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Another Diet Forum > General Discussions > General Discussions > So this is where I've been for the past 3 years |
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VegaObscura New Member 
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About 3 years ago I was actively dieting and working out. I was doing great. I started out at just over 200 pounds and eventually made it down to 125 pounds. I was going to the gym for an hour every single night (7 days a week) and doing a half hour workout at home. My diet consisted of low-fat, high-protein, high-fiber foods. The main staple to my diet was 99% fat free ground turkey breast. Since it was almost pure protein, it was filling, low calorie, and gave me plenty of energy. Then things started to go bad. My father changed jobs and so my gym membership was no longer paid for. I could no longer do my hour long cardio workout every night. That was detrimental, but I was able to get by and continue with my diet. I was at a good weight and would be happy with maintaining that weight. I kept up my diet for about a year or two after that and stayed between 125 and 145 pounds. Then the second major problem happened. Someone somewhere claimed to have gotten e-coli from the turkey of the only company that makes 99% fat free ground turkey breast. Both the 99% and the 97% fat free ground turkey was removed from the shelves of all of the local grocery stores. I tried replacing it with lean ground beef. It just wasn't working. Ground beef was higher calorie, lower protein, and didn't give me the energy I needed like ground turkey breast did. My weight was slowly increasing. I hoped after a few weeks the grocery stores would start back selling ground turkey breast. I waited several months. It never came back. Its still gone now. It was the first time I had ever failed at a diet, and I felt like it wasn't my fault. Since it looked like there was no way for me to keep maintaining at this point, I completely gave up. Since then my weight has gradually gone up to 180 pounds. I'm ready to try and find another diet that works for me. I've started running at a track near my house late at night after work. It isn't as efficient as a treadmill or an elliptical, and I'm having trouble affording the gas to get to the track and back, but its working for now. My biggest diet problem is I hate most raw vegetables. I cannot eat lettuce so salads are out. I want a high-protein diet that isn't bland and dry. Any advice on getting started again? |
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zenobia Distinguished Member 
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have you considered chicken? better than beef... ground chicken breast is decent for you (if you watch the make up of it) or even boneless skinless chicken breast. we eat a lot of that in my house to replace just about anything that calls for beef (hubs finds turkey too dry, so it's a good compromise). and depending on where you live, bison is really really good. super low fat, high protein, and doesn't raise your cholesterol like regular beef. plus it is super tasty. also, if you don't like raw veggies, what about steamed? they keep the nutrients if you steam them. interesting that the ground turkey breast is still gone. i can get it here in AZ... what about getting some work out dvds (tae bo, turbo jam, etc...)? they are great workouts and a one time payment on the cheap side. if you want recipes for high protein (though on the lower carb side, but you can adjust to your needs) you can find a TON here: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/ i really really love the turkey lettuce wraps (though i use chicken and it's amazing!) and i'm sure you could use something else like a high fiber wrap if you can't do butter lettuce (then you can get a hit of fiber with the protein if you so desire). go high fiber wraps are La Tortilla Factory high protein/low carb large wraps and Flat Out light wraps or whole grain wraps. low cal, low carb, high fiber and protein... |
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VegaObscura New Member
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I noticed ground chicken breast a long time ago in the grocery store back when I was still eating ground turkey. I made a quick check and since it didn't have quite as good of a protein-calorie ratio as the turkey I was eating, I disregarded it. I hadn't thought about it until you mentioned it, but I will definitely take a look again. It might be just the replacement I need. My biggest issue with steamed veggies is I have no idea how to steam them. The problem I have with workout videos is they tend to have short, high intensity workouts that last about 3-5 minutes, rest, then move on to another kind of workout. I prefer to maintain a certain intensity for 30-60 minutes at a time. Also even if they call their workout "cardio" it still doesn't compare to running. Don't get me wrong, they aren't easy by any means, but they just aren't the kind of workout I can get into. I used to enjoy running 10 miles, doing 250 situps, lifting weights, doing 50-100 pushups, doing some running on an elliptical, and doing some stair climbing every day. I will check out the website you posted. |
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zenobia Distinguished Member
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i think you're right- the ratio isn't as good, but it's going to be better than beef. cut up chicken breast can work just as well as ground meat and you can control the fat because you can cut it off, cook it and drain the excess. well, steaming is pretty easy. i do it with asparagus. i have this little circular thing that goes in a sauce pot. i put some water on the bottom of the pot, put the little round disk over it and throw on the veggies and i just googled how long to steam them. http://mideastfood.about.com/od/tipsandtechniques/a/steaming.htm you can look up times for different types of veggies. this is the steam tray i use- it fits in a variety of pots because it's silicon and can bend: http://www.amazon.com/Chefn-Sleekstor-VeggiSteam-Silicone-Steamer/dp/B001QXDRIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328548184&sr=8-1 as far as dvds, i think they switch it up so people don't get bored, plus the body is super good at becoming efficiant at spend as little cals as possible, so the shift and muscles used keeps the body guessing. if you like constant, how about jumping rope for 20 min? that burns a ton... or instead of driving to the track, how about biking there? or biking through your streets? here is a link that discussing different steady state cardio dvds (sounds like that is what you were looking for), you can research them at will: http://cathe.com/forum/f97/steady-state-cardio-ideas-281687/ Last edited on 6 Feb 2012 01:16 pm by zenobia |
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artistjohn Distinguished Member 
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In you last sentence first post you say cannot eat salads. Do you mean will not or won't or don't want to. Have you tried dressings. Olive oil balsamic vinegar mustard garlic make any salad, vegetable/raw or cooked taste great. Today I had bison burger wrapped in lettuce leaves with mayo instead of bread roll. Lean grass fed beef mince is great just drain the fat off when cooked. |
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Nir Senior Administrator 
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VegaObscura wrote:I cannot eat lettuce so salads are out. Be imaginative, use other vegetables. Seriously, I've been out of lettuce for the last month and it hasn't stopped me from eating a "mixture of vegetables, potatos, beans and fruit". Whether you want to call it a salad or give it another name is up to you. You also asked about steaming. The above examples were steaming on a hob, to this I can add: You can buy an electrical steamer - I have a 3-tier steamer. You can also buy a plastic steaming accessory which is used in a microwave oven (this is faster - I use it all the time) |
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VegaObscura New Member
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When I say I cannot eat lettuce, I mean lettuce causes a severe vomiting reflex for me, even though I don't mind the taste at all. I will try to buy an electric steamer as soon as I can afford it and try steaming some vegetables. What vegetables are good for steaming? Carrots are the only thing that comes to mind. |
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Nir Senior Administrator
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Anything that you'd prefer slightly cooked to raw. For example broccoli and cauliflower, but really anything. Asparagus is lovely steamed. If you're into lists, here is a topic started today containing a list forum1/13765.html |
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zenobia Distinguished Member
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http://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy-eating/healthy-how-to-steaming-veggies/index.html you dont even need to buy a special steamer... http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sesame-steamed-vegetables/ http://www.candida-cure-recipes.com/steamed-vegetable-recipes.html just google steamed veggie recipes... you'll find lots of options |
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