depressed at the grocery store

First, I don't think that eating healthy is inexpensive. Beyond that, you should educate yourself on food...I did a lot of reading on what to eat and at which time in my day to eat certain things. Obviously fruit and veggies are a must, early on for me I made a goal to eat one serving of veggies and one fruit a day which quickly turned into more of each. Now it's second nature for those things. Here are some staples of mine (I am by no means saying these are all great):
Greek yogurt...better than regular in my opinion
Oatmeal
Apples
Almonds
Carrots
Popcorn (the minimal calories bags)
Cottage cheese
Ground turkey (make burger...can't tell the difference)
Pork loin
Chicken, chicken, chicken.

The Internet is overloaded with information, use it.

Some of my staples are:
*Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (use on salad, by itself for dinner with some spices on it, in a wrap)
*Flatouts (like a huge tortilla, but only 90 cals vs. about 250 for a large tortilla)
*Lean ground turkey (goes on sale BOGO pretty freuquently - they freeze well): grill up turkey patties with chopped onion and bell pepper mixed in. You can keep 4-5 patties in a tupperware for about 5 days.
*Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt: Only 80 cals per serving- the LEAST calories I've found for a greek yogurt (and it's delish!)
*Shiritaki noodles: Only 20 cals per 2oz. serving vs. 200 cals per 2oz. serving of regular pasta. THIS IS MY #1 FAVORITE these days! Search "shiritaki noodles" here on the forums... you'll be amazed. Use in place of pasta, in stirfrys, etc.
*Mixed greens/spinach: yu can make a ton of different salads with all the veggies, etc. Use salsa or some AWESOME low cal Trader Joe's dressings (Champagne Pear Vinaigrette, Cilantro dressing, or use Salsa!!)
*Fresh veggies, veggies, veggies! Almost no calories, lots of food for little (calorie) cost
*More veggies- for your stirfrys, toss broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, peppers, onions, beans - all in with those shiritaki noodles - so good!
*WATER, water, water.... can;t say it enough- drink tons of water. Keeps you feeling full, good for the body! 'nuff said!

Anyhow- those are some of my favorite, go-to items. I eat kind of boring (same things almost every day during the week!) but when you find stuff that is good, and works for you, and you know you can make and that you like... why change it? The less food choices you have to make, the less likely you are to make BAD ones.

Good luck!!

Something you can do is make meals that your husband would love to eat too.

Tacos -I cook these with turkey ground meat and you can't tell the difference with the taco seasoning. I stay away from cheese and sour cream but load with lettuce and salsa.

Burgers - contrary to what people, a big (lean) cheese burger is a great source of protein. I can't do turkey burgers but find the leanest beef you can, load with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and onions. I only use mustard as a condiment. Instead of fries or beans as a side, make a huge salad.

Fajitas - Load up your low cal tortillas with meat, veggies and salsa.

Wings - baked wings make a healthier alternative to deep fried wings or even go boneless breasts to save even more calories.

Stir fry - Cook with your own blend of veggies and lean beef or chicken. Find a good teriyaki sauce recipe and side with brown rice instead of white or fried.

Pizza - Make your own, right down to the crust. Buy a can of tomato sauce add garlic and oregano and slow cook while your get every thing prepared. Add your own amounts of vegetables, a little bit of cheese and maybe only do half the pizza with pepperoni if you want to skip that part.

Anything you can bulk up with vegetables like peppers and onions gives a lot more volume for your calorie buck. I hope you can work some of these ideas into your family dinners and get everyone eating better.

Some of my staples are:
*Flatouts (like a huge tortilla, but only 90 cals vs. about 250 for a large tortilla)

These are GREAT! I get the Flax and Fiber Fold It's from Flat Out---- 90 calories and they are DELICIOUS.

My standard lunch sandwich during workdays when I am home is a Flat Out Fold It with spread with 100 Cal Wholly Guacamole, Turkey and ham lunchmeat and alfalfa sprouts.

DELISH!

Anyhow- those are some of my favorite, go-to items. I eat kind of boring (same things almost every day during the week!) but when you find stuff that is good, and works for you, and you know you can make and that you like... why change it? The less food choices you have to make, the less likely you are to make BAD ones.

Good luck!!

This, This, This.

I always have stuff I can make in just a minute. Sandwich stuff is a staple because I don't want to be able to talk myself into "fast food will just be faster." Being impatient was one of the first things I had to change because I was eating junk every day after work. Now, I tell myself, I spent all that money on groceries, surely I can make a sandwich in less time it would take to wait in the drive thru.

I always have snacks like popcorn and chips with salsa to fall back on if I don't want to make anything. Having easy access is the first step. Wouldn't you snack on those fruits or vegetables if they were already washed, cut and prepared? Just like if there are cookies or ice cream, you grab and eat it.

I know you can't change someone else's diet and exercise, but if you make everything as easy as possible, it'll help YOU be able to resist the "quick fix."

Food timing is a myth.

To the OP don't try to do it all at ounce. Slowly make changes. Start with portion control. Cut out empty calories. Cut back on soda, alcohol, sweets. Add in more fruits and veggies. Buy low fat versions where it makes sense to do so.

This. Totally this. I lost 20 lbs just doing this and walking when I could. It gets easier too. Your tastes will start to change over time and a year from now you'll look back and be amazed at your changes.

A gal on here told me to shope the outside circle of the store for almost everything. The outside circle is where they keep fresh things that need the most refridgeration. Fresh fruit, veggies, lean meats if you eat meat, etc.

As for yogurt, yoplait light tases great and is low in calories so that may be a compromise. I personally eat greek yogurt. Fage and Chobani are good

Buy celery, carrots, broccoli and come home and cut them up into servings sizes and putthem in a bag. That way when you are on the go all you need to do is grab a bag of veggies and you wont be tempted to get fast food out of conveinience.

Bagel this are also cool. They are like normal bagels but thin crust. We use those for quick breakfasts/snaks. You can even prep them the night before and bag them for work/commute.

Fajitas are a great option. load them with veggies! it is a good way to sneak veggies into dinner. Bright colored peppers are really high in vitamins.

Whole wheat noodles instead of regular are a good substitution and they tastes the same to me. I eat a lot of pasta tho because ai Am a vegetarian.

I also drink almond milk because it doesnt make me sick and it has more protein than regular milk.

Raw almonds are a good snack.

Skinny cow cheese spread comes in 35 calorie wedges for crackers or celery or whatever you want it for (even sandwich spread)

I like making veggy soup for the week. I put every veggy i have ina pot and cook it up and then munch it all week.

Veggy chili is good for that too. high protein low fat.


Best of luck!

I like making veggy soup for the week. I put every veggy i have ina pot and cook it up and then munch it all week.

Veggy chili is good for that too. high protein low fat.


Best of luck!

This is good too. You can make big batches of food and freeze them in individual servings. Kind of like your own frozen meals, but a heck of a lot tastier.

I made a pot of chili this week. As she said above, soups are good for that too. You can make breakfast tortillas with just some eggs, bacon and diced peppers and onions. Make enough for the week and freeze them, reheat on high for just 1 minute. It takes time, effort and planning but the rewards you reap are completely worth it.

First of all, don't think of this as a diet, think of it as a lifestyle change. Ergo, do it slowly. When I started, I ate the same things I was eating before but just less of it. I later decided that I could not eat enough of the processed food to feel full and stay under my calorie goals so I cut out most (but not all) processed food. I used to eat a lot of canned soup, frozen dinners and packaged foods. Now I eat much less. I have a husband who is not interested in cutting out anything except sodium. I have a 90 year old mother who lives with us and needs a lot of fat/calories and only likes traditional meat and potatoes meals. I have to cook for both of them and still eat myself, so I lighten up things where I can. I eat less and I eat my larger meals at breakfast and lunch where I can control all of the ingredients. Gradual changes is the key. Good luck.

I'm on week three of Eating Well.com's 28 day diet. You can choose between a 1,200, 1,500, and 1,800 calories a day meal plan. They give you different options sometimes for lunch/dinner and 99% of it has been freaking amazing. You're making the majority from scratch, so it is cooking intensive; however, I find that if I make dinner when I get home, relax for an hour or two afterwards, before making breakfast and lunch for the next day it's not overwhelming.

I will say that your start up in expensive, but the cost goes down each month. Most of the dinners are 4 - 6 six servings, so I measure out and food saver individual portions for later. I have about 2 months worth of dinners saved in the freezer.

A gal on here told me to shop the outside circle of the store for almost everything. The outside circle is where they keep fresh things that need the most refridgeration. Fresh fruit, veggies, lean meats if you eat meat, etc.

Generally I like this advice, but it doesn't always work. At my current grocery store, the "outside circle" also includes the ice cream freezers, Pillsbury cookie/cinnamon roll dough, booze, the bakery (Hey look! Cupcakes that look like footballs!), and other diet-killers. Whereas the frozen veggies, rice, beans, and spices are all on inside aisles.

Sure fresh fruits and veggies and meat are always on the outside aisles too, but that doesn't make everything on the outside better than the inside.

Fortunately the cookies and crackers are down the same aisle as the baby stuff and since I don't have kids, I just skip that aisle completely. I'm sure when I do have kids I'll hate this aisle's temptations, but for now it's a good place to easily avoid. At my old grocery store, the cookies and candies were down the same aisle as the frozen veggies--and that was just cruel torture. Same brand of grocery store, completely different layouts.

Planning meals ahead of time and reading labels more have been better strategies for me.

my list consist of frozen chicken breast, birds eye brocolli, birds eye green beans, brown rice cups for work, ground chicken,apple, peanut butter, eggs, salds from deli for easy quick meals, strawberries, bananas, oranges, grapes. Hope this helps some.

Hey there, first of all, congrats on your decision to begin your diet and live a healthier lifestyle. My humble advise is :

1. Give up alcohol totally. We've all heard that red wine is good for you, but a cup of red wine is 200 calories. Drinking anything, even in moderation will slow down progress. (200 calories x 7 days is 1/2 pound)

2. Don't go out to eat. Pack your lunch, and eat only healthy snacks.

3. Count EVERY calorie you consume, at least 6 days a week. If you take one day off, don't go nuts, and hit the buffet.

4. Plan your meals before you go shopping. Get a decent cookbook (like Weight Watchers, or South Beach Diet) and pick three or four recipes before you go to the store. Write down the items you'll need, and try to stick to that list when shopping.

5. Keep healthy snacks around the house. Much better to eat a bowl of cereal with low fat milk, that to grab a bag of chips or popcorn.

6. If possible, try to count every calorie you burn. I purchased a bodybugg for this purpose.

7. Finally, be patient. Sometimes the scale goes up, even when the calories consumed is less than the calories burnt. Keep at it.. eventually, the scale will start coming down.

It's certainly harder to diet when your spouse isn't on board, but do it for yourself. You'll feel better, have more energy, and love the way you look. Good luck!

Don't completely abandon red meat or you may be lacking in iron - buy low fat mince, brown and drain off the fat, or buy very thin sandwich steaks. Cut out the things you KNOW are bad - cheesecake, pizza, chips etc. and eat more of what you know are good - raw or steamed veg, fresh fruit (tinned fruit is just as healthy is in juice instead of syrup - but only eat the fruit). Nuts are healthy but remember they are also high in calories (as a re seeds).

I find using this site has helped - walk whenever you can (even if you just go round the block at lunchtime). I've also started doing low impact workouts before breakfast and when I get home - ones that are broken into 20 min segemnts are ideal.

The more you exercise the more flexibility you will have with your calories.

As others have said, its a lifestyle thing - I was getting into the habit of having crisps and a glass of wine before dinner - cut that out and that's over 200 calories saved for a start!