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Old 11-16-2005, 09:28 PM   #1  
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Default Food Foes

Now part of this is because I forgot my medication at home and did not take it today, my breakfast burned and I was hungry, add cookies...y'know. My typing is horrible because I have a hand/wrist brace on that feels good but annoys me..

anyway: after reading all sorts of things, it seems like most foods that I like are nixed off the list of most diet plans, and that the foods I detest are always recommended. I feel like my menus are getting smaller and smaller. I do not like mustard, yogurt, v8 juice, tomatoes, cucumbers, raw broccoli or raw cauliflauer, I can;t handle asparagus. I do not like mushrooms or cottage cheese...its not like I'm trying to be a curmudgeon adn stick my nose up at it all. I try these foods, but do not like them, or I may like some cooked, but not raw. I like Mayonaise, I like tuna, I like wheat and grain bread and pasta. I have to have meat...salads do not fill me up in any way shape or form.

I know that there are some foods that are just poor choices, like cookies, sugary stuff, ect..., but it seems like all the tips I read bout food all have to do with stuff I like that I shouldn't be eating, or stuff that I should be eating that I do not like. I want this to be somethign I can live with for the long haul, and not have to resent any of the choices I am making.

Yeah, it sounds like I'm whining, and maybe I am, but I want to lose this extra poundage, and it;s working slowly, but yet it seems like I'm going about it the wrong way. I just feel like a freak in a way because of how picky I am about food. I have tried these things. I can't even swallow a tomato!... so, in the end, I've wanted to vent, adn I did and I thank you for hearing me out
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Old 11-16-2005, 09:47 PM   #2  
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I've never had issues with vegetables, but I know people who have. I have to advocate a little for vegetables, because they're oh-so-good for you (even if you hide them by shredding carrots into your spaghetti sauce).

I guess if you're trying to diversify your diet, I'd just try to eat different things, and find the ones that are the least offensive to you and incorporate them slowly.

Whatever you are doing, though, you're doing it right because you've lost 60 pounds already!
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Old 11-16-2005, 11:42 PM   #3  
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I think falling into the trap of good food / bad food is dangerous, a sure way to convince yourself you're not cut out for healthy eating.

You don't like cottage cheese, you don't have to eat cottage cheese. But, it's helpful to think about why so many people who are losing weight or otherwise trying to get fit eat it. It's lowfat (if you get the lowfat kind), it packs a lot of nutritional punch, especially in the protein department, and it's versatile. You certainly don't have to eat it plain; you can dress it up with savory things (onion, pepper, etc.) or sweet things like fruit. You can blend it so it's smooth and put stuff in it, glop it on green salads, etc. But, if you don't like it and don't think you'll learn to like it, then don't think you HAVE to. And there is no law that a person watching their diet has to eat raw broccoli, or anything else you mention. But again, think about WHY it's often recommend: Broccoli is EXTREMELY healthy, eating it raw is handy -- the grab-and-go factor -- and it gives that crunch that some people miss when they give up chips and the like. I LOVE broccoli but I can only handle raw in small doses. I certainly don't feel guilty that I don't eat it raw more than I do!

The flip side of the coin is, for example, mayonnaise. You like it? Then have it. Just understand why it's not a good idea to eat a lot of it when you're restricting calories, and the place it occupies in a healthy diet. A lot goes a long way, and it's mostly good fats. But, making a tuna salad that's 50% tuna and 50% mayo isn't going to get you very far if you're trying to lose weight. You like cookies? Will having a small cookie in the afternoon save your sanity? Then have a cookie. Just understand what more nutritious foods you'll have to give up in order to have it and not have too many calories.

The thing about dieting is that you could eat your recommended calorie allowance in 100% butter if you wanted to; you'd lose weight, sure. But usually when people are trying to lose weight they're trying to get healthier, and not get too hungry. That means making some larger changes so that those allotted calories represent more balance and more nutrition. You usually want to get the most bang for your buck, so to speak.

So, if you have so many strong dislikes of common foods then it might be more helpful to stick with what you DO like at first, just don't go over on calories. Then you can start branching out a bit, working on having a positive about adding things you haven't loved in the past to help bring more balance and less calorie density when it seems worth it to you. Get creative with things; a "salad" doesn't have to be lettuce, cucumber, tomato -- it can be cold roasted zucchini, onion, carrot, red pepper, with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. A salad of vegetables alone isn't enough to fill up ANYONE, and it's not a balanced meal anyway. Why can't you make a nice hearty salad of greens and vegetables you DO like, then top with some lovely grilled chicken or fish? I tell ya, add some whole grain crackers or bread on the side, and THAT my friend is a filling meal. Or, have a vegetable-based soup with a grilled lowfat cheese sandwich, and some fruit for dessert. Or make that tuna sandwich, just go easy on the mayo and have a little soup or salad or steamed vegetables on the side.

It seems to me that you are stuck in diet cliches of the past, and you haven't really sat down and thought about nutrition per se and how to marry that with your tastes. Sometimes I eat what some people would consider "diet food" but I never ever think about it that way. I just eat food. I eat food that I like that gives me a good balance of nutrients, that fulfills my calorie needs. I HAVE expanded the definition of "what I like" since I've been doing this, and sometimes I DO eat the broccoli instead of the potato because that's a better choice, even if it's not the one I'd have if there were no consequences. Still, I never feel I'm forcing down something because it's considered what I SHOULD eat because I'm "on a diet."

You might look into the exchange system for managing eating. It was developed by the ADA and is what the original version of WW was based on, and is also what my program, Jenny Craig is based on. It gives you some good building blocks to use to construct meals and snacks that ensures balance throughout the day, but allows you to fit an ANY food you desire pretty much. There are no good and bad foods, just the question of how you want to "spend" your allowance for the day. This web site can get you started: http://www.24hourfitness.com/html/24_5/food/exchange/
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Old 11-17-2005, 12:06 AM   #4  
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I applaud you for educating yourself regarding nutrition and making an effort to try new foods. Just remember that it make take several attempts before a food begins to grow on you.

However, I would suggest that you not make things any more complicated than they have to be. We each have to determine our own goals. Some of us are eating healthily and exercising as a means to regain our health. It is a worthy cause and one that will pay off in the long run. But, some of us just want to lose weight in which case the bottom line is calories in versus calories out regardless of the kinds of food we eat.

I am certainly not suggesting that a healthy diet isn't important. But, if you don't have any weight related medical issues it may not be as important to you as it is to others. You don't have to feel guilty about that.

Personally, I got caught in that guilt trap several months ago. I was beginning to step up my weight training routines. The more I researched the more people I found pushing the idea of lifting heavy, full body routines, etc. My dilemma was that I agreed 100% with everything being said but it just didn't apply to ME. I was (am) happy with my moderate routine, I was (am) getting the results I wanted but I felt guilty not taking the bull by the horns, so to speak. I no longer feel the need to apologize for not being interested in "true" weight lifting. It isn't my thing and it doesn't have to be. I had the same experience with yoga. I tried several classes and didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. And if I'm going to have to exercise for the rest of my life then, by golly, I'm going to do something that I enjoy.

I think the same mentality can be applied to the foods we eat. I definately think you should keep trying as many new foods as you can. But, in the long run, it isn't the veggie loving, cottage cheese and salad eating people who have to live with your menus. YOU have to live with your menus. If you are otherwise healthy and feel good (physically and mentally) then you are doing something right. Just continue on with an open mind. There are lots of healthy foods out there and some of them are bound to appeal to you. You just have to find them. In the meantime, don't feel as though there is anything wrong with the way you are going about things. If it works, it works. And with 60 pounds lost, it obviously works.
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Old 11-17-2005, 12:09 AM   #5  
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I don't think it's as bad as you think it is...dieting doesn't mean you have to eat all the vegetables you hate all the time. See, I'm lactose intolerant and while in the past I loved cottage cheese it's just not an option for me now, so nix that and 95% of dairy products.

I'm not a big fan of some of the veggies you mentioned, and my fiance hates pretty much all vegetables. He definitely won't eat them by themselves, which makes it difficult when I'm cooking dinner for two. We eat a lot of meat, as that is what he does like. I buy a lot of lean ground beef, lean steak, and have finally got him hooked on various kind of boneless/skinless chicken. He'll eat cooked broccoli mixed in with beef (I make a wicked-easy beef and broccoli, low-cal too), and I mix in corn with rice, or peas with couscous, things of that nature. He doesn't do salads, and as lettuce is pretty lacking in nutrition I often don't bother with that either. I myself count calories on my diet, and log them into fitday. My fiance and I eat low fat, partially because it's usually low cal and also for his heart, so I try to keep a close eye on my percentages of carbs/fat/protein and how much fiber I'm consuming as well. Other than that, I don't worry to much about eating green things, just think about an overall balance. I probably don't make 'real' vegetables every day, maybe just every other day. I don't think that I can only eat healthy foods every day, just that I should try to limit the really unhealthy ones for special occasions when it's worth the calorie waste and when I won't have to worry about being hungry later on. Anyways, that's all the advice I have for now, hope that helps.
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Old 11-17-2005, 07:58 AM   #6  
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My thought would be don't be hard onyourself and don't try to force yourself to eat foods you hate. There is always a substitute (i.e., orange fruit (melon) instead of orange vegetable (sweet potato). Soymilk instead of cow's milk. You get the idea.

Good luck.
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Old 11-17-2005, 02:12 PM   #7  
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alteaon--I hear you! I am the queen of picky eaters. I hate probably 95% of all vegetables (I can tolerate lettuce, corn and potatoes--both of which are really starches--and small amounts of cooked broccoli). I hate tomatoes and all raw veggies (besides lettuce and spinach in salads). I only like cucumbers if they are drowned in dressing, which sort of defeats the purpose I can't stand the texture of cottage cheese, so I don't eat it! I love mayo, too, but I have recently switched to Miracle Whip (bf hates it, so I still have to buy regular mayo, too), which to me has even more flavor and fewer calories.

Like the others have said, you don't have to eat the cliche diet foods. Just make healthier choices. You know to avoid cookies, cakes, ice cream, potato chips, etc. (ya know, all the good stuff ), so I'm sure you're doing just fine. Heck, you've lost a ton of weight already, so how have you been so successful so far? I'm sure you weren't force-feeding yourself raw broccoli and cottage cheese to do it!

I've lost bout 40 pounds so far and have failed miserably at incorporating veggies into my everyday diet. I have tried them baked, steamed, raw, slow-cooked, and up-side-down People tell me every day how good they are for you, but actually chewing and swallowing them makes me literally gag, and I don't think vomitting is on my weight loss plan, so I avoid them

What I DO eat is just the common sense stuff--lower-calorie snacks, smaller portions of "bad" foods, whole-grain pastas and breads, lean meats, blah blah blah--you've heard it all before: whole foods are key! I do still eat a bunch of processed stuff (instant oatmeal, Special K bars, instant mashed potatoes, etc.), but I have replaced a lot of it with better choices (like fruit for snacks, lean ground turkey burgers instead of greasy hamburgers, home-made smoothies instead of Frosties...).

I'm sure you know what you need to do since you've done so well already. Sometimes it's just hard for things to *click*, but you'll get it
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Old 11-17-2005, 05:59 PM   #8  
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In a nutshell, eat the foods YOU like, the fatty ones in moderation, stick to your calorie allowance regardless of what you ingest, and take good vitamins. If you don't like certain foods, don't stress yourself out over it. I love just about all vegetables, but there are other healthy foods that are being stressed, things that just MUST be included in your diet, but hey, some of them I don't like, so that's tough. Like fruit. I can't stand fruit. I never eat it. I don't worry about it.

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Old 11-18-2005, 02:18 PM   #9  
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Hello,

FIrst I'd like to apologize for how darn whiney I sounded on my post. I was just having a bad day and letting too much get to me. I appreciate all the replies. Like some of you mentioned, I am the only one who deals with what I eat. True, I am very picky, but that's not the end of the road for me, nor is it a good excuse.

I'm quickly understanding that there are no rules or laws for weight loss. Different for all people...and whining does no one any good
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Old 11-18-2005, 02:22 PM   #10  
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I didn't think you were whining! And, even if you were ... that's what we're here for!
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Old 11-18-2005, 05:15 PM   #11  
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I've gradually added more vegetables to my diet and forced myself to drink V8 juice until I liked it. I started with a small juice glass full, kept it really cold and chugged it down like medicine. Now, I keep cans of it all over the place so I have a healthy snack. It really is a matter of getting used to the taste of a lot of things.

Keep trying different vegetables until you find some thing you like. I don't mean to say that you'll like everything you try-I've finally decided to give up trying to like broccoli and cauliflower. They just aren't for me. Some vegetables taste better fresh, like if you have a local farmers market maybe something will tickle your tastebuds.

Also sometimes it's all in how it's prepared, many of us grew up with the overcooked, slimy vegetables that turned us off the stuff. My mother's recipe for green beans is open 2 cans of green beans, add 1/2 stick of butter and 1 sliced onion. Simmer for at least an hour or place in crock pot overnight. By the time it came time to eat, it was like eating butter flavored mush.

Or just go with the flow, count the calories and take a good multivitamin and don't worry about it so much.

Sarah
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