Guys... I Need Idea's And Help With My Diet!

[FluffyZooCrew]

So, I am going to start eating better. Much better. I'm overweight, and lucky that I do not have any problems other than asthma (no high cholesterol or blood pressure, at least not yet). But I want to start eating better. I was a vegetarian for a couple years, a few years ago, and enjoyed it.

I don't eat much meat anyways, so I want to go back to a vegetarian type diet. Though I will eat some fish too. I want some idea's of the following:

- healthy veggie snacks
- quick and easy veggie meals (can include other things, like pasta's, rices, ect.)
- idea's for drinks besides soda's and fruit juices. nothing with chemicals like aspartame.

And any other idea's for anything else, feel free to post them!!

 

[PoodleMommy]

Mix Black Beans and Corn in a Skillet with a little diced onion, one scoop of a healthy salsa, and some taco seasoning and water... simmer until sauce thickens... Put in Tortilla with a little low fat shredded cheese.

Cut Cauliflower in very small pieces, mix with chopped garlic and sliced almonds, add some olive oil... mix well... roast in hot oven until slighty browned.

Saute Broccolli, Onions, Mushrooms in Olive Oil add in cooked Cheese Tortellini... mix with a little bit of Parmesean Cheese.

Any vegetable, green beans, asparagus, etc... roasted in the oven is a good snack.
Also keep on hand bags of snap peas, baby carrots, green beans... they are good to eat raw right out of the bag as a snack.

Take Kidney Beans, garbanzo beans, black beans, a little red onion and green pepper diced and mix with balsamic vinegar... its a great lunch.

 

[FluffyZooCrew]

OMG PM, those ideas sound delicious!! I can't wait to try them.

 

[Izzy's Valkyrie]

Uhm... raw veggies are always a healthy snack as well as a fruit or two....

Ever tried making tofu chile? It's actually really good and I don't like tofu lol.

Also: Vegetarian Recipes | VegCooking.com

 

[Romy]

Just pretend you're allergic to gluten. People always ask how I stay so thin. It's not by choice!

 

[AllieMackie]

Drink a LOT of water every day. A tasty, refreshing alternative is homemade iced tea, which can be sweetened with a bit of natural sugar or honey.

Snack on fruits and veggies, mostly veggies. I invested in a food dehydrator, and dehydrate fruits often to satisfy my munchie craving.

Cut out all soda and fruit juice, cold turkey. That stuff is LOADED with sugar. Also cut out junk foods, chips, chocolate, etc. and caffeinated products (of all caffeinated beverages, I only have tea now, and often it's herbal). You'll find that you REALLY FREAKING WANT ALL OF IT for a little while, but then the cravings -disappear-.

I swear it's like magic. If you can tough it out for however long it takes to beat the cravings, you can build healthy eating habits and KEEP them. I've been eating almost completely healthy for the past few months, save for a splurge every 2-3 weeks on one meal - and even then it's often "too much" for me. It feels great, and I'm losing weight as a bonus!

I can dig up a few recipes tomorrow morning and post them for you! I'm on my laptop right now so I don't have access to my recipe book program.

 

[Domestika]

I've heard that if you can do something every day for 30 days it will become "habit".

I assume it's the same with eating habits?

The trick for me has always been to have lots of options. And to not completely deny myself of anything, because then I REALLY want it. I buy "bad" things in small sizes.

Of course...uhh..I'm the last person who should be giving advice. I ate a bag of M&M peanuts for dinner yesterday. And not the small bag. Like..the party size bag.

*cough*

 

[darkchild16]

I've heard that if you can do something every day for 30 days it will become "habit".

I assume it's the same with eating habits?

The trick for me has always been to have lots of options. And to not completely deny myself of anything, because then I REALLY want it. I buy "bad" things in small sizes.

Of course...uhh..I'm the last person who should be giving advice. I ate a bag of M&M peanuts for dinner yesterday. And not the small bag. Like..the party size bag.

*cough*

same here and me two on the peanut m&ms lol I was at work and i can hide them LOL.

 

[Fran27]

I did the same thing when I was 14 or so... Decided to stop eating meat. I lost a ton of weight, but put it back on after 4 years...

The problem with not eating meat is that it really restrict your possibilities, which is hard with a diet in the first place. For example, lean chicken breast is pretty healthy, and easy to make, and if the goal is to lose weight, you might just want to focus on lean meats instead of removing them altogether... more options.

Just my opinion though!

For a drink, I've always liked water with a little bit of squeezed lemon (I buy those small containers of fresh lemon juice). I love tea too but it makes me sick on an empty stomach so I try to avoid it.

 

[AGonzalez]

Healthy salsa, this is my homemade recipe and it's pretty tasty and really healthy.

1 can diced tomatoes (small if you don't have a huge family like me)
half an onion
cilantro
jalapenos
garlic powder or salt

Tomatoes go in a blender on puree or smoothy setting. Then add in cilantro on same setting, You might use half of a handful or so, throw in 2-3 diced jalapenos (depending on how insanely hot you want it) and garlic salt and blend until smooth. Add in diced onions and blend lightly.

This has some nice bite and it's good for you because you're using mostly fresh stuff, the only thing canned I use is the jalapenos and tomatoes, and that's because jalapenos are a PITA to find here.

 

[Punkygirl0101]

We should become weightloss buddies online! lol. I am trying to eat better, and lose weight too! I have been trying to exercise more, but I don't really have time!


I started by taking my lunch to work, so that i am not tempted to eat out of the vending machines or go to a fast food on my lunch break!

Last night I brought a salad, and a sandwich and some yogurt.

I NEED to stop drinking soda! Its like an addiction of mine!

 

[FluffyZooCrew]

Punky, soda is an addiction of mine too! I gotta have Sprite... or kool-aid, or hawaiian punch. Anything with sugar sweetness. Bad, I know.

Camp, thanks so much for the recipe, I will definitely try it!

Allie thanks for all the tips, and if you find those recipes, definitely post them! I am looking for all sorts of yummy recipes to keep things "spiced up" so I have a variety in my new healthy eating habits.

And thanks to everyone that has posted with all their great idea's, tips, and advice! I really appreciate it, and can't wait to start getting healthy!

 

[Dreeza]

Have you tried Stevia? I'm stoked that they are actually selling it in supermarkets now...i still prefer to buy mine online through health food stores, but its a great natural sweetener (i dont eat aspartame or any other artificial sweetener). I put it in ice tea/coffee/etc instead of sugar. I also like making lemonade (from fresh lemons...or when im lazy, lemon juice w/just water and stevia...its delish!)

 

[Saje]

black bean soup
lentil soup
veg chili.
veg spring rolls
veg sushi
bean burritos
stuffed zucchini
tortilla pizzas
hummus
veg burgers
chickpea patties
lentil patties
lentil loaf
lighter curries
stirfries...

 

[FluffyZooCrew]

Ooooooo, thanks Saje!! Tons of good idea's there!

 

[Ohm]

i don't have any recipe ideas, sorry, i'm sure you'll get plenty of those. but i thought i would add a couple of tips that have helped me maintain a healthy weight. portion size. you can really keep your metabolism going if you eat smaller portions but eat more frequently. basically just take what you're eating now and instead of three meals, spread it out over 5 or 6 meals throughout the day. don't know if you're doing that already, but i thought i'd throw it in there. good luck.

 

[mrose_s]

I've been vegetarian for almost 4 years, and vegan for the last couple of months.
I have found the last couple of months to really open up my food choices because its forced me to look at different foods I normally wouldn't eat. I eat much healthier now, have a hugley varied diet and love my food.

Salad is your friend, so many people get put off them because they don't go past basic tomato/lettuce/onion type things.

Track down different variations of the same old vegetables.

Black tomatoes are to die for, I love them.
Cos/Butter etc lettuce, ditch iceberg.
I love red onions so I stick with them.
Lebanese cucumbers rock my socks aswell.
Canned beans tossed through add your protein and "meaty" part of the meal.

I can't stand tofu most of the time, but if I slice it and marinate it in a mix of soy sauce, vegie stock, lemon juice, pepper, garlic, basil and olive oil it is probably one of my favourite foods. I try to keep some in a bowl int eh fridge to snack on raw or you can fry it and toss through a salad.

I used to love white rice/bread etc but changed over and now don't enjoy them. I love the texture of brown rice and wholegrain bread is delicious.

I cook mainly curries, soups, salads, stir fries etc. But there are a lot of recipes out there I'm dying to try.

I thought giving up sour cream would be the death of me. But once I was in the right headspace it was pretty easy, if I want potato wedges I mash avacado to have with them. its delicious.