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sxybrat07
09-14-2007, 04:30 PM
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but considering the stipulations you've given given, it's gonna be pretty much impossible to have a healthy diet. You NEED veggies, you NEED fruit. Hiding the veggies is a good idea, but I'm still not entirely sure why you posted a thread about wanting to eat healthier if you're not willing to make any sacrifices to do so.

britt244
09-15-2007, 12:10 AM
and i'm not entirely sure why youre saying that. i never said i dont eat fruit. but yes, i am not going to eat things i dont like. which is why im trying to get lots of suggestions so i can find things i DO like. and kaylinn's ideas are helpful, and yek has been too. i dont have to eat things i dont like to make my diet healthier. i AM making sacrifices if i'm cooking dinner instead of eating fast food. i AM making sacrifices if i eat a sandwich for lunch instead of something fatty. so yeah...

PleasureVictim
09-15-2007, 01:57 AM
No! Alfredo and weight watchers-- it has NO taste what.so.ever.

I'm not Italian, but I love me some alfredo sauce. When I learned how to make it, I used to eat it once a week. Those were the days........

Gypsy74
09-15-2007, 02:30 AM
I don't think that hiding the veggies or getting microwaveable anything is a good way to eat healthier- it's not healthier, it's like cheating.

Most of the nutrients from vegetables are gone after you cook them, and cooking them inside something that's unhealthy... you may as well not be eating them at all. Microwaving things also creates compounds that your body can't digest and ruins the normal cellular structure of the food.

Just eat them.... they'll taste better if you stop eating junk food- tastebuds get numb from eating foods that are really salty/processed with chemicals/preservatives.

Raw vegetables really are the best way to go, I'm pretty picky when it comes to texture, but I find that raw baby spinach, carrots, cucumbers, red,orange,yellow and green bell peppers are all pretty delicious raw. If you have to cook them, steam them or stir fry them.

Try going to the health food store (whole foods, wild oats) and go to the salad bar and get every single vegetable they have and put it in a salad w/ dressing and see how you like it-- you'll probably be surprised. I love getting salad from whole foods- they have so many different vegetables, I get baby spinach, peppers, cucumbers, artichokes, broccoli, and tofu, use vegan caesar dressing and it's delicious :)

Mily
09-15-2007, 04:11 AM
I was a very finicky eater, too. I never used to eat vegetables or anything really healthy for that matter...but if you want to start living healthy, changing your eating habits is a must. Yeah...it may be hard at first, but what isn't when you're first starting out? It takes discipline. A LOT. It also takes time. You're going through the beginning phases right now. If you stick to what you are doing now, and begin to shed fat and build muscle...that should be enough motivation for you to become stricter on yourself and your diet. In time, your eating habits will naturally adjust...IF YOU STICK TO IT.
I recommend getting a food journal and writing everything you eat down everyday for every meal if you're really serious about it.

When I was a hardcore fitness freak (and I will be again, now that I've gained a little bit of the weight back) this is what a typical day was like for me...

Breakfast: Slimfast or any other healthy meal replacement drink. Or a bowl of Life cereal with soy milk or rice milk and chopped banana slices.

Morning Snack: A Nutrigrain bar, a piece of fruit/yogurt.

Lunch: Tuna Sandwiches w/ lowfat mayo on wheat bread.
Fruit and yogurt/baby carrots w/ nonfat ranch dressing.

Midafternoon Snack: Fruit/yogurt...you get it...HEALTHY STUFF!

Dinner: I always enjoyed my dinners. I would steer clear of fried foods period, and eat lots of grilled chicken, pork, fish or subway sandwiches. (I wasn't kidding about the Subway diet, either). Lots of steamed rice dishes. Beef dishes 3 times a week at the most. Lots of big yummy salads.

Dessert: A fruit smoothie or just fruit.


ALSO- NO SODA! If you must have soda, go diet of course. Buy bottled water and stock up the fridge with it.

- Get rid of all junk food in your house so you don't get cravings to eat it... and keep healthy snacks around to grab when you get the urge. Grab a bottled water first and drink it to make sure you are really not just thirsty.



It takes time and discipline...but if you really want to do it, and you stick to it, it CAN be done. Your eating habbits will change naturally in time and you won't even realize it.


All in all...you gotta do what it is you gotta do if you want to see results...it's as simple as that.

I wish you luck, Britt.

Mily
09-15-2007, 04:40 AM
and i'm not entirely sure why youre saying that. i never said i dont eat fruit. but yes, i am not going to eat things i dont like. which is why im trying to get lots of suggestions so i can find things i DO like. and kaylinn's ideas are helpful, and yek has been too. i dont have to eat things i dont like to make my diet healthier. i AM making sacrifices if i'm cooking dinner instead of eating fast food. i AM making sacrifices if i eat a sandwich for lunch instead of something fatty. so yeah...


Also... buy a couple of diet and fitness magazines at Wal-Mart or somewhere. Lots of good tips and healthy food suggestions/recipes in them PLUS exercises as well. The only true way to find out what healthy foods you will like is to go research and experiment.

Jewels69
09-15-2007, 06:39 AM
First I want to say you aren't eating as bad as you think you are. Broccoli has lots of Folic acid in it and vitamins A, D, C, and E. Also it contains Selenium. Epidemiological studies show that broccoli is one of the vegetables that is directly linked to cancer prevention.With little fat and many vitamins, minerals and fiber all of which are part of the criteria for cancer prevention.It also contains a large amount of phytochemicals some of which protect against carcinogenesis. Turkey and Tuna contain 2 of the most important amino acids, Tryptophan and Tyrosine which are nutrients for the brain.They are the precursors of neurotransmitter that is they are what makes neurotransmitters.So you see you aren't doing so bad.Your body is like a perfect working machine. It tells you what it needs. If you crave a certain food its because there is some vitamin or mineral in that specific food that your body is low on. Give in to your cravings within reason thats the only way your body can tell you what it needs.If you like oranges, cantaloupe and honey dew you should add them to your diet. Your daily supply of vitamin C can be had in 1 orange. All 3 fruits are very sweet if they're ripe.Also if you like baked potatoes your daily supply of the rest of the vitamins and minerals are in 1 baked potato skin and all. And yes you can still put butter sour cream or what ever. Dairy products like sour cream and cheese are also considered to be brain foods. So like I said your not as bad off as you think. As far as amount of food your eating if your dancing and going to school on top of everyday life chances are your burning it off as fast as you are ingesting it. So unless you are 350lbs of fat then I wouldn't worry. Your body knows what it needs and will tell you So enjoy eating what you like.:) :dance: ;D :biggrin:

Yekhefah
09-15-2007, 08:54 AM
Mily, there is high fructose corn syrup in Slimfast and Nutrigrain bars. Personally I found that I felt much, much better and found it easier to lose weight when I eliminated high-fructose corn syrup from my diet. That stuff really does make it difficult to burn fat, and I think it slowed my metabolism down and made me sluggish. I have more energy without it and I just all-around feel better. On rare occasion I'll eat something with HFCS in it and I feel all sluggish again, so yeah, I'm gonna keep avoiding it from now on.

Also, everyone who is singing the praises of yogurt - don't just buy any old yogurt, look at the nutritional content. Most yogurt is sweetened with sugar or even high-fructose corn syrup, and some of it is so high-calorie it might as well be a candy bar. If you're eating yogurt to be healthy, make sure you get a healthy yogurt.

britt244
09-15-2007, 09:32 AM
please please stop everyone telling me what i HAVE to do. i have already said what i am WILLING to do. suggestions like mily's, yek's, and kaylinn's are helpful for me. someone telling me what i just have to do and deal with it, are not. some changes are better than none. i dont want someone to makeover my entire eating plan, i just needed some healthier changes. if you read my op, the main problem is running around so much with school & my internship & work & alcohol classes. i have very little free time. thats where the problem came in. and thats where its easier to grab something bad for me. its not like im a total pig. >:(

i'm not a HORRIBLE eater like some of you seem to think. i eat healthy foods sometimes. i just also like a lot of junk food. but it isnt like thats all i eat.

mily - i already cut out soda, all i drink is water (i drink a TON of water) and 1% milk. rarely i'll drink juice but not often because of the sugar. thanks for those ideas! those are things i can actually do and things that i will eat. :)

TigersMilk
09-15-2007, 09:40 AM
Well if it helps any here are some guidelines for reading food labels.
http://www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/fns/Nutritional/FoodLabel.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nutrition-facts/NU00293 (roll over the numbers with your mouse to see the info)
http://www.myfooddiary.com/resources/label_claims.asp
^^this one is about food claims such as: low sugar, fat free etc. and what they really mean.

Reading food labels is a great guide to tell you whats good for you, bad for you, and whats disguising itself as good for you.

britt244
09-15-2007, 09:41 AM
^ thanks! i do need to pay attention to labels. i've gotten a lot better about it recently, i always look at the sugar content! i'm checking out those sites right now.

Mily
09-15-2007, 01:19 PM
Yeah, Yek...I pretty much don't drink slimfast anymore, but I'll have a replacement drink from CVS every now and then instead of a full breakfast, but mostly I'll eat a healthy bowl of cereal with soymilk and bananas for breakfast.

I definitely agree with the yogurt. Try to go lowfat, Britt.

I was also doing A LOT of excercise (walking, running, and pilate-type exercises) when I was on that diet...so I knew I could treat myself every now and then because I was going to burn it off later.

Dieting doesn't just work....you want to throw in some exercise, too, if you want to really shed the fat and build muscle.

I'm starting get back into my groove...I always go through my cycles, but I've been like this for over 3 years now, so a lot of my eating habits have just become habitual. :)

Katrine
09-15-2007, 01:55 PM
If you don't like most fruits and vegetables, take a good multivitamin. I like powder vitamins that are absorbed better by the body than pills.

Like you, I am very busy. I am also very lazy and don't care to cook. I buy frozen, pre-cooked and pre-flavored chicken breasts. I also buy the frozen broccoli in a steam bag. Microwave the chicken in a covered plastic bowl, with some water in it. Broccoli comes in its own bag. Then I spray some fake butter, grind on some sea salt, and grind in some multi-peppercorn pepper. It takes not even 10 minutes to make.

But I do get sick and tired of eating that,lol! If I can get my lazy ass up to find it, I can write out my current meal plan.

britt244
09-15-2007, 02:11 PM
kat, i just started taking a multivitamin. i used to take one but i just stopped because im lazy, haha. but i started taking one, and drinking emergen-c daily along with my tonalin. i get bored eating the same thing too. esp if i find something i like and i'll eat a lot of it and then i'm kinda over it, haha.

guys, i just want to eat better, not lose weight! well, let me rephrase that. i do want to lose some weight, but that wasnt the point of the thread. i do exercise. not as much as i should but i count work as exercise and i walk all over. at school there are nothing but stairs and hills and so i'm walking constantly. and then i work out a few times a week. the point of wanting to eat better is because i feel better and know its better for me. i'm not trying to diet, just throw in some healthier alternatives with my crazy schedule :)

oh, and mily. i eat dannon light & fit yogurt. im definately very picky when it comes to low fat things because sometimes theyre just as bad for you!

Zinaida
09-16-2007, 12:15 PM
Breakfast: Slimfast or any other healthy meal replacement drink. Or a bowl of Life cereal with soy milk or rice milk and chopped banana slices.

Lol, I was on my second bowl of cinnamon Life when I read this....but I always use whole milk....

Zinaida
09-16-2007, 12:17 PM
I think I'm going to go to Shop Rite's salad bar for lunch, and then have rice, sauteed chicken and broccoli, and soy sauce all mixed together for dinner. ?

cameron_keys
09-16-2007, 03:42 PM
Have you tried veggies that are a bit outsid ethe norm? If you dont like carrots, green beans..the usual American veggies...why not try something differant? Rhubarb, okra,chinese cabbage...that kind of thing? If you go to an ethnic store(like an Italian or Chinese grocery) there will be veggies there you have prob never heard of. Cant hurt to try...you might find some you like.

As for the fast food habit..THAT needs to stop more then anything else. You'll give yourself a heart attack filling up on grease and salt...fast food should be an occasional treat if anything..not a diet staple. Get a crock pot. Throw a bunch of stuff in it in the morning(meat, veggies, broth, spices...whatever you like...there are a bunch od crock pot recipie sites online) and turn it on. When you have those 25 minutes to eat ...dinner will already be made for you. You can have chicken soup, beef stew, pot roast...all cooked to YOUR liking since you spiced them yourself. Just as easy as fast food...half the price and MUCH healthier. Make a quick salad with it and you can get a nice serving of nutrients in your meal.
I make a KILLER veggie lasagna! I get the lasagna noodles you can bake hard(instead of having to boil them soft first..saves time). I layer it with spinach, chopped peppers, carrots, onion, artichokes and a mixture of ricotta(skim)cheese, mozzerela(skim) and romano cheese. Then I smother it all in marinara sauce and top it with a bit more mozz. Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes. YUM. You can keep it for a week in the fridge and it microwaves perfectly in about 3 minutes. Substitute other veggies if you like(but keep the spinach in...you cant really taste it since the sauce overwhelms it...but its SO good for you, so its an easy way to sneak it into your diet.