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

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Replies

  • MegKacz
    MegKacz Posts: 57
    Something that really irks me, is people who claim they are too busy to eat healthy. (As a full time graduate student, working about 60-80 hrs/wk, I used to be one of these people.) The truth is, it is no more convenient to pick up a 100 calorie pack of cookies/crackers/chips as it is to pick up a pear/apple/banana. When you get home from the store you can put carrot sticks, celery sticks, broccoli florets, strawberries, grapes in snack size baggies (some store have mini-bags now too) and make them as convenient as any 100 calorie pack (and they're far fewer than 100 calories! and more filling). If you're dying for salty, they also have 100 calorie raw almonds (or you can bag your own almonds for a cheaper alternative).

    It's all about choices. You can choose to say you don't have time. Or you can choose to do.

    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.

    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:

    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
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    Something that really irks me, is people who claim they are too busy to eat healthy. (As a full time graduate student, working about 60-80 hrs/wk, I used to be one of these people.) The truth is, it is no more convenient to pick up a 100 calorie pack of cookies/crackers/chips as it is to pick up a pear/apple/banana. When you get home from the store you can put carrot sticks, celery sticks, broccoli florets, strawberries, grapes in snack size baggies (some store have mini-bags now too) and make them as convenient as any 100 calorie pack (and they're far fewer than 100 calories! and more filling). If you're dying for salty, they also have 100 calorie raw almonds (or you can bag your own almonds for a cheaper alternative).

    It's all about choices. You can choose to say you don't have time. Or you can choose to do.

    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.

    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:

    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
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    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
    studentRN Posts: 440 Member
    nevermind
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
    Something that really irks me, is people who claim they are too busy to eat healthy. (As a full time graduate student, working about 60-80 hrs/wk, I used to be one of these people.) The truth is, it is no more convenient to pick up a 100 calorie pack of cookies/crackers/chips as it is to pick up a pear/apple/banana. When you get home from the store you can put carrot sticks, celery sticks, broccoli florets, strawberries, grapes in snack size baggies (some store have mini-bags now too) and make them as convenient as any 100 calorie pack (and they're far fewer than 100 calories! and more filling). If you're dying for salty, they also have 100 calorie raw almonds (or you can bag your own almonds for a cheaper alternative).

    It's all about choices. You can choose to say you don't have time. Or you can choose to do.

    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.

    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:

    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
    Some more great tips, thank you:flowerforyou:
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    nevermind

    :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
    koreansponge Posts: 8
    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
    Tamishumate Posts: 1,171 Member
    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
    Michellerw1 Posts: 367
    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
    sweet4keeps22 Posts: 291 Member
    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. :wink:
  • efcdcdb
    efcdcdb Posts: 392 Member
    This tip doesn't always work but it is one that helps me out from time to time. My husband and I eat at a restaurant usually once a week. I usually bring home half of my sandwich or entree. Nothing you haven't heard before, right? But, instead of simply taking it to work for lunch the next day, I will split it into TWO servings, and supplement it with a homemade side salad, or cut up veggies. Usually as soon as I get home from the restaurant, I split it up and put it in two tupperware containers to keep it fresher, and ready-to-go. I know - restaurant food usually isn't healthy - but it is another one of those things that helps keep me from getting bored or frustrated with this whole thing. By splitting it up into mini servings, I am saving calories AND money.
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
    This tip doesn't always work but it is one that helps me out from time to time. My husband and I eat at a restaurant usually once a week. I usually bring home half of my sandwich or entree. Nothing you haven't heard before, right? But, instead of simply taking it to work for lunch the next day, I will split it into TWO servings, and supplement it with a homemade side salad, or cut up veggies. Usually as soon as I get home from the restaurant, I split it up and put it in two tupperware containers to keep it fresher, and ready-to-go. I know - restaurant food usually isn't healthy - but it is another one of those things that helps keep me from getting bored or frustrated with this whole thing. By splitting it up into mini servings, I am saving calories AND money.
    What a terrific new idea (new to ME!), so glad you posted it:drinker: :wink:

    Becca:flowerforyou:
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    I just love some of these ideas.
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