Very Picky Eater

coolsmartygirl

This is my first post on here, my goal is to get down to 120 lbs from my current 145lbs. I have been working out between 3-5 days a week and have a personal trainer on wednesdays. I know I need to ween down my calorie intake after I have the problem of being an extreme picky eater. To the point of small anxiety attacks when trying something remotely new.

I don't like sandwiches and most veggies except peas, carrots, potatoes [a starch], iceberg lettuce, corn, beets. The only fruits I like to eat are olives, pineapples, and apples. I'll pretty much have any fruit that is in a smoothie and have a huge smoothie bible right now.

Basically I need help finding healthier options that I like to eat. I keep being 300-500 over my calorie goal. I have been trying to eat more natural foods not processed and have been eating more small snacks throughout the day instead of big meals. Lunches are the hardest thing for me!

I appreciate any feedback anyone has. I have been working out for over a month now and my workout buddy has lost around 4lbs, but I keep staying within the 143-148lbs range.

Mommawarrior

LOL.....I am sorry, when I read the subject of this post I knew it had to be by BigTuck, my real life friend. LOL

Seriously though.....How about salads, you can put just about anything you want to in a salad, even fruit. For lunch one thing you could do is always make an extra portion of your meal the night before and put it in the fridge for lunch the next day.
Nuts are a good snack, just don't get the honey roasted or chocolate covered nuts. LOL

ellenangel

Do you like pasta? Or rice? Or couscous? Roasted sweet potato? All make great bases for salads to take for lunch- I like salads made with leftover roasted veg (usually butternut squash, zuchinni, eggplant, mushrooms, asparagus...anything goes) on a bed of spinach with red pepper hummus and a little strong cheese like feta. Roasting veg totally changes the flavour so even if you don't like the veg in other forms, you might be surprised!

Another favorite is filled pasta (spinach and ricotta tortellini) cooked and mixed with 1 can chopped tomatoes + 1 cup fat free greek yogurt- sounds odd but it's great. Then add the veg you like to bulk it out- carrots are a great start. Cauliflower and mushrooms don't have a lot of taste and if cut in small pieces and cooked alongside pasta, you'll hardly notice them. Serve over lettuce- try mixing iceberg half with some other lettuce (general rule of thumb- darker the leaves, more nutritious)

What kind of beets do you like? I love pickled- chop finely and mix with cottage cheese for an awesome dip. Bright pink which is fun! Maybe try dipping in cucumber sticks of peppers (red and yellow are sweeter than green- I hate green peppers!) and the strong pickled dip hides the flavor. Can use salsa or hummus to dip too (hummus and BBQ sauce makes an amazing combination!)

When you say you don't like sandwiches, what do you mean? Bread? Pita? Wraps? Cold cuts? Because there are zillions of options...from peanut butter, shredded carrot + raisin on a wholewheat wrap to a pita filled with falafel, lettuce, tomato and tzatziki (you don't notice the tomato as much with tzatziki!), there are millions of possibilities. Egg salad, bean and low fat cheese burrito/quesadillas, curried chicken salad (great with apples/grapes thrown in) on crackers...experiment and explore!

Veggie burgers are great too- I like mine cold and if you make them from scratch using grains/beans (tons of recipes out there for stuff like lentil rice burgers), they are AWESOME on salad. Like a breadless burger. Add some ketchup, mustard, whatever floats your boat!

ChantalGG

Have you actually tried other stuff or are you one of those people that wont eat food if it doesnt look right?

coolsmartygirl

I had tried a lot of things growing up because my caregiver pretty much made me. However I am pretty much the kind of person that doesn't like the look of food so won't try it. But I believe I have mild anxiety when it comes to food. I was making salads with chicken on them for a while but stopped that.

I love cous cous, usually eat a whole box of near east parmesan flavored. I use to eat I believe canned beets and I found them okay when I was a kid but haven't had any since. I like plain hamburgers with nothing on them, but just don't like any kind of sandwich.
I love almonds but they are hard going down unless they've got something on them and I usually go for the chocolate covered variety. Would mixed nuts be a good snack to have? How do you have a low fat cheese quesadilla?

ellenangel

How do you have a low fat cheese quesadilla?

use low fat cheese get some small wholewheat tortillas (la tortilla factory ones are > 100 cals), spread with salsa, low fat refried beans, low fat cheese or a little extra sharp cheddar (strong flavor = use less) a handful of spinach leaves- fold in half and "fry" with cooking oil in a non stick pan.

The_Saint

How about Sweet Potatoes? I love sweet potatoes, and last year I found that Oreida now has a steam and mash sweet potatoes.
I take out what I need for the next day, put it in a container, with some sprinkled stevia and cinnamon. mmmm

That goes along with my frozen chicken and sunflower seeds or almonds for lunch.

coolsmartygirl

I love potatoes but have never tried sweet potatoes. I went to the store and checked calories on stuff. I got salad and chicken, mixed huts, and pretzels. Oh and whole wheat bread, eggs, and nutella. I also got some frozen meals from healthy choice and smartones. So hopefully I'll have less calorie intake and more protein!

EDIT: And thank you for the quesadilla recipe!

hbrekkaas

I am also super picky, I have my few things that I eat and I just stick with those things. Its not ideal, but it works for me, and it has a bit of everything.

Good luck with trying some new foods!

coolsmartygirl

So what do you usually eat then? What works for you?