Alright, I'm tired of this bullshit.

Diet plans often fail because they end up being sudden commitments to major lifestyle changes that require a lot of a willpower to stick to. Consider instead making small changes to our lifestyle slowly, over time. For example, substitute healthier alternatives whenever you can - whole wheat, high fiber cereal instead of the sugary stuff, etc.

In general, increasing fiber will help you out. It's healthier for you - plus, it makes you fill fuller without adding on the calories, since dietary fiber is indigestible. Soluble fiber like the kind you find in oatmeal also helps lower cholesterol. You can add fiber to your diet by eating whole-wheat bread and cereal, and also oatmeal.

Eating more vegetables and fruits is a good idea, too. Vegetables actually take very little time to prepare, if you start from frozen or prepacked vegetables. Just heat some oil up with garlic in a pan, toss in the defrosted vegetables with a little water, cover until done, add a little salt or dehydrated broth stock for taste, and serve. Alternatively, if you don't want to do that, you may be able to microwave vegetables like spinach , with a little bit of water- although to say the truth, I don't know of a good way of making them taste good that way. :P

Consider investing in a rice cooker and a slow cooker if you lack time. You can set the food to cook and go and do something else in the mean time. That way, you can prepare healthier soups without buying canned ones, and steam food easily as well.

For example, when I'm pressed for time, I just stick a salmon fillet into the rice cooker, and let it steam. The salmon comes out nice and juicy - and it's not fried, so it's healthier.

Baked fish doesn't have to be unhealthy - I also sometimes bake fish in a toaster oven. I just put uncooked fish filets (like cod, or roughy) onto an aluminum-lined baking pan, season it (with roast beef seasoning or anything you like), maybe a little bit of sesame oil, and let it broil in the oven at 450 until done (about 15-20 minutes). This is also a relatively healthy way of cooking fish - plus, the prep time is minimal.

Tofu is another way to go if you want healthier food - tofu is actually a pretty good source of protein but without the animal fats that make meat unhealthy.

I don't know if canned tomatoes are any worse than fresh tomatoes - but it's better than eating no tomatoes at all! :P Fresh tomatoes aren't that hard to prepare, though. One way I like them is to wash, and slice the tomatoes quickly, fry it in a pan, and then add egg to it - instant tomato omelette.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Drex

If you cook the egg first with garlic and add the tomatoes when the egg is almost done, it's fantastic over rice, too. One of my favorite easy dishes.

Hmm, I should try that too. Maybe today, since I have some egss that need to be cooked soon..

I forgot to add that I also add sliced green onions into the eggs just before I stop cooking.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Drex

And if we're going easy and fairly healthy recipes over rice, cut up one chicken breast and cook it on the stove in salsa (half a cup? a cup? I never measure). Serve over rice, and if you want, add cheese on top (just not too much). I also add some sour cream, but that's pushing the healthy line a bit. :P It's just so yummy.

If your salsa is bland, add chili powder or taco seasoning or something to spruce it up.

This sounds good, too. I'm not a huge fan of putting cheese or sour cream on that kind of stuff, but I'm thinking of thickening the salsa with some corn starch or egg white!

Originally Posted by Divest

Oh man, I'm getting hungry just listening to all these healthy food items. They also sound like the kind of food that wouldn't leave you feeling like shit after you finish your meal.

Healthy eating can be really tasty! And yes, the whole no guilt thing is nice, too. One thing you could also consider doing is to set aside one day a week (or the weekend) as "cheat days". That is, eat very healthy for the majority of the week, and allow yourself a treat at a scheduled day.

Myself, I cook healthy for all 5 weekdays, in spite of my crazy schedule as a graduate student. I allow myself some slack on the weekends (without going crazy and gorging on unhealthy food, of course). That way, if I'm tempted to eat something unhealthy during the week, I deal with the temptation by saying, "Okay, just a few more days until the weekend" - and then, on the weekend, when I eat something unhealthy, I don't feel bad because I know I ate healthy the whole week.

Also, avoid sugary drinks. This means soft drinks, "energy" drinks like Gatorade, sweetened teas, even juices. Basically, your goal is to not add extra calories with what you drink, because drinks don't make you feel full. Water is your best bet.

I once heard of a mother who was wondering why her kid was morbidly obese even though she put him on a "healthy" diet. It turned out that she was making her kid drink a gallon of orange juice a day based on the idea that OJ is healthy. And while it is true that OJ is full of nutrients, it's also full of sugar - which was why the kid got obese in the first place. It's not good to overdo anything.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Hachifusa

And to our experts in here: would it be a good idea of just trying to choose the healthier version? I have such an all-or-nothing approach to dieting it's not a wonder I'm still obese.

Eating the healthier version is better, of course, but you have to exercise portion control as well. To use my previous example again, orange juice is better than soda, but you're still going to get fat if you drink excessive amounts of it.

Originally Posted by Squib

Quick question on that. I love toasted bread with peanut butter, but I don't really like it using wheat. How different is it healthwise if I use french bread or plain white bread instead?

Wheat bread has more fiber in it - that helps your digestion and may help control cholesterol levels.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?