HELP! (one of those threads)

timadotcom

I have quick recipes to help you out buddy - everything I'm about to list takes little time to prepare, can be put in a tupperware to take to work with you okzzz

1 - hummus and whole wheat pita
2 - baba ghanouj and whole wheat pita
3 - fruit salad chopped up small ( i usually use straberries, pineapple, kiwi and apple) / fat free cottage cheese on the side, you can mix when you are ready to eat.
4 - lemon and baby carrot snack with cumin, salt and a little spice if you like it. Sometimes this is all I have for dinner, filling and healthy.
5 - tuna salad made with finely chopped up tomatoes and celery - do not use mayo, use lemon juice, olive oil and season to taste. Pack some romaine lettuce leaves on the side, don't chop them up. You can make lettuce, tuna salad wrap ( make sense?)
6 - hard boiled eggs / peeled and boiled potatoes - cut these up in squares. I usually add these to a salad, or put in a pita. For sauce I mince galic, lemon juice, olive oil and mix.. these can be put in separate containers until ready to mix.. delish.
7 - grilled and chopped up chicken mixed with prepared salad / and use with your favorite dressing
8 - Kefir cheese and pita - healthy and the kefir is 60 cals per tablespoon.

That's all I can think of for now, but you do not have to heat up one thing out of all of these. You can pack in a little cooler and eat your desk, mess free, YEAY!!

hope this helped:)

emaxtastic

Raw veggies and fruits instead of processed food deflate the argument that you don't have time to go heat things up. Broccoli broccoli broccoli. There are lots of fun little strength training exercises you can do AT your desk as well. Google it! When I added in strength training it changed everything. Also, if your schedule allows, DO PILATES. It's another great addition which helps me a lot.

Heaven71

Canned Chicken, Tuna, Turkey and Shrimp.

I add sugar free relish and onions with some apple cidar vinegar you can make litle custom salads. Maybe use low cal mayo or something. I get a lot of protien that way and I also bring cut veggies to work, red bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes...good snack stuff.

I just took a quick glance at your diary and you're eating a lot of processed foods and not much 'real' food.

Try substituting 3-4 servings of natural protien (ie, single ingredient foods like fish, chicken, meat) and 3-4 servings of vegetable (cooked or raw) in place of some of the processed foods you've been eating. It's not just the total calories that count, but what we're feeding our bodies.

How exactly does one do this if they are stuck in one room all day? I really want to be able to do this. However, I teach, and I basically don't leave the same room for 9 hours. (that includes to pee-- I really need a catheter :laugh:) I can't just run out and cook some meat, or even warm up something I cooked the night before. If anyone can suggest a solution to help me have access to real foods instead of processed, I'd love to hear it.

ETA: I need on the go type foods, that I can just grab and eat. Usually that's processed food. If you can give me some ideas, please do.

mlightvt

Agree with the others who said eat more REAL foods. I know I feel like garbage if I eat like that.

Eating real and fresh, whole foods takes a bit more preparation but most assuredly can be done on a busy schedule, with just a bit of pre-planning.

I eat a delicious homemade chef salad for lunch every day - on Sundays, I boil eggs for the week, and wash lettuce (do twice a week actually), slice up cheese and so forth. So in the morning I just have to throw the ingredients together in a dish and grab a fork and I am good to go.

My daily lunch is usually comprised of:
2 cups romaine lettuce
2 oz sliced all natural turkey lunch meat, cut up
1 serving of Cabot reduced fat cheddar, cut up
1 hard boiled egg, sliced
6-8 baby carrots

and sometimes, hot banana pepper rings on the side. no dressing - after mixing the lettuce in with the meat, egg, cheese, there's really no need - it's delicious as-is.

This lunch totals less than 300 calories per serving. Followed by an apple and a piece of citrus as "dessert" later on in the afternoon which adds another 115 or so calories. A pear is a good snack, packed with fiber. Depending on how hard I work out on a given day I may also add a 90-calorie light yogurt. Often I will snack on raw carrot sticks and/or celery with a 2T serving of roasted red pepper hummus. My two "processed" snack standbys are 95% reduced fat microwave popcorn which is very low cal and canned V8 juice. But I rarely use those as replacements for good, whole food - just supplements once in a while.

ALWAYS have a fresh veggie with dinner - either fresh produce or frozen, never canned. Always aim for a high protein and fiber main serving with dinner - venison chili, baked cod, baked chicken are staples for us now. Eliminate "empty" calories such as processed carbs and you will see success.

I allow myself 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt at night, 110 calories per serving, as my "cheat" - but I reserve those calories aside in my daily allowance to do so.

SunshineT83

I recommend investing in a good lunch bag or small lunch cooler and these foods may really help you get through your day.

Segmenting out raw veggies into ziptop baggies. (baby carrots, sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, etc)
Hummus, guacamole, and vegetarian bean dips are great dippers for you veggies rather than high fat nurtient low dressings.

Raw nuts (almonds are great raw) If you buy them in the shell where you have to crack them yourself, then you are more likely to eat fewer. Remember nuts are high in calories but very nutrient dense.

Packing a sandwich made with pita bread or those Flat Out wraps (they taste great are huge and only 100 cals) stick to low cal proteins for your sandwich like roasted turkey and chicken. But get the good stuff at the deli there tend to be fewer additives and chemical garbage in them.

Raw fruit is always a quick and easy choice.

A good quality yogurt can be really satisfying. Fage 0% is one of my fave brands the flavored individual containers run anywhere from 100-130 cals they taste really great.

Pickles can really help curb a sweets craving, my faves are the Claussen pickles they cost a bit more but are well worth it.

For a protein kick that also satifies a sweets craving try "Ants on a log" you know celery, peanut butter, and raisins. or even dried cranberries with almond butter. It's great!

V8 drinks can really stave off hunger, just keep and eye on your sodium consumption

Be sure you're drinking plenty of water

Hope these ideas help past your stagnation.

tmos512

The one thing that stuck out to me was that you are eating a lot of dairy and hardly any vegetables. I would suggest eating more veggies and cutting back on the dairy (lower calories and fat). Not an expert, but those are just my two cents :bigsmile:

QueenJayJay

Thank you for all of the wonderful suggestions! I will work on trying to eat more "real" food. These are all wonderful ideas.

ldytaz

For startrs I see Dunkin Donuts and Girl Scout cookies on your list, I applaud you for claiming these calories but are these the best way to help w/ your weight loss? I don't see any veggies, proteins or legumes (beans) on your food diary. You asked for our thoughts, here is mine.

Bikini27

Swap some of the "goodies" for fruit and veggies, eat more natural protein, and lower the milk to 1% or skim. Save the "fun" stuff for one a week. Look at it like the food has to fuel you, and some of the stuff you are putting in is watered down regular octane gas, but if you tweak a few things, it would be high octane and make your engine run more smoothly and you will get better gas milage. You do really well on the # of calories, but I worry about the content of them more.

This. I'm a sweets gal myself, so I really have to work for my treats.
I've been a bit nuts this week with it, but focus on fresh/non processed fruits, veggies, and nuts. The fat in nuts is good fat (partially) instead of the bad fats you tend to find in the processed foods.

Subbing your milk for non-fat, finding higher fiber foods, things like this will get you going with your excercise and help prevent the plateu.

Krogers chain stores sell prepacked fresh veggies that are a quick "grab and go" option and right now is an AWESOME time to get fresh fruits.

I'm not perfect by any means, but if you'd like to take a peak at my diary, feel free to add me

Bikini27

I recommend investing in a good lunch bag or small lunch cooler and these foods may really help you get through your day.

Segmenting out raw veggies into ziptop baggies. (baby carrots, sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, etc)
Hummus, guacamole, and vegetarian bean dips are great dippers for you veggies rather than high fat nurtient low dressings.

Raw nuts (almonds are great raw) If you buy them in the shell where you have to crack them yourself, then you are more likely to eat fewer. Remember nuts are high in calories but very nutrient dense.

Packing a sandwich made with pita bread or those Flat Out wraps (they taste great are huge and only 100 cals) stick to low cal proteins for your sandwich like roasted turkey and chicken. But get the good stuff at the deli there tend to be fewer additives and chemical garbage in them.

Raw fruit is always a quick and easy choice.

A good quality yogurt can be really satisfying. Fage 0% is one of my fave brands the flavored individual containers run anywhere from 100-130 cals they taste really great.

Pickles can really help curb a sweets craving, my faves are the Claussen pickles they cost a bit more but are well worth it.

For a protein kick that also satifies a sweets craving try "Ants on a log" you know celery, peanut butter, and raisins. or even dried cranberries with almond butter. It's great!

V8 drinks can really stave off hunger, just keep and eye on your sodium consumption

Be sure you're drinking plenty of water

Hope these ideas help past your stagnation.

Stealing some of these ideas....thanks!!

dancingjr

How exactly does one do this if they are stuck in one room all day? I really want to be able to do this. However, I teach, and I basically don't leave the same room for 9 hours. (that includes to pee-- I really need a catheter :laugh:) I can't just run out and cook some meat, or even warm up something I cooked the night before. If anyone can suggest a solution to help me have access to real foods instead of processed, I'd love to hear it.

ETA: I need on the go type foods, that I can just grab and eat. Usually that's processed food. If you can give me some ideas, please do.

Try adding dry fruit to your diet. It;s prepackaged and usually very easy to snack on whenever. Also add in a cup of fruit juice a day or a glass of V8 but I wouldn't do more than one glass a day because of course the calorie content but it helps make sure your body is getting balanced. Also, do the circuit training others mentioned or maybe some weight training. Also maybe some baby carrots to snack on. Very low in calories but they are a veggie and of course have so many good things for your body. Have a little cooler or something at your desk to keep them cool (that's what I do for things that need to be kept cool).

Lesa_Sass

I see to much "bad" sugar. Try cutting out the donuts and icecream and replace them with fruit and yogurt.

QueenJayJay

I see to much "bad" sugar. Try cutting out the donuts and icecream and replace them with fruit and yogurt.

For startrs I see Dunkin Donuts and Girl Scout cookies on your list, I applaud you for claiming these calories but are these the best way to help w/ your weight loss? I don't see any veggies, proteins or legumes (beans) on your food diary. You asked for our thoughts, here is mine.

You are right! As I mentioned earlier, I've always bought into the concept that as long as you're in a calorie deficit, you'll lose, no matter what you eat. Obviously that isn't true.

I do consume protein (by way of dairy), and I can't eat beans due to a stomach condition, but I will definitely work on more meats, fresh veggies, and fruits. Thanks for your help!

QueenJayJay

If you're ok with the hamburger being cold you can do a taco salad which is really easy to make (especially if you pay the extra for the pre chopped veggies) and can be very healthy. Fat free sour cream and regular salsa are pretty low in calories and I always pack on the veggies.

If I had to pick one thing that helped me stay on track with my diet, it'd be plain non-fat greek yogurt. It's low cal, I find it VERY filling, and it's delicious if you add the right stuff to it. I've had success with pineapple, splenda, blueberries, strawberries, mango, lychee, and protein powder (individually, I don't have time to mix and match a bunch of stuff in the morning). I'm a very big guy, and a 32 oz container with 3 packets of splenda at 730AM keeps me full until 5PM for less than 500 calories.

Veggies and sour cream. Not a proper meal but maybe you could use it to hold you over until school let out?

I keep reading about greek yogurt...what's the difference in regular yogurt and greek yogurt?

manders_b

Let me start by saying that I actually have an educational background in food and nutrition, so what I'm telling you isn't coming from the latest fad diet craze. Looking at your diary I noticed a few things: First, if you aren't logging water, start doing it! Drinking tons of water will actually help you lose the weight. Some of your gains and plateaus can be from water retention and inflammation, which can both be alleviated with increased water intake. Plus, your body cannot successfully complete the processes necessary to actually "burn" fat without proper hydration. If you think you're drinking enough, try logging for a day or two to make sure. You'll probably notice you drink less than you think. Second, you are over in sugar and carbs just about every day, and it's not coming from fresh fruit. Avoid foods like cottage doubles which contain tons of added sugars and complex carbs and instead buy cottage cheese and top it with fresh fruit. You can cut calories and sugar in one take. Avoiding flavored oatmeals and doing the same - if you like peach for instance, try making plain whole oats with some fresh peaches on top and maybe honey instead of sugar. Honey contains additional antioxidants but is something to watch - it's still sugar and it's still high in calories. Something to keep in mind is that even if you eat well under your calorie goal but you are completing that goal with cookies and carbs, you're not going to see the progress you want. It is okay to treat yourself but make sure it's actually a treat, not a regular thing. This is something I really struggle with - especially right around halloween and other holidays when my kids have candy laying around. Hide it or pitch it. Or make a rule - mine is if I want a kit kat from my son's stash I have to eat one whole fruit or veggie first. Believe me, it works.

Good luck.

angied80

GreeK Yogurt is full of protein and is very yummy. Its more of like a pudding. I cant eat regular yogurt because the texture gives me the whillies but I love greek yogurt.

r1ghtpath

a really easy lunch that would not require a microwave ( and should keep in a good lunch box with cooler things) is any kind of salad with chicken added. ( or tuna, or fish) good for you and easy peasy!!

other TO GO foods; high protein bars, protein powder and water, almonds ( not too many thought), veggies with hummus.....