so what the heck CAN I eat???

so what the heck CAN I eat???		gew90
		May 07 2008 19:32
Alright.... I been fighting to stay at a healthy weight since I was 8 years old... I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about healthy eating and weight loss, but recently I read that you shouldn't eat more than 2 cups of fruit per day because the glucose in fruit gets converted into fat if you consume too much of it? and I recently realized that having salads often aren't helping my cause in lowering my percentage of daily calories from fat... I'm trying really hard to keep it below 25%... and the bottom line is, I don't have time to cook egg whites and broccoli every time I get hungry (lol, that's some sarcasm just in case someone doesn't get the joke...) I eat tons of fruit. I don't eat a ton of veggies because I am a busy girl with not a lot of time to cook veggies and I am bored with carrots and cucumber slices. celery kind of sucks without peanut butter which is good for you but still, it has a fair amount of fat/high calories for a small amount and I don't have the money to buy special low calorie fake peanut butter or whatever else, I get teddie's because it's cheap and doesn't have a ton of hydrogenated oils and stuff. Raw broccoli is gross and I'm not a fan of peppers, and I don't know what other veggies I can cut up and eat as a snack. I also eat a lot of cereal for the fiber and the protein from milk. I think I must be taking the wrong approach here... I'm not SOO concerned with weight loss, I'm 18, 5'7" and about 148 lbs, so I know I'm at a healthy weight, I just want a gorgeous (read: HEALTHY and very toned) bikini body I'm more focused on fat loss so I'm trying to eat as well as possible to lower my body fat. It's tought because I'm busy with working 2 jobs to pay for college and the remainder of the class I have left this year.... I don't have time for any really strict cleansing diets or anything, I need to be able to live my life and still lose fat! Somebody else must have troubles like these, anyone who's got some experience and knows how to deal with all this, PLEASE share your wisdom :-)

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#1	caitling	May 07 2008 19:42
I'm pretty similar to you, 18 5'7 and I've just recently become more concerned about the amount of sugar I eat. I used to have fruit for a snack all the time; however I've since replaced it with veggies or nuts. I have two snacks a day so I normally have some almonds for my morning snack, and some cauliflower for my afternoon snack, which is much better than broccoli raw.
#2	sharz96	May 07 2008 19:55
[quote]I read that you shouldn't eat more than 2 cups of fruit per day because the glucose in fruit gets converted into fat if you consume too much of it?[/quote] Only if you're eating more calories than you're burning.
#3	sauciedj	May 07 2008 19:58
Steam the vegetables, they have steam bags so you just throw your vegetables in the bag and pop them in the microwave.
#4	gi-jane	May 07 2008 20:03
You don't mention meat, fish, beans, grains.... To lose fat and make muscle you do need quite a bit of protein in your diet (egg whites are not the only protein) and you also need to balance it across the food groups. And then you have to exercise. To lose weight you simply have to consume less than you burn up. Easier if you exercise because your metabolic rate is higher. Not impossible if you don't exercise. Vegetables really are your best friend and they're actually quite quick to cook ... the shorter the time the better. Peppers, green beans, mushrooms and spring onions (scallions) make a great basis for a quickie stir-fry... 5 minutes. Fruit is certainly quite sugary. It doesn't 'turn to fat' any worse than other foods but it's a lot easier to over-eat on grapes and bananas than it is on green beans.
#5	gew90	May 07 2008 21:13
haha I love green beans actually, probably more than grapes... but I can throw grapes in a bag and eat them when I'm driving to work or on break during a shift... see my dilemma? I need fast finger foods that I can grab and go because I'm never at home. I want veggies and protein that I don't have to cook, and I have to be careful with nuts because I love them so much that I usually eat waaaay more than I need. p.s. I definitely exercise... I WAS a distance runner but now I mostly jog to cover my cardio for the day (like 30 minutes at like 11 minute mile? 12 maybe? that's a light jog for me since I used to race, even though I wasn't very fast then) and I do about an hour of pilates a day, I have a couple different dvd's I like to mix up :-) Also my daily deficit is usually between 500-1000 but never under 1200. I typically burn around 2600 with school and working at the Gap and then exercising, and I eat around 1600. so yeah... I think I'm pretty good on that front :-) thanks for all your ideas so far.... more ideas are always appreciated!
#6	victoriagirl	May 07 2008 23:31
How about par-boiling your favourite veggies then bagging them like fruit? Green beans, asparagus, broccoli all taste better to me when steamed or boiled just until they turn bright green, then shock them in cold water, dry and chill. I use them on salads but they would be just a good as finger foods, I bet! Another favourite veggie of mine is pickled beets, but they can be pretty messy so likely not suitable for your needs. Also if you buy those Glad or tupperware mini-containers and fill them with plain yogurt mixed with a little honey and cinnamon, they are a great source of lean protein and can be eaten quickly and easily just remember to bring a spoon. It's cheaper than buying the individual yogurts and you can control the sugar (I hate the aspartamey ones). And cinnamon helps with fat-burning, apparently, I just like the taste :). Also if you buy a little container of low-fat or fat-free cream cheese, you can dip (well scrape) whole wheat crackers or carrot/cuke sticks in it, yum. Also I like to buy low-fat ham and cheeses, cut them into bite-size pieces and pack them in measured portions, they make a great lunch or snack with some whole wheat crackers or pita. At dinner, I will make an extra portion of meat (bbq chicken or pork) and cut it up for lunch the next day. I also have to be "on the go" a lot, I find that when I take the time to prepare the night before, and then just pack up everything I need for breakfast/lunch/snacks so I have it with me, the day goes a lot smoother! Just a few ideas..
#7	kristicro	May 07 2008 23:58
Define: "a ton of fruit" what are we talking here? 6 servings? 8? Are you going over your daily calorie limit? DO you eat fresh fruit or processed(with sugar and rpeservatives)? IN the long run, the calories you put in your body must be less than the calories you burn in order to lose weight. As long as you are not overeating, enjoy natures natural food. If you over eat on anything you can gain. any calories that you don't burn will get stored as fat, whether they come from fruit or from bread or from meat or from veggies, it doesn't matter. ON the www.mypyramid.gov it suggests 3-5 servings of fruits and veggies a day. I guess you are getting all of yours from fruit.
#8	cfh1027	May 08 2008 03:14
If you aren't eating a lot of vegetables because of prep time, try looking for frozen broccoli (i get it at trader joes). It's pre-cut and takes 45 seconds in the microwave to steam. Also, you can throw them in a bag after thawing and they are like cold steamed broccoli (I dont like raw either)
#9	lismarcro	May 08 2008 04:49
Do you like pea pods? You can get those in little bags at most grocery stores!
#10	singing_girl	May 08 2008 05:05
In my opinion screw the fruit 'rule.' Fruit gets a bad rap sometimes and it really shouldnt. It's healthy, full of vitamins and antioxidants and other great things we need. Yes its high in sugar, but its NATURAL sugar, not processed crap. I am quite happy to eat 5+ serving a day just of fruit and in fact Most days i eat more fruit than veges. As long as you are eating less than you are burning eat whatever you want (within reason of course! - you dont wanna miss out any vital food groups!), and if that means fruit, then by all means indulge in it! :)
#11	defrog3	May 08 2008 17:23
Some great grab & go veggies: Snap peas (someone mentioned above) Edamame (in the fresh produce section of the grocery store) Grape/Cherry Tomatoes (ok, so they're technically a fruit, but??) You could try a handful of almonds or pistachios as a snack, too. If you're craving salt, what I like to do is make a bag of popcorn on the stove w/ghee (clarified butter) rather than vegetable oil. Gives a nice buttery flavor for the same # of calories as oil-popping. You can save the popped corn in a bag in the refrigerator for a few days and portion it out as you need! Good luck!
#12	kajikit	May 09 2008 02:11
Buy frozen vegetables - five minutes in the microwave and they're good to go. It doesn't take any time to prepare them at all, and they're just as good for you as 'fresh' ones. Put some salsa into them for flavour, or low-fat salad dressing, or garlic, or fresh lemon...
#13	sakhmet	May 09 2008 13:25
Original Post by gew90: I need fast finger foods that I can grab and go because I'm never at home. I want veggies and protein that I don't have to cook, and I have to be careful with nuts because I love them so much that I usually eat waaaay more than I need. Weird, CC won't let me get out of the quote box. Do you like hummus? You can buy a container - or make some, it's easy) - and spread on raw veggies. It's packed with protein and, imo, better for you than peanut butter. And, there is no cooking involved :).
#14	ldm1403	May 10 2008 03:33
I usually don't get enough veggies, so I've started drinking little bottles of low sodium V8 every day. It tastes kind of like tomato soup, and it's very salty, which is why I get the low sodium kind. Even if you don't like the way it tastes it's very quick and convenient, only 30 calories, and has one whole serving of veggies in it.
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