Hello! Need Advice!

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naterciarodrigues58
naterciarodrigues58 Posts: 105 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello,

My name is Natercia, I started using MFP just about three weeks ago, I completely spoiled my diet last weekend because it was my bday, and I've gained weight again... I'm not back to square1, but am feeling really not motivated now!

Anyways... I'm not giving up!

I wanted to ask you guys some questions... I have been having a lot of vegetable stir fries for lunch... I'm wondering how healthy they are? Like for example, yesterday I had some pepers+onion+mushrooms stir fried with a bit of flora cuisine and 1/4 dry couscous... MFP showed it as low calorie (about 150 I think), but I'm not convinced... I need some healthy/low calorie lunchbox ideas!! I tried soup before, but it is just NOT filling, and I'm hungry again an hour after I've eaten...

Any help??

Thank you! xx
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Replies

  • PaliDNAnge
    PaliDNAnge Posts: 81 Member
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    I'm assuming some oil was used to cook everything. Did you include the oil? I do that whenever I have eggs or anything I know was cooked with some kind of fat. Personally I wouldn't have stir-fry every day, but I'm not a nutritionist. I usually have salads filled with fruits, veggies, beans, and a meat/tofu option sometimes. Very filling. lol
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    why dont you believe that stir fry & cous cous is low cal?

    i would say you should be eating more than 150 cals for lunch anyway.... add some protein, chicken or turkey or prawns into your stirfry.
  • naterciarodrigues58
    naterciarodrigues58 Posts: 105 Member
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    why dont you believe that stir fry & cous cous is low cal?

    i would say you should be eating more than 150 cals for lunch anyway.... add some protein, chicken or turkey or prawns into your stirfry.

    because it is a FRY!! And I was convinced frying was always bad. Today I have some chicken, onion and mushroomns all cooked in a pan with some flora cuisine, and some boiled brocolli. Is this a good lunch?
  • naterciarodrigues58
    naterciarodrigues58 Posts: 105 Member
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    Yes, I used some flora cuisine to fry it all... I try not to have stir fries everyday... but they are so good!! A delicious way to get my veggies!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    since when did 10ml of olive oil suddenly make veg bad for you?!
  • naterciarodrigues58
    naterciarodrigues58 Posts: 105 Member
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    Good to be reassured that my stir fries are not that bad (:

    will try and boil stuff off more often, anyway, though!
  • GiddyNZ
    GiddyNZ Posts: 136 Member
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    There are very few calories in most veges, almost none in mushrooms, I don't know what flora cuisine is, I will guess it is like margarine.. depending on the portion size it could very well be 150 calories..

    Frying is only bad because you generally add fat.. if you are using a non stick pan and don't add fat then there are no extra calories added to the food.
  • hannakengu
    hannakengu Posts: 79 Member
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    Ok. Your body NEEDS some fat, so frying your veggies in a little bit of oil might actually be better for you than going without. But still, 150kcals is pretty low for lunch - do you really get by with that until dinner without starving? Adding some protein to that might really help.

    Other ideas for lunch: a salad with whatever you have in your fridge, soups, omelette, BLT sandwich with loads of veggies... Or just cook "too much" dinner on purpose and eat the rest for lunch the next day. Yes, you'll be eating the same food two days in a row, but since now you eat stir fries every day I don't think boredom with repetition would be a problem for you?
  • baptiste565
    baptiste565 Posts: 590 Member
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    i like to steam my veggies if i am watching calories. oils and sauces can add 300+ cals easy.
  • plummersmate
    plummersmate Posts: 30
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    You don't have to stir "FRY", try adding a little boiling water to steam instead, or for a bit more taste try soy sauce, fish sauce or a little veg stock, it only needs a little and reduces your fat content (higher salt content for Soy and Fish Sauce though). Having said that, you do need some fat in your diet to help you metabolise the bad fats you're hopefully shedding. My rule is don't use a fat where you can't pronounce the ingredients! Go for a natural like olive oil, coconut oil, even butter, it's better than the "slimming" fake stuff. And the fab thing about fresh vegetable is you can fill up on them, they're packed with vitamins, minerals, fibre and are (mostly) low in calories. Tuck in!
  • naterciarodrigues58
    naterciarodrigues58 Posts: 105 Member
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    I'm not having stir fries EVERY day, but they are always the option if I feel like something tastier than lettuce and tomato salad... Thanks for all the ideas!! xx
  • majope
    majope Posts: 1,325 Member
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    I agree, add some protein for a more satisfying lunch. I'm not sure your calories are coming out right, though: 1/4 cup of dry couscous should have about 150 calories by itself. There are 95 calories in a tablespoon of the Flora Cuisine, the peppers and onions run about 25 calories per cup, mushrooms have almost none (like 3 calories in a whole cup). Make sure you're measuring and weighing the amounts you use to get the most accurate calorie count.
  • pluckabee
    pluckabee Posts: 346 Member
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    as long as you are logging your cooking fat properly then that sounds about right.

    I don't see the problem in having a stir fry every day, especially if you are using unsaturated fat to cook it in (Flora cuisine probably isn't that great, but that's just my personal opinion). Just make sure to measure it out and log it.

    But if you do want to stop doing this and save those extra calories somewhere else, I would suggest steaming, rather than boiling. Boiling really takes the flavour out and it isn't that much harder to steam something.
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
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    Here's the thing about FRIED FOOD and ADDED OIL and FATFATFAT.

    Some very important nutrients are FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS: Vitamins A, D, E, and K are not soluble in water. For your body to properly digest, use, and store them, they must be eaten WITH FAT.

    In other words, salads with non-fat dressings and veggie "stir fries" done with water (aka stir-steams) don't allow you to actually get all the nutrients from the veggies you are eating.

    Yes, fat adds calories fast. But your body NEEDS some fat, even if you're trying to make it burn fat.
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
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    Here: Read this:

    http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2012/120619FerruzziSalad.html
    WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The vegetables in salads are chock-full of important vitamins and nutrients, but you won't get much benefit without the right type and amount of salad dressing, a Purdue University study shows.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    One weekend of eating like crap won't defeat three weeks of eating at a deficit. You'll be fine, and your weight will probably drop back down.
  • SconnieCat
    SconnieCat Posts: 770 Member
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    I LOVE stir fries! I typically use some chicken or shrimp as a protein then look for veggies that are lower in sugars. I skip the rice and just eat veggies and the meat. Also, you need SOME fat in your body. Not sure what you're frying it in, but I like to use grapeseed oil. It's a little better for you than vegetable oils with a very high smoke point.

    Also try Coconut Oil for frying or baking.

    I have also been following a Paleo Diet (or mostly Paleo - I've modified a few things to fit in with my lifestyle) and that seems to not only help with weight loss, but I have more energy, sleep better, my allergies have almost vanished, and I'm more alert and happy.

    Keep in mind you're GOING to have days or meals/times out where you "slip up" and aren't as strict. Don't beat yourself up. Treat what you're doing as a lifestyle change and that a change in eating shouldn't be a diet or a punishment. Your body was meant to be fueled by good food and not the overprocessed junk that is sold on TV or shoved in faces at stores. If you make a commitment to an overall lifestyle change and work having a social life into your plan, you'll have success.

    Good luck!
  • tubaman58
    tubaman58 Posts: 151
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    Ok. Your body NEEDS some fat, so frying your veggies in a little bit of oil might actually be better for you than going without. But still, 150kcals is pretty low for lunch - do you really get by with that until dinner without starving? Adding some protein to that might really help.

    Other ideas for lunch: a salad with whatever you have in your fridge, soups, omelette, BLT sandwich with loads of veggies... Or just cook "too much" dinner on purpose and eat the rest for lunch the next day. Yes, you'll be eating the same food two days in a row, but since now you eat stir fries every day I don't think boredom with repetition would be a problem for you?

    I have been adding fruit as a filler at lunch - apples, pears, plums, peaches, nectarines
    Raw, not packaged
  • bookstitch
    bookstitch Posts: 86 Member
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    One weekend of bad eating isn't going to spoil everything. The whole week of my birthday was bad food choices for me! I felt like such crap after that weekend and was happy to go back to healthy eating.
    For a filling option, I've found that a bean salad is good. Beans are really filling and you can make a salad with as many different beans as you like, then add other veggies. Black bean, corn, onion, tomato, lime juice and cilantro is a favorite of mine.
    I'm surprised by some of the calorie counts too that this site produces, same with some of the exercises. (330 calories for 70 minutes of gardening..com on) Just figure as long as you are putting in healthy options, cooking with healthy choices and eating the right portion size you should be good.
  • Wol5894
    Wol5894 Posts: 127 Member
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    Yes, I used some flora cuisine to fry it all... I try not to have stir fries everyday... but they are so good!! A delicious way to get my veggies!

    I notice that's the second time in this thread that you have put "some flora cuisine" Exactly WHAT does SOME amount to?

    Yes, you DO need some fat for the fat soluble vitamins, as others have pointed out but you MUST take the guesswork out of using fats and oils.

    Make sure you weigh any solid fats and invest in a set of measuring spoons, so that you can accurately measure, say, a tablespoon of oil because using "some" soon can get out of hand, as it is not accurate.

    Lots of good advice here but accuracy when using oils and fats IS important too, as they pack a high calorie punch for their weight/volume. There's nothing wrong with having them but remember to count and log them.

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