Picky Eater - New Member

You sound like my daughter, she had the same problem last year at college. This year she's doing better. Even tho' her schedule is busy, she makes time to go to the gym on campus. It's free - and she can usually manage to go either before or after classes. She is addicted to fast food - but she learned to make better choices when she eats there. Like, if she goes to Wendys - instead of a hamburger and fries - she gets a baked potatoe and chili. If she goes to McDonalds - and wants a Big Mac - she'll choose a hamburger happy meal instead (smaller portions). Good luck!!

It's very difficult to fet healthy and fit without vegetables. Don't let being a picky eater become your "thing". Don't define yourself like that.

Experiment with new and different foods and food combinations. Explore new seasonings and flavors. There is SO much delicious food out there once you stop looking for someone to hand you a meal through the drive-thru window.

And if you really and truly can't learn to like any of it, then just eat it anyway because it's good for you.

This is how I was when I started college. I was very picky, and never really had to cook for myself. In the beginning, if you don't want to try something new, just count the calories you are eating. You will see that you will have to eat less of the unhealthy stuff to stay within your range.

Once I realized that I could eat more food if I cooked it instead of eating out (because home cooked meals have so much fewer calories) I actually began to try new things. I had NEVER been one to try new things - but it turns out that I started to find things I liked. Have you tried baked chicken? If you put the right spices on it, it's not that different from fried chicken.

So if you are out of the house most of the day, you will want to plan ahead. Pack a lunch and a dinner. Cook simple meals on weekends - I still keep cooking very simple - 5 ingredients max in my meals. It's tough just starting because everything is NEW. But once you take the time to start, you will get the hang of it. Cutting out the fast food will help a lot!

You say you want to get healthy..... part of being healthy is eating many different foods so we can absorb their nutrients.

I suggest you start trying other things. There are many different types of fruits and vegtables. Have you really tried them all and not liked them, or are you like my husband, look at it and say you don't like it.

Open your mind, Close your eyes and take a bite.

You want a quick meal. Try Stir fry throw whatever kind of veggies in a pan, add a little low cal sauce and BAM! Express Meal

I lost 30 lbs without eating a single veggie - like you I'm very picky. And I even still have fast food, sometimes daily. You just have to make better choices and log everything that goes in you mouth. IMO it doesn't matter what you eat, as long as you're not going over your cals.
For example, 2 slices of thin crust pizza have a decent amount of protein and usually are less than 500 cals. I'm not saying you should have pizza everyday, I'm just saying it's possible to lose while having "junk" food. =]

Agree

Try breading a chicken breast and baking it. Also try baking your own french fries.

Joining here is a start, tracking your food will help you realize that staying within you calorie allotment while eating fried chicken is going to be hard everyday. You will need to make some adjustments as packing a lunch so you aren't eating on a whim while leaving school. Some folks find it easier to get the veggies in down in smoothie form, you want to look into that..it may sound gross, but the fruit covers the taste of the veggies.

All this being said.. tracking your food will help you realize to just make better choices. drink more water, small fry instead of large. 3 chicken tenders instead of 6. Wheat bread instead of white.

Don't get overwhelmed! I think the key to sustainable healthy eating is making small, realistic substitutions. Find a few things you can replace with healthier (but still liked) things, and implement these changes a few at a time (or one each day/week, etc--whatever you can realistically handle). If you don't like fruit, start out by bringing something unoffensive and small to work or school, like half an apple. If you don't like vegetables, start out by bringing a few baby carrots in a Ziploc. Make yourself eat them. I think that there is a good chance your tastes will change over time as you incorporate healthier choices, but at the very least you will find fruits and veggies that are more tolerable to your tastebuds. Make a switch to a granola bar between classes instead of a burger every other day, or order grilled chicken sandwiches instead of fried. Don't compare yourself to anybody else. You have to find a plan that YOU will stick to

Joining here is a start, tracking your food will help you realize that staying within you calorie allotment while eating fried chicken is going to be hard everyday. You will need to make some adjustments as packing a lunch so you aren't eating on a whim while leaving school. Some folks find it easier to get the veggies in down in smoothie form, you want to look into that..it may sound gross, but the fruit covers the taste of the veggies.

All this being said.. tracking your food will help you realize to just make better choices. drink more water, small fry instead of large. 3 chicken tenders instead of 6. Wheat bread instead of white.

Try googling healthy versions of things you do like also. I just found a recipe today that I want to try that is a baked version of chicken fingers using cornflakes as the crust. http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/quick-recipes/lunch/lighten-up-healthy-chicken-fingers-recipe/ Can't say I've tried this recipe, but it's not the only one out there.

Invest in a turbo blender like blendtek or Vitamix. It will pay for itself eventually if you like the all natural juices.

My son doesn't like anything green, but he is happy to down a kale and banana smoothie without any sweetener. I have a blendtek. It has one dull blade attached to the pitcher, so cleaning isn't an issue. There are so many great recipes for these and you will have it for years. They really work as good as they are supposed to. Oh, and if you like to indulge in frozen adult beverages, you can make your own from fresh fruit. If you like humus, these blenders are the best.

Don't be mean people. You should all be here to help, not judge and make people feel bad. What if your MFP friends did that to you?

I welcome it. Sugar coating does no one any favors.

OP, expand your horizons and try new things. I PROMISE there are some veggies out there you like. Just be open minded to trying them again or for the first time. If you don't like them raw, try them cooked or vice versa. Don't limit yourself so much and you'll find a lot more options to help you reach your goals.

Maybe you do, but maybe he doesn't. People can be supportive and still say what they think. There's just no need for people to be rude. Your message, in my opinion was great. You weren't being mean but presented opposition. That's all I'm saying I'm in favor of (notice you and I gave basicly the same advice). We are all here for support...doesn't mean sunshine and rainbows but it doesn't mean nasty attitudes either (again I did not read your message as nasty at all, so your message is not the kind I'm talking about). I just get so tired of reading people putting others down on MFP. Most people are great, but why spend your energy to be nasty to a stranger?

When you do make the choice of going to fast food places.. Order the kids meal or even just take top or bottom bun off.. Making little changes help.. If ordering salads.. don't pour on the dressing.. dip your fork to get the taste of the dressing for each bite.. It will save in calories and carbs..
Cutting back on soft drinks helps too. Water is great filler and helps flush your system,, They say helps you lose weight too.. not a water drinker.. grab perhaps power aide zero.. they are 0 calorie and come in assorted flavors. Many other 0 cal drinks out there just have to look for them .
Good luck in your journey.. Reminder that tastes change year to year.. Something you didn't like before you could really enjoy now.

I too am a very extremely picky eater- taste, texture and smell issues and gag reflex.. like certain foods have made me sick bc of these things... but I have learned to implement veggies in different ways..
First off, I do recommend to start trying a few new things here and there- I have found there are a few veggies that I use to hate and now I can tolerate them enough to eat a few for the nutrients, as well as found one or 2 that I do like.. i have found a few things like zucchini and squash ( the way i make them anyway) doesn't really have that much flavor and as long as they have a little crunch and aren't all mushy I can eat them.. so will put a little seasoning on it and cook few a bit- then make myself eat them.. my next thing I am working on is doing veggie chips- making my own. you will get the nutrients and all of the veggies but it will be like eating chips ( which I love) so hopefully I will like veggie chips.. we shall see...

another thing is I have started doing smoothies for breakfast and sometimes even dinner- I have a magic bullet mixer so can make just one serving at a time without a big mess and easy cleanup! I throw a few frozen fruits in there, greek yogurt and will put spinach or kale in with it- once its blended up it taste really good- you cant even taste the spinach/kale in it- they might just give it an awkward color- but i really love my smoothies.. with smoothies you can also add other things- like protein powder, or honey or other vitamins and what not..

I have also quit buying things that are not good for me to eat all the time- if I have chips in my house I will eat them before anything else- if they are not there I am forced to eat something else. I still treat myself every once and a while- I do not want to deprive myself- I am just more careful about eating them so much. I also eat out a lot- with my work and being single and living alone- its difficult to always cook something or food will go bad before I finish it- so it is really easy to just eat out- I repeat what many of these other post have said- get kids meals... ( and depending on the place- I will not finish them) they are smaller portions. Get water instead of coke/sweet tea- you DO NOT want to drink your calories. substitute your sides- get apples/ yogurt instead of fries.. or get no sides at all and just a burger/ chicken fingers. and EAT SLOW! the slower you eat the quicker you get fuller and stop eating. when you eat fast you trick yourself into thinking you are not full- but when eating slower you can fill how "full" you actually are and quit eating when full- so not to overeat.. eating after feeling full will stretch your stomach- making you want to eat more and more each meal I am a slow eater naturally- but have even slowed it down a bit more.. it helps- a lot of times I do not finish my whole meal !

Hope this helps! Good luck!