I don't want to eat just veggis and fruits!!!!

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ewhitehurst1
ewhitehurst1 Posts: 178
in Food and Nutrition
I love chinese, mexican and Italian foods. All of which come slathered in sauces. Can you still lose weight if you indulge in these types of foods sometimes? I look at amazing sucess stories all the time and think to myself they must have just ate fruits and veggies the last 9 months. What are ya'lls suggestions on eating out at these types of restaurants??? I ask because work ordered in chinese for us today and I ordered mongolian beef because I have no idea what would be the best option.
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Replies

  • Loulady
    Loulady Posts: 511 Member
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    Just log them, eat the things that you consider "bad" in moderation, and deal with the impact with exercise and adjusting your other meals for the day.
  • morgansmom02
    morgansmom02 Posts: 1,139 Member
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    When you have chinese, anything not fried (my favorite is sesame chicken, but it is fried) would be the best. Now I get the broccoli and chicken. I think eating out is ok once in a while. But you do need some fruits and veggies! You will learn to love them!!
  • stfuriada
    stfuriada Posts: 445 Member
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    Eat what you want, only LESS and you can still lose.

    I barely eat vegetables myself because there's just no way they're going to taste as good as pizza or a cheeseburger.

    Chinese? Anything crispy, sweet, battered, fried and with sauce is calorie rich.
  • Flab2fitfi
    Flab2fitfi Posts: 1,349 Member
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    look at my diary - I eat curries and all sorts and still losing weight. I sometimes buy in ready made but usually make them myself so I know what goes into it.
  • beccaboo0713
    beccaboo0713 Posts: 74
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    You can still have those things. Make them yourself. I love skinnytaste.com for recipes. She has all kinds of food on there. When I eat out drink a big glass of water, have a few raw veggies and I just remember portion control. Just because there is a big plate of food in front of me doesn't mean I have to eat it. it's my the last time you will ever eat so you don't have to eat it all :)

    One of my friends doesn't have good self control so when she orders at a restaurant she asks for one of those small salad plates puts her portion on the plate and boxes up the rest right away. You could also share portions. My husband and I do that a lot.
  • dward2011
    dward2011 Posts: 416 Member
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    I eat fruits and veggies.... and burgers, Italian, Mexican, and beers.... I eat what I want to IN MODERATION and if I have the calories to include it into my day. I have found that I started to crave fruits and veggies instead of the other things (for the most part). I also find it helpful to do an online search for a menu or nutrition guide before eating out so that I know the calorie content. I swap out ingredients or use low-fat versions of things when I cook at home (we only eat out once a month or so because we both prefer home cooking to restaurants).
  • Cocochickdeleted
    Cocochickdeleted Posts: 343 Member
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    I indulge in Mexican from time to time, but usually only a couple of times a month. Yes, people eat these types of foods and lose weight because they stay under their calorie goals. If your intent is just to lose weight, then you can pretty much eat whatever you want, as long as you don't eat more than you burn. It may be difficult to meet your nutritional goals without incorporating healthier foods into your diet, however. Being thin and being healthy aren't always the same thing. It just really depends on what you want.
  • DEEDLYNN
    DEEDLYNN Posts: 235 Member
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    I eat fruits and veggies, not only because they are good for me, but they bulk up my meals. I get more. and more is appealing to me. I use to eat out every meal/every day. I loved the things that you are talking about. But they are no longer appealing to me. I guess once in a while, I would dole out some of my calorie budget for them. But I prefer to find healthy alternatives. My mindset has changed.

    Those things are good....but you can do some amazing things with fruits and veggies that are just as good......

    To answer your question....No...you don't have to abandon those things to be successful, you have to burn more calories than you consume. That requires dedication to portion control.

    Come on....Give the fruits and veggies a chance......!!!! :)
  • HannahDiaz25
    HannahDiaz25 Posts: 104
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    Do research on making yummy foods lighter and healthier. You will attain your weight goal faster if you eat mostly veggies, fruit, protein...plain, natural stuff BUT if you dont enjoy those things you probably wont keep the weight off. I would go slower and eat in moderation food I enjoy. I make chinese food, pizza, burgers, tacos etc at home and choose lighter options. You get just as much flavor and you know what you are eating... I try to avoid eating out. I do probably eat out once every two weeks. It doesnt seem to hurt me. I DO cook a lot and try to keep everything lite...its a happy medium.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    I started by eating whatever I wanted and logged the calories. Given the calorie restriction involved in losing weight, I then learned where my calories could be spent wisely and where I was just wasting them.

    I still indulge in heavy-sauce foods sometimes. Hey, you gotta live! But I've also experimented with a lot of fun foods like "refrigerator oatmeal" and discovered the joys in what my body feels like when I consistently feed it properly for a while.

    The net answer is: you can maintain weight by eating exactly what you burn. You lose weight by eating less than you burn. So you can exist for a while on one plate of Gen. Cho chicken with fried pork daily. But you aren't feeding your body what it needs, so you'll be hungry and tired. So you really don't want to do that ALL the time.

    Once I got my macros (fat, carbs, proteins) in balance and cleaned up my diet so I was getting all the nutrition I needed, I now find I can easily enjoy a big sauce-laden meal occasionally and my body will forgive me. But I also plan ahead, get a little extra exercise in the day of (and if necessary the day before and after), drink lots of water to help work the sodium in those sauces through my system, and consider it a treat, not a part of my routine.
  • jpinge
    jpinge Posts: 71 Member
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    I eat whatever I want as long as it is in my calorie range. With that being said....I feel much better when I eat healthier foods so I do that 90% of the time but there is no way on earth that I would give anything up. I have to live with this the rest of my life so it has to be doable forever and to say that chocolate or chinese are never to touch my lips again then I would fail miserably. I have lost 105 pounds so far doing this. I have a free day once a week. I still log my food but I don't stress about a thing. Usually my free days don't amount to too much overage because I never restrict myself from anything (again as long as it is in my calorie range).

    People will tell you that you have to eat clean or you won't lose weight, they will tell you that you can't have pizza or ice cream. But from my own very successful experience I have found that I can have those things in moderation. I workout a lot too so that I can have more calories in my day and you will hear a lot about this subject too but I eat the majority of my exercise calories back, I consistently lose weight and inches and I am happy. Good luck!
  • PaveGurl
    PaveGurl Posts: 244 Member
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    What has been working for me is, when I began, I'd eat whatever I would normally eat but LOG IT - so I could get a baseline of where I was and how much each thing was gonna "cost" me in calories. Then I started, maybe, choosing to eat half of what the order was (since it's often multiple servings in an order for most places). Next step, I'd maybe look online first to see what a "cheaper" option might be, and if it didn't make me gag (LOL), then I'd do that instead just to see.

    Having said that: I'm not sure I've ever met a chili cheeseburger I didn't like, so I certainly don't deprive myself - I just moderate. Remember: you can't outrun your fork :)
  • leslie0422
    leslie0422 Posts: 108 Member
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    I have lost about 40 lbs over the last year and I don't deprive myself of things that I really want to eat. I just eat good most days. As a matter of fact, I typically eat out one night per week and I don't even worry about how bad it is. I eat a light breakfast and lunch on those days and make sure I work out but then I eat whatever I want for dinner. I only do that 1 day per week though (usually Friday nights). The rest of the week I do really good. And I exercise 5 days per week.
  • cattraxs
    cattraxs Posts: 47 Member
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    We eat out at least twice a week at a variety of restaurants (a lot I know) and I usually select foods that I like but that are within my calorie limits; however, I have disciplined myself to always ask for a "to-go" box when my meal is served and then put at least 1/2 of my plate in the box. Odd thing is, I usually ending up tossing out the leftovers since they typically are not that good the next day or later. I suppose that's one way you can combat eating what you want/like and still being a semblance of calorie smart, it seems to work for me anyway.
  • lmarshel
    lmarshel Posts: 674 Member
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    Having said that: I'm not sure I've ever met a chili cheeseburger I didn't like, so I certainly don't deprive myself - I just moderate. Remember: you can't outrun your fork :)

    Love, love, love the chili cheeseburgers from Farmer Boys! AND they show the cals right on their menu board. :)

    I agree w/ most everyone else. You can eat what you want in moderation and still lose weight...and get in shape. Do some research online to see if your fav restaurants have nutrition info available. If not, try finding a restaurant that does and serves similar foods. An estimate is better than nothing. I've managed to meet my goal and haven't really eliminated anything from my diet. But it been a slow process. I lost the 50 pounds over a period of about 4 years. And I took some time off for holidays and vacations along the way. Getting back on the wagon is always hard, but you just have to keep at it.
  • ewhitehurst1
    ewhitehurst1 Posts: 178
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    Thanks for all your input! I really appreciate it!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,709 Member
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    Then don't. But realize that you do have a calorie limit and there are essentials that should be met daily before splurging your left over calories for treats.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • htalexander
    htalexander Posts: 81
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    Have you thought about a free day? of maybe not even a whole day but a free meal once a week? I have a southern family that loves to do the big sunday dinner food.....all calorie rich, unhealthy, but also delicious......I allow myself what I want for sunday dinner and I am strict the rest of the week. Maybe you could get your "fix" on a wkend night and bump on your excersise that day.
  • njhotsauce79
    njhotsauce79 Posts: 13
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    I indulge in Mexican from time to time, but usually only a couple of times a month. Yes, people eat these types of foods and lose weight because they stay under their calorie goals. If your intent is just to lose weight, then you can pretty much eat whatever you want, as long as you don't eat more than you burn. It may be difficult to meet your nutritional goals without incorporating healthier foods into your diet, however. Being thin and being healthy aren't always the same thing. It just really depends on what you want.

    So very true!!! You will feel it too. If you are eating 1600 calories of pizza, burger, greasy food, you may lose the weight, but will not look and feel healthy and still have health problems. If you eat 1600 calories of lean meats, veggies and fruits, moderate whole grains and good fat (avocado, almonds, etc), then you will be slim AND feel great! Your skin will look great too! This goes even if you work out. You cannot work yourself out of eating garbage. Your workouts will be less because you will have less energy. You have to fuel your body with the right "fuel."

    I am Mexican and of course LOVE Mexican food... I grew up on it. I was thin when I lived in Mexico though because we ate everything from scratch. I was born in the States and ultimately came back here. Our issue was not that Mexican food is unhealthy, it's that in the US everything is processed... so when we try to make our own dishes, it's so fattening because the ingredients we buy here are processed. I've gotten into eating lots of veggies, lean meats (chicken, fish), and grilled or baked. Every now and then I'll have our fried empanadas with processed cheese and they are yummy, but they do a number to my stomach due to the grease. I'm building muscle as I try to lose the body fat and I've learned that it is 80% nutrition, 10% genes and 10% working out.

    Good luck! Indulge here and there, but with moderation, but try to make the other 85 - 90% good and earn those "cheat meals".
  • htalexander
    htalexander Posts: 81
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    *bump up your excersise sorrry..

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