So I have been trying to eat better, and stay active for a few weeks now, and have seen some good results. My problem is I get bored with the dieting. On a given day, I eat oatmeal, and have a banana, and a V8 drink. then for a snack before lunch, an apple. For lunch a Healthy Choice meal, then another snack after lunch like a granola bar. For dinner I'd have a salad, and a chicken sandwich. I've cut all the sodas, all the fast food out. I do need to "binge" a lil on the weekend like having some wings, and a burger. But not go crazy of course. My question is what do you all make thats healthy and easy to make? I don't want to get bored again, and give up.
German Chocolate Cake!!!!!!!!!!! Some Healthy stuff: Any salad with arugula a.k.a. rocket as the primary green ( with arugula being naturally peppery salads taste less like rabbit food when you've had too many salads) greek farmers salad ( with no lettuce): tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers Kalamata olives, feta cheese, salt, pepper, and a vinagrette
Protein shakes. They can be a little high in fat but yummy chocolate satisfies your craving and you still get good protein from it. Swing by Gold's Gym and get a Funky Monkey!!!
Black bean burgers are a staple; they're quick and easy to make and pretty damn tasty. Sandwiches with whole wheat bread, lean meat, thin slice of cheese... You want a tip for eating healthy overall? Skip anything that has 'high fructose corn syrup' in the ingredients. No, I'm not saying that it's bad for you (though I personally don't want to eat it), but it helps weed out most all of the 'snack'/crap foods and then some... forces you to change your eating habits altogether. edit: if you get tired of oatmeal, try steel cut oats. Much better flavor, and better for you.
^...nice...thanks guys for the inputs. yeah i have cut out crap that has fructose corn syrup like soda, juices, etc. i'll make a turkey sandwich w/ white wheat break...chicken in a can w/ light mayo and bread. i drink a shi# load of unsweet tea w/ sweet n low...is that okay? i'm sure its better than drinking gallons of Pepsi a day like i normally did in the past.
My personal feelings on things like nutrasweet and sweet'n'low is that there's no such thing as a free lunch. In other words, if you get the sweetness without the calories, the damn thing will kill you in some other way. I know, it sounds irrational, but that's just how I feel... Try getting used to drinking water; eventually you will rarely WANT anything else.
plenty of white meat and fish, shrimps/prawns. Substitue part of your main staple with wild rice, use olive oil and cut down on salt, butter and sugar.
Stick to a 2000 cal daily diet. Learn to read labels. Everything in moderation. When I was diagnosed type II diabetes last year that was the first thing I learned because I have to really watch my diet now.
I agree re: Olive oil. Try the DaVinci brand, it's probably the best bang for the buck that you're likely to find in most decent stores. Wild rice is great, though I'd go for brown on a more regular basis. blindfold: since you like fish, try using panko (japanese bread flakes) for breading, you don't need milk or egg or anything, just mix it up with some Old Bay and push the fish filet around in it, then pan fry in some olive oil.
It's fantastic for catfish in particular; with stuff like flounder you get into trouble because the filet tends to overcook before you get much browning....
god, my biggest food weaknesses are french fries and chips. I just cant stop eating them once i get started. If i could learn how to cook fish better i would eat that all the time with rice
hell yeah moose...i'm going to give that a try too! thnx. jayj...if you like fries..what i do is bake it in the oven instead of frying it. also, if you must have chips, check out the "light" ruffles...17 chips=70 calories...not bad compared to the other chips out there.
I really don't know, but I gather that it's what the japanese use instead of the finer bread crumbs we have over here, so I would suspect it is.
Try sweet potato fries. Cut up sweet potatoes in wedges, toss them in olive oil, some herbs of your choice, salt and pepper. Spray some pam or equivalent on a pan (or use a sheet of foil in the pan), spread them out, and roast in oven at 400 for 20-30 mins.
well here is one for ya find some salmon fillets, slice them into 1/2 thick or thinner. Marinate fillets in soy sauce, salt, and sugar mixture for couple of hours. Pan fry the fillets until all sides are a bit brown, dump all the liquid from the marinate into the pan, throw in couple of sections scallions on it, bake it until it's fully cooked or to your liking. Or you can leave it in the pan with medium fire and put the lid on the pan, do make sure you have enough juice to cook.
moose...would it work w/ salmon like blindfold is thinkin? other suggestions? i've looked online and didn't find much useful info. i'm going to see check out some books on this at a book store i think.
Nice salmon recipe, I will need to try that. I have one that's a little different that I enjoy: use half soy sauce and half maple syrup, marinade the salmon for a day or so, put a coarse ground black pepper crust on it and throw in a 500 (five hundred) deg oven until done. The heat will caramelize some of the sugars in the maple syrup which is nicely offset by the pepper. And a bonus salmon one: chop up a ton of fresh herbs, smear some spicy brown mustard on the filets, pat on a crapton of herbs (as much as you can make stick), heat up a cast iron pan with some veggie oil and sear the side with the herbs. When a nice crust is formed, flip over, add a cup of white wine, and stick in a 400 deg oven until cooked through.
Salmon doesn't really lend itself to breading and pan frying... it tends to overpower the salmon flavor and doesn't jive well.
^thanks...most useful info yet bomjoon! *insert rolls eyes here*lol actually...lean hot pocket?lol i'm going to write these recipes down because i've always wanted to try cooking fish, and damn these are lookin good.
A lot of my suggestions have allready been made but here goes... I also recommend protien drinks, stay away from the ready made ones at the gym and get some powder mixed with water. It stimulates your metabolism and is decent for you, just go buy a big tub of Whey protein. 2nd the biggest thing is to break up your total calorie intake into at least 5 meals, if not more(I try to go 7 or 8)... Not 8 real meals mind you, a bunch of small ones... Here is an example of my day. Meal one: Protien drink/piece of fruit two: Light yogurt three: 2 chicken breasts/Sweet potatoe(plain)/vegees(usually brocoli) four: Tuna/Fruit Five: Protien drink/ Cereal or oatmeal six : some kind of lean meat(turkey/chicken etc..) Lastly: Work out!!!! I do 40 minutes of weights / 45-1 hour cardio a week... I've lost 25 lbs in 3 months and I feel a lot better.... Weight training puts on muscle which raises metabolism and burns more calories while just sitting around.............
Optimum Nutrition is IMO the best bang for the buck for whey. Tastes decent even mixed with water and is a lot cheaper than most. Don't buy from GNC, it's f-in expensive (and their strawberry flavor makes your poop smell like the ocean for some reason).
awesome! yeah i've heard the 5-7 small meals a day thing, so you can use the food as fuel, and none store as fat. this sounds like an easy plan to follow. i do work out...well now...at least 5X's a week...hour cardio, and 30-40 min's light weights, more reps. so protein shakes eh? i may have to pick up a jug of the whey protein. already in 2 weeks, i've lost 6lbs, and some inches on my weist. i've dieted before and lost a lot of weight...i just get bored and need new suggestions and healthy food to cook. however, if i'm craving something bad like wings, small burger, soda, etc on a Saturday night...is that going to screw me in the long run? i've always heard that "splurging" every once in awhile like on ONE night is okay. therefore, you won't just go crazy and eat all kinds of crap because you haven't had it or sopmething in that nature.
Don't sweat going out for some wings or a few beers, just try to stay healthy overall and you'll be fine.
so are potatoes actually good for you? Or are they something that are like not good but not bad for you? Cause if i was going to make something with potatoes i'd rather just make mashed potatoes haha.
Potatoes are great, the problem is what people do to them. Mashing them up with a fuckton of butter, sour cream etc makes them not very good for you. A 'loaded' baked potato isn't very good for you.
chicken in a zip lock for about 4-5 hours with ken's brand ceasar dressing.... grill! slice and add to salad for chicken caesar salad or I like to serve with couscous and veggies....
I have one 'cheat' meal per week to maintain sanity Just try not to make it a cheat weekend.... I try to have it at the end of the weekend, then go right back into my diet schedule... I'd stay away from regular white potatoes, if you must have them just don't eat them loaded, use some "I can't believe its not butter spray" or something. I recommend Sweet potatoes, there much better for you and you can eat them plain (I do anyways), you can put some light butter or spray if you must... For a cheat meal, I go to Outback and get the 9oz Outback special, with brocoli instead of a salad and a sweet potato, tasts great and is great for you, and it feels like your cheating! While working out, do your weights first, then cardio.. its best to split them up if you can(ie cardio in the am/ weights pm) but who has time For protien, go to VITACOST.COM and get CHAMPION NUTRITION gold standard whey, its about $32 shipped for a 5lb tub that should last you a while.. I get 2 at a time...
well i fugured if you gonna go on a diet it would be bad for you but if you looking for a jam packed meal hot pocket would do it,~ lol just dont eat anythingelse the rest of the month. lol sushi is easy to make and healthy for you~! if you like that kind of stuff
ooh i like sweet potato fries... well i was gonna say sashimi but most dont like the sashimi cuz they say its too bland.... so that rice and some wasabi/sauce should be able to kick that tast bud of yours.
Hey, a Hot Pocket shoots through your system and out the other end so fast I can't imagine your body retaining much from it. Also, Bomjoon, I would love to start making my own sushi. Where do I start?
well tonight was my cheat meal night...wings, half a burger, and some fries. now time to hit the gym tomorrow AM to burn it off, and continue my twigs n berries diet.
my self control isnt good enough to go on hardcore dieting. that and my friends are always calling me and being like, "wendy's time, chipotle time, zaxbys etc etc"
dude i feel your pain jayj..lol mine starts at home where my wife is always eating cookies, drinking soda...even wanting me to swing by Sonic to get her something! but she's 5'5, 129lbs..so she can do that. and yeah...you're right, food is always the center of social events.ugh i mean i don't want to go to baseball game and eat a fawkin salad...i want hotdogs, beer, peanuts. it all sucks b@ll$.
I think the key to that is portion control.... If you have to get fast food, get what you want.. just get less of it. If I go to Taco Hell, I'll just get a couple soft taco's instead of my usual half the menu... Goin to a ball game, just get one hot dog a light beer.. instead of 2 dogs and 4 beers . My biggest thing is just get right back on your diet if you mess up. You have to get yourself out of the mindset of "Well I allready screwed up my diet Friday night, I'll just start again Monday"... NO! just get back on Sat am..
Thanks bro for the advice. And I completely agree with ya. if i end up at some fast food joint, now i get a number 1...single pattie burger..NO giant, or super size up my combo crap, and diet coke...instead of my usual #2 double burger w/ cheese, super/giant size, and a regular coke. but overall, i try to stay away now.
My biggest problem is late at night. I seem to have pretty decent will power during the day. It's just late at night (especially after drinking), nothing sounds better than to destroy the Taco Bell menu or Chinese Buddha.
+1, that's what i try to do too now. I used to always get valued sized and stuff but now i make sure to just order less. yea, if i stay up past 1-2, which is pretty much every night, i start craving food again.
Shane, listen to the man. This is great advice. I've been following this eating regime for years now and it really pays off. When you combine that with intense cardio and weight training, your body will burn calories and fat more efficiently. You'll instantly notice that your metabolism will sky rocket and you'll feel great - no more food comas! The smaller more frequent meals will allow your blood sugar to stabilize throughout the day. The blood sugar spikes caused by larger less frequent meals are what push the sugary, starchy cravings. Like SonicBoom mentioned above, the beauty of this regime is to get to a point where you are burning fat post-exercise, or while you are resting. Just a few tips, from my experience: 1. Don't fear carbs, just concentrate on the good ones: whole breads and pastas, brown rice, oatmeal, fruits, veggies, etc. 2. Don't fear fats, just concentrate on the goods ones (did I repeat myself ): olive oils, canolia oils, natural peanut butter (throw out that hydrogenated oil crap in the pantry!), nuts - almonds, walnuts 3. In each meal, be sure to include protein, fats and carbs 4. Exercise, exercise, exercise! Don't waste your time walking on a treadmill. Intense cardio fires up the metabolism. Don't forget resistance / weight training...the cardio freaks in the gym may have a healthy heart, but their joints, metabolism and overall health are missing a key ingredient. 5. Have fun with it...eating healthy is not as hard as some may think. It requires a little extra planning, but once you do it for few weeks, it becomes easy! 6. "Cheating" is OK once and a while Some examples of my daily food log from today: Breakfast (at home) - PowerBar Recover drink - 1 1/2 cups of Kashi Go Lean Crunch with skim milk, 1/2 cup of fresh blueberrys, 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries - black coffee Mid morning - Plain oatmeal with 1/3 cup of dried cranberries, 1/4 cup of whole, shelled almonds Lunch - Peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat with natural peanut butter and low sugar jelly - Light yogurt - Banana Mid afternoon - Granola - 2% Cottage cheese with 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries and 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries - black coffee Pre ride (depending on timing of mid-afternoon meal and ride time) - Clif bar During ride - 20 oz sports drink - 20 oz water - PowerBar Gel Post ride - Recover drink Dinner - Whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce and rotisserie chicken - Salad of mixed greens and veggies with homemade vinaigrette (extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, spices) - Water - Occasionally a glass of red wine (depends on hydration post ride) Evening snack - Green tea with honey - (Optional) Handful of almonds or granola, fresh fruit I'm off for my mid-morning oatmeal.