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Alright, I'm tired of this bullshit.
For about 3 steady months now I've stuck to my plan of getting healthier. This includes a steady workout, riding my bike everywhere I possibly can and avoiding any heavy drugs. Now it's time to implement the last phase of this plan and start eating healthier, the only problem is that I don't know how. I eat a lot of canned ravioli's, chili and frozen corndogs. I'm no nutritionist here but I have a strong feeling those aren't very healthy things to be eating.
So, I ask you, anyone who has knowledge in these things, to help me out. What are some easy-to-make healthy food items that I could start buying? I don't want to spend too long cooking as I don't have the time. I'm rarely ever home and often eat on the go. I don't own a car so purchasing and transporting these things would have to be somewhat convenient to a bicycle rider. I'm going to start doing the whole not eating after a certain hour, eating at the proper times, etc. but I'm not sure which foods. I would also appreciate any suggestions on what I could start taking for lunch at work. I often eat out and that's not really helping me lose any more weight. I wouldn't mind purchasing the salads from the fast food places around here but they're extremely expensive and I don't usually like to spend that much on one meal. I guess price isn't a huge issue but $5 is more than I'd like to spend, especially when considering I'm trying to improve on my money saving skills. So, any suggestions for me? Canned soup, maybe? Any sort of healthy frozen dinners? Another thing is I eat a lot. I'm a big guy and I work out a lot, so naturally I eat quite a bit to keep the energy flow going. Jam it back in, in the dark. |
Larry Oji, Super Moderator, Judge, "Dirge for the Follin" Project Director, VG Frequency Creator |
Well, the base of a healthy alimentation is:
-alot of fruits -alot of vegetables -don't eat too much meat (prefer fish). Eat some milks, too. -try to avoid hamburgers ^^ To take a lunch at work, I would rate you to make yourself a quick salad when you're home (with like rice-tomatoes-tuna, or pasta, and so on) and to take it with you. Eating a lot is not really unhealthy, I think it doesn't matter if you eat alot of rice or pastas for example, but without cheese (or just a little bit of it). Btw, it is always healthier to eat something you cooked yourself it is quick to cook rice, pastas, canned/frozen vegetables with frozen fish or meat, and it is not too heavy with a bike ^^ Try also to take fruits instead of cakes at the end of a meal (if you use to eat something sweet). Sometimes it is even cheaper ^^ I hope it helped =D There's nowhere I can't reach. |
There are usually a lot of healthy salad options at the supermarket; pasta salads and the likes. If you want convenient and healthy you can't go wrong there.
Lean meats are supposed to be quite healthy, those and as Takiaena says, fish. The most important thing is to get the right balance with your meals. A third each of protein, carbohydrate and vegetables at each meal (excepting breakfast) should work well. Also, don't think you have to force yourself to eat three meals a day; if you find you are hungry at different times, up the number of meals you have but lessen how much you eat at each sitting, if it is convenient for your lifestyle. If you work out, you don't want to do any stupid dieting. Have you considered looking up good diet plans for your particular exercise regime? This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it. |
Ah, thank you, Takiaena. I never thought about fish. I'd imagine a good rule of thumb is to avoid baked and fried fish, right?
Also, I have a couple pastas in mind that I can start making and eating with crackers. Like tuna salad, tomato salad, etc. Wow, I never even thought of that stuff until you brough it up. ^^ And no, I never thought about looking up specific diet plans. The reason being, is that I heard if you try and stick to a diet plan, you're pretty much going to be doomed to fail. If you restrict yourself too much, it's just not going to work out. It's better to eat different things all the time, or something? I don't know, that's just what I heard so I could be completely off base here. Also, does anyone know if canned tomatoes are at least as healty as fresh, or if they're actually unhealthy? I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body? |
Stay away from canned soups if possible - they almost always have too much sodium, and unless used as part of a larger recipe, they're not all that great for you.
Personally, I end up keeping healthy having two lunchmeat sandwiches and a can of V8 for lunch. I can keep having the same thing often, though, without it getting too old. Having decent breakfast helps, too. Toasted wheat bread with peanut butter is cost-effective, filling enough (usually), and a fantastic balance of carbohydrates, sugars and protein. I was speaking idiomatically. |
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. What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now? |
FELIPE NO |
I forgot to add that I also add sliced green onions into the eggs just before I stop cooking. What, you don't want my bikini-clad body? |
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. Jam it back in, in the dark. |
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.
There's nowhere I can't reach. |
Larry Oji, Super Moderator, Judge, "Dirge for the Follin" Project Director, VG Frequency Creator |
About soups, it is also an easy way to have a quick-cooked-meal (and now it's winter... x))
You just need to own some stuff to turn your vegetables into soup (I can't find the english for the word I am thinking to... ) I mean this -> http://www.discounteo.com/images/Moulinex___DDG141.jpg For example, I am cooking right now a green beans soup ^^ I took canned green beans, I make it hot with one litre of water, then I put in garlic and parsley, and I turn it into a soup, it's just so yummy. Moreover, this makes me personnaly feel full for a long time XD How ya doing, buddy? |
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!
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. I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body? |
Wow, that's a really smart idea about the whole eating healthy during the week and eating whatever during the weekends. That's a good way to make sure that you take care of yourself. I never would have thought of that.
What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now? |
I've always found that exercising after lunch and supper to be helpful in feeling healthy. A good jog or bike ride is enough to burn off any excess calories your meal might have gained you. Also, it helps your metabolism speed up a bit. Pot bellies are a genetic thing in my family, so during the winter, I find if I don't exercise after meals, I get a little pudgy on the stomach realm. I eat pretty healthy, so usually it's just a case of combining the meals with a bit of physical activity.
FELIPE NO |
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. How ya doing, buddy? |
Jam it back in, in the dark. |
There's nowhere I can't reach. |
Most kinds of toast with peanut butter would be a better breakfast than, say, ultra-sugary cereals that many people start the day with. If wheat doesn't do it for you, cut your losses and go with white.
The other reason I tend toward wheat is that the fiber content and general higher density leaves me feeling a bit fuller, and therefore cuts back on my snacking early on in the day. This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it. |
Drink Carnation packs [powder or ready made] - you can take them on the go and have basically 1/2 of your daily allotment of vitamins and other healthy stuff in one whoop.
I have the sugar free type and you can use either milk or water. this is better tasting than Ovaltine. For soups - stay away from the cans [ way TOOO much sodium]. Just get chicken or beef base as a flavor and use it after you cooked [al dente - tender] diced carrot, diced celery and diced onions over heated pot with some canola oil. add water after those veggies get soft. then you can add anythiong else [ like chicken, beef, turkey, leeks, tomaotes - you get the idea]. this is the healthy soup. Notice I left out heavy cream or half and half for cream soups. That's becuz that's not really healthy. You can also buy won ton skins and rolled your choice of meat or veggies and do the same apllications above tuna sandwich is also good deal. I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?
I've got all day to do nothing
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Stay away from canned foods and frozen diners. These offer next to no nutrition and pack a lot of unhealthy things such as sodium. Limit the amount of dairy product you consume. Avoid snacking on unhealthy items during the day. Instead, have a piece of fruit, or a handful of nuts. Be sure to eat a lot of vegetables (try having a few different coloured vegetables throughout the day) and a few pieces of fruit per day. Try to stick with whole grains. If you eat meat, try to have only lean chicken or a little bit of fish. Stay away from pop drinks, limit fruit juices and other sugary drinks, and drink a ton of water. Try soymilk instead of regular milk. Limit things like butter on your sandwiches, or don't apply butter/marg at all. Cook with olive or canola oil. Try eating oatmeal for breakfast (it's healthy plus it sticks with you for awhile) and add in things like craisins, nuts, seeds, cinnamon, etc. Don't use the prepackaged oatmeal. It's definitely not good for you.
Lunches: I like making my own salads, but that doesn't mean I just throw lettuce in a tin and call it finished. Add things such as raw broccoli, shredded carrots, bell peppers, onions, radishes, a couple of sunflower/pumpkin seeds, spinach...try and limit the amount of dressing, or make your own. I usually just make extra at supper time and have it the next day for lunch. Invent new sandwiches, or try out quesadillas for lunch. allrecipes.com is a great recipe site. If you don't like following recipes or are picky then just pick a recipe that looks/sounds yummy but omit or add things to it. I was speaking idiomatically. |
Here's a cookbook I recommend:
Rachel Ray's Just in Time I'll post some easy-to-do healthy meal recepies too, perhaps in my journal or I'll start a thread. Try this out for starters though. 1) TRY to have breakfast, everyday. Even if it's a bowl of cereal or a cup of yogurt. It'll jump start your metabolism in the morning and keep your energy-usage at a consistently higher rate than if you skip breakfast altogether. Long explanation: your body tries to conserve as much energy as possible if it knows it's not getting fed much (skipping breakfast is a BIG sign), so it doesn't use as much calories and gets into a habit of storing more energy, hence = lowering your metabolism and making you fatter. So if you have breakfast, you're alerting your body that you've filled your tank to a decent enough level to get through to lunch, and as you digest your 3-4 hour way to lunch, it helps you actually use more calories. 2) For lunch, try to squeeze in at least 1 thing of vegetable or fruit. Say for example, if you have fries and burger for lunch, skip 1/2 the fries and eat an apple or an orange in its place instead. 3) If you eat out, TELL THE WAITER TO BOX UP HALF YOUR ORDER FOR YOU when you order your food. TRUST ME, this works. Part of the biggest problem is that because A) most Americans grow up being TOLD to eat all / most of what they are served and B) The restaurant portions are usually 50% more food than a normal person needs to eat, it results to the habit of C) people over-eating without even noticing it. If you aren't feeling satiety after your half-meal, wait a while, and have tea with a SMALL desert. Usually when people satisfy their sweet tooth a little bit after their meal, it signals their brain that they are done eating. But keep in mind moderation, and SMALL portions is key. Also some tips about HOW to eat (other than the types of foods you should eat) 1) TAKE YOUR TIME. The more time you take chewing and filling your stomach, you feel fuller at a faster rate, so you'll prevent yourself from eating more than what is necessary. 2) If it's too hard to calculate the right amount of nutrients you should be eating, try this website. MyPyramid.gov - United States Department of Agriculture - Home It's free, and it gives you a general guide of what kinds of foods you should be eating. 3) The method I stick to for bigger meals (usually dinner) is 15-20% carbs (my staples, rice and/or noodles), 20-25% protein (meats) and the rest of my plate fills with what I consider veggies. So if you were to have a full meal on ONE plate, try assembling your plate by serving yourself if HALF the plate filled with veggies first, then some meat and grains. You can worry about what kinds of veggies you should be eating a little later after you've gotten used to controlling yourself to eat vegetables for half your meal (very key). What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?
Last edited by Shorty; Jan 11, 2008 at 03:00 AM.
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