Need help with eating habits
xxHaley2013xx
Posts: 13 Member
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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Replies
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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?0 -
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 myself0
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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?0 -
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.0
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I'm 5'1 and I'm 149 pounds.
I wanna lose the 20 by like February-March0 -
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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!0 -
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 0 -
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 0 -
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.0
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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.0
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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.
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 0 -
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?0 -
DisneyDude85 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.0 -
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.0 -
Lots of good advice here.
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.*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.
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.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.
All of this. ^DisneyDude85 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.0 -
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.0 -
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 break0
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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 =(
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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.0 -
xxHaley2013xx wrote: »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
I'm 5'2" and found that when I changed from 2 to 1 to 0.5 pounds weight loss a month in the MFP calculator it didn't change my calories, they stayed at 1200. I think since they wouldn't let me go below 1200, that was the lowest number I got. My weight loss has been 3 pounds a month for 4 months and I started at 142. Just be patient, as this is a life style change you're trying to implement. If its "just" a diet, you'll probably gain it back, and then some (like many of us on here have already done).
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Try to enjoy the process if at all possible; it'll make you more willing to work towards your goals slow and steadily, and be more sustainable. I learned to enjoy the process by looking up healthy and delicious recipes, experimenting with food, and setting (and attaining) goals for my workouts.
Seriously, cooking can be so enjoyable. For me, it's become an addiction, and I think you could enjoy it too.
I love to spend a Sunday evening with some soft jazz playing in the background, salmon and veggies roasting in the oven, and lightly seasoned quinoa on the stove. So delicious and relaxing! I also tend to eat with someone (mom, friend, etc.) on those Sundays to make it even more enjoyable.
Hope this helps 0 -
Consistently losing 1 lb/week ends up being faster than aiming for 2 lbs and then getting frustrated or binging.
Nothing wrong with a 2 lb goal for many, but at 5'1 and 149, 1 lb is probably more realistic.
For food, home cooking is often the way to get more food for less calories, especially if you like stuff like pasta (which usually has tons of extra fat and calories in a restaurant -- nothing wrong with fat, but the calories add up and you can get the flavor and other benefits without as much usually).
Pasta is one of the easiest foods to make at home, and one of the first meals I started making regularly. Especially if you like the toppings/sauce as much as the pasta or more (I do), then it can be super healthy, too, and reasonably low cal. I measure out a serving size of pasta, and then make my own sauce. You can do the traditional tomato-based meat sauce quite easily using lean ground beef and add in lots of vegetables too almost without noticing them. Or do something simple like sauteeing some vegetables in olive oil, add some meat (shrimp works really well or chicken or whatever), mix it in with the pasta. Add a bit of cheese but not a whole lot. Basically, play around with foods and flavors you like and maybe try to mix in some vegetables along with them.
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lemurcat12 wrote: »Consistently losing 1 lb/week ends up being faster than aiming for 2 lbs and then getting frustrated or binging.
That's a good point, and really something I've never really considered before in all the time I've been here. I'm going to steal that bit of advice for future use!0 -
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.
This.
You're very young and in that stage of life when people do tend to eat a lot of junk food and put on weight. The fact is, you can't feed your body properly without building a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats. There's no substitute for this. You can lose weight by cutting calories, of course, but if all you eat is snack foods and pasta, your body is not going to get what it needs.
Remember that food is meant to nourish you. Every single thing you eat is not going to be your favorite thing, but if you work at it and keep an open mind, you CAN learn to love the foods that are good for you. And that's at least as important to your long-term health as maintaining a healthy weight.
I'd start with healthy pasta sauces, like butternut squash sauce or puttanesca. You might also try soups and stews, which are easy to prepare and customize. Try, try, try to find ways to love your veggies!
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even though you say you don't like vegetables, there are ways to incorporate them into food (shredding them into muffins and cakes, for example) so that you get them and don't really taste them. also, try different ways of making them. steaming broccoli isn't going to taste the same as stir frying it or grilling it with beef on the grill. experiment.0
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xxHaley2013xx wrote: »I'm 5'1 and I'm 149 pounds.
I wanna lose the 20 by like February-March
That's 4 months away. You want to lose 5 lbs per month. That might be a *tad* fast, but doable. The math is simple: on average consume about 600 calories less per day than you expend via your lifestyle and exercise. No need to cut carbs, no need to go to the gym in particular. If you burn 2200 calories via your lifestyle, sleeping, walking to class, going to the gym (just as an example)... and you consume an ACCURATE 600 calories less every day on average (accurate meaning measure the things you eat on a digital scale), you will likely be quite close to your goal by March.
The tricky part is as you lose weight, you burn fewer calories each day doing the same thing. You don't have to kill yourself at the gym. Even walking burns calories.
I like this calculator to estimate things. Once you put in the basic info, you can tweak it all in the advanced mode. https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/bwp/index.html
Click on expert mode, then go to the "lifestyle" tab, click change 2 "off", change the start day for change 1 to day "1" and then experiment with different calories.0 -
For as complicated as this calculator is, it doesn't look like it lists BMR. So I popped over to the Scooby Calculator (which is the one I've used successfully) and it gives OP a BMR of around 1500 calories. So does this one. Even the MFP calculator is almost 1400.I like this calculator to estimate things. Once you put in the basic info, you can tweak it all in the advanced mode. https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/bwp/index.html
OP is eating 1200. Or less.xxHaley2013xx wrote: »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.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.
OP I know you came here to ask about food, but if you have your calories set to 1200 and you are eating below that you really need to be eating more. If you feel like you are starving yourself its because at this rate you are.
Please please reevaluate.0 -
AlisonH729 wrote: »...[snip] OP I know you came here to ask about food, but if you have your calories set to 1200
She has cheat days. She's averaging more than 1200 per day.0 -
AlisonH729 wrote: »...[snip] OP I know you came here to ask about food, but if you have your calories set to 1200
She has cheat days. She's averaging more than 1200 per day.
That doesn't matter. Goals should be both reasonable & healthy.0
This discussion has been closed.
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