Can't do the boring food
caitlinvoland
Posts: 20 Member
So I am on a meal plan a coworker suggested where I'm measuring my food and eating every 3 hours.
A little about me:
I work a 9-6 desk job.
I'm currently 206 pounds (was 212)
I'm 5'5" and 21 years old.
I never drank and don't plan on it and I do not smoke.
I'm trying to get to 170 pounds.
I've been eating mostly fruit, veggies, chicken breast, brown rice, cottage cheese, hard boiled eggs, and drinking water.
Unfortunately these meals are starting to:
A. Make me gag at the sight of them because they are boring to me.
B. Leaving me hungry still.
I used to eat (before my new diet plan) pasta, Chinese food, and basically everything they say not to if you want to lose weight. I used to eat out a lot due to my work schedule. Chili's, applebees, eat n park, etc.
I basically need to know what everyone else eats during the day? And is something like chicken fried rice really that awful for you if you eat small amounts? I just need advice to stop starving myself with my current foods.
A little about me:
I work a 9-6 desk job.
I'm currently 206 pounds (was 212)
I'm 5'5" and 21 years old.
I never drank and don't plan on it and I do not smoke.
I'm trying to get to 170 pounds.
I've been eating mostly fruit, veggies, chicken breast, brown rice, cottage cheese, hard boiled eggs, and drinking water.
Unfortunately these meals are starting to:
A. Make me gag at the sight of them because they are boring to me.
B. Leaving me hungry still.
I used to eat (before my new diet plan) pasta, Chinese food, and basically everything they say not to if you want to lose weight. I used to eat out a lot due to my work schedule. Chili's, applebees, eat n park, etc.
I basically need to know what everyone else eats during the day? And is something like chicken fried rice really that awful for you if you eat small amounts? I just need advice to stop starving myself with my current foods.
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Replies
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I eat the same foods as before, just less of them. I still eat fast food, chinese, pizza, ice cream etc but I moderate it and balance them with other foods like chicken, steamed veggies, fruit, etc. If it's not sustainable or the way I'm going to eat forever, I'm not going to stick to it. So I fit them into my calorie goal.
BTW I had Applebees yesterday.
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that sounds horrible.
i eat the same i always have, just less of it.
80 pounds gone.....0 -
Yup I eat basically the same things I did before, I just plan them into my goals. Tonight will be hot dogs, potato chips, and some cookies I baked yesterday for a dessert. I also hit 80 lb. lost this AM, so it's not been ineffective at all.0
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my diary is open if you want to look. i am 5'1 and i eat around1500 a day and lose consistently.0
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This doesn't sound like a very fun menu, but if you are determined to stick to it, have you thought about adding some herbs and spices to flavor things differently? Cooking the rice in low-sodium broth instead of water and tossing in spices (no-salt added) and spicing up the chicken? I would rather eat what I enjoy (which is exactly what I'm doing), but if you really want to continue with those foods, try spicing them up a bit!0
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First off, it's all about moderation. You can eat the same foods, just less of them. Try making your chicken and veggies with more varied spices and switch them up daily. For example, you said you like Chinese food, try making your own "meal prep stir fry" with a light homemade teryaki sauce, steamed mixed veggies and cubed chicken breast. Make enough for 4-5 days and pack ahead for lunch. Lots of options when it comes to seasonings for these, as well as dips or sauces. Try checking out Instagram for health food inspiration, even Pinterest. I do this when I'm feeling in a rut!0
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You don't have to do everything that people suggest. You don't even have to follow my suggestions!
Which are:
Eat a variety of foods from every food group every day.
Eat food you enjoy.
Cook when you can.
Don't aim for a too great calorie deficit (=don't eat too little).0 -
Thank you everyone. @peaceout_aly I like your idea of the stir fry. I didn't really think stir fry was that bad for you as long as you of course use healthier sauce and eat small amounts but this meal plan I'm on is so limited!
I wish I could eat whatever but it doesn't seem to work for me. I've been spending time in the gym every day mostly running or using the elliptical. Now and then I do weights and I also do sit ups. I did lose 6 pounds in 2 weeks but now I seem to be stuck at my current weight and I have over 30 lbs to lose before my cruise in June! 
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let's see:caitlinvoland wrote: »I've been eating mostly fruit, veggies, chicken breast, brown rice, cottage cheese, hard boiled eggs, and drinking water.
And is something like chicken fried rice really that awful for you if you eat small amounts?
same...no?
kinda...sounds like you need new ways to prepare these foods as well.
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You can usually eat bigger portions if you make your own. I find restaurants put tons of oil and sugar into everything. If you cook it yourself, you control what goes in. By making your own chicken fried rice, you can add way less oil and way more low calorie healthy vegetables and have a bigger portion.0
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Add variety: pork chops, steak, salmon, cheddar cheese, potatoes, beef stew, pasta,
Look at the menus at Chilis and Applebees and other places for the calorie counts of foods that fit into your day.0 -
Do you like to cook? When I was your age I purchased several cookbooks and really started to enjoy cooking. That was before the internet (lol
). Now you have a huge choice of different cooking websites that can help you make all kinds of delicious meals/snacks. Nothing wrong with eating out, too. Its just nice to find a healthy balance. Also, making food yourself is a good way to help track your calories. You can still eat pasta, rice, etc and lose weight. Good luck! 0 -
As my great grandma always said:
Variety is the spice of life.
Spice it up dude! Sirloin, pork loin, turkey, lean ground beef, chili, peanut butter sandwich, ham sandwich (mustard is zero calories).
Use some a1 steak sauce (15 cals per serving) some kickin chicken seasoning or some Frank's redhot sauce (no calories).
Scramble/fry your eggs instead of boiling them. Cover em in salsa.
Don't just boil your chicken. Stir fry it. Put it in a quesadilla.
Add some honey to your carrots. Use season salt on your pork chops.
Get some flava!!!0 -
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callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »that sounds horrible.
i eat the same i always have, just less of it.
80 pounds gone.....
That would never have worked for me, I would have been too hungry. That being said, Chili's, Applebee's, and Chinese restaurants have lower calories options.
But OP... learn to cook. It's easy to make fried rice for half the calories, for example.0 -
GuitarJerry wrote: »Boring food is easy. I prefer it. It's easier to stick to it, easier to prepare, easier to eat. Everything about it is better. And, it is my observation both IRL and online, that people that tend to stick to boring simple food, stick to their guns better and longer than people who need flavor and variety. Obviously, not 100% true, but in a small sample size called my life, I definitely see this as a trend. Even in my own family, the ones that gag at plain baked chicken and plain rice tend to be quite a bit overweight versus the smaller ones who just eat it and move on. Just an observation and comment as I see a lot of these comments on here lately. Probably because it's the beginning of the year and there are lots of newbs trying to get on-board.
Try to think of food as nutrition. Not necessarily that it has to be enjoyed. A ton of people will lash out at everything I said, and I'm ok with that because they are trolls. But, I haven't said anything that is not true. That isn't to say that food has to be horrible, but often our taste buds are over sensitized. Try not eating butter for 3 months. At all. Nothing. Then, have a taste. Your mouth will absolutely explode. To me, stuff like that tastes gross because I eliminated it from my diet many years ago, back when "fat was bad for you". Now butter, mayo, and other things like that are disgusting. But, before that, I thought I couldn't live without it.
My point is flavor is learned. Bland food actually is tastey, you're just not used to the taste. When you eat like crap your whole life, and then start to try to eat right, you feel like food tastes bad. But, that's actually how food tastes. LOL. We've been conditioned to think that really super salty food is yummy. It's actually gross when you stop eating it for years. Just like soda. Soda is disgusting. But, you have to stop drinking it for 5 years or something. When, after that time, you try a taste, you will spit it out. It's awful.
Water,, bland chicken, all those natural foods are actually tastey and delicious as they are. I know people that salt their beef. LOL. Beef is a very salty meat. It doesn't need any salt, once you stop putting salt on everything.
It's probably down to semantics, but I find that you really are saying that simple food is tasty. I'd agree to that. Real food doesn't need much more than salt and pepper, maybe some butter or oil. Too much additives warps our taste buds, and real food tastes bland, until those buds are reset. Then they explode. I'm eating grapes that taste how I'd imagine a shot of heroin must feel like. All those spices and sauces on the same foods doesn't make much of real variety. We need a lot of different species to sustain us. Food get boring when we lack variety in nutrients. We should embrace variety, true variety. That's my opinion.0 -
If I want pasta but it doesn't fit my calorie goal, I just mix it with extra veggies, for example, half the amount of tagliatelle, but with some strips of cabbage or zucchini tossed into the pan just at the end of the cooking time. You still get to have the pasta, but the strips of vegetable make up the volume so you get a satisfying amount too. Then you just add your favourite sauce as usual. After I did this for a while when losing weight, I found I kind of missed the juicy refreshing veggies if I didn't have them mixed in with the pasta.0
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What all the others have said. Life is too short to eat boring food. Find what you like and eat the right amount of it. That's the ticket!
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@MamaFunky the issue I have with cooking is that I still live at home. With this being said, I don't get to choose everything that is bought and is in the fridge which makes cooking hard for me. My parents eat dinner without me because I work until 6 or sometimes 7 at night. They are not a fan of me making noise in the kitchen while they are trying to watch their shows *rolls eyes* I think once I move out I will be able to eat a lot healthier.0
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@GuitarJerry I wish I was able to think like you on this... But when I try to eat my lunch (usually grilled chicken breast with a carb and veggie) I have been gagging at the sight of it. A few nights ago I even got sick thinking about eating it for dinner!0
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I have found that a lot of things get boring fast as well.
Before I joined this i assumed the answer was to eat only salads and quinoa and kale smoothies. But after losing weight on here I found out I can still eat everything I still enjoy! Just fit it under your calorie limit for the day!
If you don't enjoy your fav things you will want them more and more, and then you will overeat them when given the chance.
Like others have said, enjoy it all but in moderation. Eat slowly, enjoy every bite.
I love chicken fried rice LOL. I still eat it just not a mountain of it like before, and save the rest for another meal. Then you can look forward to it!
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caitlinvoland wrote: »Unfortunately these meals are starting to:
A. Make me gag at the sight of them because they are boring to me.
B. Leaving me hungry still.
I get this, just perfectly fine food, want to choke on it. I honestly eat the same thing for lunch most days. Chicken thighs and some veggies. I rotate the vegetables so I don't get sick of them, and the chicken thighs I put some sort of seasoning or flavoring (my favorite is Trader Joe's sriracha garlic sauce) to make it taste interesting and smell appealing.
But mix it up, have some hamburger (plain or with a little spaghetti sauce), get yogurt instead of cottage cheese, or I started going bento salad to make my meals at least look entertaining (more work, but hey).
There are people that still loose those last few pounds without suffering over their food, there has to be some sort of compromise. 0 -
I try to eat half of my dinners as boring food (grilled /baked chicken/fish, steamed veg and rice). The other half are recipes from the looniespoons cookbook which is low sodium, extra extra vegetables and tons of spices and flavor. I try to gather leftovers from those meals and have them for lunch. I also cannot eat my meals being bland and sad. I'd end up over indulging on the weekends. I also do not like chicken, so I rotate a chicken, pork, beef fish and a vegetarian dish for variety. My breakfast is very bland during the week and I will make a bit more elaborate meal on the weekend (berry pancake or omelette).0
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caitlinvoland wrote: »So I am on a meal plan a coworker suggested where I'm measuring my food and eating every 3 hours.
I've been eating mostly fruit, veggies, chicken breast, brown rice, cottage cheese, hard boiled eggs, and drinking water.
First, I wanted to note that eating every 3 hours is completely unnecessary. It works for some people; there is nothing inherently wrong with it. But you mention you never feel full, and I think this meal timing is a large part of why. I would suggest eating fewer, but larger, meals so that you feel more full after each meal. I would also focus on getting enough protein, like in the cottage cheese and chicken, but also enough fat, as fat increases satiety.
Personally, I tend to back-load my day, and eat almost all of my calories after 5pm (intermittent fasting). I have a large snack when I get home, a large dinner, and a bedtime snack. I don't tend to get hungry at work, and obviously many people feel hungry in the morning or at lunch so this is not a good pattern for everyone.
And while those foods you listed can be great, I can see why they'd get really boring after a while. Especially if you're constantly eating just plain, baked chicken breast.
There's no reason to confine yourself to these foods, though as others have noted there are good ways to add flavor to these basic food items, such as stir fry. I haven't really changed my eating habits at all (well, that's not true, when I first started on MFP I bought into a lot of the woo woo, but once I realized eating low-fat, eating low-carb, eat very-low cal is unnecessary, I went back to pretty much eating the same way I used to, but in smaller portions). You're welcome to take a look at my diary, because it would take forever to list all the foods that I eat, but I have to have variety in my meals. I love curries, stir fries, steamed fish with sweet and sour sauce, pan-fried fish with green sauce or tartar sauce, quiche, falafel, stratas, chili, pozole, lo mein, hamburgers, steak, mashed potatoes, roasted root vegetables, sauteed green beans with sesame seeds, chana masala, sopes, mussels in white wine sauce, chicken masala, moroccan chicken, beef stroganoff, lamb keema, fish and chips, fried chicken - ok, I think you get the idea. Some of these foods, like fried chicken or fried fish or beef stroganoff I have to eat in smaller portions, but eating them hasn't hindered my weight loss anyway. I try to keep an eye on my macros, and eat enough protein and fat, and I also go by my weekly calorie average per day rather than my daily calorie intake so that I have more flexibility in my diet if there are days that I want to indulge in a higher-calorie meal; I just eat a lower-calorie meal later in the week to compensate.
tl;dr: try to not restrict yourself to boring food you hate, because it's a sure-fire way to fail. Eat what you like, in moderation, and keep an eye on your overall macros - eat enough protein and fat. Don't eat every 3 hours unless you want to - you certainly don't have to.
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eating the same food prepared the same way over and over to lose weight is both lazy, and bound cause problems. Of course you get bored, buy some spices, google some recipes, try something different... and yeah, even go in for yours spaghetti and chinese food now again. Just do it within your calorie goal.0
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caitlinvoland wrote: »Thank you everyone. @peaceout_aly I like your idea of the stir fry. I didn't really think stir fry was that bad for you as long as you of course use healthier sauce and eat small amounts but this meal plan I'm on is so limited! I wish I could eat whatever but it doesn't seem to work for me. I've been spending time in the gym every day mostly running or using the elliptical. Now and then I do weights and I also do sit ups. I did lose 6 pounds in 2 weeks but now I seem to be stuck at my current weight and I have over 30 lbs to lose before my cruise in June!
so are you going to continue eating this same stuff the rest of your life?0 -
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@callsitlikeiseeit I think I am going to try to eat dinners how I used to and start from there. I still might continue my meal plan for a little while. I am still at the point where I don't know if the meal plan made me lose the 6 pounds... or if it has been my exercising. I will admit to all of you that I don't exercise as I should. I spend maybe 30-40 minutes in the gym. With working all day until 6 or 7 pm I have little motivation to be in the gym for longer than that 30-40 minutes. At that point in the night I want to go home and eat and get ready for bed! It is sad I know. I will stick to MFP recommended calorie intakes and if I eat too much then I just have to suck it up and work out to burn those extra calories.0
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caitlinvoland wrote: »@callsitlikeiseeit I think I am going to try to eat dinners how I used to and start from there. I still might continue my meal plan for a little while. I am still at the point where I don't know if the meal plan made me lose the 6 pounds... or if it has been my exercising. I will admit to all of you that I don't exercise as I should. I spend maybe 30-40 minutes in the gym. With working all day until 6 or 7 pm I have little motivation to be in the gym for longer than that 30-40 minutes. At that point in the night I want to go home and eat and get ready for bed! It is sad I know. I will stick to MFP recommended calorie intakes and if I eat too much then I just have to suck it up and work out to burn those extra calories.
just make sure you WEIGH your food and learn how to use the recipe builder.0 -
caitlinvoland wrote: »@callsitlikeiseeit I think I am going to try to eat dinners how I used to and start from there. I still might continue my meal plan for a little while. I am still at the point where I don't know if the meal plan made me lose the 6 pounds... or if it has been my exercising. I will admit to all of you that I don't exercise as I should. I spend maybe 30-40 minutes in the gym. With working all day until 6 or 7 pm I have little motivation to be in the gym for longer than that 30-40 minutes. At that point in the night I want to go home and eat and get ready for bed! It is sad I know. I will stick to MFP recommended calorie intakes and if I eat too much then I just have to suck it up and work out to burn those extra calories.
A calorie deficit madeyou lose the 6 pounds.
I don't know, but it sounds to me as you are punishing yourself with exercise for eating? Don't do that. Portion out your food, hit your calorie goal, and exercise to be stronger and faster. And get enough sleep and rest. That is important for weight loss too.0
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