freeagent1970

My problem is im very particular.....i dont liek alot and there is a acidic substance in tomatoes,lettuce and onions that im allergic too. So i eat alot of meat.....im trying to do better though. I never was a big soda person but ive cut it out..my weakness is brewed sweet tea. I cant shake the stuff. Its my only vice. I dont eat sweets,or drink soda or drink alcohol. i need my tea. Ive been eating oats in the morning..then a hardboiled egg or apple for a snack on my first break..and maybe a handfull of walnuts, chicken and green beans for lunch usually or tuna. All sandwhiches on whole grain bread. And baked meat for supper with another snack of a couple of pretzel rods or peanut butter on some crackers...

sstorkel

What's the secret? I love brussels sprouts when they're cooked well, but I'll be darned if I can find a recipe that has them tasting like anything other than green garbage...

Nightcap

Steamed brussels sprouts are OK, but I think roasting brings out the best flavor. Needless to say, you need to start with fresh sprouts. They go fast in my house, so I buy 'em by the quart.

My favorite way is to keep it simple: trim the bases, discard any discolored leaves, slice in half if they're big, toss to coat in a little olive oil, arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet, sprink on some kosher salt, and into a 400 degree oven. Mix 'em up every fifteen minutes or so for more even browning, remove when tender. (Any leaves that fall off become brown and crunchy and the cook's prerogative!)

Then there's the killer recipe: Brussels Sprouts Cockaigne. The last word is pronounced like the drug, and it's nearly as deadly. Start with a couple tablespoons each of butter and olive oil in a saucepan, add fresh minced garlic and cook until the garlic starts to brown. Discard the garlic. Add the brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced as above, and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Top with fresh shredded parmesan cheese and kosher salt to taste. This is a special occasion recipe; it's too high-fat for every day.

4SEVEN3

Bumpity bump!
I found this thread on a search. I have a real weakness with food, and the job I have has me out in the field where all the crappy restraunts lie (co-workers dont help sometimes!)

Thanks for the ideas....Hopefully someone else will have another recepie to throw in. Im going to try and get off the diet drinks and drink more water. We sometimes have tea in the fridge that we make with Splenda, I also drink the Crystal Light tea packets you mix with 16oz bottle of water. I have also decided to quit drinking...makes me feel like crap!

I have a problem with veggies, greens in paticular I just dont like the texture. Im working on that too.

My mom found these cookies that are sugar free, and not *that* bad for you, and there actually pretty tasty! They come in larger bags and small single serving bags.
For your sweet tooth! www.josephslitecookies.com

billydonn

I insist that all my food be prepared in a Brussels Sprouts-free environment! Count me in for the English peas though! Also:salads are nice, avoid fried foods, eat lots of raisin bran, oatmeal, apples and such.

Fogghorn

1. If going for fast food order the kids meal, nobody needs the 1000 calories of a full meal deal, save half the calories and some money and order the kid size. And you still get the occasional fast food fix.

2. Don't eat white, good bye white bread, rice and potato. Hello brown rice, yams and multi grain. The white stuff all digests at the same time, turning to sugar. The body can't use it so stores it as fat. And pretty quickly you're hungry again. Multi grain digests slower, releasing sugars more evenly as you need it for energy. As a bonus it helps prevent hemorrhoids!

3. Get a slow cooker, prep at night, turn on in the morning. Fresh meal that night and freeze the left overs for convenience later.

flattie

Lots of good suggestions here. I have a few that seem to be working for me. First go to John Stone's website and scroll to the bottom to see the before pics - this should provide some proof that anything is possible if you put your mind to it This is an extreme example but it proves that lifestyle change (not a diet) is what is required - at least I've come to that conclusion.

A few things that I've looked at for help in changing my lifestyle/eating habits

Sample weekly menu Yes they have stuff they're trying to sell - I didn't buy any of it but used it as a guide to build my own menu.

For me eating more light, lean proteins more often during the day has helped me avoid any feelings of hunger. For example, at breakfast I'll have either a large bowl of oatmeal or a breakfast burrito (egg whites, cheddar cheese, peppers, onions and salsa on a wrap). Around 10am half a Clif bar or other high protein snack bar. By lunch time I'm not very hungry so a caesar salad with grilled chicken in whole wheat wrap allows me to eat half and save half for later. The dreaded 3pm snack time will be taken care of the 1/2 uneaten wrap or a protein shake or the other half of the Clif bar. By the time I get home for dinner I'm not hungry and I'm fortunate in that my wife cooks - she has accomodated me by replacing white rice with brown rice, lots of chicken and lean pork instead of pasta - and I love pasta but the carbs leave me hungry an hour or 2 later. If I find myself hungry at 9pm - after an evening ride for example - I find the protein shake is filling enough and the protein helps repair/heal your body from whatever exercise you've done that day.

So some key things to try and do: eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day - drink lots and lots of water - if you have to snack try an apple or a spoon full of peanut butter or if you're lazy get the Clif bar or the equivalent or try protein shakes.

Oh not mentioned above - find out what your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is. This is the amount of calories your burn simply by existing. Here is an excellent overview of BMR and how to use it to lose weight at healthy rate Note the part about healthy weight loss rate - 1 to 2lbs a week is a rate that should allow you to keep off the weight that you've lost. There can be such as thing as too rapid weight loss where your body burns muscle mass vs fat - this is bad since the more muscle you have the more calories your body burns naturally.

Another good resource that I'll admit to not keeping up with is www.fitday.com - I opened a free online account and input everything I ate for a month straight along with my workouts. This gave me a huge appreciation for what it takes to burn those 1000 calories you just sucked down in the form of a happy meal.

Good luck. I'm down around 15 lbs since I started and have "cheated" a little with the eating part at parties and what not but I am confident I'll be at my goal of being under 220lbs by this time next year - this is from an all time high of almost 270lbs - I stand 6'2" and am a few months shy of 40 years old.

Oh I found that the combination of more lean proteins, riding the bike, protein shakes and multivitamins has left me with more energy and feeling less stressed - nothing like a good bike ride after dinner to forget about the crap that went on at work that day.

Other potentially useful links:

Chocolate flavored whey protein drink that doesn't taste half bad

A mixing bottle for the protein shakes

Not endorsing the GNC stuff - just what I use - I haven't had the vanilla shake yet but heard its not as tasty as the chocolate.