Time to get out of stage 1 and move to stage 2, help?

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peeaanuut
peeaanuut Posts: 359 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So a dramatic change to my diet has already happened. Moved from doritos, taco bell and tons of fast food to what I am eating now. I know its not perfect or even near, but its better. I am looking for some advice to see if I can move the diet to just a little bit healthier. Not looking to go too crazy so that I can maintain the eating but maybe some small suggestions on improvements would help. Thoughts?

Edit: just changed my diary to public.
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  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
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    I would recommend adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet. You don't have to add a lot at first, but see where you can incorporate them into your normal meals, like adding (fresh) fruit to your oatmeal or peppers to your pasta. That way, you're adding bulk as well as nutrients to meals that you already eat. (:
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Yup, fruits and veggies, less carbs and sugary stuff. Caution on eating back exercise calories as well.
  • MzManiak
    MzManiak Posts: 1,361 Member
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    I would recommend adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet. You don't have to add a lot at first, but see where you can incorporate them into your normal meals, like adding (fresh) fruit to your oatmeal or peppers to your pasta. That way, you're adding bulk as well as nutrients to meals that you already eat. (:

    Agree with this. Fresh is best, of course... but the frozen ones that you just pop in the microwave are good, and better than the canned stuff. You're doing great, just keep it up!
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    I would suggest you track Fiber instead of Sodium, as sodium isn't really relevant if it's pretty consistent. Depending on what, if any exercise you're undertaking, swapping some carbs for protein won't hurt.
  • Wilhellmina
    Wilhellmina Posts: 757 Member
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    You know I also always thought fresh fruits and veggies are the best, but then I read an article telling that the so called fresh fruits and veggies in the shop are not that very fresh anymore (long on their way from land to shop) and the amount of vitamins and minerals have been decreasing drastically already. So in some cases frozen is better then fresh, when they are immediately deep frozen.
  • sherrirb
    sherrirb Posts: 1,714 Member
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    My suggestion is to start cutting back on some of the pre-packaged/processed foods. Many of us had a regular diet of macaroni and cheese and hamburger helper because we thought it saved us time and who has time to make a meal from scratch every night for dinner, right?

    Well, I have discovered that if you plan ahead, dinner from scratch can be just as quick as anything else and it tastes a WHOLE lot better!

    I still have an ocassional mac and cheese or a recent favorite in my house is Suddenly Salad, but these are not daily items as they used to be. We also add fresh veggies like diced tomatoes, onions and/or bell peppers to a lot of foods now as well.

    Just about anything I cook in a skillet gets onions added and bell peppers if I have them in the fridge, especially scrambled eggs in the morning!

    Feel free to friend me if you need more support.
  • peeaanuut
    peeaanuut Posts: 359 Member
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    Thank you all for the advice. It appears that more fruits and veg are on the menu. lol

    I generally have raising in my oatmeal but ran out but I got them back this morning. Also I do usually make a salad.....I just dont always eat it. So today I have a bit of chicken, romain and carrots and some light dressing. I also usually have apples but again ran out. Guess I gotta hit up the grocery tonight.

    The sodium has always been a sticking point for me. I had tried a sodium free chicken marinade but it wasnt the best flavor after a few days and I found that I simply didnt eat the chicken, so I went back to the other marinade with more sodium but better flavor and of course now I eat the chicken. Thats been a tough one for me to get down. Ill try it with moving fiber over and tracking instead of sodium since it does stay around where it has been.

    Dinners, yeah, those are always tough for me. Not the best cook. Any simple suggestions? I love pasta but I know that will have to come in moderation. Maybe something with hamburger meat for more protein? Or do I just go for steak? I had tried a protein shake in the evenings before and it was pretty good, but I have found that when I do that I dont eat nearly enough calories, sometimes down to the 1300-1400 range which I understand isnt the best.

    Ok, lots of things to work on. Thank you again.
  • peeaanuut
    peeaanuut Posts: 359 Member
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    ok, so the work day got slow so I headed over to sprouts and picked up 2 bananas, 2 apples and some seedless grapes. Should suffice for today along with my small salad. Tomorrow is the farmers market so Ill see how that goes.

    Thank you all again for your help.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    You have a lot to lose so I wouldn't be too worried about how to get more calories in. If you can manage on less, you're fine to do so staying in the 1800 calorie range. You don't have to eat chicken to lose weight because putting marinade on it probably brings the calories back up to near a piece of lean beef. You can have a huge plate of veggies that will be very filling for next to no calories and supplement it with a bit of meat for protein.

    Raisins in oatmeal don't really count as fruit! They're dried little sugar bombs! All dried fruit is sugar/calorie intense.
  • peeaanuut
    peeaanuut Posts: 359 Member
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    I just like the chicken. I can make it the night before and its fine the next day. Ground beef and steak dont taste so good the next day and is usually quite rubbery. Its more convenient for me.
  • conniehv40
    conniehv40 Posts: 442 Member
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    I love doritos, so you are talking to one that misses them terribly!!! I am not a huge veggie eater out of being lazy in my kitchen.

    One of my mfp friends recommended that I put more protein in my diet and less processed foods to avoid getting hungry all the time. It truly is helping.... more chicken, more salads, more cheese (within limits), more nuts, greek yogurts and fruits and veggies.

    It has helped me. I am not a great role model, but I am trying really hard to cut the processed foods out. (they are also not good for my glucose!)

    have a great one
  • decdav
    decdav Posts: 41 Member
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    The processed foods are real killers for weight control. It's great that you have a farmer's market close by. Also look for "local" stores, stores that buy locally (instead of the big chain supermarkets that get everything from giant warehouses.) Frozen fruits and veggies are fine as long as they're not overly processed (no sauces, no sugar added.)

    Learn to look at labels, the fewer the ingredient list the better, if it has things in it that you can’t pronounce, stay away :laugh:. After a while, it becomes second nature.

    Also, remember to treat yourself sometimes, little rewards go a long way for motivation.

    Good luck!
  • peeaanuut
    peeaanuut Posts: 359 Member
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    been looking at the labels. My main issue is that I dont have a lot of time to cook every day, so I have to have some pre-packed things in there. Such as I dont have time to wait for the slow cook oatmeal to cook so I have to get the instant, etc. Stupid work schedule and travel time has me locked down on that for now.

    I have tried to cook my own things when I can but I am such a bad cook that they just come out as mush and taste about as good. So far the chicken is the only thing I havent ruined, yet. lol. But Ill work on it. My steaks always come out dry and rubbery, my burgers always fall apart when on the grill. Oh, I can do pasta though. Just gonna have to take some time to learn and learn to package it for storage. Steak on day 3 and 4 is not very good.
  • stephenson2012
    stephenson2012 Posts: 94 Member
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    You are making progress. How about keeping some frozen blueberries or strawberries in the freezer and throw that in your oatmeal instead of the raisin. I would definitely look at the sodium on labels. Sodium causes you to retain water. Some regular food is actually lower in sodium than the "diet" food because they are adding sodium to improve the flavor. Also a little less sodium will help with your blood pressure.
  • peeaanuut
    peeaanuut Posts: 359 Member
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    I thought I was on to something when I found the Mrs Dash sodium free herb and garlic marinade for my chicken. Then, it cooked. Wow did it taste bad. My dog wouldnt eat it.

    Any suggestions on what I can top the chicken with so I am not eating dry chicken?
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    been looking at the labels. My main issue is that I dont have a lot of time to cook every day, so I have to have some pre-packed things in there. Such as I dont have time to wait for the slow cook oatmeal to cook so I have to get the instant, etc. Stupid work schedule and travel time has me locked down on that for now.

    I have tried to cook my own things when I can but I am such a bad cook that they just come out as mush and taste about as good. So far the chicken is the only thing I havent ruined, yet. lol. But Ill work on it. My steaks always come out dry and rubbery, my burgers always fall apart when on the grill. Oh, I can do pasta though. Just gonna have to take some time to learn and learn to package it for storage. Steak on day 3 and 4 is not very good.
    How about chilli? Beef mince, fry in a wok until cooked through, drain and add kidney beans, add chopped tomatoes and spice to taste. Keep stirring till most of the water from the tomatoes and/or beans is evaporated.

    And, does store in tupperware and can be reheated in a microwave :)
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
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    You can do bigger batches of the slow cook oatmeal, separate them into individual dishes, and reheat in the microwave. Google "mason jar breakfast" and you get a bunch of cook-ahead ideas.

    Like this:
    http://www.thekitchn.com/oatmeal-in-jars-a-week-of-stee-143623
  • peeaanuut
    peeaanuut Posts: 359 Member
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    I like both of those ideas. Gonna have to give them a try. Thanks!
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    You can also buy quick cook or instant oatmeal in a bag that cooks up in a minute or less but you control the sugar and salt then. It really doesn't take a lot of time to cook plain meals. Mostly it's getting past saying I can't or I don't have time. I can have a dinner prepared in less than 20 minutes from scratch with my steamer and microwave. I'm a crappy cook and don't like doing it at all so it isn't my great culinary skills!

    Use the KISS method. You don't need to create fancy gourmet meals. I do meat and veggies. Maybe some rice or a small amount of pasta. Go to easy 15 minute meal is 1/4 dry rice into a pot with a 1/2 cup water, some veggies into the steamer and 2 fish fillets into the microwave. I'm sitting down to eat that in 15 minutes at the most

    Another is a stir fry with chicken or beef pieces in a hot pan with a touch of coconut oil, add chopped veggies ( you can add frozen mixed veg or buy bags of precut veg), stir it together, add a bit of low sodium soy and either eat as is or serve over rice or you could put it on some noodles.

    Make a slow cooker of chili or soup on the weekend and store it in individual containers to reheat during the week. Anybody can make chili!
  • peeaanuut
    peeaanuut Posts: 359 Member
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    looks like a slow cooker is on the near future purchase list. my cooking gear is pretty limited at the moment.

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