Public Diary

Hello, I don't see any vegetables or fruits in your journal. Also, LOTS of processed foods. If you could cut down on the processed foods and eat veggies, I believe you would see a big difference in your weight and energy level. Good luck

hi! you are doing a great job staying under your calories and spreading them evenly throughout the day - this will help sustain your metabolism.

however,to raise it even more you could spread your calories out even more by having 4-6 smaller meals a day. you can make smaller meals more filling by upping your veg intake (low calorie and lots of water and fibre), including a protein source and a healthy fat source. Look at my journal if you want to have a look at how i spread out my meals, but of course this is tailored to my personal taste and my lifestyle and my goals.

will be good to see others' suggestions!

best of luck with your goals and feel free to add me (i am happy to keep looking at your journal and help you stay accountable)

I agree with everyone else congratulations on staying within your goal, but you could replace some of the bread products with fruits and veggies, and make sure your drinking plenty of water you may be drinking it and just not logging it but it's very important. And you may wanna double check the nutritional info because some of the entries on MFP are wrong for instance 1 pancake is about 140 calories and I see you have 3 to 4 listed as 106 calories.

Okay, see here's the thing. I work full time and I go to school full time, and to top it all of, I'm not that great of a cook, lol. It's really hard to find the time to make one meal let alone have 4-6 mini meals during the day so i'm doing the best I can with what i've got. I have no idea where to start with making the changes, but I know some need to be made. I want to be able to eat healthy without having to sacrifice enjoying what I eat. As far as the veggies go, I know that I could definitely use more in my life but they taste so blah!! How do I spice them up so that I'll enjoy them instead of dread them?

umm... lite ranch with your carrots?? :flowerforyou:

Hello and first let me congratulate you on the first step of your journey which is deciding to eat right and watch your calories. That is everyone's most important first step. True desire. So now that you are eating less, you need to work on more healthful food - veggies and fruit, and whole grains. I had started to limit my sodium years ago and yes, at first it was very "blah". It will get easier for you, too!

One of the most important suggestions that I implemented for myself was to invest in a cheap metric/ounce digital scale. I think you can get the Biggest Loser one (that I got) on Amazon for maybe $16.00. It will help keep you honest. Such as when you measure your oatmeal, you will find it to be LESS than the measuring cup amount than when you weigh it out. Plus, who knows what a "small" banana is? I know what I'd like it to be! = D

I would like to suggest to you since you haven't much time to cook that perhaps you haven't taken the time to explore what is actually available to you in the fresh departments of the grocery store. See if you can take the time to find yourself a really nice grocery store. Some where I live are better than others, and Trader Joe's is great but sometimes a little pricey. You can find LOTS of pre cut veggies in most stores. And salad in a bag, too. Just don't use their dressing. Even some stores have actual salad bars and you could pick and choose veggies from that section with an eye for preparing meals at home more quickly, too.

Some of my favorite "fast foods" are grilled salmon. A nonstick pan with a bit of canola or olive oil , sprinkle Mrs. Dash on it, put a few chopped onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and capers, flip it over when the first side is good and brown and add a splash of white wine to the pan if you have it or not and you can even put it on brown rice or a nice salad that isn't dressed. I just scrape the pan out over the salad or rice.

For brown rice - I used to gag on it!- I cook it according to the directions omitting the oil or butter and then keep it as a "filler" for quick meals from the fridge. I love sauteed or roasted in the oven veggies of all types cut up and mixed with the warmed rice and just a tablespoon of parmesan cheese to my serving and mix it all together it adds so much flavor to it!

People may not agree with me on this, but I always roast my veggies or saute them in a small amount of oil. If you are afraid of veggies you MUST try roasting them in the oven! I cut them into 1 inch dice or bite sized and toss them in a big bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and spread them out on a foil covered sheet pan in the oven and roast them at 350 until they are looking brown. You can take them out and turn them and poke them to see if they are soft. I make the most unbelieveable brussels sprouts, beets, asparagus, butternut squash, and even sweet potato "fries" like this. I haven't found a veggie that doesn't work! THere are also spray oils that you can spray directly on your veggies to limit the amount of oil, or spray to your pan.

Also people may or may not agree with me on this one but I refuse to eat a "naked" salad! I make my own dressing, it takes just seconds to take a teaspoon or two of balsamic vinegar or redwine vinegar or actually any kind works, add maybe 1/4 tsp. of any kind of mustard, add some dried spices such as italian seasoning, garlic fresh or powdered, just a sprinkle of salt if you must or some Mrs. Dash, and 1 or 2 teaspoons of olive oil. I add all kinds of great veggies to my salads, and fruit, too. Make sure you toss your salad with the dressing in a very big bowl with a spatula to coat each piece.

Summer is coming so don't forget the fresh fruits coming out. If you can find a farmer's market in your neighborhood that is the way to go. Especially for tomatoes!

I hope I have helped you with some ideas! Good luck!

I agree water is important, 8 cups a day is the minimum you should be drinking. I know some people don't log veggies but I think that anything that has calories needs to be logged. I know what it's like to be busy and I never really cooked before (I can I just never enjoyed it) But I have found that finding new recipes and making new things has actually become fun! You may want to check out skinnytaste.com for recipe ideas. I have also found that cooking some things once a week helps a lot. I cook a big package of chicken once a week and slice some to use on sandwiches instead of lunch meat and have it handy to put on salads or have for dinner with veggies. I also hard boil eggs like a dozen at a time and eat them as snacks or put them on salads. Planning ahead really helps me a lot.