Takeout addiction
Gibbygetsfit89
Posts: 28 Member
I eat a lot of my meals out of the house or get them delivered. I don't really eat the traditional fast food like McDonalds or other burger joints but I figure most other things that aren't home made aren't much better for you either. I've been on my weight loss journey almost a year now and I've only managed to lose 32 lbs. That's not bad but it's not great. I want to do better this next year and lose a lot more. I have 70 lb to go until I reach my goal weight. I would like suggestions on how to revamp my eating, especially since I will be starting school full time in the fall and will not have as much time to cook and workout as I do now.
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Replies
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Just start slowly introducing more cooking into your life. Start with cooking once a week, then try doing it more and more until you're only having takeout once a week.
You could also look into meal-prepping. Find recipes that reheat well in the microwave and dedicate an afternoon to cooking a large quantity of it, then portioning it into individual servings. Then you can put some in the fridge, to be eaten during the week, and put the rest in the freezer for future meals. Good recipes would be things like quiche, casseroles, chili, stew, soups, curries, pastas, steamed/roasted veggies, etc. Things in a sauce reheat well. Raw produce does not generally reheat well after being frozen.
There's nothing wrong with having takeout once and a while, but they usually add a lot more sodium and fat to their meals to make them taste better. You may also find that you're able to save a lot more money when cooking at home, which is great!6 -
Is there a reason you don't prepare your meals at home or do you just prefer takeout?1
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Just start slowly introducing more cooking into your life. Start with cooking once a week, then try doing it more and more until you're only having takeout once a week.
You could also look into meal-prepping. Find recipes that reheat well in the microwave and dedicate an afternoon to cooking a large quantity of it, then portioning it into individual servings. Then you can put some in the fridge, to be eaten during the week, and put the rest in the freezer for future meals. Good recipes would be things like quiche, casseroles, chili, stew, soups, curries, pastas, steamed/roasted veggies, etc. Things in a sauce reheat well. Raw produce does not generally reheat well after being frozen.
There's nothing wrong with having takeout once and a while, but they usually add a lot more sodium and fat to their meals to make them taste better. You may also find that you're able to save a lot more money when cooking at home, which is great!
Thanks for the advice. I would sort of meal prep when I first started but not on a large scale. It would more so being cooking with leftovers I guess. I think I'll look into recipes of the food you have suggested. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply to me.0 -
Gibbygetsfit1989 wrote: »Just start slowly introducing more cooking into your life. Start with cooking once a week, then try doing it more and more until you're only having takeout once a week.
You could also look into meal-prepping. Find recipes that reheat well in the microwave and dedicate an afternoon to cooking a large quantity of it, then portioning it into individual servings. Then you can put some in the fridge, to be eaten during the week, and put the rest in the freezer for future meals. Good recipes would be things like quiche, casseroles, chili, stew, soups, curries, pastas, steamed/roasted veggies, etc. Things in a sauce reheat well. Raw produce does not generally reheat well after being frozen.
There's nothing wrong with having takeout once and a while, but they usually add a lot more sodium and fat to their meals to make them taste better. You may also find that you're able to save a lot more money when cooking at home, which is great!
Thanks for the advice. I would sort of meal prep when I first started but not on a large scale. It would more so being cooking with leftovers I guess. I think I'll look into recipes of the food you have suggested. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply to me.
No problem. Don't be afraid to experiment with cooking - that's the best way to discover new dishes that you enjoy. I like trying recipes from SeriousEats.com because they often go into the science behind it. If you want a whole bunch of tried and tested recipes, AllRecipes.com is great too. There is definitely no shortage of recipes to try on the web!2 -
kschwab0203 wrote: »Is there a reason you don't prepare your meals at home or do you just prefer takeout?
I can't really think of a reason besides laziness honestly. I struggle with depression and it's hard for me to get the motivation to do a lot of things. I'm honestly surprised I manage to get to the gym 3x a week. I really do want to lose this weight but I feel like I put in minimal effort and I'm not quite sure how to get myself more committed. My journey started as a way to regain a semblance of control in my life at a time when I was going through a lot of changes and stresses. I guess I got sort of better around the holidays that I started slacking off and not trying as hard. I'm not sure that it even makes sense but I just never got back into the swing of things. Coming up on a year at it, I'm not really satisfied with my results and I know I have to make changes to see the results I want.
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Gibbygetsfit1989 wrote: »kschwab0203 wrote: »Is there a reason you don't prepare your meals at home or do you just prefer takeout?
I can't really think of a reason besides laziness honestly. I struggle with depression and it's hard for me to get the motivation to do a lot of things. I'm honestly surprised I manage to get to the gym 3x a week. I really do want to lose this weight but I feel like I put in minimal effort and I'm not quite sure how to get myself more committed. My journey started as a way to regain a semblance of control in my life at a time when I was going through a lot of changes and stresses. I guess I got sort of better around the holidays that I started slacking off and not trying as hard. I'm not sure that it even makes sense but I just never got back into the swing of things. Coming up on a year at it, I'm not really satisfied with my results and I know I have to make changes to see the results I want.
Just want to say that losing 32 pounds is no small accomplishment! I understand you want to lose more, but don't forget to recognize what you've already accomplished. To me, "minimal effort" means that someone isn't progressing towards their goals. You're going slower than you'd like maybe, but you are progressing.6 -
do you have a crockpot? those things are great if you don't have the time to put in much effort. have a taste for mexican? throw in some chicken and a jar of your favorite salsa, cover it and heat on low for 4 hours and walk away. feeling italian? buy some frozen meatballs and dump in a jar of marinara sauce, rinse and repeat! for that, i like to add spinach and mushrooms if you want to get your veggie intake. my brother does the frozen meatballs with some BBQ sauce which is delicious!4
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I find almost instant satisfaction when I do things that I know are in my best interest. Self-care is the most important thing any of us do, I believe.
It only takes me maybe 30 minutes extra to cook and clean up after my meal and I'm so much happier with the food that I prepare from scratch.
My go-to meals are really simple; meat and a few vegetables. Spaghetti and salad. Shrimp ceasar. Stir fry. Chicken tostada, chicken ceasar, chicken sausage with beans and peppers and onion (sort of a gourmet beanie-weenie) with a side of steamed or roasted vegetables. Precooked meat like pot roast or pork shoulder in the crock pot with a salad or vegetables. Tuna sandwiches. Homemade curried squash soup with a grilled tomato and cheese. Low skill/ quick heat up or reheat.
It doesn't have to be fancy. I have probably 20 different staple meals that get rotated.
You'll feel much better about yourself when you are spending time in the produce section or cooking. Cooking nourishes the soul.3 -
What really put me off restaurant food was making quality food at home.
I'm not really the type to cook anything that takes a long time and I don't meal prep really I just cook recipes that can be fixed in 30 minutes or less or I throw stuff in the oven or crockpot. It seems like it takes a lot of effort, but it really doesn't.
I think once you get in the habit of cooking it will become routine and usually it's less expensive than eating out all the time as well.3 -
You can try one of those meal delivery services like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh.3
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court_alacarte wrote: »do you have a crockpot? those things are great if you don't have the time to put in much effort. have a taste for mexican? throw in some chicken and a jar of your favorite salsa, cover it and heat on low for 4 hours and walk away. feeling italian? buy some frozen meatballs and dump in a jar of marinara sauce, rinse and repeat! for that, i like to add spinach and mushrooms if you want to get your veggie intake. my brother does the frozen meatballs with some BBQ sauce which is delicious!
I bought a crockpot a while back but never used it so I ended up giving it away. I may have to give it a try again. Thanks for the advice.
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janejellyroll wrote: »Gibbygetsfit1989 wrote: »kschwab0203 wrote: »Is there a reason you don't prepare your meals at home or do you just prefer takeout?
I can't really think of a reason besides laziness honestly. I struggle with depression and it's hard for me to get the motivation to do a lot of things. I'm honestly surprised I manage to get to the gym 3x a week. I really do want to lose this weight but I feel like I put in minimal effort and I'm not quite sure how to get myself more committed. My journey started as a way to regain a semblance of control in my life at a time when I was going through a lot of changes and stresses. I guess I got sort of better around the holidays that I started slacking off and not trying as hard. I'm not sure that it even makes sense but I just never got back into the swing of things. Coming up on a year at it, I'm not really satisfied with my results and I know I have to make changes to see the results I want.
Just want to say that losing 32 pounds is no small accomplishment! I understand you want to lose more, but don't forget to recognize what you've already accomplished. To me, "minimal effort" means that someone isn't progressing towards their goals. You're going slower than you'd like maybe, but you are progressing.
Thank you. Yeah I try and focus on what I have accomplished but I do still feel a bit bad that it wasn't more.
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cmriverside wrote: »I find almost instant satisfaction when I do things that I know are in my best interest. Self-care is the most important thing any of us do, I believe.
It only takes me maybe 30 minutes extra to cook and clean up after my meal and I'm so much happier with the food that I prepare from scratch.
My go-to meals are really simple; meat and a few vegetables. Spaghetti and salad. Shrimp ceasar. Stir fry. Chicken tostada, chicken ceasar, chicken sausage with beans and peppers and onion (sort of a gourmet beanie-weenie) with a side of steamed or roasted vegetables. Precooked meat like pot roast or pork shoulder in the crock pot with a salad or vegetables. Tuna sandwiches. Homemade curried squash soup with a grilled tomato and cheese. Low skill/ quick heat up or reheat.
It doesn't have to be fancy. I have probably 20 different staple meals that get rotated.
You'll feel much better about yourself when you are spending time in the produce section or cooking. Cooking nourishes the soul.
I did feel better about myself when I used to cook. I've been meaning to make a meal plan so that I know what to buy but I always put it off. Otherwise I never really know what to buy at the supermarket and then just don't have anything to put together to make an actual meal.0 -
What really put me off restaurant food was making quality food at home.
I'm not really the type to cook anything that takes a long time and I don't meal prep really I just cook recipes that can be fixed in 30 minutes or less or I throw stuff in the oven or crockpot. It seems like it takes a lot of effort, but it really doesn't.
I think once you get in the habit of cooking it will become routine and usually it's less expensive than eating out all the time as well.
Yeah, I know I would save so much money. I have to look into some simple recipes. Thank you.0 -
While I agree with other suggestions here, I'm going to put something else out there just as another possible option.
If you really don't enjoy cooking and don't see it becoming a lifelong habit, you could be better served (no pun intended) by finding ways to manage your calories more efficiently while eating out.
I'd be less inclined to make this suggestion if you hadn't already lost a considerable amount of weight. You're obviously good at managing what you eat at a restaurant which can be challenging for a lot of people.
One reason I'm putting this idea out there is because I don't sense that you're especially keen on learning how to cook at home for the rest of your life, but that you'd be doing it primarily to aid in your weight loss. If that's the case what's your plan once you reach your goal? Continue cooking yourself? Fall back into eating most of your meals out?
I'd recommend considering what your eating life will look like on the other side of your weight loss and design your eating plan based on that. This will make the transition to maintenance much easier while making it much more sustainable in the long run.
For what it's worth, I eat about 1/2 of my meals out and I'm losing a bit over a pound a week, so it's doable. I enjoying eating out and intend to do so in maintenance.
Best of luck to you!
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Couple suggestions to build on what's already been covered.
myfridgefood.com : enter what you have on hand, and it will give you recipes, you can even ask for crock pot recipes
Easy prep cooking: crockpot is great, because you can add in what you want and walk away until it's ready. Another cooker that I use is a three tier steamer. I usually do rice in the bottom, meat of some sort in the middle, and veggies on the top tier. Set for 25-35 minutes to cook and walk away.
Cook big meals. Make enough so that you have left overs for three days. That way, you only have to cook twice a week.
Set yourself some goals. Two options come to mind. If you are going to cook the big meals to last for three days, that will be cook twice per week and have the take out/delivery on the seventh day. Or make a deal with yourself that you will only consume home cooked meals for the next two weeks in exchange for a reward of some sort (preferably not a food reward, but something that is high enough value that it is worth the challenge of changing your behaviours, which is no small feat).
Give yourself credit for any successes you have. Big or small, don't diminish how hard you are working toward your goals. The problem with depression is that it makes it harder to enjoy the small successes, and sometimes those are all we have.2 -
I work full-time and have 3 young kids so I understand the lack of motivation. I try and cook twice a week and eat leftovers the day or two afterwards. Then a simple meal in between (sandwiches, salad, frozen meals) and still eat out some. My crockpot is great, and other go to meals are tacos (beef or chicken), breakfast casseroles, tomato and garlic pasta and light parmesan alfredo. Start small and plan 1 meal with leftovers, then add in another the next week.
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Gibbygetsfit1989 wrote: »kschwab0203 wrote: »Is there a reason you don't prepare your meals at home or do you just prefer takeout?
I can't really think of a reason besides laziness honestly. I struggle with depression and it's hard for me to get the motivation to do a lot of things. I'm honestly surprised I manage to get to the gym 3x a week. I really do want to lose this weight but I feel like I put in minimal effort and I'm not quite sure how to get myself more committed. My journey started as a way to regain a semblance of control in my life at a time when I was going through a lot of changes and stresses. I guess I got sort of better around the holidays that I started slacking off and not trying as hard. I'm not sure that it even makes sense but I just never got back into the swing of things. Coming up on a year at it, I'm not really satisfied with my results and I know I have to make changes to see the results I want.
I am completely with you on the depression. I know exactly what it's like to come home from work and just sit on the couch in pajamas all night. Sure, I have time to do the things but I cannot make myself do them. I'm in awe that you manage the gym 3 times a week. It's not laziness. Please don't beat yourself up on this. Your journey is your journey; no one else's.2 -
Start with breakfast at home. Breakfast is fast and easy to make at home . Once you get confidence you can start doing lunch and dinner2
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Chef_Barbell wrote: »You can try one of those meal delivery services like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh.
x2. When I first wanted to cook more and eat out less, I tries Blue Apron for a couple of months. It got spendy, but it got me into the habit of cooking at home, so it was worth it. I would make one meal for dinner and have the second portion as leftovers the next day. I went from eating out/ordering in 4+ times a week to maybe once or twice. Now, I *might* eat out once a week, but 90% of all my cooking is done at home.
Meal delivery plans are great to break a rut and I kept all of my recipe cards so that I can go back and make versions of the dishes with easier to find ingredients.
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ladyhusker39 wrote: »While I agree with other suggestions here, I'm going to put something else out there just as another possible option.
If you really don't enjoy cooking and don't see it becoming a lifelong habit, you could be better served (no pun intended) by finding ways to manage your calories more efficiently while eating out.
I'd be less inclined to make this suggestion if you hadn't already lost a considerable amount of weight. You're obviously good at managing what you eat at a restaurant which can be challenging for a lot of people.
One reason I'm putting this idea out there is because I don't sense that you're especially keen on learning how to cook at home for the rest of your life, but that you'd be doing it primarily to aid in your weight loss. If that's the case what's your plan once you reach your goal? Continue cooking yourself? Fall back into eating most of your meals out?
I'd recommend considering what your eating life will look like on the other side of your weight loss and design your eating plan based on that. This will make the transition to maintenance much easier while making it much more sustainable in the long run.
For what it's worth, I eat about 1/2 of my meals out and I'm losing a bit over a pound a week, so it's doable. I enjoying eating out and intend to do so in maintenance.
Best of luck to you!
Thanks for the reply. I don't mind cooking but I don't find myself wanting to much right now. I track everything I eat but I could definitely make better choices because I'm not always getting under or within a decent range of my calorie goal. I definitely agree that I have to stick to a plan that will carry over into maintenance. Takeout will definitely be a part of that equation.
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nutmegoreo wrote: »Couple suggestions to build on what's already been covered.
myfridgefood.com : enter what you have on hand, and it will give you recipes, you can even ask for crock pot recipes
Easy prep cooking: crockpot is great, because you can add in what you want and walk away until it's ready. Another cooker that I use is a three tier steamer. I usually do rice in the bottom, meat of some sort in the middle, and veggies on the top tier. Set for 25-35 minutes to cook and walk away.
Cook big meals. Make enough so that you have left overs for three days. That way, you only have to cook twice a week.
Set yourself some goals. Two options come to mind. If you are going to cook the big meals to last for three days, that will be cook twice per week and have the take out/delivery on the seventh day. Or make a deal with yourself that you will only consume home cooked meals for the next two weeks in exchange for a reward of some sort (preferably not a food reward, but something that is high enough value that it is worth the challenge of changing your behaviours, which is no small feat).
Give yourself credit for any successes you have. Big or small, don't diminish how hard you are working toward your goals. The problem with depression is that it makes it harder to enjoy the small successes, and sometimes those are all we have.
That sounds like an amazingly helpful site, I'll check that out asap. Thank you. I like the idea of a reward system as well. A lot of you are suggesting the crock pot so it seems tried and true.
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I work full-time and have 3 young kids so I understand the lack of motivation. I try and cook twice a week and eat leftovers the day or two afterwards. Then a simple meal in between (sandwiches, salad, frozen meals) and still eat out some. My crockpot is great, and other go to meals are tacos (beef or chicken), breakfast casseroles, tomato and garlic pasta and light parmesan alfredo. Start small and plan 1 meal with leftovers, then add in another the next week.
Thank you. Those are all great ideas.
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kellieinkc wrote: »Gibbygetsfit1989 wrote: »kschwab0203 wrote: »Is there a reason you don't prepare your meals at home or do you just prefer takeout?
I can't really think of a reason besides laziness honestly. I struggle with depression and it's hard for me to get the motivation to do a lot of things. I'm honestly surprised I manage to get to the gym 3x a week. I really do want to lose this weight but I feel like I put in minimal effort and I'm not quite sure how to get myself more committed. My journey started as a way to regain a semblance of control in my life at a time when I was going through a lot of changes and stresses. I guess I got sort of better around the holidays that I started slacking off and not trying as hard. I'm not sure that it even makes sense but I just never got back into the swing of things. Coming up on a year at it, I'm not really satisfied with my results and I know I have to make changes to see the results I want.
I am completely with you on the depression. I know exactly what it's like to come home from work and just sit on the couch in pajamas all night. Sure, I have time to do the things but I cannot make myself do them. I'm in awe that you manage the gym 3 times a week. It's not laziness. Please don't beat yourself up on this. Your journey is your journey; no one else's.
Thank you. It really helps to have people who understand.
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Chef_Barbell wrote: »You can try one of those meal delivery services like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh.
x2. When I first wanted to cook more and eat out less, I tries Blue Apron for a couple of months. It got spendy, but it got me into the habit of cooking at home, so it was worth it. I would make one meal for dinner and have the second portion as leftovers the next day. I went from eating out/ordering in 4+ times a week to maybe once or twice. Now, I *might* eat out once a week, but 90% of all my cooking is done at home.
Meal delivery plans are great to break a rut and I kept all of my recipe cards so that I can go back and make versions of the dishes with easier to find ingredients.
Thanks. I never really thought to try one.0 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »You can try one of those meal delivery services like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh.
Hey, sorry I missed this before. I will definitely look into it. Thank you.
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Gibbygetsfit1989 wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »Couple suggestions to build on what's already been covered.
myfridgefood.com : enter what you have on hand, and it will give you recipes, you can even ask for crock pot recipes
Easy prep cooking: crockpot is great, because you can add in what you want and walk away until it's ready. Another cooker that I use is a three tier steamer. I usually do rice in the bottom, meat of some sort in the middle, and veggies on the top tier. Set for 25-35 minutes to cook and walk away.
Cook big meals. Make enough so that you have left overs for three days. That way, you only have to cook twice a week.
Set yourself some goals. Two options come to mind. If you are going to cook the big meals to last for three days, that will be cook twice per week and have the take out/delivery on the seventh day. Or make a deal with yourself that you will only consume home cooked meals for the next two weeks in exchange for a reward of some sort (preferably not a food reward, but something that is high enough value that it is worth the challenge of changing your behaviours, which is no small feat).
Give yourself credit for any successes you have. Big or small, don't diminish how hard you are working toward your goals. The problem with depression is that it makes it harder to enjoy the small successes, and sometimes those are all we have.
That sounds like an amazingly helpful site, I'll check that out asap. Thank you. I like the idea of a reward system as well. A lot of you are suggesting the crock pot so it seems tried and true.
I use what I have on hand plus time before the food is needed to decide between the crockpot, the steamer, or making something that I need to stand around and watch. I do enjoy my delivery though. I find it easier to control my calories when cooking myself. Restaurant food will have greater variability depending on the cook.1 -
Gibbygetsfit1989 wrote: »I eat a lot of my meals out of the house or get them delivered. I don't really eat the traditional fast food like McDonalds or other burger joints but I figure most other things that aren't home made aren't much better for you either. I've been on my weight loss journey almost a year now and I've only managed to lose 32 lbs. That's not bad but it's not great. I want to do better this next year and lose a lot more. I have 70 lb to go until I reach my goal weight. I would like suggestions on how to revamp my eating, especially since I will be starting school full time in the fall and will not have as much time to cook and workout as I do now.
Congratulations on your weight loss. Although you're eating out a lot, it isn't impossible to make healthy choices from restaurant food, and you seem to be doing that. Keep it up.
Since I've been on this site I realize that everyone's reality is different. A lot depends on your cultural background and your experience growing up. As a child, I always saw my mother cooking food, and when I went to my grandparents during the school holidays, they cooked at home as well. So after I got married I obviously expected this would continue as the "normal" way of life. We still generally eat what we cook at home. I can't quite relate to sitting down in a restaurant to eat a meal, although I'd occasionally buy fast food as an emergency until I can reach home to eat regular food.0 -
I skimmed through the responses so not sure if someone else mentioned this. If so, sorry for a repeat.
Do you have a friend of relative that you could meal prep with? Although I do enjoy cooking most of the time I go through periods where I'm just not in the mood and it's nice to have stuff on hand so you don't have to go out.
I used to do these huge meal preps with a friend of mine. We'd put together meal plans for about 2 weeks (soup, chili, spaghetti, rice bowls), then make a shopping list. We'd go shopping together and buy a lot of fresh proteins and produce and then take it all to one of our houses and get busy cooking together. Being thrifty, we'd save up cottage cheese containers and take out containers to re-use and then label everything. When we were done we'd split the cost and split the food containers 50/50. Then we'd both have lots to draw from for meals over the next couple weeks.
I've moved, so it's no longer convenient to get together like that, but that was a great way to stay out of the take-out routine and we had a lot of fun doing it, too!1
This discussion has been closed.
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