doing it (but don't look at my diary for today, my sandwich at lunch was ridiculous in regard to Sodium).

Drink a lot ... and I mean a lot of water. At least the 8 glasses a day.

Also, when you quit that not free weight loss program, use some of that money to invest in a kitchen scale. I got one for 30 bux. I now weigh EVERYTHING and it really helps with portion control. Honestly if your weight loss group isn't helping you to figure out better choices, what are you paying for?

Eat veggies and fruit! I know you may not like them, but start to learn to. It's really good to have that in your diet. Also there are negative calorie fruits and veggies which basically use more calories to consume and digest then the calories contained in them. You can find a good list here http://www.womens-health-questions.com/negative-calorie-foods.html

Also, if you MUST eat out for fast food, go here http://healthydiningfinder.com/ make sure you pay attention to what the portions are. For instance PF Changs lists for single portion but each of their meals are for 2, 3 or 4 portions (so you have to multiply). When you are eating out google the food you think you want to eat. Most places have online nutrition information.

and friend as many people as you can I will shoot a request over to you now

Squash97

I too, was a very picky eater who lived off of macaroni and cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches. I made a pact with my hubby when we started dating that I would try anything once (as long as it wasn't beyond reason, like brain or something). I love vegetables now! Cauliflower, carrots, asparagas, broccoli, etc. I would suggest you try veggies different ways. My favorite is steaming them with a SMALL amount of salt. You can also start cooking and find ways of hiding them in foods. We'll dice up peppers and onions and put them in our cheeseburgers, etc. With coffe, I use fat free milk and a sugar free flavored syrup. If you open up your diary, people can look at what you're eating over a long period of time and get a better idea of what you need to do. I hope that you are able to find some things that you like and get success from it all! Good luck!

Cytherea

I'd like to change my eating habits gradually. I'm afraid if I do it all at once I'll give up. Also if a food item has flavor I'm all for it. I can eat Broccoli Raw with Ranch but NOT Steamed. Canned Spinach Maybe. Can Peas if I have too. Corn and Green Beans are a definite yes. Okra only Fried. Eggplant coated with Cooked egg. My hubby makes it and we dip it in Ketchup.

Like I said any advice you're willing to give I'm all for it. I just can't promise to put it in action but ANY advice is good avice because you all are willing to help me through this

You can absolutely change gradually. Too much can be overwhelming, and the great thing about this site is that you don't have to give ANYTHING up completely. The key is learning to make sacrifices. If you really want McDonald's, that's ok, as long as you realize what you have to sacrifice throughout the rest of the day to make it fit within ALL you goals (not just calories- fat too!). Same thing if you want some chips or cookies or candy or whatever it is. For me, when I think about the fact that one crunch egg (like from Easter) has 9 grams of fat, which is a quarter my daily allowance, it is NOT worth it to me at all, no matter how tempting that bowl of them is sitting on my desk! My boss is always leaving candy in my office for people to eat and I can honestly say that I have not had a single one! And it feels GOOD to resist and know that you are in control!

You aren't going to go from the way you eat now to totally healthy. But try to limit the fast food to once a week. Add more veggies into your diet. Make your own dip for the broccoli instead of the ranch (I use fat free sour cream and package of the vegetable soup/dip- can't taste a difference at all), and eat it with celery and carrots and peppers and cucumber too! Or you can dip them in hummus, which is also pretty good, as long as you don't eat too much hummus!

Coming from an Italian family, we always ate vegetables a little differently. When cooking canned peas, my mother would add a little bit of olive oil to the pan first, then the strained peas, then dried minced onion, parsley, and garlic salt. Trust me, you've never had peas this good in your life!! Same thing with spinach. She would cook a huge pot of fresh spinach with olive oil and fresh garlic cloves and it smells and tastes amazing. Try making summer squash and zucchini- again, olive oil and salt (or garlic salt) does wonders. My mom fries them lightly in the oil (she cuts them into little wheels) and sprinkles salt over them, then adds it to spaghetti. So simple (although it takes a while to fry all the pieces!) and one of my favorites. You can also cut them the long way and bake or grill them with a tiny brushing of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.

Make your own burgers at home instead of fast food- and if you cut up veggies really small (like using a food processor) you can add them to the meat before cooking them. Once you've added the bun and cheese and condiments you won't even taste it! (If that's your goal- of course you COULD taste it if you want!). Use lite mayo- I've been using it for a while now and even my husband can't taste the difference!

Megooo19

Personally, first I'd start by cutting out the soda and stick with water and tea. Diet soda is nothing but chemicals and I just find it too wierd that it has no calories in it, its just not normal. If your bored with water you can add a little bit of lemon juice. Also, I'd cut out fast food as much as possible. If you HAVE to get fast food I'd look up the calories on the resturants website first because sometimes something as innocent as a salad is really as bad as a cheese burger.

Also, I have a weakness for sweets, cookies included. I make these cookies that are at least somewhat healthy and super easy to make.
2 cups Quick Oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup natural apple sauce
Chocolate chips (as many as you feel necessary)
1/2 cup Craisins
Tbsp. vanilla
1 cup brown sugar

Mix it all up and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes and you have yourself at least a somewhat healthy version of a cookie.