newbie... living with picky eaters.

I want to lose between 40-50 lbs.

I have used Slim Fast in the past and actually lost 25 pounds over a couple years, but don't like the damage it does to my teeth-sugar. But now my weight is hovering around 180 again. I have Metabolic Syndrome, including high blood pressure and high trygliceride counts. I also have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome which gets worse with the weight gain... When I got over 160 my periods become irregular, and over 170 I quit having them all together. I haven't had one since July.

One of the reasons why I struggle with my diet is in cooking for my family. My husband does most of the shopping. Neither he or my daughter like vegetables, except for potatoes and french fries. My son will eat pretty much anything. I end up cooking a lot of pasta side dishes and canned veggies.

But husband and I tend to argue over what we can afford in our budget and I am on the losing end.

I'm finding it difficult to maintain a healthy diet for me when I am preparing meals for my family who doesn't eat healthy. My husband is 6ft 6 inches and weighs 330 lbs.

My daughter is 4 ft 8 inches and weighs around 110.

As horrible as it is to contemplate your unemployment may also be linked to your overweight.  You don't mention your height, but you likely have worked out your BMI. 

I would say your husband needs to lose some weight as well. Your daughter might be on the way to overweight too, although at the moment, she is only slightly overweight. If you haven't done your husband's, here is what it says.

"Based upon your current Body Mass Index (BMI) of 38.1, you are currently classed as severely overweight."

Is there any reason why you can't do the shopping other than your husband wants to keep up his fat habit?  Has your husband had a checkup lately?  Maybe if he did, he would be more amenable to change.  If he would agree he does, perhaps he would allow you to do the shopping.

If he won't, I would suggest, you look into low calorie pasta side dishes, and don't eat them yourself.  Learn to make stir fries, and fill up on as much veggies as you can.  Leave out the meats such as wieners, high fat hamburger, and keep the cheese down.  While cheese has great protein, it is also very high in fat.  Leave off the butter and make hummus to spread on bread or crackers, and make sure the crackers are rye crisp or some other high fiber low cal one.

You cannot build a life habit of good food drinking shakes, even low cal ones.  You must learn to make low calorie meals for a lifetime of good eating.  Consider buying a cookbook directed at diabetics.  Even if you don't have diabetes, you can consider both your husband and yourself as candidates. Here is a link to some information online if you are interested.  Good luck.

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Eat-to-Beat-Diabe tes/detail.aspx

Thank you. I think the last time I calculated my BMI it was around 31 or 32. I am 5 ft 2 inches tall. I know Metabolic Syndrome and PCOS are both precursers for type 2 diabetes.

I do feel like if I were employed I would have better control over my own diet. It is very much related to money, but also related to willpower cuz I'm still cooking for the family with bad eating habits.

I've started buying frozen veggies, inexpensive and easy to divvy out portions for myself. I am looking for low salt foods also because of the swelling condition I have with my leg, a genetic disorder where the lymphatic vessels are malformed and water collects in the lower left limb... and I also would like to focus on a low salt diet because of my hypertension.

I'm finding the side dishes... pastas and rice, and a lot of canned veggies to be high in salt. 

I never eat frozen or canned if there is fresh available, or unless I am at the last day before shopping and just don't want to go today.

Here is a favorite way of doing veggies for me.  Be careful with the asian sauce or ?? you wish to use.  Some are very high in sodium.

SPINACH PEPPER SPROUTS STIR FRY (serves 1) everything is fresh

1 cup spinach
1/3 bell pepper
1/2 onion
1 cup bean sprouts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tbsp Asian sauce

Directions

1. Sear and saute peppers and onion in 1 tbsp olive oil
   
2. Add sprouts & cover
   
3. Add asian flavoring turning over to just cover
   
4. Add spinach turn over some more, cover without heat for 3 or so minutes
   

Yummy. I think I am going to look for low sodium asian sauces. I looked at the bottle of soy vs teryaki yesterday and didn't want to put it in my stir fry veggies.

BTW I have been logging my calorie intake here and it is around 1800 a day. It said if I wanted to be 135 lbs by September to eat 1350 calories a day.

I need to figure out a way to do that. I have just started actually measuring out my servings with measuring cups.... yipes. I think I will starve if I try to eat an actual serving of some of those side dishes. I probably ate 2-3 times the serving size at a meal... ack! 

I just looked on my black bean sauce (not that I use it much) and it was 88% of my salt for the day, based on the 2000 calorie diet. I usually go for Szechwan or Yakisoba, but they have 14% of the daily sodium, which is ok if nothing else is high.

One way to fill up without going over your calorie intake is to take in lots and lots of fibre. ie... bran flakes for breakfast, or porrige, rye crisp, raw veggies such as carrots, celery, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower etc.  If you are stingy with it, you can put a bit of hummus on it.

Two people who could help you a lot are clairelaine and mollymouser.  Molly started out over 200, Claire at 300 something, and have done marvelously.  Both give great tips in their journals.

EDIT:  and oh yes, have to tell you this... drink lots and lots of water... not coffee which causes water retention, and not juice which is high in sugar, but WATER, just plain ol' H20.

don't worry.  it'll come off  :D  you don't need to buy any special foods or anything.  just make some changes that you can deal with for the rest of your life.  like fresh fruits & veges are great, BUT you make the rules!

watch your sodium & fiber & make sure that you still eat fat.  alot of people think they can't eat fat, but it's actually good for you.

try to burn more calories than you eat, if you can.  i've lost 54 pounds since 9/4 and today is my 50th birthday AND i never even imagined it possible, but i reached my goal!!!  and i'm not overweight anymore!!!  :D

i'm not done, either...  LOL

that is soooo funny!!!  i will always remember my 1st "one serving" of pasta!!!  i almost cried!!!

i would have cried if i had lost even one while draining them...

now, i know what to expect though & i'm getting pretty used to it.

Go on the peanut butter& jelly=($4.00 diet) its really cheap and filling on whole wheat=$1.88 Kroger at wal-mart and Bananas=$2.00 for 8. Have 3 sandwiches = 400 cal each = 1200 cal. have 3 bananas for snacks= 90 cal each =270 all of this adds up to 1470 cal a day, plus you should feel full!

Also bananas help with water weight. This is what I did when we were strapped for a cash and couldn't eat a well balanced diet on my budget. 

Go on the peanut butter& jelly=($4.00 diet) its really cheap and filling on whole wheat=$1.88 Kroger at wal-mart and Bananas=$2.00 for 8. Have 3 sandwiches = 400 cal each = 1200 cal. have 3 bananas for snacks= 90 cal each =270 all of this adds up to 1470 cal a day, plus you should feel full!

Also bananas help with water weight. This is what I did when we were strapped for a cash and couldn't eat a well balanced diet on my budget. 

I think Peanut Butter and Jelly would be lacking in some vitamins... no?

Good thing I am taking multiples too.