On the roasted veggies...either way is fine. My people (Greeks) eat cooked greens at room temperature just dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. They are summertime foods. My favorite memories of growing up is eating cooked greens and fried smelt (fish). That's Greek soul food!
As for the more substantial veggies, you can eat them at any temperature too. Just depends on what you want. In the summer, I like to make a broccoli puree with the roasted broccoli and a bit of chicken broth. I add just a little cream to finish it for a chilled soup. To have it in the winter, do the same but heat it up. It's nice with some bacon crumbles too!
What is popular at my house is grilled zucchini. If you know people who have planted zucchini in their garden, they are making all their neighbors nuts right now with giving it away. I never have to plant zucchini! When they get a little bigger, like around 2" diameter, I slice them into 1/4" slices and brush them with olive oil. I broil them on each side till nice and golden, sprinkle a little salt on them. Fabulous! Also good to do with eggplant.
Google roast tomatoes too! OMG!!!
I highly recommend An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace. It's beautifully written and full of great ways to economize on meals by planning ahead and how to get full use of the food you buy. And it's all about cooking everything simply and from scratch. I loved reading.
From what I've glanced, there is tons of great advice here already!! Here is my two cents
1. Log EVERYTHING. Yes it's tedious, yes it's annoying, but being aware of what you're eating is very important! Even if you actually make no dietary changes, just knowing what you had for breakfast and lunch may help you make a better decision for dinner (unless you're like Ian, who enjoys Beer for dinner ). I wasn't aware of how many calories I was actually eating until I kept a food journal, and it was eye opening. It doesn't have to be a physical journal, too, although some people prefer that. i use MyFitnessPal because I like the barcode scanner, but there are other apps that do the same thing.
2. Prep! I can't just make one meal when I cook. I buy lots of chicken...to the point where my fiance is ready to go bonkers. But Chicken is healthy, and when it's on sale, I buy I a lot of it. I don't have a lot of freezer space to freeze the raw chicken, so I cook it! I will spend several hours on Monday's cooking enough chicken for the week...I will throw some chicken breasts in the crock pot so I can shred it for salads or tacos, or whatever I can use shredded chicken for. I will bake bone-in chicken breasts in the oven for 35-45 minutes on 425 with herbs and seasonings, then de-bone and boil the bones for stock to use in gravies/sauces/etc. I'm on a budget, so I try to maximize what I have. I clean and trim veggies right away after bringing them home, and portion them ahead of time, or use frozen/canned veggies. Having all of this done early in the week means I have less excuses to stop somewhere else to get food when I don't want to cook.
3. Don't throw yourself off the mountain. One of my favorite quotes that I found here was "if you stumble while climbing up a mountain, are you just going to throw yourself off? No, you're going to adjust yourself and keep climbing". I wrote this in my physical food journal, have it on a magnet on my fridge, and taped to my monitor screen. Every time I make a mistake, or do something that isn't on plan, I look at that and feel confident that the next choice I make will be on plan. When I made this choice to get healthy, I didn't want it to be like all the other times where I'd just give up. It takes effort, it takes willpower, and it takes determination. It's not always easy, but it will work!
Tips on food!
-look for recipes called OAMC (once-a-month-cooking). Anything from little egg "muffins" to bacon wrapped chicken to just about anything can be done in bulk and frozen so you just have to heat it up. http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-t...ole-oamc-84030 is a favorite of mine, although I adjust the ingredients sometimes to whatever I have on hand. I also don't like eating it plain, I'll usually use less and put it in a whole wheat wrap for a burrito. Sometimes I'll cook and freeze things in individual containers so it's like a homemade "lean cuisine".
-always check for things on sale! I prefer frozen veggies, but I will buy canned goods if they are at a good price. Especially things like the canned tuna, chicken or salmon, they last a while and can be used in many different recipes as a quick simple protein.
-a lot of grocery stores nowadays have sections of "5 for $19.99" or something like that, where they have different selections of meat. Try to go for leaner meats if possible. My grocery store has ground turkey, so I'll usually get a couple packages of that with lean pork chops or pork tenderloin (if they have it). i can usually make the protein I get from one of those deals last for a week to 10 days with proper portioning for 2 people.
When making my meals for the week, I find the most expensive part is the protein, so that's why I've listed a lot about that. If you don't have access to budget-friendly fresh produce, don't be afraid of canned or frozen. Even canned or frozen fruit is good! Sorry for the info-dump, I hope it helps though!
Make sure you have a calorie deficit.
Eat healthy
Drink plenty of water
My trick is:
Have a scheduled cheat day once in a while. (mine happened to be yesterday) It helps to rev up your metabolism (when my weight loss slows or stops, a cheat day some how kicks it in gear) and studies show it helps keep people on their diets since they know they have an nonrestrictive day coming up so they can eat what they want (but just eat in moderation). I have a cheat day then wait a few days to weigh in since I know I have gained water weight from that day, so my next weigh in will probably be Tuesday or Wednesday if I have the self control to wait lol
I had to do this once (carry lunch and dinner with me to work and school) and it was challenging. Cottage cheese with fruit was an easy travel dish, and gazpacho is a great summer food that can be portable and a good way to get in some veggies.
I recommend getting a crock pot if you don't have one already. One can usually be found at goodwill or salvation army type stores for just a few bucks. They can be a lifesaver. I make huge batches of pulled chicken or beef which can be turned into salad toppers, tacos, bbq sandwiches etc. I stick in the meat and some water and salt and just leave it for 8hrs and when it is done voila 5-8 meals worth of premade protien that just needs reheating and whatever sauce. you can also prep soups the night before and they will cook on low until you get home. I've seen oatmeal recepies that cook overnight so you have breakfast ready to go in the morning, this could even be packaged and eaten for lunch or dinner (chilled oatmeal can be delicious in the summer)
I could go on and on with suggestions using a crock pot
Other than that I would say never give up is my number 1 nugget of advice. If you have slipped up accept it, forgive yourself, and move on. Time is going to pass no matter what, don't waste that time feeling guilty and punishing yourself. You are only human and slipups happen, try to be greatful that you stopped yourself when you did instead of gaining it all back or more. You lost it once and you can do it again! And a small plus, I have found that weight I have re-gained over a short amount of time tends to come off faster then it originally came off. It is like the body knows it was for temporary storage and accesses it easier or something. Hopefully the same is true for you as well!
Lean Cuisine lasts in my soft lunch bag cooler for 7 hours with a little freezer pack sitting above it. Lasts 2 days sitting in the fridge (not freezer) at work.
Grocery stores are less crowded at night.
For fast food: There is a great book called Eat This, Not That with great swaps!
My first meal of the day is protein based, which helps me feel less hungry throughout the day than if I start the day with carbs or sugar.
Have some strategies to keep you going if you feel like you're going to slip: drink tea, chew gum, go for a walk, call a friend, organize a closet or drawer, etc....
The advice to eat uninspired but "functional" foods, like tuna out of the can or plain beans, wouldn't work for me. I prefer to find the intersection between healthy and delicious (to me) and focus on that zone. My go-to breakfast is 2 slices of buttered toast and a fried egg. Most popular lunch is a home-made tortilla pizza. Dinner is often a small stir-fry and wine. If I have to skimp on any meal, my preference is dinner.
By all means use our ideas, but the key is to find a plan that works for YOU -- the plan that leaves you feeling most satisfied and least deprived. That will depend not only on your schedule but your budget, tastes and (above all) what I call "food psychology." Chances are it's different from mine or anyone else's.
Freelance
Last edited by freelancemomma; 07-21-2013 at 04:48 PM.
My favorite food currently is lettuce wraps ... any veggies and/or meat hot or cold, wrapped up in a neat little package. Sometimes I stick some dressing, balsamic vinegar, yogurt, or sour cream in there too
Really, any social or mental thing that keeps your mind in the game is very helpful, whether that be this forum, another, like minded friends, or just reading articles about weight loss makes a big difference.
I only had time to skim the comments, so if I'm repeating sorry!
If you have access to a grill, grilled chicken adds so much flavor to a boring salad. You can grill a weeks worth on Sundays. Then just get low prep veggies to add. Cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, etc. You will have to chop the lettuce up a couple times a week, but the rest can be done on Sunday. Or you could just get the pre-bagged salad mix and add your other veggies to it. Put a variety of dressings in small pre-portioned containers, stick your veggies in a bowl with a lid, and place your chicken in another container. If you don't have access to a grill, those cheap store bought rotisserie chickens are also great on salads. You can remove the skin if you are worried about it, but the flesh still has amazing flavor.
Veggies and hummus is also good. Before I was vegan, I loved to make a "parfait" with greek yogurt, berries and sliced bananas. I put it into a beautiful dessert cup we got at our wedding. The presentation was so pretty, I felt like I really indulging myself even though it was good for me too. You could also just put some greek yogurt in a container and take that and some berries to work. It is such a yummy filling snack. Apples, oranges, and bananas are great when you are in a hurry. Grapes can be portioned out into baggies or containers once a week.
I make huge (a month's worth) crockpot meal once or twice a week and freeze. I put them into containers just big enough for a week and just pull a new one out to thaw on Sundays. You can make chili (good on a baked potato), taco filling for taco salads, bbq chicken for sandwiches, taco soup (similar to chili), lemon pepper chicken (good with broccoli and small baked potato), curry, etc. There are countless crockpot recipes online. You can always find crockpots at yard sales/thrift shops. I have two. One medium and one large. I love them because you just dump the ingredients and go about your business and they are done. If you are only gone for 8 hrs you can put it on low before you leave for work and have a wonderful meal ready when you get home. Just do all of the prep work on Sunday, place into a gallon freezer bag or large bowl and keep in fridge until you are ready to make it. Dump it into the slowcooker, and there you go! Casseroles also freeze well. Just make two and freeze one. My hubby and I take forever to eat a whole casserole by ourselves, so I make them in loaf pans instead.
One important thing is to eat a good filling breakfast. It usually prevents me from overeating later in the day. Oatmeal is very filling and you can make it in a variety of ways. You can also boil a dozen eggs on Sunday and grab one or two each morning on the go.
). I wasn't aware of how many calories I was actually eating until I kept a food journal, and it was eye opening. It doesn't have to be a physical journal, too, although some people prefer that. i use MyFitnessPal because I like the barcode scanner, but there are other apps that do the same thing.
