depressed at the grocery store

mscrumbyy · January 2013

I tend to buy sort of staple vegetables like peppers and onions etc that I can toss into absolutely anything. And I've never eaten so much chicken in my life. There's so much you can do with it that you can have a different meal every night with different ingredients. I've also learned to cook with a heap less ingredients which makes it cheaper too if you're on a budget.
It's about gradual change for most people. Personally I chose to get rid of all the really bad foods in the house for a little while until I got into the swing of things and now allow myself small amounts of dark chocolate, yoghurts and occasionally those new special K cracker crisps which are delicious and low calorie enough to treat myself.

Stacimfit · January 2013

Thank you everyone for the replies!!! Yeah I am going to gradually make the changes and come up with a list of recipes then start of small. Then after some time, I'll be more ready and know what to buy that works...when I go into the store. And hopefully after time I look back and am proud of myself... I ended up giving in but I need to tell him that I can separate our food in the cupboards but I'll still make meals we can call share. He works swing shift do on his afternoons I can eat anything I want for a week. I just need to see what amount of money he will give me to go to the store by myself!

I've gotten rid of pop, too much dairy, sugars, candy so far.. so far I'm eliminating the junk, processed stuff but soon hope to MAKE healthy foods

not sure which way to go yet, everyone wrote such nice ideas, I'll come up with done thing that works.

Lalasharni · January 2013

Hey! Slow down and take a breath! Dont go looking for diet foods - just log everything you eat and think about it first. I'm a retiree on a limited income and a disabled husband, and we both nned good nutrition - its not an expensive deal if you give it some thought before you go shop. Lean meats, fish, fruit and veggies are all out there - get a good low fat cookery book and start to plan your meals so that you know what to buy. I've always thought personally that I would rather have a half portion of something I love, than a whole portion of something that's been robbed of its fat and flavour to be "healthy"
You can add me as a friend if you'd like and I'll share some of my recipies with you. If your husband wants frozen meals, let him have them - you have to eat healthy for yourself - don't be depressed about it, and tears are a waste of your energy.
If this sounds harsh, its not meant to be, but you need to take a step back here and stop panicking.
You'll be fine here with lots of friends to support you and you will get it right eventually. MFP has helped me a lot and I've gleaned lots of sound nutritional advice from people. There's a whole world of help right here. Go girl!!

BamBam125 · January 2013

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.

flicka11 · January 2013

Question,
What is a flatout? I was reading suggestions you gave to someone else, and saw that, Im not familiar with those? We live in Missouri, so they may not be available here???

triciabecerra · January 2013

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.

ClaireTrev · January 2013

My partner and I are healthy eaters on a budget! I have slowly won him over to my ways of eating by making healthy stuff that's delicious.. now it is a joint effort

phew!

I think planning meals ahead, prepping in large batches and ahead of time, and buying in bulk are the key factors for us.

Can you go to a big greek, asian or italian grocer - they often have bulk meat/legumes/grains/seasonings etc etc that are MUCH better value than supermarkets and smaller stores.

How about a farmers market for cheap groceries and/or game and fish? I visit the local one on sundays and they have insane bargains. I get 5 kg of berries for the price my local supermarket charges for a 250g punnet!! We freeze them and put them in smoothies every morning.

Can you plan meals together that you'll love, and then shop for the ingredients to make lots of serves?

Great value healthy foods:
tinned tuna
legumes in packets (dried. tinned ones are a rip-off)
eggs
quinoa (in bulk)
brown rice (in bulk)
Veggies that you can use all of.. if you buy beets, keep the top and use in a soup.
large packets frozen berries are usually much better value than fresh is you have to buy from the supermarket
almonds/pumpkin seeds .. buy in bulk
some great seasonings that you love but are low cal - can make your simple food more exciting without calorie overload!
buy in bulk with fish/chicken/meat whenever they have a sale and make burgers/meatballs/curry etc etc and freeze for quick dinners

I hope some of that helped! I really want to make new friends on here so anyone that wants to connect please add me! Love sharing ideas. Good luck!!

maleathe · January 2013

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!

Spindrift2012 · January 2013

Definitely plan what you want to buy in advance. For our main meals I aim for recipes which have about 500 calories a serving (sometimes quite a bit under, sometimes a bit over). My husband doesn't need to lose weight. I just told him I was trying out some new recipes and did the meal planning from that. Then when we go shopping we have a list of what we need and stick to it. This also saves money as we're not buying random things on impulse. I plan a week at a time. Show your husband how mjch money you can save by planning your shopping and meals out.

Also weigh out your ingredients, particularly things like oil where its easy to under estimate.

And use smaller plates and bowls - it tricks your mind into thinking you're eating more. If you have big plates and bowls its easy to fill them up with more than you need.

Take it slow and steady. Don't panic if you do succumb to the call of a biscuit (or cookie or cake, whatever). This isn't over just because you eat one (or two!) unhealthy things.

mazdauk · January 2013

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!

depressed at the grocery store

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