Advice please for limited food likes while loosing weight

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hdpotter2014
hdpotter2014 Posts: 1 Member
edited April 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi
Yet again I am trying to loose weight.

My main problem in continued failure is the fact that I don't eat many vegetables. When I say I don't eat them, I mean it, they physically turn my stomach. I have tried for many many years, but can only eat: potatoes, mushrooms, lettuce, cucumber, radishes, raw carrots and raw cabbage. So not eating most vegetables I am limited as to what I can have to eat that will enable me to loose weight.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me for food that will help my weight loss.

No comments please on 'just eat the vegetables they are good for you', I know that, I need constructive help if I am to achieve my goals.

Many thanks in advance.
X

Replies

  • Mistraal1981
    Mistraal1981 Posts: 453 Member
    edited April 2016
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    I go through phases of eating veg. I am currently in a phase where I CBA to add veg to my meals. This phase has lasted about two months now. I prefer fruit anyway. I make sure I take a multivitamin everyday to compensate a bit for the micronutrients I am going to be missing by not eating veg.

    As for food that helps weight loss, just eat less. No specific food will help you lose weight. I think the reason people eat more veg when losing weight is because you can eat a lot of veg for relatively few calories so it helps with feeling full.

    Other than that you don't have to eat what you don't like. I can quite happily hit my macros and feel full without adding veg. I am also still losing weight.
  • ElliotM6
    ElliotM6 Posts: 7 Member
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    I'm a picky eater too, and some vegetables I just can't stomach, mushrooms are more or less the most disgusting food on the planet. You can always cut up bulk veg like zucchini or peppers small and cook it with stews/casseroles, I hate the stuff but you honestly can't taste it.

    As for food that will help with weight loss, just eat what fits within your allowances/macros. It will take a bit of experimenting to figure out what makes you feel full without going over your targets. Good luck!
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Eat the foods you do like, including those vegetables. Weight loss comes down to calories in<calories out.
  • khernan1964
    khernan1964 Posts: 11 Member
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    Good morning, just saw your message. My whole life, I have struggled with a lot of veggies. Over time I have slowly found some different ways to eat them that helps me. For me the struggle depends on the veggie, the preparation and the flavor finish. First try to figure out what it is you don't like about a veggie, and try to compensate for it - I found for me fresh is best (some on occasion and dependent on preparation - frozen). I ALWAYS hated brussell sprouts and spinach. I have found I can incorporate fresh spinach onto a sandwich, in place of lettuce, I can toss a little into soups & Greek style omelette (egg whites, onion, tomato, spinach and feta). For the brussell sprouts I basically like them roasted - actually most veggies roasted are awesome (the carmelization sweetens them and changes the flavor quite a bit). They are also very yumming if you carmelize them in a pan with just a little bacon and onions. I HATE carrots, but I make a super simple carrot/orange soup that I can literally live on - it's soooo yummy: saute 1/2 of a chopped onion in 1 tbsp of butter, then add 7-8 carrots cut any way (will process later) and 4 cups of no sodium or low sodium chicken or veggie stock/broth boil until soft - throw into a blend or processer until smooth - place back in pot, add 1 cup of orange juice and bring back to temperature. It makes about 8 - 1 cup servings and calories low. Great with a little ginger (fresh or powdered) added as well. I also just found out that I LOVE the Asian preparation of julienned carrots and daikon radish pickled, so I am working on learning that recipe. I can not and probably won't ever be able (cause I've tried every preparation I can think of) eat beets - just a mouthful of dirt to me and no matter how you prep or season dirt, will still taste like dirt. LOL Asparagus - fresh/frozen grilled and with lemon - yummy. Seriously as a kid I would have died before eating any of these. Cauliflower - have you tried it roasted with parmesean? or Au Gratin baked? Let me know your thoughts on my suggestions - would love to hear! Hope any of this helps, have a fantastic Sunday!
  • khernan1964
    khernan1964 Posts: 11 Member
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    Oh yeah and I have a killer recipe for a zucchini quiche that you can make lower fat versions of. Let me know!
  • khernan1964
    khernan1964 Posts: 11 Member
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    one more thing, roast veggies, blend them and throw them into sauce or chili. Then you won't see them, feel them and they become part of the flavor profile of what you are cooking.
  • BeYouTiful94
    BeYouTiful94 Posts: 289 Member
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    Strictly weight loss speaking, you don't have to eat any vegetables at all if you don't like them. I'm like you. I absolutely loathe vegetables. Always have, always will. Like honestly, I will only eat spinach, potatoes, asparagus, or zucchini, and you'd be hard pressed to find even those in my diary (especially since the last two have to be cooked a specific way). I'll eat sautéed mushrooms only on a patty melt, so that doesn't help lol. I've lost 20 pounds.

    A health nut would probably tell me off for the "health repercussions" of not eating veggies (Lord knows I got it from my parents enough growing up), but as far as losing weight, it's just about calories in calories out. Eat the foods you enjoy, just portion them correctly. And, not exactly on topic, but in the spirit of wanting you to excel in your goals, get a food scale. It'll work wonders for helping you make the "calories in" portion of the equation accurate. This is a lot of people's issue, so save yourself the stress about "why am I not losing weight when I've been logging for x days/weeks" (as most titles say) and just go buy a food scale now :)

    Best of luck!
  • capaul42
    capaul42 Posts: 1,390 Member
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    We're not huge veggie lovers in my house either, though I probably like the most. But it's hell trying to get my daughter to eat nearly all of them. Currently she eats potatoes (which she loves) and carrots (but only sweet carrots) any other kind and she will spit them out lol. The only times I can get her to eat other veggies is if they are buried in other foods.
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
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    Hi
    Yet again I am trying to loose weight.

    My main problem in continued failure is the fact that I don't eat many vegetables. When I say I don't eat them, I mean it, they physically turn my stomach. I have tried for many many years, but can only eat: potatoes, mushrooms, lettuce, cucumber, radishes, raw carrots and raw cabbage. So not eating most vegetables I am limited as to what I can have to eat that will enable me to loose weight.

    Does anyone have any suggestions for me for food that will help my weight loss.

    No comments please on 'just eat the vegetables they are good for you', I know that, I need constructive help if I am to achieve my goals.

    Many thanks in advance.
    X

    It's not a requirement to eat vegetables to lose weight. Eating at a deficit is the only requirement - no matter what gets shoved in the mouth.

    Your list of mushrooms, lettuce, cucumber, radishes, carrots, and cabbage are excellent.

    I've found when I do my weight loss cuts (usually January-April every year based on my biking season), I find what works for me is a consistent couple of meals that I know the exact calorie count of before eating, like the taste, and look forward to eating. So I found a breakfast and a lunch that I am able to eat on nearly a daily basis which tastes good to me, is routine, and helps with my cholesterol. No need to bore you with what I like, but I only mention them as an example. My morning bowl of 1 cup of cereal, some Greek yoghurt and 1/4 cup of blueberries with 2 mugs of black coffee, and my lunch of a peanut butter sandwich on some multi-grain bread, 2 pickled beets, and an apple with a bottled water are routine for me. Yes, I vary them from time to time, but you get the idea. The routine takes the guesswork out of the equation, and has helped me be successful at trimming the weight (24 pounds this year so far). Dinner is the wild card and has the most variety for me and is based on the amount of exercise I did or did not get in to boost my calorie allowance. It's all about the calories, and not what the calories are coming from - meat, bread, cheese, wine, vegetables, salad, fish, soup, etc... .

    If you find something that fits your calorie count and can make them routine for at least two of your meals each day - I would suggest it as it keeps you on track.

    You can do a lot with carrots, cabbage, and mushrooms alone when it comes to cooking - so you're good to go.
  • vikinglander
    vikinglander Posts: 1,547 Member
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    I'm not sure whether I can add anything constructive here, except to say that there are so many great recipes online, it's almost impossible not to find one that appeals, for almost any dish. Personally, I am pretty much equally focused on weight loss and macronutrient balance, AND variety and micronutrient content. My GF and I try to eat 3 to 5 servings of fruit and 5 to 9 servings of vegetables (mostly raw) per day. There is practically no vegetable that I won't chop up raw in a salad. I tend to dice things pretty finely, usually 1/8" or smaller, so it's more of a flavor burst than a texture thing.

    The other technique we use is the smoothie. A base of almond milk and a good protein powder, then raw greens like kale, chard, watercress...berries, and for texture, bananas (enough banana will mask almost anything!) or avocado. Using a richly flavored chocolate protein powder, with raw cacao, and raspberries is an awesome combo, and will mask the flavor of pretty much any veggies. We like Garden Of Life's Raw Protein...good clean plant-based protein with no added anything. The flavored one's are sweetened with stevia.

    I won't say "just eat the vegetables", but I will say if you're concerned about overall health, there are plenty of ways to get a balanced diet into yourself. Good Luck!
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
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    malibu927 wrote: »
    Eat the foods you do like, including those vegetables. Weight loss comes down to calories in<calories out.

    This. To lose weight, you have to consume fewer calories than you burn. Vegetables do not have to be part of the equation.
  • vikinglander
    vikinglander Posts: 1,547 Member
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    BTW...I agree with SingingSingleTracker, above: "...I find what works for me is a consistent couple of meals that I know the exact calorie count of before eating, like the taste, and look forward to eating. So I found a breakfast and a lunch that I am able to eat on nearly a daily basis which tastes good to me, is routine...".

    "Routinizing" my diet has helped a lot. I also have a series of predetermined meals that I don't really have to think about, other than making sure I have shopped correctly so the stuff is on hand. Also, I have found several takeout options that fit my lifestyle, calorie limits, and taste. For example, Chipotle's Barbacoa Salad, with lettuce, barbacoa, fajita veggies, mild salsa and guacamole, is roughly 500 calories (according to their own web site), depending on how generous the server is. I also talked to the owner of a local eatery that does grilled chicken salads and he agreed to let me get the "house" salad my way - no feta cheese, no chick peas, no pita bread on the side - just mixed lettuce, tomato, chopped raw carrot, onion, radish, cucumber, green pepper, and kalamata olives, topped with his amazing grilled chicken. I brought one home and deconstructed it and weighed each item, and it came to 518 calories, including the dressing.

    The other thing that works for me is getting into "Warrior Mode" about all of this. I get totally focused on it, and I can eat the same thing everyday for a week or two, because I know where I'm at and where I want to get to, and it works.

    Good luck everyone! Losing is winning...!