[TabbyOne]

Hello Everyone,

I have a dilemma that I need some assistance with. I have ADD plus Debilitating Chronic Fatigue of Unknown Origin, as I like to call it. Separately both set up a person to have the tenancy to be over weight and I get to have both.

My dilemma is that I have mush brain due to the ADD. I can think of a great idea (hey, it does happen!) but then forget about it shortly there after. I can also not get any ideas as things go round and round in my head and nothing materializes from the fog that causes.

Oh, and one more speed bump. I'm super duper picky. You know, that kind of person everyone complains about and has no respect for in regards to food she/he doesn't like? Yep, that's me.

Okay, when I say debilitating fatigue, I'm not exaggerating. I seem to get a lot of disrespect/disbelief with that has well.

Okay so this is what I'm hoping you all can help me with. I need some ideas to get me started with a routine for a way of eating. I want to eliminate starch as much as possible. I found that really works well for me. Of coarse, I'd like to stay way from processed foods as well but right now, that is a bit up in the air. Due to my fatigue, I can not get to the grocery store every week nor can I cook anything other than super basic. For example, my favorite easy even with fatigue meal is spaghetti. I dump it into a boiling pot of water, set a timer and that's pretty much it. Of coarse, I'd like to never eat pasta again. I'm not asking for a substitute for pasta, please know that, I'm just giving an example of how basic the 'cooking' has to be.

I found some frozen cooked hamburger patties once. All I had to do was pop one into the microwave. I didn't know this but it has like fake smoke flavoring in it and was intolerable. I also bought some frozen meatballs. I know, I know, they have breadcrumbs in them, but fatigue makes a person desperate. OMgosh they were awful. The texture, well if I go into details I'll make both of us sick so I'll just say that they were not even close to tolerable.

So, you say, "Frozen chicken tenders (or whatever)." . Okay, but that gets old really fast plus there's the dilemma of sides. Not a fan of healthy plants. Also fresh food tends to go bad as I often can't summon the energy to cook before it's expiration date. I've thrown out and wasted so much. I have a lot of things I know I like, but they are fresh foods, and that isn't working with my fatigue.

I do not have help or backup.

So, I have pretty much set you up to fail but I figured if I can start this thread and possibly even just talk to myself, I might eventually devise a plan. I need to organize my thoughts to create a menu for a week at a time with as much variety as possible to help me stay on track. I've done that before but the fatigue thing is what is really killing me. I adore and lost weight eating ricotta cheese waffles for example but now can't manage to make them. Eating canned green beans more than 2 times a week seems to set me up to fail. Bagged salads and raw or steamed carrots gets old too.

I'd love to find something my taste buds would like with canned fish. I mean the one's called sardines but is really a half or whole fish in a can. The omegas in that has wonderful health benefits. I'm thinking possibly a balsamic type glaze.

Oh, and I tend to ramble a lot (ADD).

The statement mentioned in the title is;
I read 3 threads before I got to writing mine. In 2 of those 3 threads the word cognizant was used. I never heard anyone "in real life" use that word and then suddenly 2 people use it in the only 3 threads I read. How totally strange and random is that?

TabbyOne

[DietVet]

That is a difficult situation!

What about chicken breasts that you marinate in bulk when you have the energy, and then defrost and cook on the stove when you want to eat?

I like sardines or the kippers on toast. I toast the toast, spread the fish on, salt and pepper and then throw under the broiler for another minute to warm the fish.

Lots of veggies are really simple and lots are great frozen. You could boil petite green peas and then add a dab of butter and a jot of salt. That's tasty and really quick and easy. Ditto with corn, if you don't mind eating a starch. Steamed edamame are quick and easy to make too.

Other ideas: Yogurt with honey and nuts. A smoothie with frozen banana, frozen berries and a couple of handfuls of spinach (you can't taste it!) is a healthy snack or meal substitute. Really easy to throw together if you keep sliced frozen banana and frozen berries in the freezer. I add a couple of spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt for some body.

[twinieten]

I understand the fatigue! I'm not diagnosed chronic fatigue or anything, but I have my moments. Have you tried B12 shots? Seriously worked great for me! I bought the weight loss kinds on Groupon, but they haven't helped me lose weight. They make me feel so great, though, that I was going to see if my doc would prescribe a weekly injection.

Anyhow, knowing fatigue and knowing how convenience is often quite necessary, I'll share some of what helps me.

- Food Saver. Love mine. Things last forever. I'll buy in bulk, portion out, and food save blocks of cheese, cold cuts, chicken breasts that I've cooked, leftover ham, turkey etc that I've cooked....

- Blue Apple and any type of green food saving bag or container. They really work!! They keep produce fresher longer. I always have Blue Apple in my produce drawers. I'll buy big containers of berries or fruits, and put them in the green containers, and they stay good, longer.

- I'll boil a dozen eggs and keep them in the fridge.

- Cheese sticks, like Frigo strong cheese. Last forever in the fridge

- Apples. They have a long shelf life in the fridge so I always have apples around. I'll put a few out on the counter as needed, so they get to room temperature for me (I don't like cold foods. Sensetive teeth) and to make them obvious and available for the kids.

- Apple sauce, mandarin oranges, pineapple, fruit cups and canned fruit. I keep these around so if I run out of fresh fruit, I have something in the pantry.

- Spaghetti squash. Mmmmm, great sub for pasta! I cook a couple and freeze what I don't use.

- Cook extra, portion and freeze. You have an easy meal for later. It may require some extra cost in containers, but it's worth it later. It's also great for my kids so they have an easy lunch, dinner or snack if I don't cook.

- Yogurt cups. Easy to grab. They keep a long time in the fridge.

- Canned chicken and tuna. Come in handy when you're hungry and you don't feel like cooking something healthy. Great on salad, in a sandwich or just plain!

- I freeze berries before they spoil and use them in my protein shake, cereal or toss a few in my water for flavor. I portion them out in single serving sizes in a zip lock bag so I don't have to worry about weighing and measuring.

Another thing I do is I'll save leftover sauces or meals, even if there's not enough to really save. Like spaghetti sauce.... no one east the leftover in the fridge. I started putting it in the freezer and add to it. Eventually I have enough to reheat and serve another spaghetti meal! I might cook two casseroles, and freeze one, etc. I guess it depends on how much space you have. I have a big freezer in the garage.

Hope these ideas help!

[Serenity100]

Can you get a George Forman grill? You can order it online. You can buy a box of Bubba burgers. These are not cooked, just meat in shape of burger. They are in a box of 6 but you can take one out at a time. You cook it frozen.
Also, Purdue has individually wrapped chicken cutlets in a bag. Take one out and defrost it. The GF grill is very easy. You plug it in, allow it to get hot, stick the meat in, cook till it's done. Another thing that is easy is to buy the steamer bags of veggies, stick it in the micro, and you have veggies cooked for a day or two.

[juliana77]

I cook a whole chicken in the crockpot (literally just dump it in the crockpot, shake some seasoning on top, and cook for 4 hrs on high or 6 on low - then take it out, let it cool a bit, and take off all the meat). You can portion it out or keep it in a container. Freeze what you won't use in 3 days. Some things I do with it:

Heat it up with bottled curry sauce and vegetables
Add to veggie soup (canned or homemade)
Make wraps or burritos
Add to green salad
Mix with rice or quinoa and frozen veggies

[LockItUp]

Crock pot is definitely a great way to cook really yummy food with very minimal effort. You can dump tons of different stuff in there without any prep whatsoever and hours later a meal is totally ready for you.

Another thing you could do is just start cutting the portions of your current food.

Another idea would be (not the healthiest idea ever but throwing it out there anyway) to buy everything precooked then you just have to heat it. You can get everything precooked in the frozen section; chicken breasts, burgers, etc etc.