Newbie to Cooking!

obradovichm
obradovichm Posts: 22
edited September 25 in Introduce Yourself
Hello everyone! My name is Mike. I'm 24 years old and I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I'm a glorified city boy and love everything that the city scene has to offer. Unfortunately, that also comes along with eating out a lot, moderate drinking, and a penchant for some oftentimes unhealthy habits.

I joined MyFitnessPal because I like to count calories and see my progress from exercising and how it relates to holding myself accountable for what I'm putting in my body. I also am realizing that, because I live alone and work full-time, it's easy to fall off and cheat, so this community will hopefully prove very helpful in motivation.

I'm currently at about 189 pounds (give or take, you never know), and I'd like to get back down to around 160-165 and get my high school body back (or close to it!). I plan on doing it by following Rocco Dispirito's "Now Eat This! Diet" cookbook. I've heard great things about it, as it allows you to eat six portion controlled meals and snacks a day, relying heavily on natural ingredients and substitutions so you can eat the things you love while substituting the "bad" stuff with "good stuff". Paired with exercise (even though I'm a smoker, I can still run about a 10 minute mile), I'm really looking forward to seeing the results when I stick with this.

I also really want to quit smoking. I picked up the habit in high school, and, working in the hospitality industry as an Executive Meeting Manager in a busy downtown Minneapolis all-suite hotel, tend to have moderate stress - and there are a lot of smokers in hospitality services. I've quit for up to six months in the past, but with co-workers who smoke and the ability to take smoke breaks at my deciding, it has resulted in me starting to smoke up to a pack every other day. It needs to stop.

I haven't tried Nicorette because I question whether it works, and the patches and pills scare me with their side effects. To start out with, I am considering investing in an e-cigarette. While I know this is not a smoking cessation aid, it might curb the oral fixation on smoking I have, and allow me to gradually transition off of it.

Sorry for the novel, guys. I'm very excited to begin this journey and to have all of you with me. Please feel free to friend me or contact me if you ever want to talk, want to share tips, or just want someone to help with motivation. I look forward to getting to know some of you!

And, if you live locally, maybe we could eventually meet up and get a cup of coffee. Nonfat, of course!

Replies

  • LexieSweetheart
    LexieSweetheart Posts: 793 Member
    Mike welcome to MFP! I am new to cooking as well there are a lot of great ideas in the recipe section. I also suggest hungrygirl.com she has many low calorie versions of your favorite guilty pleasures.
  • obradovichm
    obradovichm Posts: 22
    Thanks for the warm welcome Lexie! A lot of people in my "community" are notoriously obsessed with being skinny (almost to the point of it being a problem), and while I don't have much to lose, I am doing this for myself because I want to feel better in my own skin. I used to have a flat, firm stomach in high school, and five years of college put a nice little layer on top of that. The weight loss will be an added benefit, but I am here to stay motivated (because I have no one in my personal life doing the same thing I am right now and it's hard to do it alone.). I also want to make healthier lifestyle changes, including quitting smoking, eating out less, and eating things that are actually good for me.

    I can tell you that my energy level and overall attitude in life has changed since I moved out of my parents place at 18. The healthy, homecooked meals my mom used to make kept me energized and not feeling tired. I've adopted my college diet of fast food and eating out almost daily, and I feel miserable. I am always tired, no matter how much sleep or exercise I get, and I just feel like I have a rock on my shoulders.

    I know that eating healthier and quitting smoking will really make a difference here. :)
  • austxdreamin
    austxdreamin Posts: 43
    Welcome!!
    I love to cook!! I have found it to be a great stress reliver...you are the boss in your kitchen and it becomes a fun science expiriment in the kitchen as you play around with recipes and make them your own!! So welcome to it and have fun with it! Invite some friends over and WOW them with your culinary skills (in a few weeks when you have mastered this whole cooking thing). :-)

    You will find, when you do go out to eat, you start thinking of ways to make what you ordered even better by adding a little of this/that! Well, at least I do!

    And while I myself am not from the "old country" as I call it...all of my family is. I was the 1st born out of MN. Used to have a cabin up north on Ten Mile Lake in Hackensack! Loved it up there!!
  • obradovichm
    obradovichm Posts: 22
    Glad to hear from another Minnesotan! I actually grew up in a very small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I went to college in Minneapolis and I love it so much here I can't bear to move (the winters are killing me, though! :cry:)

    Everyone always tells me that cooking is a skill that you are constantly developing and learning. They say it gets much easier the more you do it and you become more efficient and skilled the more you do it. I'm just scared because I live in a small one bedroom apartment, and while I have the "basic" cookware, sometimes I worry I don't have all I need.

    I know that if I force myself to cook my meals, I will get into a routine of it, just like with exercising. I refuse to fall victim to the "I don't have time, working 8-5's, to cook for myself." any longer. You have to make time for the things that matter, cooking should be no different than exercise.

    I do need some advice, though, auxtxdreaming. I live alone. My boyfriend spends a lot of time at my place, but mostly, I cook for myself. I am worried about making too much food or buying too much and it goes bad on me. Also, do you have any beginner's tips or advice? The idea of having to cook my breakfast, lunch, and dinner the day of seems daunting, and sometimes, not feasable, even if it only takes a half an hour. Do you tend to find recipes you can make the night before and just warm up in the morning? How do you find that balance of being efficient with your time, and being able to make/bring your lunch to work?
  • Diet_Hell
    Diet_Hell Posts: 34
    I'm from the UK, so will have to amend some recipes, but I have just bought 3 Hungry Girl books!
  • Tree72
    Tree72 Posts: 942 Member
    Welcome. It's always fun to meet someone who's interested in learning to cook. You'll definitely gain skills and get more efficient with the basic tasks as you practice them. Before you know it, you'll have dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes some nights.

    It can definitely be a bit challenging, especially when cooking for just one or two, to get the right amount of ingredients. My advice for this is get Ziploc type bags and containers. Then you can store leftovers in the fridge to use for lunch the next day or to freeze and use another week. Also, as you get more familiar with your recipes you can plan a menu for the week that will use up all of an ingredient.

    One great time-saver is a crock pot. You can put all your ingredients into it in the morning before you leave for work, and when you return home dinner will be ready. Also, especially when you are just beginning, maybe try doing some of your prep on the days you have off, or the evening before you will be needing those ingredients. Sometimes I will wash and chop any veggies that I need and have them bagged in the fridge waiting when I get home.

    Good luck, and I hope you enjoy your new adventures. Feel free to add me or ask any cooking questions.
  • LexieSweetheart
    LexieSweetheart Posts: 793 Member
    slow cooker is a great idea. it is nice to come home and have your house smelling delicious
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