What are your Top 5 foods or items that make your life easier?

Food:

1. Dried/shelf stable meat --- like smoked sausages or jerky. I know some are concerned with sodium intake, but I've never been told by a doctor to worry about it and I love salt. Also, if I'm crouched down and then stand up I get dizzy/almost feel like I'm going to faint...so I'm fairly certain I can hack the extra salt LOL
2. Bars --- Mostly Kind bars, but any that have good macros that I know will hold me over in a pinch. I also work across an entire school district so those are easy to have in my office and car for quick on the go snacks.
3. Rotisserie chicken. I buy a whole one, pick off all the meat, chop it up, mix it together and then it's easy to throw a serving on one of those pre-bagged salad kits, or rice, or pasta, etc.
4. Par-cooked rice. I hate to say this but I am bad at cooking rice and getting a rice-maker isn't really an option due to a lack of counter space. I can cook rice that is .... edible...but not great. I know it's more expensive but it's easy to get pre-cooked rice and portion that out into a container with my protein, some veg and sauce.
5. Candy/chocolate. I will buy nice chocolate bars and usually break them into 6 pieces or have those little Dove moments or small single serving squares. Or even Hershey kisses, little Recee's cups, etc. I usually like to have a little something sweet after any savory meal so it's nice to just grab a couple small pieces of chocolate. It satisfies a little sweet tooth without being too much.

Non-Food:

1. Food scale --- I don't typically use it a ton now that I'm done actively losing weight but when I was, it's super nice to get a good feel for what '4 oz' of chicken really *looks* like.
2. Keeping my hiking boots IN my car. I can take a leisurely hike no matter what clothes I'm wearing as long as they are appropriate for the heat/cold. But if I don't have shoes I can hike in, then I won't do it and I"m the type of person that once I get home....I want to stay home really - so I prefer to be able to go straight to whatever my after-work activity is if I can. When I get home I just wanna put my PJs on and chill.
3. Planet Fitness that is ~1min from my home. I know sometimes as a gym that gets crapped on...but it's cheap, has everything that I need, and is close to me.
4. Mentality --- I see many people here say 'I need to lose _____lbs' or 'I have to get down to ______lbs' or 'I have to stop eating _____' and I used to think like that. I now think to myself - what sounds good to me right now and what do I need to give my body so I can do what I want to do today? I don't use my weigh on a scale to really gauge my success or sustained success. If I feel my clothes fitting different...then that's how I know. Example: I had an injury and a 'respiratory' infection (that apparently wasn't covid, but felt like covid) that ended with me being pretty inactive for ~2months that coincided with the Holiday season. I didnt' change anything about how I eat regularly and I also ate all the good stuff. Instead of feeling guilty about that or having the mindset of 'I gotta get back on the train...' -- I just feel like, well now I'm not sick or injured and I can get back to my normal. My weight will also go back to it's 'normal'. And if it doesn't, then that's the weight I need to be right now.
5. Goodwill/Plato's Closet or some other 2nd hand shop for clothes. I am trying really hard not to buy stuff on Amazon (even tho it's so convenient) or contribute to 'fast fashion'. Not to mention if you are on a weight loss journey you may have to buy new clothes every 10lbs (depending on how tall you are)....I now try not to keep clothes that don't fit me. If they are too big/small they go to Goodwill. And I find something that fits me - and buying 2nd hand is better overall and cheaper if you have to do it often.

"Top 5 Foods or Items that make your LIFE easier"

I didn't read the entire thread, but the posts I read were almost invariably all tied to losing weight or fitness. But if I want to think about making LIFE easier...

1. My 1.5-liter water bottle I keep at my work desk. Fill it up in the morning when I get to the office, sip at it all day, drain the rest before I clock out at night. Makes sure I get adequate water each day, helps stave off hunger, regular trips to the men's room ensure I stand and move throughout the day, lol.

2. I keep a list of all websites I regularly visit, along with the login information (username, account number, passwords, etc). Can't tell you how often I've forgotten either my username or password (ironically, more often it's my username I forget). Keep the list written, not digital, so any hackers can't find them.

3. I keep two magnetic dry-erase boards on the fridge door. One is a grocery list; as I discover we need more soap, bread, etc I write it on the board, or my kids do, and before I go shopping, I reference the board. The other board is a weekly menu of upcoming dinners, so the kids know what is coming up and stop pestering my wife or I for details, lol.

4. I keep a ready-made protein shake in my desk drawer, and another in my car's glove box (along with a bottle of water). If I'm in a hurry and have to leave the house without food for work, or I'm stuck in rush-hour traffic or a blizzard and not going anywhere, I have something to take the edge off and keep me going until I can get home for something better.

5. The last isn't an item, but rather a habit: prepare for the next day before I go to bed. Pull out the meat for tomorrow's dinner to thaw in the fridge; fill my gym bag with fresh socks and work clothes (I hit the gym first thing upon waking and before work); set a second alarm clock located on the far side of the room to prevent hitting snooze multiple times and over-sleeping.

Thanks, this one has been a game changer for me (related; my mobile phone is what is across the room, not at my bedside.

nossmf wrote: »

set a second alarm clock located on the far side of the room to prevent hitting snooze multiple times and over-sleeping.

Apples
Blueberries
Green beans
Flat out 60 calorie Tortilla wraps
Unsw. Almond milk ...

Athijade wrote: »

Dry erase board in my kitchen (keeps my menu in my face so I know what I have)

This is great, I always think that would help, just haven't installed one yet.

I usually have the opposite problem of most people -- remembering to eat enough. It's also hard for me to prepare meals or have an appetite sometimes due to some health issues.

Food:
1. Protein bars. If I need to add some protein and/or calories at the end of the day, it's good to have one of these. I also have them if I wake up without much appetite or if I'm not able to eat breakfast right away. I like ONE bars, Quest bars and protein cookies, and Fulfil bars.
2. Cereal. I realized I need to get more iron so I've been having cereal for dessert sometimes to add some iron and other nutrients and also because it tastes good. It's also easy to eat if you don't have much appetite. Honey Bunches of Oats with almonds is my favorite right now.
3. Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. I don't usually cook meat because my partner is vegetarian so I don't want to cook meat just for one person. So I get one of these, pick off all the meat, put it in containers and freeze it. Then I just take out portions of it as needed. I also have canned salmon and tuna for the same reason.
4. Canned beans. Versatile, add protein and other nutrients, very inexpensive, and don't require much preparation.
5. Amy's Organic. I like to keep some Amy's Organic frozen meals and burritos for if I'm too tired to cook or don't have an appetite for anything else. Unfortunately they went up in price a lot due to inflation so I had to cut back. But they are on sale sometimes.


Non-Food:
1. Reusable straw. I have a collapsible metal one with a silicone tip, which goes inside a plastic case, and I use that one on the go. I also have a silicone one that I use at home. I actually got a paper cut on my lip one time from a paper straw and it bled for an hour. I also find that using reusable straws is a lot nicer of a user experience than disposable ones.
2. Dry erase board attached to my fridge that I use to write down when I open a container of food or cook something, so that I remember to use it up before it goes bad.
3. Checking the expiration dates of everything in my pantry, fridge, freezer, etc. once a month to prevent food waste.
4. Supermarket insert, digital coupons, and regular coupons. With grocery prices the way they are, I shop sales and use coupons and it's important to know when stuff you like is going on sale.
5. Dishwasher. I didn't have a dishwasher growing up and didn't have one for a lot of my adult life. I'm able to do a lot more cooking now because I don't have to worry about spending half an hour washing dishes afterwards. I also don't get back pain from having to bend over the sink for extended periods of time.

alsaxon wrote: »

1. My fitness pal
2. Canned tuna
3. Eggs
4. 90 sec microwave rice
5. Hint water

You sound like my college roommate 😀

I would love to see everyone's five compiled into a ranked list.

There are definitely a bunch in common (#2 for instance)

Food scale
Water
Eggs
Meat/poultry
Vegetables

Top 5 food items:
1) Beans - canned or dry. Canned for when I fail to plan, dry for when I plan for days of meals. An inexpensive meal option with lots of protein and fiber.
2) Cole Slaw mix - perfect for throwing into stir-fry or adding as a filling for wraps. Another inexpensive yet filling option.
3) Huel hot and savory meals - a bit pricy, but an easy way to ensure you have a healthy meal on the go. They're vegan and come in a variety of options.
4) TVP - a relatively new discovery for me. Plant based protein that can be used to create fillings for tacos and pasta sauce among other things. Relatively inexpensive and easy to prepare.
5) Dark chocolate - slightly sweet, slightly bitter and perfect when I want just a little something after a meal.

Top 5 non-food items:
1) MFP - logging in keeps me motivated and accountable.
2) A food scale - I don't have anything fancy, but it's a great tool for understanding what my portions look like.
3) A water bottle - I take a bottle or cup everywhere to stay hydrated.
4) Good athletic shoes - I used to think these were a splurge item, but they are absolutely necessary if I want to go on long walks, a run or other types of workouts without pain in my feet, knees, hips and back.
5) A bathroom scale - to track trends in my weight. I used to weigh frequently but now that I am closer to maintenance, I use it to make sure I am still in an acceptable range (2-3 pounds in either direction).

Impossible "meats"
Protein bars
Sodastream fizzy water
Trader Joes Indian food
Noda Hop Drop and Roll IPA (on the days I am under my daily goal by 220cal!)