Single Guy / Nutrition SUCKS
As a single guy who works, eats out too much, and generally knows that I am eating like crud. Does any one have advice how to get going on a healthy diet?
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As a single guy who works, eats out too much, and generally knows that I am eating like crud. Does any one have advice how to get going on a healthy diet?
Comments
1. Cook once or twice a week, and make several meals' worth of food. Buy some zip lock containers and eat on that for a few days at a time. (as a bachelor, I hated this option, so I feel your pain as you roll your eyes at it)
2. If they have something like "My Fit Foods" in your area (prepackaged, heat and eat fitness focused meals), they can put together a pretty good meal plan for you. Admittedly, it's a bit expensive, but if you're already eating out a bunch, the menu is on par with restaurant pricing.
3. Pick what you eat at the restaurant very carefully. As long as you're not "out with the boys" at the local hot wing bar, nobody's going to check your man card if you get a salad.
4. Worst case scenario, if you're on "fast food" diet and cant seem to shake that, at least cut out the soda. Drink ice tea or water. That step alone was responsible for about 5 lbs for me last winter.
My approach is to cut veggies once a week and stir-fry them as part of my meal. Takes 30 minutes to cut 12-14 qts of veggies that last 6-7 days in Tupperware. Fridge to plate in less than 8 minutes, add some quality protein (chicken, fish, meat) and there you have a nutritious meal. Another quick option is to have quinoa precooked in Tupperware to add to the veggies.
My veggie mix included 2 onion, 2 green & 2 red peppers, 3 broccoli, 1 cauliflower, 1 lb mushrooms, and sometimes a shredded sweet potato. Dead simple. Lots of other options as you prefer.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/carolynkylstra/mason-jar-salads
Also, do you have a grill? I'd make brown rice, quinoa or another grain and store 2-3 days worth. You can then take any vegetable and put some olive oil and salt on it and throw it on the grill. Total prep and cook time is about 10-15 minutes. Very easy-- Examples- grilled asparagus, carrots, eggplant. You can also take spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and do the same grilling, but wrap them in tin foil (they also make easier tin foil bags for this).
http://allrecipes.com/recipes/everyday-cooking/cooking-for-one/
http://greatist.com/health/52-healthy-meals-12-minutes-or-less
http://www.buzzfeed.com/carolynkylstra/cooking-for-one
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/09/low-fat-baked-ziti-with-spinach.html
I add ground turkey to it and it turns out to 400 calories or so per serving.
For quick meals I will pan fry salmon filets and have some rice or quinoa and some sort of steamed vegetables. I can make this in 30 minutes. Grilling is also a great option.
Another super easy thing to make are chicken tacos. All I do is throw 3-4 chicken breasts with half a jar of salsa in a crockpot and let it go all day on low and then shred the chicken. I will make some black beans as a side dish for this. For really good beans just heat up a can of it with a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of cumin, and cilantro.
Any way...large batches divided into small freezer-able containers, like others have said.
Also, when eating fast food meals, sub ice tea for soda and side salad for fries. My nutritionist had me on that for my lunches and it helped.
For those of us in the south, SWEET TEA is delicious crack-like ambrosia, but for subbing soda - use regular un-sweet tea.
Eggs are always a good 'go to meal', toss some spinach in and you're golden. Take hard cooked eggs to work as a snack.
Not single, but stationed overseas for two years without my family, so I live like a single guy.
- No meals in a bag (i.e. No fast food). Break this rule only in case of extreme emergency if you cannot physically get food any other way. (happens once every two weeks or so).
- Typical breakfast - 'junkier' than most meals, microwaveable breakfast bowl with sausage, eggs, potatoes etc in it, bowl of yogurt with real fruit (strawberries, blue berries, raspberries purchased separately, not part of the yogurt). I actually tried eating healthier for breakfast - oatmeal, granola and found myself getting hungry by 0900. So I purposely add protein and fats to 'fill me up".
- Typical lunch - pre-packed, turkey sandwich on wheat, carrots and hummus, grapes, sliced cucumber (with more humus) and a few chips to round out the plate.
- Typical dinner - Huge salad and salmon or tuna fillet or chicken breast.
Fill the fridge with real food and fruit. Fill the cabinet with nuts, raisins, and food that you recognize. Small sweet with lunch and breakfast (to satisfy the hunger, life's too short not to).
As I'm a 40+ year old happily married man with children, I eat healthy when I do eat out and don't care about 'looks' or 'comments' from the 'boys'. None of them can keep up with me when we exercise (I'm in the military) and I point that out if/when they try to ping me as I order a salad while they get their burgers and fries.
*edit - I also don't find success with large batches of frozen meals / food. Once it goes into the freezer, it never looks good to me. YMMV.
Check out Fit Men Cook
I also make batches of pancakes and wrap them in short stacks too. Same deal...microwave and add syrup fruit and nuts, peanut butter or yogurt (yogurt on pancakes is THE BOMB) and I'm eating.
The other item I freeze in the cupcake tins is brown or black rice. My family likes white, but I want whole grain, so I make a big batch in the rice cooker, portion it out in the tins, freeze, then store in the big ziplock. We eat stirfry and Mama gets what she wants. Which is critical to a happy family!
In addition, when i go out, I NEVER go to fast food. When picking restaurants i always go for a salad with ideally fish protein.
If you can cut out bread in addition and possibly beer, you are golden..
caveat, always hard to stay away from pure sugar shizz when travelling.. I probably put on 5lbs getting home from TOC camp and I took a red eye that i slept on for 5 hrs!