How to meal plan?

^ I might just find another website to pose this question on. But in the meantime I’ll just listen if anyone has any suggestions on here.

What about finding more places to eat out that aren't too expensive or unhealthy? Vietnamese, Indian?

Nicespice likes black food with big tits and asses?

Some examples for the meat/fish:
Costco roast chicken is $5 and could serve 3 or 4.
Roast pork or beef in a crock pot serves 10 for $10
Frozen salmon at Walmart is $1 per 4 oz serving and can be microwaved.

For veggies, fresh green beans, cabbage, carrots, Brussel sprouts, will last a week in the fridge. If that’s too much work, buy no-salt-added canned veggies.

Apples, bananas, strawberries, or oranges make a good snack or after dinner treat. So do almonds, cashews, and walnuts.

Legumes ( like navy beans ) make a good filler and fiber for lunch and dinner. Can be cooked in big batches and refrigerated.

For breakfast, fruit, eggs, or steel cut oats. Or, try a smoothie with Almond milk, fruit, berries, ginger root, flax seed.

Avoid pasta, bread, rice, potatoes, wheat.

Do all this, and you are guaranteed to feel better and lose weight

I can post more later. If you don't have a cookbook like this one, this is a good one to get. Most mothers give this one to their teen daughters just starting out. We have the 11th edition 2011.

https://www.bettycrocker.com/cookbooks
https://www.amazon.com/Betty-Crocker-Coo…

I work a lot with the food charities and food trucks. A big thing I do (that the other volunteer libtards won't do) is follow some of the people back home, into their kitchens, to help the organize, how to approach meal plans, sharpen their knives, why 1 gallon freezer bags are your new best friends, etc.

I think among the keys here is to find what works for you personally. No matter what anyone says, there is no one right perfect diet. In fact, some of the most provably healthy diets in the world (e.g., Japanese, Mediterranean) are neither vegan, paleo, low-carb, over-fixated on the ridiculous notion of "super foods", low-fat, intermittent fasting, eating 6 small meals a day, vegetarian, calorie-counting... well, you get the idea. Healthiest diets in the world are none of those trendy things I just mentioned; you do not have to be low-carb or no-grain or low-fat, or any of those other things, to be healthy or fit. Which doesn't mean that, if they happen to work for you, you should do those things. But none are required; anyone who tells you otherwise is only cherry-picking a slice of the evidence. About the only thing required for a healthy diet is eating real food (vs processed food), not too much, lots of plants (more leaves than seeds). Other than that, just find what works for you.

-->"1. Becoming very basic with what perishable ingredients I buy. I just try to satisfy my need for variety by owning lots of different kinds of seasonings in the smallest quantities I can get.
2. Batch cook and do a lot of freezing. "

That's brilliant and I do those things too -- not so much freezing, but cooking for the week.

-->"3. Try to figure out how to psychologically get over my need for variety. And just learn to enjoy the same damn 10 recipes of my choosing. "

Trying to "get over" those kinds of things is usually a losing strategy. You're better off learning how to do small things (like seasonings) to make changes. I found for me, having a variety of healthy snacks, all of which were ready to go, to be a real key. I am perfectly fine eating chicken & swiss chard & garlic over wild rice for both lunch and dinner (In fact, it's freaking delicious), but between meals, I like having any of hummus, salad, steamed veggies, pumpkin seeds, etc etc., all available -- and they must be available conveniently.

-->"4. Throw in the towel and spend the money on a place like this: zedrics.com"

Everyone I know who has ever tried those plans, 1. lost a ton of weight while on it, and 2. gained it all back within 2 years. Everyone.

Interesting question...

I have struggled with this also. I ate tons of fast food for years and its effects caught up to me. Weight and other issues. I have spent the last couple years detoxing the results of bad diet and eating healthier. I have changed a lot of habits and made lifestyle changes.

I do a lot of batch cooking of things I can add into dishes so I can have variety. For example I will cook a chicken do a roast etc. And Freeze portions. These portions can be used in salads, pastas, stir frys, pulled pork or chicken sandwiches or ??? Whatever you like

I eat a lot more fruit and vegetables. Mornings I use my Ninja and usually do a fruit smoothie and take it to go.

I always hated grocery shopping also. Now I go through and buy whatever fruit or berries that are on sale. This changes every week so this gives me variety in produce. I don't eat as much meat as I used to so I just buy it when there is a buy one free.

I love my crock pot for complete meals I can freeze.

For anyone considering a diet change, be aware that you will seem to be hungry for the first few days no matter how much healthy food you eat. This isn’t really hunger, it’s your body craving the toxins it is used too. Yes, just like an addict going through detox. All you need to do is power through the first 3 or 4 days and the hunger pain will go away.

My meal plan is the following. What is the closest breastaurant near me ? What do I want to eat ? I order that. Is there something wrong with that ?

-->"I do a lot of batch cooking of things I can add into dishes so I can have variety. For example I will cook a chicken do a roast etc. And Freeze portions. These portions can be used in salads, pastas, stir frys, pulled pork or chicken sandwiches or ??? Whatever you like"

Exactly ... instead of fighting your urge to love variety, it takes just a little imagination to use one main dish -- the chicken you cooked -- in 5 different styles of meals.

One of the big things for me is: eating, and the pleasure that ensues, it a primal urge. Fighting millions of years of evolution is always a losing strategy. Find healthy ways to work with your desires.

One of the things that always struck me, there was a study that showed that Americans associated eating with guilt; the French (who are much healthier) associated eating with pleasure. I'm all-in with the French (fuck, never thought I'd say *that*). Eating should be incredibly pleasurable and satiating. You won't stick to a lifestyle change if it's not... but there may be a little tastebud retraining to do before you start to associate steel-cut oats w/ cinnamon & blueberries with more pleasure than Cap'n Crunch

After making changes and becoming more healthy I feel much better. More energy, better thought process. When I eat junk now I wonder how in did it so long because of how bad I feel. The other side is well worth any withdrawls or difficulty in changing.

Getting there is more about developing a good routine regarding food and figuring out how to make it easier to do the right thing

@PaulDrake I do enjoy eating at Vietnamese/Indian. It’s a good idea. I guess it’s just looking out for how much sodium is in those foods.

@Flag & warrior15 :p

@Dominic77 I definitely like the idea of recipes. But most of them have a lot of ingredients that I need to “scale back” so it’s not that easy for me to follow them.

How easy is it to do so in this book? Are most of the the recipes in the book freezer friendly?

@crazyjoe Mornings smoothies are definitely a good idea. Especially with a single serve blender. Hmm...

How much do you fill your crockpot up at one time?

@mark94 Oh, I definitely have a lot of detoxing to do. It’s not going to be fun.

And those are good examples of food items to get. I just need to be disciplined enough to change up the seasoning and eat it before it goes bad. I’m still working it out.

@subra When I eat a lot of small stuff throughout the day, I’m not being trendy. I’ve always been like that.

For example, if I go to Wendy’s and get the 4/$4, I will have a drink, fries, baconator, and chicken nuggets. But I am a smaller person and will either eat the nuggets or the burger, and save the other item for later in the day.

Good point on not rotating evolution.

I’m pretty simple I don’t really plan, I usually have a cup of coffee for breakfast maybe twice or three times a week I’ll have breakfast at the coffee shop, a few pieces of fruit or a slice of pizza for lunch, and dinner is always a salad and whatever I throw into it. Occasionally I’ll have a bowl of soup, or a pasta dish, I just limit my portions to a small size and if I eat dinner out, I will only eat 1/3 of what they serve, and take the leftovers for the next day or two.
I’m neither budget conscious, or a meal planner.

Also, spices. Get a variety like Italian, French, Curry, Garlic. They make a healthy meal more interesting.

It’s ok I havnt been feeding you my COCK enough bitch spice
\\

One other point I never use the food chains like McDs or BK or any others. I make it a point to eat in local restaurants and coffe shops, and shop locally when available.

-->"@subra When I eat a lot of small stuff throughout the day, I’m not being trendy. I’ve always been like that. "

If that's the way that works for you, go for it. I'm just saying, don't do "6 small meals a day" because someone told you it gives some magical metabolic advantage -- it doesn't. But if eating lots of small meals a day helps you keep healthy and fit, then sure, go for it. Although your Wendy's example does not inspire confidence :) lol

This stupid cunt used to live off the sustainence of King Trucidos COCK

@nicespice. I have several crock pot cook books. I used to follow one of the recepies. Most of them serve 4 to 6 meals. Now I just throw stuff together and it usially turns out good. I usually fill it up full if doing this method. I usually freeze a few of the meal portions in freezer ziplock bags. These last several months in the freezer. If you do several things in the crock pot on a binge you can Have a little of each in the freezer and you can take something different out to eat each time.

You can also set a timer on a crock pot and cook over night or while you are gone for the day. If your crock pot does not have a timer you can use a lamp timer. Nothing beats a hot meal waiting for you when you get home.

I be always loved cooking but only recently have begun cooking for one.
I've learned portion control Is important. I always eat a good breakfast: cranberry juice, Cheerios with either blueberries or bananas/ yogurt & coffee. I frequently skip lunch and then try to have a decent dinner and try to have some variety: tonight; pumpkin ravioli with creamed Parmesan/garlic sauce & a tossed salad & a small slice of garlic bread. The ravioli are refrigerated and have a month to use the bag so I'll have this again twice. The parm/garlic is a jar. The salad is from a $3.00 bag of mixed greens which I add fresh tomato. The garlic bread is half a sub roll from a bag of two bought in the bakery section.
Tomorrow: Meat loaf & baked potato with a fresh veggy. I'll freeze the left over meatloaf in two portions.
My point is that meal planning is the key for me. I usually have fruit or popcorn for snacks - two Bartlett pears should be soft (ripe) in a day or two. When I don't feel like cooking I'll go to a local restaurant with a blackboard list of daily specials. 3 nights ago I had French meat pie with blue Hubbard squash there. Something I wouldn't likely cook.

Subra referenced Michael Pollan. Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. If you want the condensed version of Pollans “in Defense of Food”, get “Food Rules”. A lot of what Pollan has to say is just common sense but he writes well and repackages a lot of wisdom about eating real food, not processed “edible food-like substances”.

Exactly. Actually, I think this is the perfect introduction to Pollan, and the article that changed the way I think about food, a quick read in one sitting: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magaz…

Damn! Idk how I forgot about Polan. I’ve even gone to an event he was speaking at seven years ago.

Good suggestions guys. I’ll update now I’ll try to change my habits soon. (Which is 80% mostly I need a kick in the rear)

Sugar and salt are poison and they are the main ingredients in the food you eat prepared by another. Avoiding variety is a bad idea. The wider the variety of food; the fresher the food; the better your diet. We're lucky in that the local supermarket has produce on the farmer's market level and the prepared food section has a health conscious bent to it. Also, in order to work there in the prepared food department you need a culinary arts degree, so the prepared food is great.

I’ve read articles about how much better we eat than the very richest people of just one hundred years ago. We have access to a variety of fresh food from around the globe. As just one example, ginger bread was considered an extreme delicacy not that long ago because ginger was so expensive that it was used only for very special occasions.

If you're a visual person, you can check out the youtube channel here to get a bit more educated about different recipes. The host is.. interesting, but it's good info. They have a book that takes the mystery out of meal prepping and add variety. Be aware that it does take time - about 2-3 hours a weekend if you want to use fresh ingredients. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpLJXHUy…