I know this topic comes up every so often here, and probably in a lot of our lives. Well it's time for me now, I've reached that point. My weight’s been going up for some time, well beyond what I'm comfortable with and I need to get into shape, ideally by the end of the summer, but I know I can't make it all the way back in time. I've done some things and it's beginning to come down, but I know what my biggest obstacle is and will be, having done this before. I get plenty of exercise. I'm going to try to increase it but the truth is my issue is not lack of exercise: it's terrible eating habits.
Some of these habits I can and have broken: eating late, snacking, sodas, etc.. The one that is and always has been my problem is making meals that are even remotely healthy. The issue is the number of constraints I have on what I can eat (all self-imposed). I'm sure that to reach my target weight I'll have to break some of those constraints but to date I have yet to find a solution that is healthy enough to put me where I want and is still close enough to be within my constraints that I can keep it up. So here's where I'm asking for advice or tips or whatever. (Telling me to man-up and get through it is probably intrinsically good advice, but not particularly useful advice as I'm aware of how to lose weight with strong enough motivation ).
A brief background; I cook a lot and I’m reasonably good at it. However I often lack energy and end up making myself the same meals over and over. Which tends to be pasta and pizza: all handmade so it tastes great but hand-crafting pasta doesn’t seem to give it any special health properties in my experience. However, I don’t have the constraint of skill or equipment which is helpful.
My constraints are: I’m single which means meals must either be single-serving creations or easy to package and keep for multiple nights. Ingredients must be basic (probably have to be multi-purpose) and have a reasonable shelf life (part of why I make a lot of flour-based stuff). Though some complexity is allowed, a truly useful recipe must be a low enough energy investment that I don’t continuously decide to skip it due to time or motivation restrictions. Finally it must taste good.
The last one is obvious but tough for me. I grew-up not liking vegetables and fruits like everyone else, but unlike everyone else I didn’t really grow out of it. I like them in well-prepared meals, sometimes, but they tend to entail a lot of work to make so I find I rarely have them. Those freezable, easily microwaved veggies are fine but they’re just way too large and after a 2nd and 3rd time in the microwave: pretty lousy.
Some things I’ve done is adding a bit more meat which isn’t a huge step but it replaces carbs (which my diet is overloaded with) with protein and that helps. I’ve also added more rice in place of pasta: another half-step. If I do these things more I think it will help quite a bit. I’m also employing tricks like bringing carrots to work (where I’m captive to what I brought) and trying to partially fill-up on those. Or drinking a lot more water; or trying to portion meals into multiple sittings so I have a chance to realize I’m not actually hungry anymore before I overeat.
I open to ideas. Overall I need to reduce total calorie count (which in the end just has to be a will-power thing) as well as replacing at least some portion of the high-carb, high-fat diet with something a bit more nutritious.
Hobbes Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
Make stir-frys. When I was living alone, they were a quick and easy way to enjoy a low or modest carb meal, depending on whether you also include some rice. Season to taste -- my favourite was using a tandoori spice mix with a bit of sliced beef and frozen mixed vegetables.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
Go get an account at Sparkpeople. Assemble a list of things you can reliably make over and over again over the course of a month to readily track your income of:
- Calories from fat - Calories from carbs - Calories from protein
etc.
use the Sparkpeople website to track your progress and set your goals for you. If you can hack it (most people waffle and quit, because moving straight into calorie counting is such a heavy overhead for most) then the site will set you on appropriate patterns of eating to maintain a healthy diet.
Posted by ambyr (Member # 7616) on :
Stews and soups are great for making in a batch and then freezing in multiple containers for later use.
I'm another vegetable-hater who's been slowly training myself into liking (some of) them. What are your "acceptable" vegetable preparations? Maybe we can brainstorm similar things that are faster/simpler to make.
Posted by jebus202 (Member # 2524) on :
I know you said you're not crazy into veggies, but I've found mixed roasted vegetables to be a simple and great filler to replace carbs. Just roughly chop up some red onions, peppers, carrots, courgette or whatever else and mix them with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs, then pop them in the oven for about 40 mins and they're soft and delicious.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by jebus202: courgette
To Americans, this translates as summer squash or zucchini.
But yeah, roasted veggies are easy, quick, and delicious.
Posted by Jeff C. (Member # 12496) on :
There's a simple formula to weight loss. Everytime I bring up things like carbs or sugar or fat, my nutritionist friend always tells me the same thing...
Calories in - Calories out = weight loss/gain
1500 calories a day is supposed to be the norm for someone who wants to simply "maintain" their weight. Knowing that, you should be aiming for less than that on any given day. It doesn't really matter how much you're getting, so long as it is over 1k and under 1.5k. You don't want to eat too little, because that will put your body into starvation mode, so don't aim for what a lot of crash dieters do, which is like 600 a day, because that's just stupid and will hurt you in the long run.
Remember that a good rule of thumb is that your first week, you'll lose the most. After that, you should aim for about 2 pounds a week, at the most. That's the average, anyway. That's 8-10 pounds a month. Sometimes it will be more, sometimes less. It all depends on if you are working out, sticking to the diet, or doing something extra like taking pills (not recommended).
People talk about carbs a lot, but if you are going to count carbs, that's an entirely different kind of diet and it is a little tougher to do, depending on the availability of certain foods.
The best thing to do in the beginning is to cut out everything you drink except for water. Try that for a few weeks and you will see a noticeable difference. After that, stop eating beef. Stick to grilled chicken, and don't use any sauce, unless it has a very low amount of calories. Eat some fruit with it for flavor or for a snack, but not too much.
You don't want to restrict yourself too much right away, but definitely stop drinking anything but water if you already aren't. Don't go out to eat too often, either. And stay the hell away from bread.
If you don't believe me or you think I have it wrong, keep in mind that I lost 60 pounds doing all of this in about 4 months. Granted, I was also playing racquetball every other day for an hour at a time (sometimes more), but the dieting is really what causes the biggest change. It also helps keep it all off if you stop working out. This is a lifetime commitment and change you are going for, so you have to make sure you are doing it properly. Don't stop eating the stuff you enjoy, but restrict it to maybe once a week when you go out with your family or friends. This also makes it more memorable and enjoyable, too.
For the most part, though, use common sense. Soda is bad, but a glass of Pepsi is only 160 calories, which is the same as a tiny bag of chips. Start turning containers over and looking at the calories. You'll be surprised at how unhealthy all that fat free stuff actually is.
Posted by scifibum (Member # 7625) on :
Thirded on roasting. If you haven't tried it roasted, you don't know for sure you don't like it.
Broccoli, bok choy, and kale are delicious roasted. (Roasted kale is often labeled "kale chips" if you want to look up instructions.) And pretty healthy (though not necessarily low calorie if you use much oil).
Artichokes are simple to cook but take time to eat, so they can help you pace yourself to avoid overeating before you have time to notice you're sated. You can end up with too many calories if you dip the leaves in mayonnaise or something, but you can avoid it.
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
Fourthed on roasting. haha.
I went vegetarian in October and I used to hate vegetables. My midwestern mother had raised me on a diet of steamed and lightly buttered carrots and so vegetables quickly became my enemy.
For roasting, my favorites are zucchini, yellow squash, baby bella mushrooms and asparagus. Toss them with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, then throw them in the oven. When I'm super lazy, I reheat a batch and throw it into a whole wheat tortilla. Or toss on top of pasta. Whereas I used to do mostly pasta with some veggie, now I do mostly veggie with some pasta.
Super lazy me makes a TON of omelets or scrambled egg wraps. Spinach quite literally goes on or in anything. Bell peppers and onions cook up quickly and easily for omelets as well.
Cooking outside my comfort zone also really helped. I started doing lots of greek and mediterranean dishes. It makes the cooking more enjoyable and forces me to try new things. Making some mujadara (with brown rice) and mixing with homemade tzatziki sauce takes about two hours but results in enough food for a week or more easily. Like I said, I HATED carrots but recently discovered that I LOVE them with hummus which I can whip up homemade in under 10 minutes, so that's become my new favorite snack. Frozen green grapes satisfy my need for a cold dessert when I used to reach for ice cream.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
I know Jeff says he's had success with the calories in-calories out method, but in my experience it is a lot easier to go for diets that address types of food. I say this because if you're just eating less calories but you're still eating the same calorie-dense foods (especially sugars and starches) you're going to end up being hungry a lot of the time. PLUS, it's really important, especially as you get older, to be making sure you have all the various vitamins and nutrients that a varied diet brings you. Introducing variety, while not easy, is pretty essential.
The diet that always works well for me, not to mention making me feel 800 times better, is one that cuts out sugars and simple starches. I hesitate to recommend low-carb diets like Atkins and South Beach because they're not good for your body in the long run, but the following is the formula that I've found is the best both for weight loss and for keeping a good variety of healthy nutrients in your diet:
Cut out all sugars (sometimes I let myself keep sugars that occur naturally in fruits, but weight loss is faster without them), especially fruit juices because they seem like they should be healthy but they're not, and cut out all white starches. White starches include white flour, white rice, and potatoes. I know it's tricky, especially in American and European cuisines, but it's really a lot better in the long run.
What works really well, though, for replacing that staple that starches provide is beans and legumes. I'm on a diet like this right now and at least once, usually twice, a day, I eat a big bowl of lentils. Lentils are great because they store amazingly and cook relatively fast (10-20 minutes). I season mine with whole cumin seed and onion salt and they're lovely, but I'd also recommend finding an import store that has Indian spices because they're amazingly cheap in bulk and Indian spices make everything taste better. Indian cuisine actually uses lentils as a common staple, calling it daal.
My other standby is stirfry - making anything the Chinese way. I know it's a pain to buy and use fresh vegetables but they're SO good for you and are delicious. And things like broccoli and cabbage last pretty well - up to a week - and are particularly low in simple carbs. I also spice them up with freshly chopped ginger and garlic. Those two last forever and make everything taste amazing.
One of the reasons fresh vegetables are gross so often is because most people overcook them. Really all they need is a few minutes in a wok, and for tougher vegetables like broccoli a few tablespoons of water that you cook out will steam them into softness. They never need to get mushy.
You can do this diet vegetarian, you can throw in some brown rice or cracked wheat cereal or steel cut oats if you find yourself needing a few more carbs, and then you can always add meats and a little bit of cheese (cottage cheese is one variety that's low in dairy sugars) and of course you can add a lot of eggs.
I find that it's a little more work to shop and cook on a diet like this, but it's very sustainable, surprisingly cheap (if you know where to get good produce) and makes my body feel clean and awesome. The worst temptations are for prepared and easy starchy and sweet foods, but if you have a hard time you can even give yourself one day a week where you're allowed to eat some and that keeps you motivated as well as spiking your metabolism occasionally so that you don't go into starvation mode.
This was way more information than was asked for, but I hope at least some of it will prove beneficial to someone. I promise, getting over my sugar/starch addiction has been one of the best things that's happened to me.
Posted by ambyr (Member # 7616) on :
quote:One of the reasons fresh vegetables are gross so often is because most people overcook them. Really all they need is a few minutes in a wok, and for tougher vegetables like broccoli a few tablespoons of water that you cook out will steam them into softness. They never need to get mushy.
Alternate opinion! I hated vegetables for years because I was only fed them raw or slightly steamed. It wasn't until I started cooking them myself that I realized you actually can make that awful, awful crunchiness go away. Mushy vegetables are awesome and delicious.
Or, in other words, if you dislike vegetables, try all the available cooking options and see what works for you best.
Posted by Jake (Member # 206) on :
Excellent advice, Annie.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
I appreciate all the feedback.
I'm at work so I can't give the response all these comments deserve, but perhaps a few words.
quote:Make stir-frys. When I was living alone, they were a quick and easy way to enjoy a low or modest carb meal, depending on whether you also include some rice. Season to taste -- my favourite was using a tandoori spice mix with a bit of sliced beef and frozen mixed vegetables.
An excellent idea. I haven't made stir-fry in a while. It's a copmrimise between extra effort and added nutritional benefit. Also a good way to add veggies without having to worry about recooking or keeping fresh. I think a key here for me would be to keep a large amount of prepared ingredients (pre-cut a lot of beef and chicken so it's ready to go when I decide to make dinner). It'll keep the energy-cost per meal low which reduces the thresh-hold to cross to engage.
Samp, that seems like a good idea. I think my biggest hang-up is eating only things I make myself, and rarely from recipes, I'd have a tough time actuall tracking each item. However the idea is good, I should do a better job tracking how much I eat so I can figure out if it's actually going down or now.
In general response, I've tried veggies many ways. A few are more palattable to me than others (thus the carrots) and there's certain dishes I enjoy that include or are mainly veggies; but I struggle to think of an example that's not gourmet enough to be time/energy prohibitive for a re-occuring solution. Roasted, raw, in-between, I've tried them all. In general I like some crisp to them but I can't think of a preperation style that had me enjoy just plain veggies. Most of the time I like them in things there's been a decent amount of added fat to kind of cancel out any health benefits. You're all right though, I should try some more combinations to see what works best. I need to have some, if I like them or not.
Jeff and Annie, lot of good information: thanks. I do have two advantages in this game (three really, if you count me being young ): I exercise quite a bit and I eat terribly. The second being an advantage in that I don't necessarily have to create a drastic diet (from a normal person's perspective) to eat healthy. For example, while I don't know my exact calorie burn per day, I know it's well above 1500. At this point, I'm neither willing, nor do I think able to give up the foods (type and quantity) that you're talking about. But I can use elements here!
I'm not oblivious to the idea of calories in - calories out, but I do want to try to make this a general push for better health for me which will have to mean eating different foods to some extent. However, I agree that if I want to lose weight, then my focus for that should be calories consumed and not just adding better food (as opposed to what seems like the typical view that eating steak is somehow less of a calorie problem if you eat a salad too).
Right now I think my best shot at that is to reduce individual meal size and enforce waiting. Basically I find that if I say: "I'm only eating a tiny meal tonight no matter how hungry I get!" then I just become obbsessed with it which makes me unhappy and shortly, makes me give in. If I just tell myself that I need to wait a while before having anything else after a small meal then it's no problem. And sometimes I do end up eating again but I'm OK with that, as most of the time I discover I wasn't so much hungry as just used to eating.
Also, beans are a good idea. I rarely have beans but it's not because I don't like them. I think it's just that I have trouble incorporating them into typical meals.
Hobbes Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by ambyr: I realized you actually can make that awful, awful crunchiness go away. Mushy vegetables are awesome and delicious.
**SHUDDER**
Posted by Dan_Frank (Member # 8488) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka:
quote:Originally posted by ambyr: I realized you actually can make that awful, awful crunchiness go away. Mushy vegetables are awesome and delicious.
**SHUDDER**
Yeah I'm all for roasting but you sure do manage to make it sound gross! Posted by ladyday (Member # 1069) on :
Lots of good advice here - sounds like you would do well to cherry pick and figure out what works best for you. I second the sparkpeople suggestion - it really is a useful tool.
The only thing I would add to the heaps of advice is that you do want to make sure that you are fueling your exercise, especially since you do so much.
I do think that it's more comfortable to think about healthy eating in terms of adding good foods rather than depriving yourself and being hungry all the time. I personally have a goal of eating five servings of fruits and veggies a day (at least one of which needs to be a leafy green) and only eating whole grains (no white flour). This tends to mean that I'm naturally satisfied because I've filled up on healthy stuff.
Here are a few ideas for sneaking veggies into your diet: Breakfast: Omelets - You can put all kinds of stuff in omelets. One whole egg and maybe a quarter cup of egg whites, stuffed with veggies, good stuff. Pumpkin Pie Yogurt - yogurt, canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spices, honey. Mix together, enjoy!
Lunch: Instead of bread/taco shells/crackers/chips, use lettuce as your 'food handle'. Romaine makes a nice taco shell, boston is great for wraps, spinach makes nice rolls.
Dinner: Ninja purees - try adding pureed cauliflower or white beans to sauces and soups. Spinach goes great in pasta sauce. Veggie noodles - cabbage can be a great substitute for noodles. My favorite is some pulled pork roast with sliced cabbage and apples, cooked until everything is tender. Also spaghetti squash is pretty tasty
Posted by ambyr (Member # 7616) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dan_Frank:
quote:Originally posted by rivka:
quote:Originally posted by ambyr: I realized you actually can make that awful, awful crunchiness go away. Mushy vegetables are awesome and delicious.
**SHUDDER**
Yeah I'm all for roasting but you sure do manage to make it sound gross!
Well, good, now you know how I feel about crunchy vegetables :-). (I like mine in soup, personally, cooked enough that they can be mashed down with a fork. Or pureed, like a nice ginger carrot or split pea soup. Pureed soups are great.)
I'm sensitive to the issue because for twenty years people tried to convince me that, really, the problem was just that I hadn't tried something fresh and crisp enough, try this! And I would try it, and I would gag and throw up, because the texture is just that awful to me. So I got to the point where I just wouldn't try any vegetable, ever, because repeated vomiting will build a mental block like that. Now that I've learned that, hey, vegetables can be tasty, I am sad I missed out on all those years of eating them.
Posted by Dan_Frank (Member # 8488) on :
Aww, now I feel bad for teasing you!
I'm sorry you had such a lousy experience. And I'm now extra thankful I don't have that reaction to crunchy veggies.
Posted by JonHecht (Member # 9712) on :
There are a bunch of recipes. And the P90X guy does it!
Posted by ambyr (Member # 7616) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dan_Frank: Aww, now I feel bad for teasing you!
I'm sorry you had such a lousy experience. And I'm now extra thankful I don't have that reaction to crunchy veggies.
Hah, it's okay. I'm in awe of people who can eat raw vegetables, really. You put THAT in your mouth? It's very impressive!
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
I was also going to suggest lentils, I think they're an awesome way to reduce carb intake and still feel full. Canned chickpeas are also an easy and delicious meal base you can use a lot of the same ways you use pasta. You can eat them cold as a salad with a little oil and vinegar + veggies/seasonings, warmed with pasta sauce or in a stirfry, or roasted. When you roast them they get crunchy on the outside and smooth and creamy inside, delicious.
Quinoa is a high-protien grain that is good for you and cooks quickly. You put 1 cup of it in a pot with 1.5 cups of water, covered, bring it to a boil, turn off the heat and let it sit 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and it's done, and can be used a ton or different ways. If you just replace your pasta with quinoa for half your meals, you'll make progress.
The people mentioning roasted veggies seem to be focusing on summer veggies. I like roasted root vegetables, centered on sweet potatoes. Cut them up, toss with olive oil, sea salt, and crushed garlic cloves, stick 'em in the oven. Add potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, onions, etc as desired. I eat the straight or mix them with a little roast pork, quinoa, sliced tomatoes, whatever. And you can roast a huge batch and refrigerate, and they reheat fine all week.
Another thing that reheats well is steel-cut oats. I make a double batch on the weekend and put it in tupperware, and then cut out a chunk for breakfast every morning. Microwave briefly, add frozen blueberries and a splash of milk or soy creamer, maybe some maple syrup. Between the oats and the blueberries you get a ton of fiber, which will both fill you up and help keep your cholesterol down, if that's a concern.
I also second/third prepared spice mixes from ethnic food stores to make things that are fairly boring and easy to make taste interesting.
Posted by CT (Member # 8342) on :
Great advice.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
I've been on sparkpeople since Jan 1 and lost a little over 15 pounds (the last few weeks have been kind of flat due to a cluster of birthdays and Easter). The first few weeks I just logged my food, I didn't try to meet any specific goals. And a strange thing happened. I started to notice what had fat, sodium, or just generally too many calories in it.
It's amazing how many foods are already portioned into 100 calories. An ounce/slice of cheese, a slice of whole wheat bread, a bowl of cereal (before milk), a half cup of cottage cheese. That's not counting the silly snack bags they sell now.
I am also "meh" about vegetables. I try and eat 5 servings a day, and I have to be creative some days to make it. For a while I ate salsa on everything. This week I'm into skillets. Or I just do fruit and count the calories.
I've had to modify my concept of what is reasonable in eating pasta and pizza. I used to be able to put away 5 slices of pizza, and now I stop at 2. I also cook partial packages of pasta to help me get just a serving. I also don't nom whole wheat pasta like I do white.
1500 calories is a good weight loss range for a woman, if you are a tall man it's probably at least 2000. My husband could lose weight at 2500 a day if he were interested in tracking calories which he utterly rebels against. I wouldn't say I count calories. If I count calories while I'm planning what to eat, I would probably be eating cheesecake and celery sticks most of the time.
Well, sorry to rattle on. I am a bit obsessive, my husband and daughter both wonder if I'm going around the bend with my dieting stuff.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
I read this article today and thought I would come share it in this thread. It reinforces the idea that it's way more than calorie in/calorie out and has a lot more to do with avoiding sugars and simple carbs.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
Thanks for linking that Annie, though I admitt I'm a bity wary of any article that says "the establishment" that much.
Here's my question with regards to the rejection of the conservation of energy in the form of a thought experiment.
A subject intakes 3,000 calories of food while burning 2,000. Let's divide that food into four types. Type A are calories used and removed. Type B are calories not used and stored in the body. Type C are calories not used but not stored (either never absorbed or abosrbed and then removed without burning). Type D are the non-calloric elements of the food.
If we're talking purely about long-term weight gain, my understanding is that Type D content can be removed from the equation. Is this correct? That no one has to worry about weight gain (directly) from non-caloric elements?
Type A is no worry either, in each case, right? I mean they're not saying that if you eat the wrong kind of food you'll burn the calories but still store them are they?
So it must be a shift in balance between type B and C. Which implies that eating the right food allows one to consume a greater number of calories than is burned and maintain or even lose weight despite that. Which means these foods are causing you to shut down calroic intake from food. It also implies that if you do retain energy balance that will work as well: just a lot more sacrifice required. Is this correcet? If so I'd be interested in learning what percent of calroies you intake is thought to be abosrbed for a healthy diet.
So this person can not gain more than 1,000 calories worth of weight. However, if they're eating the right things their body may reject some quantity of those calories and cause them to gain less than 1,000. Is this right?
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