Cooking and weight gain

[t.o girl]

hey guys i'm new to this wonderuful forum. i would like to get some insight.

basically, i just started cooking on the regular basis since September last year. Bofore that, i ate out a lot and would go out to expensive restaurants once or twice a week...i like gourmet, classy food...however last september, i thought i would grow up and start cooking home. I took 3 10-weeks courses and i'm planning to do 2 more. I learned about french, italian, greek, caribean, mediterranean cuisine...and i have been practicing a lot...

so the problem is since then i have gained 25 pounds and counting!!!how do i stop this weight gain, how do i balance cooking, tasting, eating gourmet meals and dieting?

 

[animeprime]

Well, the good news is that doing your own home cooking is a actually a good way to LOSE weight. I’ve found the most important trick is to match the types of food you’re cooking for your body and try to cook healthy meals. Everyone has a different body chemistry so some people will stay lean on pasta or red meat, but others will pack on the pounds. If you have the time and money you may want to get a consultation with a nutritionist and run a blood test. Once you know which foods you should specifically target and which to avoid you can update your cooking techniques.
After that you should start to plan out your menu. Keeping consistent will help your body get used to its new regimen. I’d recommend doing simple meals for dinner or starting a plan with a specific ingredient every night. Monday chicken night, Tuesday soup night…ect. Finally, try to find new recipes centered around very healthy ingredients. I’ve found lentils to be especially fun to work with since they act like a flavor sponge and they are cheap as dirt so you can throw them out if it doesn’t work.

 

[Andy R]

Have you changed anything else in your routine? Larger portions, less exercise, etc? Have you had winter fluctuations before?

Cooking healthy meals with proper portion controls should allow you to really dial in your diet and manage the calories you intake. The bad news it might not be as tasty as the meals you have been making since September.

 

[Adillo303]

T O Girl - The good news is that you are preparing better quality food than "store bought". You can control the nutritional value fo your intake.

What you need is some guidance as to what to eat and how much of it to eat. What worked for me was a phonetician. She examined my life style and eating habits and guided me to a proper and healthy diet.

Of course, it is harder to do when the food tastes so much better. I do not know if you hve annual checkups, I would suggest that you do to make sure that there are not other factors. For example, I found that I need Thyroid meds, which helped as well.

AAC

 

[Chaplain Kent]

I'm a snacker as I cook. If making rice I will have a bowl of rice, same with pasta or veggies, or sauces, or anything else I'm preparing for dinner. The problem is I already have enough extra weight and I can only go to the YMCA once a day. My solution to this is to always have a cold glass of milk to sip on while I'm cooking. For some reason this takes away my hunger where nothing else will do.

 

[fahriye]

I tend to cook smaller amounts just enough for two. If I am cooking for my blog and it is too much, then I freeze them or give them away to friends. When you enjoy food and it is avaliable all the time it is hard to resist and before you know it, calories start to show.

 

[Fearless Kitchen]

I do find myself wanting to taste things as I go along, and sometimes I snack on things while I cook more than I ought. I find that filling a glass with ice cubes gives me something to nibble on and has the added bonus of keeping me hydrated as I go.

 

[Claire]

I've had a rough winter, weight wise, and yes, I do cook 90% of our meals at home (we generally go out once a week or so). I lost a lot of weight a few years ago because I lost my sense of smell. It has come back with a vengeance. Then I tried to quit drinking, which gave me a sweet tooth for the first time in my life. When I look at it objectively, though, I don't think it is the food I'm cooking OR the hootch, but in reality I used to go to the store once a week and now I go more often and guess what? It is snacking on bags of chips or cheese and crackers that is piling it on.

Also, as women, at certain ages we tend to pile it on. I have a friend who was thin her entire life, then menopause did her in. Many women I knew put it on during military training or college.

You don't mention if you're just cooking for yourself, or for a partner or family. Cooking for one or two can be hard on portion control. It seems that theoretically families are getting smaller, yet it is almost impossible to buy anything in one or two person sizes without it becoming prohibitively expensive. My friend and I "solve" this problem by bringing food to friends who can no longer cook, but even so I'm frustrated that two or three potatoes cost more than a ten pound bag (ditto oranges and apples), and at my local grocery stores a lot of meat comes in packages enough to feed a family of 4 or 6. It does lead to over-eating.

 

[themonkeytree]

You do not need to go on a diet. You need to change your life style. Sure it is similar to a diet, but a diet always sounds like you have to give up your favorite foods. It sounds to me like your portion sizes are big, or maybe you are just eating too much of one food group and not enough of the other. A good portion size for protein is 3 to 4 ounces for dinner. Eat as many vegetables as you want, as long as they are not covered in a fatty sauce or cooked in lots of butter and or fat. I am sure you can also find healthy dishes to cook no matter what cuisine you are cooking.

As for tasting too much food, I cannot see any way around that. You need to taste when you cook so you know if it is seasoned right and so on. Just take smaller tastes. Maybe go buy a small spoon and use that for tasting. That way your tasting sizes will have to be smaller.

I hope this helped.

 

[mike in brooklyn]

I've had a rough winter, weight wise, and yes, I do cook 90% of our meals at home (we generally go out once a week or so). I lost a lot of weight a few years ago because I lost my sense of smell. It has come back with a vengeance. Then I tried to quit drinking, which gave me a sweet tooth for the first time in my life. When I look at it objectively, though, I don't think it is the food I'm cooking OR the hootch, but in reality I used to go to the store once a week and now I go more often and guess what? It is snacking on bags of chips or cheese and crackers that is piling it on.

.

Claire I have the same problem - too many empty calories from
wine, beer, and booze.
I don't snack much , eat healthy (only whole grains, hardly any red meat, lots of legumes and vegetables) and do a lot of walking/hiking which
lets me maintain my weight but can't loose an ounce. Walking just
5 miles a day at a moderate pace will burn 500 extra calories a day which
adds up to 1 lb. a week. So my advice is to burn out those sneakers

 

[Toots]

I gained almost 10 lbs just over the winter. When it is cold out I like to make winter foods (think starchy, high calories stuff) and bake. I also go through red wine like nobody's business in the winter. And I have SAD so the winters are just difficult for me in general (and I use good foods and sweets as a way to reward myself for getting through the day).

So last week I joined WW for the first time in my life. Counting points blows but it does make me aware of every little thing I am eating. I am still having good, homecooked meals, just less wine and chocolate.

Less brie, more veggies and exercise. I've found if I exercise, I can enjoy an extra glass of wine now and then.

 

[fahriye]

I know what you mean Toots. I am comfort eater and love starch too. But the spring is in the air and we will be spending more time outdoors, walking and doing bit of gardening and so on. When it is sunny you feel like eating more veg and salads as you say.
Good luck with WW, I am a big fan of WW's and it works!. Let us know how you get on.

 

[mike in brooklyn]

I gained almost 10 lbs just over the winter. When it is cold out I like to make winter foods (think starchy, high calories stuff) and bake. I also go through red wine like nobody's business in the winter. And I have SAD so the winters are just difficult for me in general (and I use good foods and sweets as a way to reward myself for getting through the day).

So last week I joined WW for the first time in my life. Counting points blows but it does make me aware of every little thing I am eating. I am still having good, homecooked meals, just less wine and chocolate.

Less brie, more veggies and exercise. I've found if I exercise, I can enjoy an extra glass of wine now and then.

Best of luck with WW Toots - I have joined a few walking clubs and
they have forced me to get out - here is a link for a club in Louisville
ClubsByState