Clean eating when you HATE vegetables
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Lasmartchika wrote: »When you say you track your food, how do you do so? Do you weigh your food, use measuring cups, or do you just eyeball it? Most likely you are eating more than you think.
If you're not weighing your food, get a food scale and weigh everything you eat. Make sure the entries you choose are also correct with the calorie amounts. Then you know you're being more accurate and after several weeks see the results.
Eat foods you love. It's more about how many calories you're eating by the end of the day than about what you're eating.
This is exactly what I was going to say. You'd be surprised how quickly "healthy" food adds up calorie wise if you don't make sure to measure EXACTLY what you're eating. A good example is nuts. I eat them everyday but 30g (roughly a handful to give you a visual although I prefer to actually put them on a scale) is 200 calories! You can go overboard pretty quickly if you're just eyeballing it.
There are somethings I do not weigh (lettuce, celery, water obviously, etc.) but for the most part if you want to really know what's going in your body you need to log it as accurately as possible.1 -
Oh! Also I realize my previous post didn't even address the actual question (HA! XD)...
I don't like veggies much either but have experimented with different preparations and that seems to help. If you use a relatively small amount of oil, salt, and pepper you can roast lots of veggies and it helps the flavor tremendously. Tastes way better than steamed IMO.
Also, fresh herbs and fresh lemon or lime juice! A little fresh dill with cucumbers (or on lots of things really) changes a lot. Fresh basil, thyme, oregano, and cilantro are other favorites.1 -
zumbalover523 wrote: »So I am trying to loose 40lbs. I track my food on a daily basis (233 days straight!) I eat between 1200-1400 calories a day and exercise at least 4x a week. (Zumba, treadmills, CX workout, calisthenics, weights, etc). I can not loose an ounce! I am 47 and super frustrated! A co-worker was seeing weight loss doctor and he put her on a high protein diet, but all she eats is chicken and vegetables and I HATE vegetable (except corn and potatoes.) I will eat a salad with lettuce and carrots, but not much else. Any ideas on how to eat some veggies when you have an intense dislike for them? Love fruit an eat about 3-4 servings a day.
you do not need to eat clean to lose weight. Losing weight is a function of calories in vs calories out. I would suggest the following:
1. set MFP to one pound per week loss
2. eat to that number
3. get a food scale an weigh all solids
4. make sure you get adequate nutrition and keep your protein macro high
5. find a form of exercise that you enjoy and do it..
6. realize that no foods are bad and you can enjoy the foods that you like as long as you get adequate nutrition and stay within your calorie goal.2 -
zumbalover523 wrote: »Thanks for the ideas. I will definitely try adding some spinach or other veggies to into my smoothies. My weight has been stagnant for about a year. I am thinking that its not the number of calories I am eating, but maybe what I am eating since counting calories doesn't seem to be working. I have spoke with my doctor and have had my thyroid checked and it was fine. She basically told me that metabolism is slowing as you age and it gets harder to loose weight. She actually suggested going on fen-phen or welbutrin as a weight loss aide. Not sure I want to go that route because of the side effects and I think that may be a short term solution. I basically feel great, I just can't loose any weight! Ugh!
if you are not losing weight, then you are not in a calorie deficit, period.
you can eat a diet of 100% clean calories (whatever that is), be in a surplus, and still gain weight.
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thatdesertgirl777 wrote: »SoDamnHungry wrote: »Everyone who says it's not what you're eating but how much you're eating is probably right. Are you weighing everything? Is your calorie input accurate?
I didn't know Welbutrin worked as a weight loss aid, but would advise against a doctor putting you on antidepressants for weight loss!!
Everyone I know on Wellbutrin GAINED weight. That's so bizarre that they suggested that.
And OP, yes, open your diary and let us look. And get serious by buying a food scale and measuring EVERYTHING, even packaged foods.
I've been on it for a year or so and I've gained 8 or 9lbs; granted I've also started lifting weights 4-6x a week in the last year and upped my caloric intake to support that so I'm thinking it's not so much the medicine that caused my weight gain. I know people that have lost weight from taking it however I wouldn't recommend it for weight loss unless you're a heavy snacker. I find myself snacking and mindlessly eating a lot less than I did before I was on it but come meal time I'm still eating just as much. I think for people that have a habit of sitting in front of the TV and eating a whole bag of chips or whatever it works in the short term.1 -
Why? If this person said they are doing or eating and not losing why are you questioning them. I know what they are saying could be going on. Last year I was hitting the gym 3-4 times a week and watching what I eat. By the end of the year, I was about the same weight as when I started. I got discouraged and was backing off my workouts. Dr. told me I was building back muscle and muscle weights more than fat. So I'm back at the gym, but now I'm tracking my calories with MFP. I can now see some of the things I was eating last year weren't as good as I thought.1
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zumbalover523 wrote: »She basically told me that metabolism is slowing as you age and it gets harder to loose weight. She actually suggested going on fen-phen or welbutrin as a weight loss aide. Not sure I want to go that route because of the side effects and I think that may be a short term solution.
Metabolism does tend to slow down as we age, but I agree with several other posters who said that you're probably eating more than you think you are. Digital food scales can definitely help if that's the case.
As far as fen-phen, I also agree with someone who said that the drug is no longer legal in the US, though there are a couple variants that are legal now. I had initially thought it was likely just Phentermine, which my husband was put on by a "weight loss doctor" last year. (Don't even get me started on that nonsense... They were making him come in for B12 shots & other shots, eating one time per day, taking the drugs for 30 days at a time, etc... He lost weight but he was VERY irritable, and of course, put most of the weight back on after "finishing" the program... Sigh...) But, after Googling, I came across this article (https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/pph_class_action/pph-fen-phen-primary-pulmonary-hypertension-18-18412.html?utm_expid=3607522-13.Y4u1ixZNSt6o8v_5N8VGVA.0&utm_referrer=https://www.google.com) which says "The Fen-Phen of today, so to speak, is the weight-loss drug Qsymia (Topiramate-Phentermine)." Either way, I would agree that this is probably not the road you want to go down with "just" 40 lbs to lose (my husband could lose 100 and still be in the "overweight" category).
Welbutrin, though, I took bupropion (generic form) once upon a time for depression. I *gained* weight while on it. I found forums where others experienced the same thing. It also seemed to initiate anxiety in many people. I wouldn't recommend it at all.
Get a food scale, make sure you're logging everything, and go from there. Also, consider trying vegetables again,maybe in different ways than you have in the past. As I've gotten older (I'm 43), I periodically try new foods, to include vegetables that I never liked before, and have found that my taste buds indeed HAVE changed over time. It's opened me up to a whole new world of things to try. You may find some that you actually *like.*
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You could mix the vegetables into a smoothie with fruit and juice/milk/water. The flavor of spinach completely goes away when mixed with certain things. If you google spinach smoothie you get many results. This could get some vegetables into your diet.
This. Or learn to cook them, which might help you like them. Vegetables are pretty diverse, so I never understand how people don't like them as a category. Many of them are particularly good roasted.
Enjoying them in a soup or stir fry or pasta sauce might help. One way I eat them (although I love them) is by taking whatever I have around (maybe zucchini and summer squash + cauliflower) and sauteeing them in olive oil with some mushrooms and garlic. Add some protein (shrimp works well here) and then maybe some olives and then mix it with pasta (which would have been prepared separately) in a bowl. Add feta cheese and mix about. Something like that might be easier than just a side of vegetables.
Another option to start out is to do a tomato and lean ground beef based sauce and then add in lots of vegetables--they aren't that noticeable if you don't want them to be. Experiment.
Some of these ideas aren't "clean" as you are defining it, perhaps, but I personally think learning to include vegetables in your diet is a worthwhile thing.1 -
bigguyreed wrote: »Why? If this person said they are doing or eating and not losing why are you questioning them. I know what they are saying could be going on. Last year I was hitting the gym 3-4 times a week and watching what I eat. By the end of the year, I was about the same weight as when I started. I got discouraged and was backing off my workouts. Dr. told me I was building back muscle and muscle weights more than fat. So I'm back at the gym, but now I'm tracking my calories with MFP. I can now see some of the things I was eating last year weren't as good as I thought.
how did your Dr determine you had added back muscle? How much muscle did you add?
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Exactly which vegetables do you dislike?
You say you hate veggies, but that covers a lot of edibles. You can tolerate carrots and lettuce (what type of lettuce? Iceberg, Romaine, kale, etc.,...?") in a salad. So are we to understand you don't like tomato, which botanically is a fruit. Eggplant is considered a vegetable, but actually is a large berry. There are other such examples of actual fruits (e.g., olives, squash) that are considered and used as vegetables.
You might try soups and gumbos in which pureed vegetables are added, much like the smoothies that have been recommended.
I say this as someone whose husband dislikes vegetables; he doesn't like asparagus ("It's nothing but a grass!") artichokes, green beans or spinach. But as long as it's not overcooked, he will eat broccoli and snowpeas. And he will eat salads that are packed with all sorts of veggies.
He's also willing to try new additions to our diet--some which he himself has discovered--such as jicama. I even got him to eat okra that was pureed into a chicken and sausage gumbo--a vegetable that many people are put off on because of its sliminess. Check out different cuisines (or the Mediterranean diet) that may utilize vegetables that you might not have considered such as grape leaves, chickpeas, chard.
In any case, it does matter what you eat, for the purpose of eating is to take in nutrients. So, it'd be counterproductive to eat 1400 calories worth of corn chips and other junk food, right?
So find out what vegetables and low-sugar fruits you can tolerate and run with that. And since your doctor has indicated that you're just fine as far as your thyroid and general health is concerned, carefully measure what it is you are eating, dine out occasionally, and try to avoid fast foods that highly processed and laden with chemicals, salt and bad fats.0 -
GibsonGirl55 wrote: »Exactly which vegetables do you dislike?
You say you hate veggies, but that covers a lot of edibles. You can tolerate carrots and lettuce (what type of lettuce? Iceberg, Romaine, kale, etc.,...?") in a salad. So are we to understand you don't like tomato, which botanically is a fruit. Eggplant is considered a vegetable, but actually is a large berry. There are other such examples of actual fruits (e.g., olives, squash) that are considered and used as vegetables.
You might try soups and gumbos in which pureed vegetables are added, much like the smoothies that have been recommended.
I say this as someone whose husband dislikes vegetables; he doesn't like asparagus ("It's nothing but a grass!") artichokes, green beans or spinach. But as long as it's not overcooked, he will eat broccoli and snowpeas. And he will eat salads that are packed with all sorts of veggies.
He's also willing to try new additions to our diet--some which he himself has discovered--such as jicama. I even got him to eat okra that was pureed into a chicken and sausage gumbo--a vegetable that many people are put off on because of its sliminess. Check out different cuisines (or the Mediterranean diet) that may utilize vegetables that you might not have considered such as grape leaves, chickpeas, chard.
In any case, it does matter what you eat, for the purpose of eating is to take in nutrients. So, it'd be counterproductive to eat 1400 calories worth of corn chips and other junk food, right?
So find out what vegetables and low-sugar fruits you can tolerate and run with that. And since your doctor has indicated that you're just fine as far as your thyroid and general health is concerned, carefully measure what it is you are eating, dine out occasionally, and try to avoid fast foods that highly processed and laden with chemicals, salt and bad fats.
that is a strawman argument as no one is recommending that OP eat 1400 calories of corn chips, and who would even want to do that?
What people are saying is that you can eat vegetables, corn chips, eggs, whole wheat bread, lean meats, some cookies, and they will be part of an overall healthy diet as long as OP gets adequate nutrition and stays in calorie targets..
calories = calories so 1400 calories of corn chips =1400 calories of vegetables from an energy standpoint; however, they do not carry the same nutritional profile.
how are you defining highly processed foods?0 -
zumbalover523 wrote: »So I am trying to loose 40lbs. I track my food on a daily basis (233 days straight!) I eat between 1200-1400 calories a day and exercise at least 4x a week. (Zumba, treadmills, CX workout, calisthenics, weights, etc). I can not loose an ounce! I am 47 and super frustrated! A co-worker was seeing weight loss doctor and he put her on a high protein diet, but all she eats is chicken and vegetables and I HATE vegetable (except corn and potatoes.) I will eat a salad with lettuce and carrots, but not much else. Any ideas on how to eat some veggies when you have an intense dislike for them? Love fruit an eat about 3-4 servings a day.
I can relate to this about the veggies. Preparation makes all the difference. I've had luck with roasting zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots in some olive oil and seasoning (the eggplant didn't go so well). It's summer here, so grilling is big as well; zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, onions, I chop them into large chunks, coat in some olive oil, skewer, and add some seasoning and grill.
I also like the steamfresh packets; you can microwave them in the bag, then add whatever flavor you want. I usually add some butter (I like some fat with my veggies). I'm now eating broccoli and cauliflower, which I wouldn't have touched a few years ago.0 -
bigguyreed wrote: »Why? If this person said they are doing or eating and not losing why are you questioning them. I know what they are saying could be going on. Last year I was hitting the gym 3-4 times a week and watching what I eat. By the end of the year, I was about the same weight as when I started. I got discouraged and was backing off my workouts. Dr. told me I was building back muscle and muscle weights more than fat. So I'm back at the gym, but now I'm tracking my calories with MFP. I can now see some of the things I was eating last year weren't as good as I thought.
If your doctor told you muscle weighs more than fat, then you need a new doctor.1 -
bigguyreed wrote: »Why? If this person said they are doing or eating and not losing why are you questioning them. I know what they are saying could be going on. Last year I was hitting the gym 3-4 times a week and watching what I eat. By the end of the year, I was about the same weight as when I started. I got discouraged and was backing off my workouts. Dr. told me I was building back muscle and muscle weights more than fat. So I'm back at the gym, but now I'm tracking my calories with MFP. I can now see some of the things I was eating last year weren't as good as I thought.
Out of curiosity, did you see any changes in how clothing fit, despite the scale staying the same?0 -
I don't eat vegetables except carrots and sweetcorn but I have lost 83lbs, so it can't definitely be done with a deficit of food.2
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So you've tried every vegetable prepared every possible way, and you hate them all? I don't think so. My mother used to boil vegetables, and I hated them then. I've learned since I've been cooking for myself that I love vegetables prepared in certain ways, such as roasting. Just toss with olive oil and your favorite seasonings, then roast at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Really yummy, especially broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. Oh, and summer squash, too.1
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I'm not a super fan of raw vegetables but found that I can find a way to cook most of them that makes them very tasty. If you like fruit, start with the sweeter vegetables like tomatoes (technically a fruit), carrots, sweet potatoes, and beets. I've read that you have to eat a food you don't like 7-8 times to acquire a taste for it. Maybe by starting with sweeter vegetables you can develop a liking for them?1
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chunky_pinup wrote: »
If your doctor told you muscle weighs more than fat, then you need a new doctor.
Can we put this tired thing to rest?
The same volume of muscle weighs more than the same volume of fat. This is a FACT.
The argument you're using, a lb of fat weighs the same as a lb of muscle is universally true of all things.
You are essentially saying that nothing weighs more than anything else, which is ridiculous.
(i.e. a lb of aircraft carrier weighs the same as a lb of feathers, therefore aircraft carriers weigh the same as feathers)3 -
It doesn't matter what you eat--it's how much of it you eat. I think the problem lies in two aspects of your logging: how many calories your food contains and how many calories you burn during exercise.
As long as you are eating at a calorie deficit, you will lose weight. This is an incontestable truth.3 -
When it comes to weight loss and getting fit there is no such think as DISLIKE you just eat what you gotta eat and that is the difference between you and the one who does not accomplish anything.0
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