Not putting much effort into my food
LatoyasTime
Posts: 18 Member
I used to pretty much eat nothing but fast food and Pre-packaged stuff from the grocery store. Now that I’m on a weight loss journey with almost 200 pounds total to lose I’m going grocery shopping once a week and just eating what a buy but I’ve realized I’m mostly getting pre-packaged stuff or quick snack stuff and I’m wondering if I need to be cooking and eating fresh foods more. Does it really matter if I’m still losing weight and I’m overall satisfied with how I’m eating now? I Love fruit but I have a hard time with vegetables bc as childish as it sounds I just don’t like them all that much. Is it really just calories in and out that matter or do I need to cut back on the pre-packaged food and put more effort into my meals?
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Replies
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I personally would put a lot more efforts into your meals. The only processed food I intake is protein powder.
Cooking meals and meal prepping takes a little more effort but I feel a lot better about myself and my skin as never looked better.
It is calories in and out but also watch your sodium intake. Pre packaged foods tend to be higher in sodium to preserve it2 -
You're talking about 2 different things. Weight loss vs Health. You lose weight just by eating less and moving more. To lose weight it doesn't matter what you eat, only how much. You can lose weight eating nothing but junk as long as you keep within your calorie limits. But to be healthy, you should be eating a variety of foods from all the food groups while still keeping within your calorie limits. Thankfully eating a variety of foods is also a great way to feel full longer when your calories are limited.
Try just adding one new food to your diet a week to start. Try roasted veggies, broccoli or cauliflower to your prepackaged meals to bulk it up a bit is a good place to start.
You don't have to stop eating prepackaged stuff altogether, but adding in whole foods will help you to feel full longer, as well as helping to get all the nutrients you need.9 -
You're talking about 2 different things. Weight loss vs Health. You lose weight just by eating less and moving more. To lose weight it doesn't matter what you eat, only how much. You can lose weight eating nothing but junk as long as you keep within your calorie limits. But to be healthy, you should be eating a variety of foods from all the food groups while still keeping within your calorie limits. Thankfully eating a variety of foods is also a great way to feel full longer when your calories are limited.
Try just adding one new food to your diet a week to start. Try roasted veggies, broccoli or cauliflower to your prepackaged meals to bulk it up a bit is a good place to start.
You don't have to stop eating prepackaged stuff altogether, but adding in whole foods will help you to feel full longer, as well as helping to get all the nutrients you need.
Thanks that’s a really good idea thank you0 -
One step at a time. You want to be able to keep up with what you are doing to lose weight for a lifetime! Cut stuff that you know is bad out as you learn more. I agree try healthy foods and recipes it will take time. Getting weight off is really important now watch you calories and macros on here and change as you go👟4
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With over 200 pounds to lose your biggest need right now is to figure out how to stay in your calorie deficit long term. If you're happy with the way you're eating and it's working for you, stick with it. If you make too many changes, especially ones you really don't like, you'll just be more likely to quit all together.
I personally don't buy into "eating clean." I've lost a lot of weight eating a lot of pre-packaged foods myself. I would never, ever stick with this if I had to spend hours cooking/"meal prepping" or had to mostly eat foods I don't care for. 95% of people who lose weight gain it back. You have to find something that you're willing to do for the rest of your life.
Like you, I hate vegetables. When I started I made a goal to eat at least one serving every day. That probably sounds terrible to others, but prior to this I could literally go 6 months without eating a vegetable. I've found it easiest to try and make my lunch "super healthy" and then eat things I'm more excited about but still fit into my calorie day for dinner. Eating lunch at work, I'm typically busy and not that focused on what I'm eating anyway. I pack a bento box style lunch every day with some sort of vegetable, fruit, and protein. For example carrots, raspberries, almonds, and a hard boiled egg.
On weekends I always start my lunch with some sort of salad- with some decent dressing and other toppings the veggies are more palatable that way. Roasting them with olive oil also helps, you just have to be careful because there are 120 calories in every tablespoon of olive oil. Most of my dinners come from the Trader Joe's freezer section. Sometimes I can sneak in other veggies (in those cases I don't cheat and just count that as my one serving- haha). For example, I tend to like dishes that use cauliflower in place of meat, some casserole type dishes do a good job of "hiding" veggies, and I like things like tomato (yes, I know technically a fruit) or onion soup.11 -
Since you mentioned “childish” how about tricking yourself into eating veggies like you would a child. I don’t have kids but I know friends who do stuff like cook/blend/freeze things like broccoli and cauliflower (one I know freezes them in ice cube trays) and then just throw a bit in to whatever they’re cooking (works well with things like bolognaise I guess not so well if you’re eating steak and potatoes).
As others have said you can certainly lose weight on any kind of food but for your health and that of the planet it would be good if eventually you moved towards more fresh ingredients.1 -
I, too, have become very lazy as to food prep -- partly because we live in a place where our suppers have been delivered for a few months now due to quarantine. We don't choose "sides." They just arrive and sometimes just aren't terribly good or we just don't like them. Some go directly in the trash. We love to replace side veggies with frozen and I particularly like the frozen veggies that get cooked in their bag in the microwave. Birdseye SteamFresh is a national brand but we also have access to a store-brand version called Steamin' Easy. Green Giant also has some steam-in-bag veggies, in particular, their riced veggies. Although most of these bags claim to contain 3 or 3 1/2 servings, we split them in two -- either for me and hubby -- or I just pour myself out 1/2, put a clamp on the bag and throw it in the fridge for tomorrow, when it just needs reheating not re-cooking.
I used to do a lot of "sheet pan dinners." These are very easy. Throw meat and a couple veg on a sheet pan and bake it. What could be easier? Sometimes you need to throw different things on the sheet pan at different times (e.g. potatoes take longer than fish) but it's still very easy. Line the sheet pan with foil or parchment and you don't even end up with a very dirty pan. Look up "sheet pan dinners" online and you'll find a gazillion of them.
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Sometimes I feel like making an effort (and try to turn that energy into batch cooking!) and sometimes I don't.
When I'm feeling lazy, I like things like tinned citrus fruits (plenty of goodness minus the need to peel/prep) and frozen vegetable burgers/fritters. I'm not going to hit my 5 a day every day, but however I eat now, it's healthier than I used to eat, and you know what, sometimes I have good days where I miraculously manage more than 5 a day.
My advice is to bring in whatever small, gradual changes you can manage and not stress too much. However you're eating now is healthier than it used to be, and you can always eat healthier in the future. A lifestyle change doesn't happen overnight, don't be so hard on yourself.
I personally will eat pretty much any vegetable in a vegetable burger as long as it comes with a little bit of cheese or any vegetable as long as it comes in soup form (textures take more getting used to than taste).
Vegetables that you might want to try that do not taste 'like vegetables' are roasted parsnips/butternut squash/carrots, especially if you add a little olive oil or honey. Also, sweet potato (any way you like - try fries, wedges, soup or rostis). I currently am looking forward to when pumpkin is in season, because I have a hankering for pumpkin soup.
If you have tried a vegetable before and not enjoyed it, try it again but using a different cooking method. I would suggest that if you don't like vegetables, steamed vegetables are not going to be fun for you. Try something else - you'll be amazed at what a difference it makes using a different cooking method.
There's no way to make Brussel sprouts taste nice, but you can experiment with pretty much everything else.
I didn't like veggies as a child either, and have only really just started cooking with them as an adult, but I'm actually thinking of going vegetarian. Hopefully that shows making your peace with veg can be done.5 -
If you are having success, I wouldn't make things a lot harder for yourself. The weight loss is great for your health. I am a proponent of eating a healthy diet, so if fruit and veg aren't foods you currently enjoy I'd try to start buying some in addition to your other foods and trying different ways of preparing them. But it's fine to do this very gradually. If you don't make it too hard immediately, it can even be fun. (In a normal year I'd recommend heading to your local farmer's market, but it may not be as fun or easy to browse around and ask questions in this age of corona.)6
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Thinking about the kinds of foods you do like, try to find ways of incorporating more veggies in them. I became a pro at disguising veggies in foods; I fed kids for a million years. I even remember adding spinach to chocolate milkshakes for my own kids before smoothies were a big thing, making sweet potato pie, things like that. As was mentioned, transition slowly; you may surprise yourself and find you like cooking and veggies too.
Lots of foods are super simple to make, such as pizza(I use frozen bread dough left to thaw overnight), omelettes, stir-frys and so easy to adjust the additions you make. Even if you eat canned soups, you can add more veggies. Mac n cheese(whether home-made or store bought) can be modified.
I like veggies but don't really like cooking. I do plain and simple.
Good luck!! One change at a time!
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Eat however you want to eat. If you're getting your nutrients from pre-packaged food, nothing's wrong with that. If, however, you find yourself coming short on nutrients you may want to do something about that. It can be as high or as low effort as you want it to be, from eating beans right out of a can to vegetable smoothies to batch cooking once a week to cooking daily.2
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I stay away from recipes and concoctions. If its shrimp they go in a skillet with some red pepper flakes and maybe a little soy sauce. If its avocado its sliced put on a scorched tortilla and salt, pepper and hot sauce. Scallops go right in the broiler with a little toasted sesame oil drizzled on them and a little garlic salt. I probably do not make 5% of my meals with more than three ingredients.1
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^^ My word, what a great way to live @wilson10102018. It's simple and perhaps rustic too! I've yet to meet a recipe that didn't need tweaking anyway.
As to veggies and fruits, @LatoyasTime, when the world goes back to (new) normal aka "The After Times" then maybe organize an outing with friends at a restaurant specializing in vegan or vegetarian food. That way, the only options are fruit, veg and legumes. If you go tapas style, you can try several different options 😋 This approach can also work as a potluck picnic if you don't have vegetarian restaurants in your area.
There's bound to be SOMETHING you don't find dreadful 🤣 Then, you can try to reverse engineer whatever you liked at home yourself.
But, as many have already said, you're reaching your weight loss goals for now so continue on as you were for now.
I suspect, over time, your palette will get curious anyway. No need to force it prematurely.
Congrats on your progress so far and your openness to change! You're well on your way to your goals: keep it up 💪🏿1 -
As to veggies and fruits, @LatoyasTime, when the world goes back to (new) normal aka "The After Times" then maybe organize an outing with friends at a restaurant specializing in vegan or vegetarian food. That way, the only options are fruit, veg and legumes.
This depends on the restaurant though. There are lots of vegan restaurants now that specialize in creating "comfort" foods or what you might call traditional American foods. Think burgers and fries, biscuits and gravy, nachos, chicken tenders, mac and cheese, stuff like that. Yes, it's technically all made of vegetables and legumes instead of meat and dairy, but it isn't necessarily a way to get more comfortable with eating vegetables.
(There are lots of vegan restaurants that are also very legume- and vegetable-forward, so I get your overall point).
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As others have said, take it slow. I've been making small changes in my diet, like eating my peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread instead of white, and just challenging myself to cook healthy meals a few times a week rather than every meal.1
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swimmchick87 wrote: »With over 200 pounds to lose your biggest need right now is to figure out how to stay in your calorie deficit long term. If you're happy with the way you're eating and it's working for you, stick with it. If you make too many changes, especially ones you really don't like, you'll just be more likely to quit all together.
I personally don't buy into "eating clean." I've lost a lot of weight eating a lot of pre-packaged foods myself. I would never, ever stick with this if I had to spend hours cooking/"meal prepping" or had to mostly eat foods I don't care for. 95% of people who lose weight gain it back. You have to find something that you're willing to do for the rest of your life.
I agree with what you said. I was on WW - and the reason I couldn't stick to it is because I couldn't meal prep. I am to old to change my habits. I have added fruits and veggies......and am shocked by weighing my foods, how much I overate!! Like you said, I need to make the calorie deficit long term. Thanks!!0
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