"Normal" food?

This is my struggle since getting married. I think having a HUGE leafy green salad and water before dinner really helps. Then if you eat less healthy entrees you can eat less of them and not be so hungry.
I also use evaporated milk instead of cream in recipes, I no longer fry things... roll it in some kind of breadcrumb and bake or dry saute. I also just change the distribution of foods on MY plate. More steamed veggies. I made burrito bowls last week, and my husband had a TON of (brown) rice, cheese and sour cream on his. I had more lettuce, salsa, veggies and beans on mine, with 1 tbsp each sour cream and guacamole.

It is WAY harder living with others. The last time I really tried to lose weight, I lived alone. I simply did not buy anything I "shouldn't" eat. Now I'm not the only one eating and buying!

My normal type of food would probably been seen as health food by most people, so normal really doesn't mean much. imo

You can make slight changes to "normal' food without anyone really noticing. Using lower fat versions and switching to whole grain for things. Smaller portions, adding more veggies and lose weight and be healthier all around. Plain greek yogurt works well as a switch for sour cream for example

I think 'normal' food is whole food. "As close to the tree as possible" is a phrase I like to use a lot. I try to make as much as possible from scratch. Eliminating a lot of highly processed foods with too many unpronounceable ingredients. Stuff like that. I'm not perfect, still working towards my goals, but I'm getting there!

My husband is on board with eating this way and that's good cause I'd refuse to make two different things every meal. ~_^

I'm 25 and on a budget. I can't really afford all the fab "diet foods". I buy basic things: lean meats, veggies, fruit... Sometimes I splurge on nuts and raisins to make trail mix. I spend a little more on the better applesauce (I don't want the supersweet cheap stuff). I cook at home for nearly every meal, so it's not hard for me to avoid the diet food fad. I just changed my cooking styles, my quantities, and added more veggies.

i generally eat what the rest of the family eats only smaller portions also i tend to use low fat ingredients, if they are having something like burgers for example i have a wholemeal pitta and chicken burger, with low fat mayo and low fat cheese..... less calories, and tastes yummy. :laugh:

Granted my boyfriend is not really picky about the foods I make, but I often try to find new recipes that are a healthier take on favorites or recipes that we may have never even heard of. SparkPeople.com is a good website to look for recipes and they also have some email newsletter you can sign up for that give you a daily recipe or tips for incorporating a healthier lifestyle for your family.

I only eat normal foods. No supplements, other than a few vitamins that my doctor suggested. When I was younger and maintaining a healthy diet / weight my girls ate what I ate (they are grown now - both at a heatlhy weight).

Typical meals are a lean meat or fish with a veggie or two, or a veggie and brown rice or quinoa.

We often skip meat and have a beans and brown rice one dish meal, or with a side of greens (kale or collards).

I cook wth olive oil 99% of the time. In the summer we grill a lot, both lean meats or fish and veggies.

ETA: we occasionally have meals that are not healthy like baby back ribs, or something, but only occasionally.

i eat normal food, generally 'diet' food is full of processed crap, and especially 'low fat' stuff can be really high in sugar.
As i cook for me and my husband, i will make the same main meal, but with different sides, he will have more potatoes / rice / pasta / cheese, i will have a smaller portion of that plus more veggies / salad etc.
Its better to cook the same meals for everyone, i dont get people that buy healthy food for themselves and feed the rest of their family junk food!

I do also have protein shakes, but just on days when i dont get enough protein from my meals, or as a healthy chocolately treat :-)

I cook real food and my husband likes the food I'm making now more than what I was cooking before and so do I. We eat chicken parmesan, chili, stuffed cabbage casserole, chef salads, roasted vegetables, taco salads, beans and rice, calzones from scratch, steak & hamburgers on occasion and I don't know what else. Just normal, nutritious foods that have a lot of vegetables in order to have generous portion sizes without a ton of calories--our dinners are usually between 350 - 550 calories.

The biggest change I've made I think is doing away with the separate meat, vegetable and side dishes I used to serve at dinner time and instead I make more composed/complete dishes. Sometimes I incorporate relatively small amounts of rice, potatoes and pasta into the dish but I've done away with the starchy sides I used to serve (and everyone would want seconds of) and no ones noticed the difference because there doesn't look or taste like anything is missing.

Skinnytaste and Allrecipes are great resources I use all of the time for "real food" recipes and ideas.

http://www.skinnytaste.com
http://allrecipes.com

I am trying to do the same thing: find family friendly recipes that are lower in calories and good for you. Here are a few of my examples:
Spaghetti sauce - use lean ground turkey instead of hamburger and whole wheat pasta. The sauce will cover any difference in taste of the noodle.
We eat salads with grilled chicken- the hardest part is the dressing choice. I "reinvented" the Ranch dressing!! One envelope of dry Ranch mix + 2 cups of nonfat plain yogurt. A serving of 2.5 oz- 30 calories
Taco - replace the hamburger with lean ground turkey for the taco meat. Use the Reduced Carb/Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Pita Bread (60 calories -each) instead of taco shells.
We use a lot of steamable vegetables - with grilled meat.
Another thing: measure your food, don't guess. It works best for me. I made an excel spreadsheet with all the meats that we eat with calories/ oz. They vary based on the cooking (fried versus grilled). I use that for guidance plus I weigh my food.
For meats- chicken breast, fish, pork loin, ground turkey are the ones that we mostly eat. When I have something different, I just adjust my calories for the other meals to be able to do that.
For snacks- string cheese (low fat), sugar free pudding, low fat yogurt.
I don't like protein shakes and fruit smoothies. In my mind those are meal replacements- that you should use occasionally, but I am positive that lots of people will disagree with me.
I hope this helps.

Cooking light magazine is awesome. They take more family friendly type meals and make them healthier.

I actually eat NORMAL food... its all about PORTION CONTROL .
I use my measuring cups and measuring spoons to eat the actual serving sizes... after awhile you'll be able to eyeball it but i know for almost the first month and a half i HAD to measure EVERYTHING. ( istill measure A lot of things)
I eat whatever everyone else eats but in moderation.
I eat cheesecake...Lawlers cheesecake bites= 80 calories/piece
I eat chocolate... M&Ms, 5 calories per M&m ... 5=25 calories 10=50 calories
I eat burgers ... 80/20 chuck but I measure or weigh out exactly a 1/4 lb burger (before i cook, so the calories are accurate)
NOW I DONT EAT THESE THINGS EVERYDAY MIND YOU but this journey isnt about depriving yourself or having to eat certain things...
diets= yes and no foods
life style change for weight loss= moderation, portion control, exercise

But do what works best for you and your family. Just because someone else is doing it one way doesnt make that the ONLY way to do it.!! :flowerforyou:

I agree with this......this is what I do. I basically eat all the same stuff I just eat smaller portions. For me, its all about portion control. I measure and go by serving size. Granted, if my husband chooses to eat out at McDonalds, I may go to Subway instead, but otherwise, I just watch my serving sizes and stay within my calorie goals for the day.

I still eat normal food, but I also exercise. We were at
Wendy's yesterday, and instead of a Big Bacon Classic,
with a chili, I got a plain single with no cheese, and a the
veggies came in the form of a side salad with fat free Ranch.
Now when I want a chili, I pour it on a baked potato! This is
on the rare event we go out. Normally I use the hell out of my
pressure cooker! :bigsmile:

I just watch my goals, (mainly sodium) and work my dinner
plans around what I have for lunch, to stay with in my goals.

Actually it's kind of weird. If I watch my sodium, everything else
just kind of falls in to line.

"She falls in a well, eyes go crossed. She gets kicked by a mule,
they go back to normal. I don't know."

I get it, but I'm trying to feed my family in a healthy way also so I don't view it as diet food. Here's an example. Tacos, a staple in my house, are for dinner once a week. I make them with ground turkey and I use plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream. I serve a side salad, and it's a healthy "normal" meal. I now eat only two tacos instead of the three I used to eat. It's also about portions. Another staple meal in our house is grilled chicken with a vegetable either green beans or asparagus. My son doesn't eat those so he gets baby raw carrots. I'll make Pillsbury Crescent rolls for my family but only will eat one without butter if I can fit it into my calorie/fat/carb goals. You can do it, it just takes planning. Have fun and good luck!