Finding it hard... Need ideas

Jade1x
Jade1x Posts: 166
edited October 1 in Introduce Yourself
Hi people thanks for clicking on the link.
This is my 3rd day and i think im doing pretty well. But the problems starting where i cant think of foods to eat (might sound stupid) but im so unhealthy i live off takeaways & junk (blame my boyfriend he think because he's active and doesnt put weight on i wont) Asiff!! I wished. So was thinking if people didnt mind adding me and maybe i could look at some of your food plans get some ideas? Would be great and ull be helping me ALOT!! Doesnt have to be cooked meals because to be honest im quite lazy in cooking only like simple quick and easy foods -_-

Thanks again everyone :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • scaponigro
    scaponigro Posts: 3 Member
    Well... I mean this in the nicest way. The first step is to shift the blame on the only person that controls what you eat and that is you. You are the one with the control. Choose leans meats Turkey, Tuna, Fish(cooks very quickly). Add a veggie.(Most will steam in a bag in the microwave if you are lazy or you can eat raw) Eat fruit, nuts, low fat dairy as snacks. Make sure you grain choices are high fiber. Choose yogurt or vinegar based dressings over other creamy varieties.
  • KnightsGal76
    KnightsGal76 Posts: 69 Member
    You are welcome to look over my dairy (it is public) to see if it helps you at all :)
  • CassieLEO
    CassieLEO Posts: 757 Member
    Well... I mean this in the nicest way. The first step is to shift the blame on the only person that controls what you eat and that is you. You are the one with the control. Choose leans meats Turkey, Tuna, Fish(cooks very quickly). Add a veggie.(Most will steam in a bag in the microwave if you are lazy or you can eat raw) Eat fruit, nuts, low fat dairy as snacks. Make sure you grain choices are high fiber. Choose yogurt or vinegar based dressings over other creamy varieties.

    Yup, what she says. I would look through peoples diaries and see what they eat. You are welcome to look at mine.
  • Feel free to add me if you need ideas. I am the same as you and am finding it hard too. Junk is my friend. But trying my best do better
  • persian_star
    persian_star Posts: 197 Member
    I have EXACTLY the same problem! I (and my hubby) both really want to eat healthily, but by the time I've worked all day (and exercised, and done housework, blah blah blah) making dinner is just so hard - and it's not like I don't like cooking, I just never know WHAT to make :os Hubby not helpful, when I ask what he wants to eat, he always says "Food" *grrr* So I think he has as few ideas as me. It's quite tempting to join one of those weight loss plans that gives you a full meal plan, but we're trying to save money too. SO!

    What I've done in my head is tried to break it down to components to help me change the way I think about meals, so I said, right, we have PROTEIN, VEG and CARBS as the three main food groups for dinner.
    - Protein for us mostly means meat (I try and sneak some fish in occasionally but neither of us really likes it, and I know people add in nuts but I honestly find them gross) which I try and make as lean as poss by removing all fat.
    - Veg is horrendously hard as hubby is an extremely picky eater, so my standbys are sweetcorn, carrots and peas, though I do try and put other things on the plate occasionally. In summer salad can take the place of veg, but since hubby point blank refuses it it's not so easy!
    - With carbs, because they're filling, it's easy to rely on them as a main component of dinner, so I've been trying to cut down on portion sizes and make it as wholewheat as possible - wholewheat rice, pasta and bread. I also have my favourite: mash (which you can't make any healthier) but I try and have it for treats instead of regularly.
    And then you have the all important thing that holds it all together - SAUCES (or flavours).

    So I try and build my meal from those blocks (often depending on what is in the fridge!) and just try and vary it as much as possible (which, I think, is the key to successful dieting - variety). So for example, if I have some mince, I might put in some chilli con carne spices, team it with rice, and get red kidney beans as a bonus (and then try and have some fruit afterwards to make up for lack of veg), or I'll look through the freezer and get out fish or chicken in breadcrumbs, which means you don't even need extra flavourings, just a dollop of mash and some peas. I keep thinking one day I'll put together a set of easy to make recipes built on these prinicples so I can say - lets have recipe 5... or 13 tonight. But I never have *l* And I know that many of my current staples aren't neceesarily the healthiest compared to what many of the MFP memebrs, but they're still healthier than a pizza!

    Often the place where temptation is overcome is in the supermaket - if I can buy healthily, we're quite likely to eat healthily. However, if of an evening my brain can't get round it, we fall into the 'we have no food, time for pizza/curry/chinese takeaway' - which undoes about a year of hard work >:o( And it still happens annoyingly often!

    Oh, and it's nice to have a little treat for pudding - ice lollies work very very well - low in calories, sweet treat and last forever in the freezer (oh, and are very cheap :o)

    I really am going to put together some recipes though, maybe when I'm off work in October ;o) Feel free to friend me if you like, though I'm not sure my food diary will be overly helpful. Good luck!
  • I find I can eat more if I prepare my meals myself then if I go out, but with a busy lifestyle it is hard to always cook myself. I try to cook in larger batches so I can have easy to heat up leftovers. Some ideas that work well for that are below:
    - Marinate chicken in Italian dressing for 15 minutes. Put a little bit of olive oil in a saute pan. Cook on medium to medium high heat until cooked through. You can make a large quantity of this and have it for several days.
    - I also stock up on the steam fresh vegetables so that you can get fresh and seasoned veggies really easily.
    - I love popcorn now and that is something that can fill you up with not as many carbs as you would think. To mix it up, I buy some popcorn seasoning.
    - I try to keep some easily sauteed protein options for a quick lunch like turkey kielbasa.
    - For going out, there are some places that have some variety with healthier options. Some that I have found are IHOP, Applebee's, Taco Bell, Pizza places with salad bars and Wendy's.
    - For breakfast, I find it is really easy to scramble some eggs (I add some cheddar cheese and salsa on top) and turkey bacon.
    - If you like sandwiches, you can get the light or sugar free bread. I try to add honey mustard instead of mayo.
    - If you like hamburgers, I get the 96% lean ground beef and that is very healthy. You can add seasoning to it as you cook or make it a bacon burger with turkey bacon.
    - For breakfast, another quick and possible make ahead option is cottage cheese with light yogurt (I use the light and fit because it has lower carbs) and fruit (could be fresh, frozen or canned light/no sugar added).
    - Have healthy snacks handy - fruit, 100 calorie pack items, cheese, etc.

    Just a few ideas that came to mind quickly. Good luck!
  • Jade1x
    Jade1x Posts: 166
    some great ideas girls. Liking the sound of 'Marinate chicken' :bigsmile: This groups great for the support and makes you well aware of what you are actually eatting! Its quick easy and simple! Im glad my friend told me about it :smile: And i think ive added you all from this page if not sorry i missed you out and can add me if u please! Good luck to every1 & happy weightloss :happy:
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