I'm a fast food baby.....

shaunjadon · February 2016

I LOVE MFP and have utilized it as a tool with weight loss one time before. At that point, I simply backed off my calories and moved more!!!! The weight was steadily coming off!!! I would order kids meals at fast food restaurants decreasing my calorie intake while still enjoying the foods I wanted and I would also buy many low calorie healthy frozen meals. As you probably can tell, I don't cook much, but it worked for me!!! I lost 18 lbs from April to June of last year, the biggest weight loss I've ever had. Unfortunately I fell off the wagon pretty early on when summer vacations hit.

Fast forward to now...I tried to revitalize my plan this time jumping on the "eating clean" bandwagon. Well....apparently eating clean is some sort of foreign substance to a person who grew up on fast food and rare home cooked meals filled with "flavor" (butter, grease, and sugar). Thanks grandma!!! I started working out most of the days of the week for 1-2 hours (sometimes 3 depending on how many classes I went to). Now I've been stuck at the same weight for 3 weeks. I think its because I really only consumed fresh fruit and veggies with some meat. This did not give me enough caloric value even if I wasn't working out. I didn't miss fast food in the least, but I have missed my previous steady weight loss when I was consuming any food within my caloric restriction.

I have now been sitting at 243lbs (down from 255) for the last 3 weeks!!!! I am so frustrated, but I will not give up!!! Any suggestions for a fast food baby? With the increase in my time in the gym, working two jobs, and being a single parent I just don't have time to meal prep. I barely have time to clean my house and iron our clothes for the week on the weekends. I am 26 and travel a lot with friends to concerts, events, and try to put in "mommy" time with my son between two jobs. Should I just try to eat cleaner but continue my last route of just maintaining my calories? I want this to be a lifestyle change not just a change of the moment!!!! And my lifestyle at this moment is pretty busy!!!! Thanks for any advice given!!!

kiara1066 · February 2016

You mentioned that you lost weight while eating fast food before you fell off the bandwagon. I eat fast food I make sure it's alloted to my daily calorie limit. I love the Taco Bell fresco menu definitely is more low calorie, and I lost a lot of weight last year when I was trying harder. Any other places and menu items can fit into your life as well if you let it and you know how much calories is in it. I would say if you like fast food eat it in moderation and include that in your calorie goal of you like. But I would also recommend you try to get a variation of different foods in their as well fruits, etc. congrats on the weight loss so far !

Equus5374 · February 2016

First of all, "eating clean" is nothing more than a buzz phrase. It's a popular movement that really has no basis in science. Yes, making healthier choices is good, like adding more fruits, veggies, and lean meats to your diet. But having the ability to work in things you like to eat, like fast food, makes the journey a little more tolerable. That said, you need to have some PATIENCE. Put that Guns 'n Roses song on repeated playback. How are you counting your calories? Are you weighing and measuring every morsel that goes into your mouth? If not, you're probably underestimating your calories. Get a food scale and start. You can over-eat when "eating clean" too. You CAN eat too much healthy food. If you want it to be a lifestyle change, you've got to understand the length of time it will take to see permanent change. Start by really tightening up your logging and WEIGH/MEASURE every single thing that goes into your mouth that contains calories!!

Sabine_Stroehm · February 2016

I was raised on utter garbage. At about 34 I decided to learn how to eat and how to cook. Good for you for trying to model something different for your son!

Don't think of it as "the clean eating bandwagon" just think of it as eating FOOD, food your great (great) grandmother would have recognized as food. Google things like the mediterranean approach, the south beach approach and Ohsheglows is a great website. You don't have to re-invent the wheel. And you don't have to spend all your time in the kitchen.

Have real food for breakfast: eggs and canadian bacon, slow cook oats, heck, yogurt and berries even a hearty cereal. None of these take a lot of time.
Have salads, or whole grain bread sandwiches for lunch. I make a few burritos on a flatout light wrap on the weekend and have them all week sometimes. None of this takes a lot of time. There are healthier fast food options out there as well.
For dinner: meat and veg. Frozen vegetables are fine! Again, not a lot of time. Stick a chuck roast in the crock pot with some chopped carrots, onions potatoes etc on sunday. Leave it over night and bam, you have three dinners.
Brown some hamburger meat. Add cheese and tomatoes and you've got tacos. Put some canned beans on the side and you have a nutritious meal.

eat a mix of protein, fat and vegetables.

Buy fruits. Eat them.

frozen meals are fine too, in a pinch.

The gym is awesome, and for you. Teaching your son to eat right is for both of you forever. Do the gym for an hour, prepare meals for your family with the other hour. No one needs 3 hours at the gym.

If you want to do this, you'll find a way to manage the time.

Francl27 · February 2016

You didn't stick to it before by not changing much, what makes you think that changing everything about what you do now will make you stick to it? You CAN eat what you want within your calories. It worked for you before. You just didn't stick to it... so ask yourself why you didn't stick to it instead of trying to make it so much harder on yourself (although I can't imagine that a fast food kid meal would ever fill me up, personally). There's no such thing as 'eating clean'.

Look up crockpot meals. It takes almost no prep, and it will give you a ton of leftovers (and you can freeze some of it for later). Buy frozen veggies and meat/fish. I have a George Foreman grill and it takes me less time to microwave frozen veggies and put some meat on the grill than to go somewhere for take out... You just have to make a list and go grocery shopping once a week. Then you can make big batches so you have leftovers.

Honestly I don't spend a ton of time cooking but I still get a lot of delicious meals.. it's all about cooking big batches when you have more time.

kshama2001 · February 2016

shaunjadon wrote: »

... Now I've been stuck at the same weight for 3 weeks. I think its because I really only consumed fresh fruit and veggies with some meat. This did not give me enough caloric value even if I wasn't working out. I didn't miss fast food in the least, but I have missed my previous steady weight loss when I was consuming any food within my caloric restriction...

There are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

blues4miles · February 2016

If you lost weight while eating fast food, and are not losing weight while 'eating clean' now, I'm going to guess it's because you aren't accurately counting your new clean food. Just because it's home cooked doesn't mean you don't need to weigh every single food item. Use measuring cups for all fluids and use a food scale for all solids. Also 3 weeks is just about a plateau, so you are either not losing or might be retaining some water. Drink plenty of water to make sure your body doesn't hang on to water.

Sabine_Stroehm · February 2016

kshama2001 wrote: »

shaunjadon wrote: »

... Now I've been stuck at the same weight for 3 weeks. I think its because I really only consumed fresh fruit and veggies with some meat. This did not give me enough caloric value even if I wasn't working out. I didn't miss fast food in the least, but I have missed my previous steady weight loss when I was consuming any food within my caloric restriction...

There are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

Great post. Meanwhile, OP, review your post. I'm assuming you're being facetious (not serious) when you thank your grandmother for raising you on a fast food diet. Your son will ultimately reap the benefits of you learning how to cook and eat real food.
Best of luck.

thunder1982 · February 2016

I did a program late last year that was a 12 week food and exercise program call 12Week Body Transformation by Michelle Bridges (the Australian version of Jillian Michaels). Prior to this I probably cooked once a month for my husband and I. It gave you meal suggestions, you could swap meals if you didnt like one but the thing for me is that is converted the menu plan into a shopping list and also had recipes. It meant I could spend 1 hr shopping but have everything for the whole week. It was a great way to get into the home cooking thing. We have found several dishes now regulars. I also cook up batches of freezable meals and take them for lunch each day.

Sabine_Stroehm · February 2016

thunder1982 wrote: »

I did a program late last year that was a 12 week food and exercise program call 12Week Body Transformation by Michelle Bridges (the Australian version of Jillian Michaels). Prior to this I probably cooked once a month for my husband and I. It gave you meal suggestions, you could swap meals if you didnt like one but the thing for me is that is converted the menu plan into a shopping list and also had recipes. It meant I could spend 1 hr shopping but have everything for the whole week. It was a great way to get into the home cooking thing. We have found several dishes now regulars. I also cook up batches of freezable meals and take them for lunch each day.

This sounds great! Do you have a link, or pinterest etc for some of the recipes so we can get a sense?

It sounds great though! I used the south beach diet cookbook early on to help me learn to cook.

glitterrainn · February 2016

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

Great post. Meanwhile, OP, review your post. I'm assuming you're being facetious (not serious) when you thank your grandmother for raising you on a fast food diet. Your son will ultimately reap the benefits of you learning how to cook and eat real food.
Best of luck.

This is so true. We ate like crap before this. My son who is 12 got up to 137lbs, because of us and how we as parents ate and taught them to eat and eating crap fast food all the time or pizza. I didn't teach them the right way to eat. How to eat healthy but still taste good. These 35 days of eating right and healthy, but still eating yummy food is helping. He actually lost 25lbs over the past couple months because he decided to join basketball.

OP, my middle son is still having issues eating veggies. Because he doesn't like them. Because we never made them and introduced them at a young age. He's slowly coming around.

I understand being busy. I am a SAHM of a 9 month old with 3 other older children, 12, 10 and 5. My house is never clean, my laundry is never caught up. Dishes? Ha. It's hard to stay on top of things when you are rushing around doing everything. You need to make this a priority though for yourself. Be an example. Once you get the hang of it you it'll get easier. When I first started out portioning food and counting calories, it was tedious, I'll admit that, but now it's just a part of my daily meal plan.

Since you are so busy, maybe it'll be the best thing to actually meal plan on Sundays. Meal prep for the whole week and then you won't have to worry about where you are going to eat next or what you are going to eat.

shaunjadon · February 2016

This was a typical "clean food" eating day for me

1. Premier Protein Shake (160 cals)
2. Fruit Bowl From Walmart (~ 250-275 cals)
3. Subway Salad + Ranch ( 300+220)

Grand Total= 930- 955 calories (and I was FULL)

Now add up 1 hour on the elliptical and an hour weight lifting class and you have STARVATION for the body LOL.

I have never been a heavy eater, unfortunately what I was eating was very calorie dense. Once I started eating more fruits and vegetables, I'd get satisfied just as quick but then I wasn't consuming enough calories.

Sabine_Stroehm · February 2016

shaunjadon wrote: »

This was a typical "clean food" eating day for me

1. Premier Protein Shake (160 cals)
2. Fruit Bowl From Walmart (~ 250-275 cals)
3. Subway Salad + Ranch ( 300+220)

Grand Total= 930- 955 calories (and I was FULL)

Now add up 1 hour on the elliptical and an hour weight lifting class and you have STARVATION for the body LOL.

I have never been a heavy eater, unfortunately what I was eating was very calorie dense. Once I started eating more fruits and vegetables, I'd get satisfied just as quick but then I wasn't consuming enough calories.

That's not "clean eating" (by a long shot), that's just starving yourself.

PLEASE learn how to eat food to fuel your body, and be a role model for your kiddo.

beemerphile1 · February 2016

Fast food is not the best choice for optimum health but you can lose weight eating fast food.

shaunjadon · February 2016

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

shaunjadon wrote: »

This was a typical "clean food" eating day for me

1. Premier Protein Shake (160 cals)
2. Fruit Bowl From Walmart (~ 250-275 cals)
3. Subway Salad + Ranch ( 300+220)

Grand Total= 930- 955 calories (and I was FULL)

Now add up 1 hour on the elliptical and an hour weight lifting class and you have STARVATION for the body LOL.

I have never been a heavy eater, unfortunately what I was eating was very calorie dense. Once I started eating more fruits and vegetables, I'd get satisfied just as quick but then I wasn't consuming enough calories.

That's not "clean eating" (by a long shot), that's just starving yourself.

PLEASE learn how to eat food to fuel your body, and be a role model for your kiddo.

well obviously I'm lost LOL

LivingtheLeanDream · February 2016

It takes not much more than 10-15 mins to prepare most meals and a lot can usually be put in oven/on the hob/done in a slow cooker/crock pot etc while you get on with other things...
learning to cook your own meals is one of the most satisfying and rewarding things.

kshama2001 · February 2016

shaunjadon wrote: »

This was a typical "clean food" eating day for me

1. Premier Protein Shake (160 cals)
2. Fruit Bowl From Walmart (~ 250-275 cals)
3. Subway Salad + Ranch ( 300+220)

Grand Total= 930- 955 calories (and I was FULL)

Now add up 1 hour on the elliptical and an hour weight lifting class and you have STARVATION for the body LOL.

I have never been a heavy eater, unfortunately what I was eating was very calorie dense. Once I started eating more fruits and vegetables, I'd get satisfied just as quick but then I wasn't consuming enough calories.

Sounds like what you are doing is trying to "clean up your diet," rather than "clean eating."

I recommend you stop referring to this as clean eating, as it is not, and your threads will just get derailed with semantic debates. But good for you for wanting to eat more nutritious foods!

ames105 · February 2016

I have found that 'eating clean' makes me feel better, I have more energy and I enjoy the taste of my favorite foods so much more because I don't have them as often (but I still have them!). Eating clean to me is fresh whole food. I try to minimize take out, fast food and frozen food (I still have them occasionally but I've found that they no longer taste as good as they used to). When I eat take out or frozen food, I start swelling up from all the sodium and I'm also concerned about all the chemicals in those products (your liver can only process so much!).

What is fresh whole food? I try to stick to the outer perimeter of the grocery store...fruits and veggies, whole grain bread, milk, eggs, cheese, lean meat. It also means substituting things, such as turkey sausage for regular, ground turkey instead of beef, etc. I love a scrambled egg, cheese, turkey sausage burrito on a whole wheat wrap for breakfast. It takes about five minutes to make. For lunch, I enjoy soup (broth based, not creamy) and a half of sandwich, or maybe a salad (Panera Bread has great salads for under 500 calories). Dinner is usually whatever we feel like at home with portion control (learn your portion sizes, it will amaze you how much we overeat). I'll make spaghetti with whole wheat pasta, tacos with ground turkey (load up with veggies). If we do carry out for dinner, I'll order the pizza for my boyfriend and I'll have one piece with a side salad (I'll even have two pieces if we do thin crust!).

I don't like turning it into a lecture but you are not eating enough. Your body requires a certain number of calories to function. Think of it like fuel for your car, you would not short it for gas when you know you are taking a trip. You should not short your body the fuel it needs to function. You may feel ok but your thinking may become foggy, you can start losing your hair, your skin will dry out and, most importantly, your metabolism SLOWS DOWN to conserve the energy. Eat more. Make swaps from higher calorie/fat items to lower ones. YOU CAN DO THIS. And I think you do know how, its just hard to make the change. But, the change is well worth it. Good luck to you!

kgirlhart · February 2016

I'm not sure if I really know what "clean" eating is. I just try to eat the things I and my family like and measure and weigh everything so I stay at my calorie goal. I do try to make sure I hit my protien goals, but I don't really worry about fats or carbs or if my food is processed or not. I still eat fast food occasionally and we eat out at restaurants usually 3 or 4 times a month. I also get frozen meals because they are easier and I don't like to do food prep. I don't really like to cook, I just do it because I have to sometimes. I know lots of people do food prep and while I think it is a great idea at this point it doesn't work for me. Right now my only food prep consist of boiling a weeks worth of eggs so I will have them ready in the mornings when I get up and don't have to do it every day. The whole point of doing this is to find an eating lifestyle that you can live with in the long run. If you try to completely change everything you are less likely to stick to it for the long run. You should try to model good eating choices for your kids. I personally don't think that your typical clean eating day that you shared shows very good choices. The things that you ate weren't bad choices, but you need to eat more than that. There is nothing wrong with smoothies. My sister has a long commute to work and she drinks one every day for breakfast, but I prefer to eat my calories over drinking them. I usually have oatmeal and a boiled egg. Today I had 2 boiled eggs and a banana. I think that learning to cook and encouraging your kids to eat better is a great thing. You may find that you love cooking. My daughter does. For me it is a chore, but she enjoys it. If you do eat fast food you can make better choices. The kids meals are a good way to go. You have have the kids get apple slices instead of fries and milk instead of soda. You really just have to find what works for you and your family. You lost weight before eating what you like and staying under your calorie goal. You didn't gain weight again because you weren't eating clean. You gained it because you were eating too much. You can eat clean and still eat too much.

azulvioleta6 · February 2016

1. Take responsibility for yourself. You are the adult now and you are the one who needs to figure this out.

2. Stop blaming other people. The situation is not the fault of your grandmother or anybody else. Whining about it doesn't accomplish anything.

3. Stop making excuses and get your priorities straight. Spend an hour or two a week cooking and doing food preparation. If you have time to travel, go to concerts and hang out with friends, you have time to properly care for yourself and your child.

4. If you have no idea where to start with cooking, take a class or have a friend show you the basics. Use Pinterest--there are tons of step-by-step instructions out there on how to prepare everything, and Pinterest is a good way to find and organize that information. Identify a few good websites that can get you started with healthy recipes. skinnytaste.com is a good place to begin.

comicalcupcake · February 2016

At this point in your journey I would recommend backing off gym time to make more room for meal prep time. Exercise is important to health, but not necessarily weight loss, which is 80% diet (according to trainers I've worked with). Increasing exercise at the same time as dieting can also lead to more cravings.

I'd exercise in smaller increments for now--take the stairs, park farther from the store, run around with your son--until you've gone six months or gotten out of the obesity category. Then when you're used to the lifestyle change and it runs more smoothly, you might have a little more time for the gym.

lemurcat12 · February 2016

shaunjadon wrote: »

I started working out most of the days of the week for 1-2 hours (sometimes 3 depending on how many classes I went to). Now I've been stuck at the same weight for 3 weeks.

Three weeks isn't a very long time, and likely why you seem stuck is that people often retain water when starting a workout routine.

That said, I'd probably try to get the food in order before devoting 1-3 hours to working out. I think working out is important, but there's no reason to be doing more than an hour daily unless you have a goal that demands it (specific training plans).

Home cooking is something that seems time consuming at first, but as you get comfortable with it you will find it can be done quickly and efficiently. I often cook ahead on weekends and, especially, double or triple the amounts I cook so as to have leftovers for lunch or evenings when I get home late and have no time to cook. I also have some quick fallback options (like a vegetable omelet) that I can make if I have no time with ingredients I always have on hand.

I think its because I really only consumed fresh fruit and veggies with some meat. This did not give me enough caloric value even if I wasn't working out. I didn't miss fast food in the least, but I have missed my previous steady weight loss when I was consuming any food within my caloric restriction.

This wouldn't be why you are not losing, but it's probably not a sustainable diet, so I recommend figuring out some staple meals that work for you that won't be overwhelming to prepare. I think a lot of us would be happy to help with ideas if you are interested.

Also, if you are finding the change of diet difficult, sometimes it is easier to make incremental changes, like start with getting a consistent breakfast plan, then lunch, then dinner.

kittnNcourgartown · February 2016

I eat alot of fast food, I stay within my daily allotment. I try to choose healthier items. I always look up the foods before I order. I also drink 60-80 oz of water everyday. I have lost 4lbs since Wednesday.

chimpy123 · February 2016

meal prep doesn't have to be elaborate - season and bake chicken in the oven (clean the house while you wait) and then add that chicken to salads/rice/etc over the next couple days, hardboil eggs and wash and prep veggies and fruit while you wait, keep babybel or other portioned cheeses in the fridge, make a large batch of wild/brown rice and eat proper portions of it over the next couple days, buy bagged salads to take the guess work and prep work out if you are crazy busy (I like the Eat Smart brands). Do this for meal prep once or twice a week. Everyone is busy, just make a choice. Make getting your diet right a priority and you will benefit in the long run. And investing in a food scale was hugely important for me (and many other MFPs) - makes tracking your calories way more accurate

karmelpopcorn · February 2016

Fixing your own food is the only way to take full control of your health. Once you get better at it, it'll go faster. I'm a single mom with a job and a disabled, totally dependent child, and another less dependent one, too. I bring my food to work everyday and eat what I have in my refrigerator and freezer. I feel great. I'm reading the book "Cooked" by Michael Pollan, and don't need any futher convincing:

"The effects of not cooking are similarly far reaching. Relying upon corporations to process our food means we consume large quantities of fat, sugar, and salt; disrupt an essential link to the natural world; and weaken our relationships with family and friends."

LKArgh · February 2016

shaunjadon wrote: »

This was a typical "clean food" eating day for me

1. Premier Protein Shake (160 cals)
2. Fruit Bowl From Walmart (~ 250-275 cals)
3. Subway Salad + Ranch ( 300+220)

Grand Total= 930- 955 calories (and I was FULL)

Now add up 1 hour on the elliptical and an hour weight lifting class and you have STARVATION for the body LOL.

I have never been a heavy eater, unfortunately what I was eating was very calorie dense. Once I started eating more fruits and vegetables, I'd get satisfied just as quick but then I wasn't consuming enough calories.

This is not clean eating. Since you also have a child, do both of you a favour and start cooking. I do not mean 5 course meals, preparing a salad or boiling an egg is cooking. You need "normal" food that will provide a reasonable combination of nutrients and calories. What you are dong is not sustainable. And will nto help with not repeating the mistakes you blame your grandma for. What does your child eat if you cannot meal prep?

kittnNcourgartown · February 2016

Also you could get a rotisserie chicken to use for multiple meals. Then you can just add rice or veggies or salad. Quick and easy.

DorkothyParker · February 2016

An unpopular opinion: but consider a high fat, low carb lifestyle. You'll need to consume more calories (there are lots of calculators to help you find out what you should be consuming).

I'm new at it but both my sisters have done it for a couple years and they are both slender/fit and very happy.

lynn_glenmont · February 2016

You don't have to meal prep, but if you want to incorporate more fresh, homemade dishes from whole foods, you could start easy. One night a week, serve two or three reasonably wholesome convenience foods (i.e., rotisserie chicken from the grocery store or a prepared protein from the grocery store deli, refrigerated, or frozen area, one or two prepared sides from the grocery store deli, refrigerated, frozen, or canned aisles) and prep one dish--entree, side, or wholesome dessert, your choice--with your son, assuming he's not an infant. Toddlers and older can help in the kitchen at age-appropriate tasks, i.e., obviously no knives for young children, etc. As a bonus, kids are more likely to eat something they had a hand in making and choosing. (When you're ready to let your son participate in meal planning, start with offering an option of peas or asparagus, for instance, or sweet potatoes or butternut squash, or rice or pasta, or chicken or pork.) So you're combining "mommy time," meal prep, subtle nutrition lessons, and modeling healthy eating for your young one.

Over time, as you get accustomed to it, you could add a second night. Eventually you may be able to manage making two dishes and relying on prepared/convenience foods for one or two dishes. Then eventually you may want to try prepping all-in-one dishes like stews and casseroles on the weekend, which you can eat for several nights during the week (or, if you don't like eating the same thing several nights in the same week, put enough for one or two nights in the refrigerator and freeze the remainder in amounts that will feed the family for one meal or in single-serving sizes, if you want to have them for lunches at work or if you have nights where you can't all eat as a family and it's easier to just pull something out of the freezer and thaw in the microwave and reheat.

It doesn't have to be all or nothing.

As for the weight "stall," if you're sure you're not eating more calories now than you were before, it's probably just normal fluctuations and maybe a little water retention from starting a new exercise routine -- also possibly on average you have more food in your digestive track, if you've switched from fast food to the same number of calories (or even a little less) in the form of less calorie-dense veggies, etc. Be patient.

shaunjadon · February 2016

Thanks for all the advice. I talked a friend who recommended using the crockpot and just letting things cook while I sleep. I made a chuck roast in it the other day, very good. I also bought some fish because baked fish is quick and simple as well as many packets of the steam fresh veggies for easy sides. I'm looking up some easy crockpot recipes to try next week!!!

bdt0831 · February 2016

I wouldn't eat fast food if you paid me. Not after seeing how McDonald's meals don't age. Mold. Breakdown after 7 yrs! Avoid it like the plague. Or at least get a salad. With grilled chicken. Apple slices. Ditch the fatty dressings and squeeze lemons on your salad. Delicious! Use that crock pot like it's your best friend. Chicken. Turkey. Soups.

I'm a fast food baby.....

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