I find it interesting how... (a bit of a rant)

slcbrus · May 2010

Great post, I totally agree. I think a holistic approach to health and fitness is a good way to go, you benefit on so many levels!

Michellerw1 · May 2010

I completely agree. Convenience foods are okay if I am in a pinch but people definately become too dependant on them. Shame on companies for marketing products in a way that makes them seem more natural and healthy that foods that grow in the ground.

PaleoIsPossible · May 2010

Sweet4keeps - I agree! This is definitely one of my major pet peeves. How can you ever be too busy to take care of yourself!? Your body is your vessel - you have to make it last you and it's condition can completely determine your level of happiness and your quality of life.

studentRN · May 2010

Work a 12 hour shift in my shoes as a nurse taking care of others on your feet all day and never getting a lunch yourself... then see how much energy you want to devote to putting almonds and veggies in little baggies when you get home... :grumble: Excuse me but I think your post is a little self-righteous. :devil:

lexistepps · May 2010

Forgive me, but I am going to have to agree with this in a sense. You've got to be just a smidge less critical and a bit more caring about this topic. People get very sensitive about what they eat, and sitting there saying "Well I do it and you're eating crap" just kinda screams "I think I'm better than you" regardless of how you mean to come across. While I agree with some of your points, what works for one does not always work for others. :ohwell:

That being said, I am one of those people who didn't put much stock into exactly WHAT I was eating...so long as I was within my calorie limit I thought I was good. Then I decided to start showing the sodium and sugar totals of my days...that changed my thought process BIGTIME! Sugar converts into fat, so now I am ditching the 100 calorie packs and going on a shopping mission tomorrow to find healthy snacks. My goal? I WILL cut up all of my fruit and such and sort it out into portion sizes. No, I don't wanna do it but I will just because it's what I can do. Different strokes. The most that you can do is try to lead them in the right direction...as they say, you can lead a horse to water, but.... :yawn:

SoupNazi · May 2010

She's just stating a fact, people. No need to get defensive. She's just saying, in a nutshell, that our American diet involves alot of processed diet junk foods and it really does trick alot of people into think they are doing good for their bodies by eating "diet" foods when, in actuality, they are processed garbage. Everything in moderation. I consume both...but mostly the good stuff since I started here years ago. She isn't personally attacking anyone so no need to get defensive about a simple observation. That's all it is. Veggies, lean meats, fruits = make your body and mind feel good. Processed food with shelf lives of 20 years=make your body feel yuck. That's non debatable.

Correct me if I'm wrong OP. :flowerforyou:

I now remember why I haven't posted on the boards in a long time. Good grief.:indifferent:

SoupNazi · May 2010

Double post:ohwell:

sweet4keeps22 · May 2010

StudentRN - I leave my house by 8, I do not stop for lunch, or dinner for that matter, on a good day I'm home around 8, but most nights I don't get home till about 10. So I'm quite familiar with the inconvenient life you're referring to. I do all of my "bagging" as soon as I get home from grocery shopping (on Sundays), so I don't ever have to do it after I get home at night. In the a.m. everything I grab to eat is grab and go, because like so many others (and it sounds like you as well) that is my life. I'm not intending to be self-righteous at all, and I'm sorry if it's coming across that way (it's difficult when posting on a message board, obviously, as opposed to having an actual conversation). If you are finding weightloss success, and health benefits from the kinds of foods mentioned then congrats. I have attempted in the past to do just that and not been successful, and prior to becoming healthier, as I mentioned, I was eating many "convenient" foods and made the excuse that I did not have the time for healthy foods. All I was sharing was that I have found ways to make healthy foods just as convenient as the less healthy foods.

Lexi - I'm sorry you felt such a strong reaction to what I had to say. I never said "I do it and you're eating crap" nor do I think that I am better than anyone. I do feel that this is a forum to exchange ideas and information, though. I have an idea that some of us (myself included) spend many years telling ourselves we are too busy to eat healthfully, and I have recently discovered that eating healthfully can frequently be made as convenient as eating unhealthy. It's true enough though, you can lead a horse to water... but it's worth leading the horse there in the first place.

PaleoIsPossible · May 2010

My mom and dad are both RNs (yeah... my dad's a murse ;] ). They both work Monday through Wednesday, and 12 hour shifts from 7pm until 7am. However, my mom cooks a bunch of food and gets everything ready for the rest of the week on Thursday or Friday. Our whole fridge is full of salmon, baked chicken, and fruits and veggies for the week right now. I know nursing is tough - my parents look like complete hell when they get home (no offense to them... but after caring for patients, who a lot of the time are very demanding and at times unappreciative, it takes A LOT out of you). And like you said, sometimes in that 12 hour period you have a grand total of 10 minutes to shove some food in your mouth or use the bathroom - and that's if you're lucky. But it's really important to try to make some "you" time during your time off - and you can do that by taking care of yourself nutritionally. You as a nurse should know this especially. Your health is such an important thing. And who knows, maybe if you were to take the time to throw a few almonds in a baggie and scarf them down at work, that protein would give you more energy to get through the work day.

PaleoIsPossible · May 2010

Thank you!!!

MegKacz · May 2010

I too was a student nurse working 12 hour shifts (in an ICU) and will be working 12 hour shifts in the future. I realize the toll it takes on the body, yes indeed. I got up at 5:30 am to be out the door by 6 and to work by 6:45 am. I packed my lunch every day (prepared the night before) and brought my own snacks (fruits/vegs cut up, salads, oatmeal, raw almonds, etc; which, half the time I only had enough time to EAT half, but that's beside the point). And, in all honesty, most (if not all) of the other nurses did the same.

I'm not saying I'm perfect (I most definitely am not, but then again no one is, right?). I'm just saying that you CAN make the time if you WANT to. I was also a college student living on a budget, so it can be done (spending less money on processed foods = more money to spend on fruits and veggies

). smz08 is simply making a point that the FOCUS of our nutrition should be from whole foods. And yes, as a nurse, I believe in good nutrition, and, in a perfect world, so should everyone else. I don't eat "clean" 100% of the time, that would be nearly impossible! I do know that I feel sooooo much better when I eat whole foods though! We're all here to promote health and learn from each other in healthy ways of living, and this is one girl's opinion on how to do so. I don't think it was self-righteous at all. Kudos to her! Thanks for the post

arewethereyet · May 2010

Ok, I shall chime in here. I am very surprised this is coming from a person in the medical field. As a nurse you must see the results of years and years of not taking care of ones body.

I actually tested this theory. On my day off I bagged up 5 baggies of each item I wanted for the week. I also cooked a turkey while all this was going on. I put 2 slices of WW or 5 grain bread in 5 bags (sorry, I love me some bread!) and put the turkey, chicken and cheese in packages. I did buy the single servings of yogurt and cottage cheese. Oh and all of this, sans the turkey cooking, took me ................15 minutes!!!!!!

I LOVED my lunch each day, and had food until 5 pm when I returned home. I'd have to say that through out the week it did not take me a bit longer to grab a bag of almonds, carrots, broc, chicken, salad, bread............than it did to grab a Power bar or a slim fast.

The best part was I felt better about the foods I was eating. Oh and I had more energy...........and did not have the afternoon slump I used to have.

The biggest problem I had was not getting the extra exercise from walking to the vending machines.......cuz dang it I had pita chips and hummus for a snack!

It IS all about choices. I know ppl are tired......but as a nurse you know that nutrition is key to sustaining any weight loss. Sure you can slim fast your way to 10 pound loss, but I guar. you will regain them almost as fast as you lost them...........+10 more. I was on that roller coaster ride for many many years.
:flowerforyou: Jeannie

iplayoutside19 · May 2010

Might be a little self rightous, but true.

My wife and I have lost 100 lbs together. A lot of that sucess is planning out meals that will occur away from home. Not that we're perfect, we did order pizza friday night. However, planning is the key to long term success.

Everyday there is a thread titled "Need Snack Ideas!": There is NOTHING more convienent than an apple or banana. It takes two seconds to throw carrots, celery, or strawberries into a bag...we do it every morning. Not only that if you visit the frozen foods section there are several snack size portions of veggies that you can pop into a microwave and be ready in under 2 minutes.

and lunch meats, well some vices just aren't going away.

I wouldn't call myself a clean eater by any strench, but eating whole foods does help you stay ful and under your calorie goal.

studentRN · May 2010

nevermind

HealthyChanges2010 · May 2010

Some more great tips, thank you:flowerforyou:

arewethereyet · May 2010

:flowerforyou: I may be missing something here.........but I certainly did not mean to sound like I am attacking or judging you. I thought we were just discussing a topic.

I have no idea what you eat in a day, or what your goals are.

I was just writing about my experience in the whole "changing your lifestyle" journey.

Please accept :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Jeannie

koreansponge · May 2010

I totally agree! The problem with a lot of the foods people tend to label as healthy (i.e. granola bars, yogurt) is that even when they don't contain a lot of calories, they make up for it by containing a TON of sugar! I went grocery shopping the other day thinking I'd get some healthy yogurt for a light snack, but when I actually stopped to read the labels, I couldnt find a single one with less than 10g of sugar! It's ridiculous! The best thing to do is like you said, eat whole unprocessed foods. And of course, READ LABELS!!!!

Tamishumate · May 2010

I have to say that yes, it takes a tiny bit longer to pack a healthy lunch and snacks then just throwing a frozen meal in your bag and walking out the door, but its so worth it.
on sunday nights, I make my steel cut oatmeal for the week, I put them in 5 little containers and put them in the fridge, I also bake my chicken breast for two days. All the while I am normally cooking dinner for the family . while I am making my egg whites every morning at 8:30 I am also making my 7 year olds lunch, packing ( and measuring) my lunch, and my snacks. we walk out the door at 9:04 every morning. I bring all my food with me that will take me till 8 pm at night when I get home from the gym and then make my dinner. Sometimes I make more chicken, depending on the day.
why am I saying this?? just to let you know that while yes, its a pain in the A$% to do this EVERY DAY, it is worth it. now 18 months ago when I started this, I was those people you talk about, but it takes some time to get out of that. to not eat packaged foods, to not grab those 100 calorie bags, you think your doing yourself a favor by eating those, and compared to what you use to eat, you are doing yourself a favor. They will get there too, just like I did, just like you did. it just takes time :flowerforyou:

Michellerw1 · May 2010

I cook dinner alot for my BF and myself (he is a chef so OF COURSE he never cooks at home). Now, instead of cutting down a recipe that makes four servings, I make the whole thing, and portion out the two extra servings into containers. I put one in the freezer and one in the fridge. This way, I have a selection of homemade, healthy meals that I can bring to work just like I would frozen meals. AND I take about 1 minute extra to package them up. AND I am not throwing away the plastic containers and cardboard boxes that frozen meals come in.

Tamishumate you are right. It just takes adjusting and it definately gets easier.

sweet4keeps22 · May 2010

Michelle - What a clever idea! I never thought of putting a single serving of a prepared meal in the freezer, I usually just eat last night's leftovers for lunch today and tomorrow. Maybe I can eat them tomorrow and next week instead.

I find it interesting how... (a bit of a rant)

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