Those that hate to cook?

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jessayyv
jessayyv Posts: 2 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi I'm new here and was wondering for those who hate cooking (and I mean HATE) how do you maintain healthy eating habits? If anyone wants to be a motivating buddy please let me know!

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  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,998 Member
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    Find some foods you like that fit in your calorie goals. That's all there is to it.

    I wasn't much of a cook when I started this. I have become pretty comfortable with it and I eat SO much better than I did.

    What is it about cooking that you hate? It's cheaper! You can eat much tastier food for about half the cost. Who doesn't like more money? :lol:
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    I used to hate cooking, but I also hated healthy eating, and I didn't know the two were connected. I tried to eat healthy, but I believed healthy food was boring and horrible, so I didn't want to, and it never occurred to me that my assumptions could be wrong, so I never even bothered looking into it.

    Now my understanding of a healthy diet is a wide variety of food from all the food groups - enough of everything every day, but not too much of anything over time. No foods are off limits; no foods should be eaten in unlimited amounts. A healthy relationship with food is a healthy diet AND a relaxed attitude towards food and eating - eating for pleasure and for nutrition are two sides of the same coin. Enjoying good food and treats is important, and boundaries are important. With a little effort, responsible enjoyment can replace veering between self-righteous self-sacrifice and heedless disinhibition, and it's so much better for you (no kidding). Within this framework, cooking delicious and balanced meals, that are also cheap and easy, has become a hobby for me, and maintaining healthy habits is no longer a struggle.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    There are so many levels of cooking. What's the level you're comfortable with? My lunch is very often a microwaved bag of veggie steamers that are already seasoned and sauced, with a veggie burger (fake chicken) sliced up on top. The extent of cooking is basically microwave and dump in a bowl. Minding the calories on the bag of veggies, all sauce is measured, no work whatsoever.

    Another meal I often make is bag of protein (again-- vegetarian meat. I go for Gardein fake chicken nuggets) on half a baking sheet and 300 cals frozen mixed veggies. Bake for 20 min, then I measure and add a sauce, usually italian dressing if it's fake chicken, steak sauce if it's fake beef, lemon garlic dressing if it's fake fish.

    I understand hating measuring complicated recipes or standing over a stove, but my version of cooking really involves opening and closing appliance doors and using timers. I hope you figure out what works for you.
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
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    I don't hate to cook but sometimes I get busy. I go to a local cafe that also does catering. They sell premade meals that are frozen. I will buy several and use them when I don't have time to cook myself. The food is similar to what I would cook at home - not swimming in sodium for example - and really tasty. There are alternatives to cooking at home or eating out in a restaurant. You could also buy microwave meals from the grocery store.
  • Jennifer10723
    Jennifer10723 Posts: 374 Member
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    I don't like to cook either. When I do it once, I do enough for the week. I grill as much as possible. Then the sides are steamed vegetables, micro rice etc. I keep it super simple. Funny enough .. I am a picky eater. So simple works for me. Lunch is most of the time what dinner was the night before .. I have yet to find a frozen already cooked chicken that I like .. but if I find one watch out! lol

    If I make hamburgers .. the next day I will make spaghetti and cut up one of the hamburgers and put it in the sauce .. that kind of thing. Honestly once you get in the groove of what works for YOU it will become second nature. Trust me when I tell you, previously, every meal I ate someone else cooked... so if I can do it YOU CAN!
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,181 Member
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    Honestly, cooking at home could be absolutely free and I'd still probably go out. It just seems like such a waste of time and effort to do every single day! I generally have about 2 hours between getting home and needing to get all my meals and clothes for the next day so I can get to bed. To spend the bulk of that on cooking and cleaning up is just not my priority.

    I do make myself do batch cooking on the weekends. I usually make a plan for breakfasts and make some kind of big entree for lunches and figure out dinners through the week. I'm a big freezer eater. When I get sick of whatever I made to eat for the week, I freeze leftovers in 1-2 serving sizes and pull them out later. I also buy as much pre-prepared as possible. I eat rotisserie chicken, I buy already cut vegetables from either the produce section or the salad bar, get those salad bags that have everything in them already and buy chicken sausages to add protein quickly. I've also found a local food delivery service run by a health coach that makes and delivers crockpot meals every couple of weeks.

    Mostly I make better choices eating out. The key part to me is that eating out isn't an occasion. It's just another meal, so I don't "splurge" on a bunch of apps and desserts or particularly rich entrees. I've found a healthier Asian place that uses fresh vegetables, little oil and lighter sauces. I have a Greek place nearby. Greek food is basically meat and vegetables, so that's usually a good choice. I also automatically assume that a restaurant meal is at least two meals.

    I've lost about 50 pounds eating mostly this way. I am very diligent about weighing and measuring the food I do make or assemble and do the same with delivery when I can. The food I eat out is pretty similar, so I also track it consistently and overestimate, if anything. If my losses slow or stall, then I go back to takeout orders and tighten up there. For me at least, minimal cooking can work!
  • jessayyv
    jessayyv Posts: 2 Member
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    COGypsy wrote: »
    Honestly, cooking at home could be absolutely free and I'd still probably go out. It just seems like such a waste of time and effort to do every single day! I generally have about 2 hours between getting home and needing to get all my meals and clothes for the next day so I can get to bed. To spend the bulk of that on cooking and cleaning up is just not my priority.

    not sure if this is how to respond, but THIS! This is the exact reason I hate cooking!! I feel like it's such a waste of time for what maybe 10 minutes of satisfaction while you're eating it? I do like to eat healthy and I do keep healthy food in the fridge it's just getting home after a long day and having to spend ~an hour (I usually have no idea what I'm doing) prepping/cooking. That's one of the big reasons why I gained weight was because it was much easier to get something from across the street than to cook. I tried to meal prep and it's what I keep telling myself I'm going to get back into, but I hate to waste my off day just in the kitchen :(

    The only thing that worries me about freezer food is the amount of sodium (besides the vegetables) inside everything.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    I still cook, it's just not elaborate and exciting new recipes. I keep it pretty simple.
  • cefleischman
    cefleischman Posts: 46 Member
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    I buy bags of frozen vegetables and then pop them in the oven with some salmon or chicken. I pour marinade right over the chicken (Tessemae is my favorite brand) before putting it in the oven. It's very fast and and lasts me 2-3 meals. I also love healthy slow cooker recipes. I just dump the ingredients in a slow cooker and let it do all of the work. :)
  • lili200
    lili200 Posts: 200 Member
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    Add me! I want to learn more
  • kwitherspoon19
    kwitherspoon19 Posts: 68 Member
    edited October 2017
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    I absolutely hate cooking and switching to meal prepping has dramatically changed my diet and weightloss goals. Every Sunday I pick out meals for the week and i cook them all in bulk and separate them into different containers for the week. Meal prepping often lasts 2 to 2 1/2 hours ( i loathe every second) but once I'm done, i dont have to cook for the rest of the week
  • cefleischman
    cefleischman Posts: 46 Member
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    kwitherspoon19 wrote: »
    I absolutely hate cooking and switching to meal prepping has dramatically changed my diet and weightloss goals. Every Sunday I pick out meals for the week and i cook them all in bulk and separate them into different containers for the week. Meal prepping often lasts 2 to 2 1/2 hours ( i loathe every second) but once I'm done, i dont have to cook for the rest of the week

    Do you freeze some of your end of the week meals? Or how long do they keep?

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