Foods to help lose weight

dswizzles
dswizzles Posts: 23 Member
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
My main problem is that I have no idea what to eat for lunch and dinner on a regular basis to help me lose weight. I can eat salad sure, but I don't want to get sick of that.

Do you guys have any ideas on what i can make that is healthy and tastes good?

Changing my diet is hard if I don't know what to cook!

Replies

  • TheKitsune6
    TheKitsune6 Posts: 5,798 Member
    Anything can be healthy if you eat it in moderation.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    You can google and find recipes of just about any kind (low-fat, low glycemic index, low glycemic load, high protein, low carb, etc.). Try out several sites until you find one (or more) that suits your tastes. Even if you don't follow the recipes exactly you can get a lot of good ideas.
  • livi_cowgirl
    livi_cowgirl Posts: 198 Member
    Sorry, no ideas for you. Just wanted to comment so I could keep track of this thread. I'm interested in finding out what others say. Cos I eat a lot of salad cos it's the only thing I can thnk of to shift the weight but I'm sick to death of it so I really need some ideas. x
  • Chel702
    Chel702 Posts: 23
    Chicken wraps are tasty. I buy the butter lettuce, grill some chicken, season it lightly with lemon juice and garlic salt and make a wrap. I usually make enough for dinner and next day lunch. Hope it helps :))
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Anything can be healthy if you eat it in moderation.

    Well, that's not exactly true. You can eat unhealthy foods in moderation and you can still be healthy. But some foods are never going to healthy.
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
    Push the protein and the fiber, watch the sodium and the sugar. That's it in a nutshell. Feel free to look at my diary if you need specific ideas. :)
  • GypsyRose25
    GypsyRose25 Posts: 407
    Weight Watchers cookbooks have an amazing selection of foods that are healthy and tasty! I've made many, many recipes and am thoroughly happy with them all. the books come with nutritional info, and you can ignore the points that they state.
  • Jenncoc86
    Jenncoc86 Posts: 203 Member
    I love light Wasa crackers 20 cal for a large cracker. I like to break them in half and eat them with salsa or humus and pickles. There are so many things you can do and they are very fill with few calories.
  • nrvo
    nrvo Posts: 473 Member
    I eat a lot of cottage cheese w/ fruit or greek yogurt w/ fruit. I like buying the inexpensive seasonal berries and stuff at the farmers market (and at Costco!). My diary is open - feel free to check it out :smile:
  • TheKitsune6
    TheKitsune6 Posts: 5,798 Member
    Anything can be healthy if you eat it in moderation.

    Well, that's not exactly true. You can eat unhealthy foods in moderation and you can still be healthy. But some foods are never going to healthy.

    What foods are never going to be healthy? I bet anything you name I can mention good qualities it has that the body benefits from.
  • RissaDean
    RissaDean Posts: 189 Member
    Well, what do you like? In my experience, it's been easier to modify foods I already like to be lower calorie than try brand new foods. Also, I've tried to eat smaller portions of things I really like and throw in some healthy side dishes or a salad to go with.

    Also, make a list of several quick and easy meals that you can keep the ingredients on hand for so that when you get to that OMG I AM STAAAAAAARVING mode, you don't reach for bad things. Example: At work we are lucky enough to have a full size fridge, so I keep sandwich stuff on hand as well as salad and precooked chicken. So I can always have one of two healthy meals without having to have a bunch of "special" food.

    I try to stay away from the prepackaged stuff, only because it doesn't fill me up. I'm pretty sure I have some sort of mental block about eating "enough" food in a box that small :)
  • syd1980
    syd1980 Posts: 283
    what helped me was a 4 hour grocery trip. i took my time looked at the back of everything. also the lean cusine , healthy choices help me at lunch to make better choices. you just have to try them and find the ones you like.
  • Strive2BLean
    Strive2BLean Posts: 300 Member
    Is this the first time you've tried to lose weight? I guess you're a real newbie! Anyway, it seems like There's not much more I can add to the rest of your replies. Good luck and hope you can work it out. P.S> the best advice I can give you is to eat whole foods,meaning stay away from processed food cause that's where the sugar and sodium is and not much fiber. I personally don't eat anything made with flour in it and that pretty much does away with processed food.
  • george_park
    george_park Posts: 8 Member
    I eat a combination of Kashi cereals, Quaker Oatmeal and Egg Beaters (with some deli flats, fresh green pepper) for breakfast.

    For lunch I eat Greek yogurt, chicken, salads, French Onion soup, chili, Egg Beaters, steamed veggies with some cheese - things that I can measure or easily guess (I have myfitnesspal on my blackberry and android phones, enter that info right at the table).

    For dinner I'll grill marinated chicken or fish, make some burgers (no bun), go back to steamed veggies, Egg Beaters, etc.

    No matter what I eat I always enter it into myfitnesspal first to see where I am - I have the app on my BB, Android, PCs, etc.

    I have some 'safe' foods I know I can eat just about anywhere.

    I really try not to limit myself other than staying away from foods with a lot of sugar in them.

    I'll have just a taste of something I need to stay away from keeping in mind that the last bite tastes exactly the same as the first.
  • dswizzles
    dswizzles Posts: 23 Member
    I have eaten a lot of chicken, brown rice, salads, corn, green beans, and ground turkey. I think the hardest thing for me is that I need a lot of flavor in my foods and I can get sick of things fast. And I LOVE cheese. Also it is hard for me to come home after I go to the gym and cook something because by then it is pretty late. If I cook anything I like to cook enough that will last me through the week so I can just warm it up quickly.

    Thanks for the tips everyone. I will check out a few diaries and the Weight Watchers cook book and see if I find anything I like. I have a feeling I am making this harder than it is!
  • dswizzles
    dswizzles Posts: 23 Member
    Is this the first time you've tried to lose weight? I guess you're a real newbie! Anyway, it seems like There's not much more I can add to the rest of your replies. Good luck and hope you can work it out. P.S> the best advice I can give you is to eat whole foods,meaning stay away from processed food cause that's where the sugar and sodium is and not much fiber. I personally don't eat anything made with flour in it and that pretty much does away with processed food.

    This is the first time I have had full control over my diet since I live on my own now.
  • damonmath
    damonmath Posts: 359 Member
    Chicken, brown rice, black beans and veggies....

    or

    Fish, brown rice, black beans and veggies....

    You can't go wrong with the above ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

    Lean beef is ok too, just not as lean as chicken and fish.
  • babygurl48
    babygurl48 Posts: 1,237 Member
    TAKE A LOOK AT THE WEBSITE SKINNY TASTE.COM. LOTS OF IDEAS ON THERE FOR COOKING LOW FAT RECIPES AND GIVES U NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF THE FOOD AS WELL. HOPE THAT HELPS.
  • Olivia1977
    Olivia1977 Posts: 84 Member
    Limit white flour and sugar. Add lots of fruits and veggies, lean protien ( comes in many forms) and limit high fat dressing and high fat dairy. Log it all in your food diary and after awhile you will see what works and doesn't work for you. Also,the occasional splurge is okay and in my case necessary in order to stick with eating healthy most of the time!!! Hope this helps...

    P.S. Move!!! All types of excercise matters!
  • CRody44
    CRody44 Posts: 776 Member
    If you have a Williams-Sonoma close to you (google it), go look at a book they sell, Weeknight Fresh and Fast. It stresses fresh food and has a lot of fast, quick recipes. I have cooked over a dozen out of the book and still have another half dozen that I am really interested in. I have no financial interest in the company, just love to cook.
  • bac0s
    bac0s Posts: 48 Member
    I love skinnytaste.com, too. There's a ton of really good recipes. I've made the carnitas, the cilantro lime rice, Santa Fe chicken, spinach lasagna roll-ups, pasta fagioli, and minestrone (probably more, these are just off the top of my head) and loved them... and so did my non-weight watching husband.

    Fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean meats...
  • bethanyranes
    bethanyranes Posts: 44 Member
    I eat so much chicken, I'm worried I may grow feathers :-) Seriously, though, it's cheap, it tastes good, and you can make it so many different ways that I never get sick of it. Oven "fried" chicken is my favorite - I take a boneless skinless chicken breast, spray it with a quick blast of cooking spray, and toss it in crushed up corn flakes mixed with herbs, Bake that for 30-40 minutes at 375* and you've got a tasty treat. WAY fewer calories than the deep-fried version, too!
  • pennyg8187
    pennyg8187 Posts: 1
    My new favorite for dinner is an egg white frittata with spinach, mushrooms and goat cheese. Great post work out dinner and when you need a low cal meal. Lunch is a huge salad with home made vingerette, add a protein like nuts, crab, shrimp or chicken. Your key to healthy dinners and lunches is lean proteins, chicken and fish and all the veggies and fruit you can stomach. Healthy grains like quinoa are good.
  • jpriebe317
    jpriebe317 Posts: 8
    I agree salads can get really old fast. Grilled items are better than fried. Chicken, turkey and fish are the best. Red meats and pork products have more fat in them. Lots of fruits and veggies. Wraps made with lettuce instead of tortillas.
    I have personally given up all starches/bad carbs for the time being. No rice, potatoes, pastas, breads, etc. It seems to be working really well.
    This site is awesome and it will really help! Good luck to you! You can do it!
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