I honestly don't know what to eat..

jess1992uga

So here is the thing. I am recovering from anorexia and have a meal plan and all and yes I see a dietitian, but I have had an ED (from binge eating disorder to anorexia) since I was 6...so 14 years now. And growing up our lunches were whatever school served and dinner was either kid cuisine, hamburger helper, or pizza. So I literally (with the mix of no home cooking growing up and then anorexia when I was older) have no idea what people eat for lunch/dinner. For lunch lately I've been doing huge salads and dinners are such a mish mash of weirdness (tonight was chicken, oatmeal, guac on tortilla, and green beans) I just want to know what people eat for lunch/dinner. Preferably healthy ideas Oh and here is what my meals should have incorporate per my meal plan:

Lunch: 4 oz protein, 2 starches (like 2 slices bread), 2 veg, 1 fruit, 1 fat
Dinner: 3 oz pro, 4 starches (I know my N is CRAZY), 2 veg, 1 fat

B-fast and snacks I can do...it's just these two meals I don't get. And the more portable lunch the better because I am a nanny

grimendale

I find that wraps are a convenient and travel-friendly meal. There are a lot of low calories wraps out there (100 or less for burrito size), which gives you plenty of room to pack on the veggies (I like to stuff mine with spinach since it has so many good things in it). You can eat a ridiculous amount of vegetables without consuming many calories, so you can fill youself up without feeling bad about it. If you keep wet stuff to a minimum (tomatoes, mayo and such), the wrap can be covered in foil and will keep pretty much all day. It's important to do this healthy. The last time I lost weight, I was only eating 2-300 calories a day, maximum and worked out for an hour or two every day. I have been told that I was anorexic, but no one found out until much later. I was tired and weak all the time, and constantly wracked with guilt about anything I ate. Now, I am eating five times as many calories a day and weight the same as I did then (after gaining 100 lbs when I stopped eating nothing and started binging on anything I could get my hands on instead). Good luck on your journey. Feel free to add me. My diary is open, so feel free to root around for ideas as well.

walleyclan1

Chicken or beef fajitas with veggies, sour cream, avocado and cheese

Pitas stuffed with tuna salad

soup, sandwhich, yogurt and a fruit

chicken and veggie quesadilla

gabegrammy

crockpot meals are my favorite. I have a whole chicken, breast side down on reynolds wrapped potatoes. cook for 6 - 8 hours on high. I love doing it during the night while I sleep and pack for my lunches and dinners for like 2 to 3 days.
I also cook soups in my crockpot. I keep frozen talapia and flounder as well as portioned chicken breast in my freezer. As for the chicken, I buy in bulk and fillet them and weight at 4 oz and freeze in single serving bags. I also keep healthy frozen meals for those really busy nights. Veggies I have broccoli on hand. I hav instant brown rice for quick side dished.
I hope this help.
Viki

karl39x

For lunch some kind of sandwich like PB&J, ham &cheese, or PB&B. Dinner, not really sure I'm kinda on the same boat here as you. And lots of fruit.

lilawolf

Ok, well this isn't exactly easy since there is a LOT of food in the world, but I'll give you a few tips. You need protein, so pick something that you like such as boneless pork chops or chicken breasts or steaks, and buy a BIG pack of it. Cook it all, then cut it into 4oz chunks (this seems really too low to me since you will need to build up muscle that you have lost in the past, but pick your portion) and put it into a bunch of baggies in the freezer. Remember to date them. Regular sandwich bags will keep meat good for at least a month without freezer burn. Do different proteins each week and then you can swap pick whatever you want out of the freezer.

Example:
Week 1: boneless pork chops, can of mushroom soup, onion soup packet, in the crockpot (leftovers as soup, burritos, sandwiches...)
week 2: Boneless chicken (breast or thigh) with salsa and black beans in crockpot, or chicken with some italian dressing to keep it moist in the oven. Second option is great for salads, sandwiches, stirfrys, cover it in bbq etc since there is really no sauce to start
week 3: Broil up some steak
....
....

Pick out veggies that you like. Canned and frozen are quicker and easier, just watch for added salt and sugar. The cheapest way (sometimes! look for specials on prepackaged stuff) is to buy what you want fresh, preferably from a farmers market, and chop, mix, and portion it yourself. If you aren't sure what to pick (haven't tried many veggies), pick one or two things you are comfortable with, and then try to add one new one a week. Look for recipes and ideas of how to cook it.

I disagree with all of the starch, but either way, starches are usually pretty quick to cook. They also don't usually freeze well for make ahead.

Also, just start looking at people's diaries to get an idea of "normal". The recipe section is great too.

Good luck!

lajaques

For dinner I usually think along the lines of a protein (meat/fish/beans), a grain (brown rice/quinoa/couscous/farro) and a veggie or two. An easy version of this for those who don't like to mess with complicated recipes would be to buy a cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store (Boston Market will also sell you a whole chicken, and theirs is awesome), make some rice, and sautee some spinach in a little olive oil. The spinach will cook in five minutes or less, then toss in a small amount of lemon juice and a few crumbles of feta cheese if so inclined. YUM!, and super healthy.

Other great and easy veggies are roasted broccoli (can use fresh or frozen, drizzle with some olive oil and salt and pepper, toss and place on a pan lined with parchment paper or foil, bake in oven at 400 for 20 - 40 minutes (depends on if it's fresh or frozen) until it's got a few dark brown spots). Sprinkle a small bit of lemon juice over the cooked broccoli and toss. I know people who don't really like broccoli but love it cooked this way. You can sprinkle on some grated Parmesan cheese the last 5 - 10 minutes cooking time if desired.

Almost any roasted vegetable (cooked like the broccoli above) is delicious. Try carrots, parsnips, onions, beets, butternut squash, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, sweet potatoes...

Anyway, I suggest try a large variety and be adventurous, and always try to have something green on your plate. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

ernestbecker

So many opinions about food choices...

Eat natural foods such as veggies and fruit. You'll never go wrong with that. My slogan is, if it can be killed or picked, you should eat it. Remember, man has made a lot of junk, that is causing our nation to reach unprecedented levels of obesity. Stay away from processed foods and, eat, eat. Lift weights to build muscle and you'll build a beautiful body! Add me as a contact. I want to keep tabs.

jenspradlin

I have read a lot of different nutrition books. There is a lot of different diets to follow. Finally I found the Eat Clean Diet. I find what they offer works best for me. They have a great interactive website and meal plans. Yes, they even put together shopping list for you. This really helped when I first started out. Check out the following websites.
www.eatcleandiet.com
www.cleaneatingmag.com
www.oxygenmag.com

Hope this helps you as much as it helped me. Everyone has to find what works best for them.

RobynLB83

Maybe you should pick up a cooking magazine, get some ideas, and go from there?

katy_trail

I have read a lot of different nutrition books. There is a lot of different diets to follow. Finally I found the Eat Clean Diet. I find what they offer works best for me. They have a great interactive website and meal plans. Yes, they even put together shopping list for you. This really helped when I first started out. Check out the following websites.
www.eatcleandiet.com
www.cleaneatingmag.com
www.oxygenmag.com

Hope this helps you as much as it helped me. Everyone has to find what works best for them.

she doesn't need to add more aggravation to her life. we don't have to eat 100% clean to be healthy.
she needs to work on moderation, not just transfer to orthorexia.

megsmom2

Check out other MFP folks open diaries ...you might get some good ideas. But really ...if you're getting good nutrition and paying attention to making healthy choices, it doesn't matter much if your choices are a bit unconventional. If its pleasing to YOU then its perfectly ok.

TraciRazz

I agree with the person above who said pick a protien, , cook it up, and build meals around it. I have been trying to load up on veggies- 2 or 3 large portions with dinner. Also, I like to use fresh veggies, and nosh on them raw while prepping them for cooking. You can build wraps, casadeas, tacos, pizzas, etc... Most grocery stores (in South Florida anyway) sell whole grain options. Also, consider using beans for your starches. Black beans are great with some garlic over brown rice, chop up some chicken, lettuce onion and tomato and toss it together. Great on a wrap too! Red beans and white beans yummy in turkey chili, or white chicken chili, which are also super filling paired with whole grain rice or quinoa. Garbanzo beans are good on salads, also hummas is fantastic spread on a wrap instead of a condiment. My last offering, I love soups. Low sodium broth (or make your own stock) packed with veggies and a protein are always filling and low cal, high content options for me! My diary is open, so you can browse for other ideas. Enjoy and good luck!

jess1992uga

I have read a lot of different nutrition books. There is a lot of different diets to follow. Finally I found the Eat Clean Diet. I find what they offer works best for me. They have a great interactive website and meal plans. Yes, they even put together shopping list for you. This really helped when I first started out. Check out the following websites.
www.eatcleandiet.com
www.cleaneatingmag.com
www.oxygenmag.com

Hope this helps you as much as it helped me. Everyone has to find what works best for them.

she doesn't need to add more aggravation to her life. we don't have to eat 100% clean to be healthy.
she needs to work on moderation, not just transfer to orthorexia.

I value everyone opinion and insight. I did the eat clean diet and it led to a relapse for me because i have tons or underlying food.issues including orthorexia. But I still thank you so much

janiesue101

Bump

starcollapsing

ffs WHY are you people all recommending things for being low-calorie and high volume? That is NOT what a recovering anorexic needs! Someone recovering from anorexia in inpatient treatment would very often have to eat 3000-4000 calories per day, Jess is severely underweight and needs as many calories as she can get.

runlilyrun

My diary is open so feel free to check it out could you have a houmous and falafel wrap for lunch with loads of veggies in?

jess1992uga

Chicken or beef fajitas with veggies, sour cream, avocado and cheese

Pitas stuffed with tuna salad

soup, sandwhich, yogurt and a fruit

chicken and veggie quesadilla

Love all these and they work perfect with my food allergies too. Think going to try the fajita tom night but without the sour cream and cheese since I'm allergic. And maybe add some beans. Awesome!

jess1992uga

I agree with the person above who said pick a protien, , cook it up, and build meals around it.
  Also, consider using beans for your starches. Black beans are great with some garlic over brown rice, chop up some chicken, lettuce onion and tomato and toss it together. Great on a wrap too! Red beans and white beans yummy in turkey chili, or white chicken chili, which are also super filling paired with whole grain rice or quinoa. Garbanzo beans are good on salads, also hummas is fantastic spread on a wrap instead of a condiment. My last offering, I love soups. Low sodium broth (or make your own stock) packed with veggies and a protein are always filling and low cal, high content options for me! My diary is open, so you can browse for other ideas. Enjoy and good luck!

Wow thanks for all this. I am definitely going to try the choose protein first idea. I am working on allowing myself to eat beans...I have a fear of the sodium in them though. Thanks for all these ideas on how to use them. I never thought of them on salad...so smart.

jess1992uga

ffs WHY are you people all recommending things for being low-calorie and high volume? That is NOT what a recovering anorexic needs! Someone recovering from anorexia in inpatient treatment would very often have to eat 3000-4000 calories per day, Jess is severely underweight and needs as many calories as she can get.

Thanks for your concern but I have a meal plan and go by that anyway no need to worry about calories. Ppl are taking the time to respond and I appreciate that. Plus don't like eating all I eat and still feeling hungry so filling is good. And most ppl haven't said low cal stuff just as few have.

baileysmom4

Why don't you look into taking a cooking class? Cooking is so much fun - no really it is. Once you have the basic knowledge down, its a snap to throw things together.