Need help with eating habits

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xxHaley2013xx
xxHaley2013xx Posts: 13 Member
edited November 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
Okay so I'm trying to lose 20 pounds. I go to the gym almost every day but I have issues with my diet. I'm a REALLY picky eater-I don't like any vegetables and I like to eat out a lot. Most of the stuff I like is pasta, bread, snacks-stuff that's not good for you. Does anyone have any good low calorie meals that you think I may like. My calorie goal for each day is 1200.
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  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Eat what you like but stay within your calorie goal. You know what you like more than we do.

    How tall are you? With only 20 pounds to lose and considering that you go to the gym almost each day, 1200 is a low calorie goal. How many pounds per week did you tell MFP that you want to lose?
  • xxHaley2013xx
    xxHaley2013xx Posts: 13 Member
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    I put that I wanted to 2 pounds a week. And I've been trying to stay under my calorie goal but most of the stuff I eat is high in calories so it racks up really fast. I wanna be able to stay under my calorie goal without having to basically starve myself
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    You're not supposed to stay under your calorie goal. You are supposed to eat at your calorie goal, on average. Staying under indicates that you are averaging under it.

    How tall are you? How much do you weigh?
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    2 lbs per week is too aggressive for someone with only 20 lbs to lose. 0.5 to 1 lb per week is more appropriate.
  • xxHaley2013xx
    xxHaley2013xx Posts: 13 Member
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    I'm 5'1 and I'm 149 pounds.
    I wanna lose the 20 by like February-March
  • ElleMarieRose
    ElleMarieRose Posts: 37 Member
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    What do you like to eat besides pasta and stuff? You have three options: cut out the bad food and eat a lot of healthy food Eat the bad food but in moderation, or a mixture of the two. Which one sounds most appealing to you?

    Also you can learn to like certain foods. Before calorie counting I never knew how much I could be addicted to broccoli and/or salads!
  • DisneyDude85
    DisneyDude85 Posts: 428 Member
    edited November 2015
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    I would set your goal for 1 lb a week, maybe even .5 lb. If your goal date is Feb/March, no reason to try and do it in half the time! You should still be able to hit your goal by March at 1lb/week, and you will be able to eat more and not starve! Make sure to eat back some of your exercise calories!

    As far as pasta goes, make up a batch, weigh it into individual portions, and box it up! I have a weeks worth of penne pasta with Bolognese up in my freezer, just pop it in the microwave and I'm good to go :) And you will save some money by not eating out! Like ElleMarieRose said, learn to like your veggies! Are there ones you have never tried? I admit, there are some that I cannot stand (ahem, Brussels sprouts, ahem), but there are many that I LOOOOOVE. And the freezer section is a great place to load up on veggies. The steamer bags are great. Just microwave, season, and eat :)
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
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    I don't really like vegetables - I eat mainly potatoes, bread, pasta, chips.
    I lost 33 lbs doing this.

    Eat what you like but count it in to your allowance. You'll lose weight :)
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    How about learning to home cook? Start with one meal a week. Pick a vegetable and prepare it. I hear roasting imparts flavor and texture.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    If you weigh your pastas and breads, logging them as you go, they will quickly lose their appeal. They add up quickly. You can still enjoy them, just not as much as before.
  • DisneyDude85
    DisneyDude85 Posts: 428 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    How about learning to home cook? Start with one meal a week. Pick a vegetable and prepare it. I hear roasting imparts flavor and texture.

    THIS! Broccoli with a little olive oil, sprinkled with a little parmesan cheese is delightful. I roast broccoli on a high heat for a short time so the outside gets carmelized, and the middle still has a little bite to it :)
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
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    juggernaut1974 wrote: »
    2 lbs per week is too aggressive for someone with only 20 lbs to lose. 0.5 to 1 lb per week is more appropriate.

    This.

    You'll have more calories to play with, so you'll be less hungry and will stick to your plan. Also, losing 2lbs a week with only 20lbs to lose will make your body start cannibalizing muscle for energy. This can be incredibly dangerous and won't give you the results you want.

    Why are you in such a rush. What's happening in February that you would risk your health over a few measly pounds?
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,714 Member
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    DisneyDude85 wrote: »
    jgnatca wrote: »
    How about learning to home cook? Start with one meal a week. Pick a vegetable and prepare it. I hear roasting imparts flavor and texture.

    THIS! Broccoli with a little olive oil, sprinkled with a little parmesan cheese is delightful. I roast broccoli on a high heat for a short time so the outside gets carmelized, and the middle still has a little bite to it :)

    Agree! Almost all vegetables taste better roasted with a bit of olive oil and seasoned properly.

    Generally when I hear someone say they don't like any vegetables it's due to bad preparation: either too bland or mushy. OP, don't completely write off vegetables just because you haven't liked them in the past. They are cost efficient and nutritious. Experiment with flavors and textures that you like.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    Learn to cook at home. It's much easier to control what goes into your food and thus, into your body that way. You don't have to cut out anything, just make sure you weigh portions and log everything. Cooking meals at home is cheaper and can be made much lower calorie than eating out. Even pasta! I tend to high carb, high protein meals myself. They taste better to me and fill me up longer.

    And I hate veggies too! What I did was find a couple that I'm ok with, and eat those with my meals. Not a lot of veggie variety, but I'm ok with that. And in reply to above, I don't like them roasted either. I've tried multiple veggies in multiple ways, and there's still very few I actually like. And most of those are raw; for some reason, cooked veggies taste worse than the raw ones, no matter how they're cooked. *shrugs* Try adding a mixed green salad with a measured amount of dressing as your meal's veggie. I end up doing that a lot.
  • AlisonH729
    AlisonH729 Posts: 558 Member
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    Lots of good advice here.
    juggernaut1974 wrote: »
    2 lbs per week is too aggressive for someone with only 20 lbs to lose. 0.5 to 1 lb per week is more appropriate.
    Be happy you are learning this now, instead of later when you are wondering why you are tired and cranky all the time. (Not to mention hungry.) *Speaking from experience.*

    SingRunTing wrote: »
    You'll have more calories to play with, so you'll be less hungry and will stick to your plan. Also, losing 2lbs a week with only 20lbs to lose will make your body start cannibalizing muscle for energy.
    When you are at the gym (if you don't already lift) I recommend putting some of that extra energy toward strength training. This can do as much, if not more, for your figure than just losing weight.

    BZAH10 wrote: »
    DisneyDude85 wrote: »
    jgnatca wrote: »
    How about learning to home cook? Start with one meal a week. Pick a vegetable and prepare it. I hear roasting imparts flavor and texture.

    THIS! Broccoli with a little olive oil, sprinkled with a little parmesan cheese is delightful. I roast broccoli on a high heat for a short time so the outside gets carmelized, and the middle still has a little bite to it :)

    Agree! Almost all vegetables taste better roasted with a bit of olive oil and seasoned properly.

    Generally when I hear someone say they don't like any vegetables it's due to bad preparation: either too bland or mushy. OP, don't completely write off vegetables just because you haven't liked them in the past. They are cost efficient and nutritious. Experiment with flavors and textures that you like.
    All of this. ^
  • NikiChicken
    NikiChicken Posts: 576 Member
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    ElleMarieRose wrote: »
    What do you like to eat besides pasta and stuff? You have three options: cut out the bad food and eat a lot of healthy food Eat the bad food but in moderation, or a mixture of the two. Which one sounds most appealing to you?

    Also you can learn to like certain foods. Before calorie counting I never knew how much I could be addicted to broccoli and/or salads!

    This right here. The more you experiment with new foods - both in the variety and preparation - the more you will find that you like and enjoy.

    Also, I can't agree more with the three choices stated in this reply. You don't have to give up the things you like and enjoy. You just have to eat them in quantities that fit within your calorie goals. Personally, I subscribe to the second choice - a mixture of all kinds of food (I don't believe in healthy vs. unhealthy food - the quantities is what makes them healthy or unhealthy, IMO).

    Finally, I agree with the poster who said a goal of 2 lbs/week when you only have 20 pounds to lose is far too aggressive. 2 lbs/week is not really an attainable goal with so little to lose, it's much more appropriate for someone with A LOT to lose. Setting a more reasonable goal will give you additional calories to play with during the day, making it a little easier to stay within your targets.
  • xxHaley2013xx
    xxHaley2013xx Posts: 13 Member
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    Yeah I probably could do one pound a week it just sucks because I'm one of those people that's really impatient with it and wants to lose it faster-I know that's a bad and losing weight isn't something you should try and rush. Just kind of a hard habit to break
  • AspenDan
    AspenDan Posts: 703 Member
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    xxHaley2013xx wrote: »
    Okay so I'm trying to lose 20 pounds. I go to the gym almost every day but I have issues with my diet. I'm a REALLY picky eater-I don't like any vegetables and I like to eat out a lot. Most of the stuff I like is pasta, bread, snacks-stuff that's not good for you. Does anyone have any good low calorie meals that you think I may like. My calorie goal for each day is 1200.

    Well I'd suggest eating more lean meats and veggies. If you don't like those things then you could increase your exercise? In general tho, I'd say try to decide if eating lots of veggies is worse than those 20lbs, because weight loss is mostly done in the kitchen =(

  • wonko221
    wonko221 Posts: 292 Member
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    The hard truth is "doing what you want" isn't what's called for, to lose weight. Most of the folks here, me included, became overweight by mindlessly following our appetites.

    If you want to be successful in the long run, don't simply set a calorie goal and force yourself to stick to it. Instead, cultivate your tastes. Learn about ways to enjoy preparing foods, or finding foods, that are filling and satisfying but are not calorie rich.

    Don't look for a quick fix. Don't push yourself to make it happen in a couple months. that's just not reasonable. but commit to being healthy and really put your mind into learning how to do it, and you CAN do it.

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