Healthy cooking and eating

[lovebigbluegills]

Baked fish is really easy to do, and there's no limit to the spices, etc that you can use. If I fry fish, I use olive oil--it's definitely more expensive than other oils, but tastes alot better in my opinion.

With venison, when I butcher I make roasts out of most of the muscles in the hind quarters. Throw one in the crockpot with some onions and celery before work, then add potatoes and carrots when you get home.

I can't think of any better way to eat backstraps than fried in butter with onions and morels, but they're darn good on the grill any time of year.

[lakevet]

As mentioned earlier...... lifestyle change. Diet is a bad word. (So says my wife).

Eat lots of wild game, veggies, fruit, wild rice. Bake, crock pot or broil. Buy a 50# sack of oatmeal. With time you will find your tastes change so the high fat, greasy, sugary, starchy processed stuff tastes.....processed. Always eat a big breakfast, evening meal the smallest. Grocery shop with a list. Stick to it. Always pack a lunch AND lots of water. You'll save enough money to buy a new locator/gps or a new weapon each year, save time, eat better, stay hydrated and be healthier. If you only have good food in your house/lunch box, you will be more likely to stay on track. Garden- it is exercise, veggies taste much better fresh. Focus on being healthy, not your weight. Drink lots of water, some milk and juice. Drink enough water so your urine is lighter yellow color to clear. Check when you go to remind yourself to drink enough water. Being hydrated cuts down on headaches,reduces muscle cramping, more able to handle heat in summer and keeps you warmer in winter.

When scouting, hunting, putting up stands, etc. walk........alot. We party hunt and make alot of drives in the northwoods, easily walking miles in a day, just like our skinny ancestors. We have had hunters in their 80's walking miles in a day. Park the 4 wheeler, or sell it to remove the temptation to use it to quick get the mail, or walk the dog. If you know you will have to walk this fall, you will be more motivated to stay in shape. We have 4 wheelers, but we use them less each year. Last 2 years they were parked all season. Our best hunting spots on public land are places you can't run a 4 wheeler. Walk every chance you get. Ski or snowshoe in the winter.

If you have kids, the younger they develop these habits the better. The generation of Americans that is under the age of 16 yrs is on track to be the first generation in the history of this country to have a SHORTER lifespan than their parents. 1# reason-overweight. I grew up eating healthy, and my wife didn't. She found it easier to trim the weight off because I requested good food, and focused on it being a good thing for the whole family. It is a team effort to keep everyone healthy.

Most of all, have fun with it. You will enjoy life alot more if you are healthy and fit.

Gotta water the garden and walk the dog.

lakevet

[mixxedbagg]

I'm doing Weight Watchers right now, so...bump.

My weight just skyrocketed around Thanksgiving and I couldn't stand it, so now I'm counting points. I've already lost several pounds over the last couple of weeks and I expect it to continue. I stick to the plan really well during the week and allow myself a bingey day on the weekend.

I did WW a couple of years ago and dropped 23 lbs in about 2 months. I mostly kept the weight off without effort, but it's time to work at it again. It hasn't been a good "outdoors" winter, which has made it tougher on me.

I'm hoping to see more healthy recipes and suggestions and it would be FANTASTIC if some of those recipes had WW points applied to them.

[deerminator]

Lots of good info and advice. I agree its a lifestyle change. I've found cooking lean meats with tasty vegetables and limiting but not eliminating carbs the way to go. I prefer to sear meat in olive oil with the right seasoning and herbs in a pan and then finish it quickly in the oven.

And portion control is key. An average person could probably eat a happy meal every day for supper for the rest of their lives and likely not suffer any severe health effects or significant weight gain. But many people get the 1/3 pound angus burger with cheese and bacon, large fries and regular coke instead.

I tend to watch overall calories versus fat calories and so on when it comes to weight gain. My high school wrestling coach taught me this. So long as you're not overdoing it on the bad fats. A little cream and butter never killed anyone but a lot did. I don't micro-analyze everything for calories but I learn approximately what amounts to what and try to avoid those foods that contain a lot, like 1,000 plus calorie burritos at Chipolte. lol.

Also, I've learned from my own research and my doctor that a calorie is a calorie any time of the day. So eating late at night won't really matter that much. Your body, digestive process and metabolism may slow some. But the total calories consumed throughought the day is what you should be looking at. The real problem with eating late at night is people tend to eat poorly then - opening the bag of fritos versus crunching into an apple.

[OnAFly]

I simply cut out a lot of fat from my diet by sticking to low fat/fat free items. That and a little exercise and I stay pretty healthy.

I don't have much of a choice though, as my family has a long history of heart attacks. Watching my dad in the hospital with a heart attack at the ripe old age of 37 has pretty well kept me on a strict diet of turkey, chicken, venison, lean pork, and elk (as far as meat goes). I eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies too.

[Seabass77]

MixxedBagg, I am also on weight watchers right now. This is my third time in 8 years. The program has worked really well for me.

Check out Amylu chicken products, they sell chicken brats/sausages that are 3 points, chicken burgers that are 4 points, and spicy chicken meatballs that are 3 points for 4. Costco carries these items.

I have also been eating ore-ida french fries, baked. it's only 3 points for a small handful, maybe 7 fries.

I usually eat alot of veggies along with this.

Theme here is usually lean protein, a little starch, lots vegatables.

Roasting veggies is easy and they tast great. Put some carrots, asparagus, or green beans in a gallon zip bag, put a dash of OO in, and shake. salt and pepper to taste.

My problem is beer and wine, my weakness for after the kids go to bed. A bell's two hearted ale is 6 pts.

[mixxedbagg]

Wow, those brats and sausages look good! Thanks for the tip.

The real killer on WW is pizza. I LOVE pizza, but no matter what kind of pizza you buy or make, the portions are way too small. WW just does not tolerate cheese in your diet. Other than low-fat cheese sticks, I pretty much avoid cheese as it wastes too many points. Man would I love to find a good pizza that didn't kill the point count!

I can't stop at 7 fries! I have trouble with small portions satisfying me, so I've been going with vegetable soups, dishes based on spinach, broccoli, or beans, and shredded wheat. Lots of vegetable-based Mexican foods too. Pretty much zero sweets. I'm really getting used to veggie burgers. I started back on this over New Year's weekend and I've dropped 7-8 lbs so far...first time under 180 since mid-summer when I was spending a lot of time at the park with my kid shooting hoops and playing catch. Just getting through winter without putting ON weight will be an accomplishment.

Yeah, beer is a problem. Even light beer is 2 points. BUT, you can earn activity points...and I like to have my beer at the end of the day too. So, in the summer, it's a great motivator. Use up all your points, then take a 30 minute bike ride to earn yourself that beer.

My goal is to stay at 171. Last time I did WW, I got stuck a few pounds over that and could not drop another pound no matter what I did...it may be that there is a "minimum" weight that your body just won't allow you to drop below under normal circumstances. Or, my scale needle is stuck.

[solbes]

Just read through this thread, some pretty inspiring stories and advice. My wife and I got on a health kick about 2 years ago before going on a vacation. I wasn't really overweight to begin with, (dropped maybe 10 lbs) but I have ALOT more energy now. We used to grill out a lot in the summer and even in the winters. So lots of red meat, pizza, fried foods, heavily processed grains. At least one beer in the evenings. Excercised only on weekends or lightly in the yards

We've started some moderate intensity exercise for 20-40 minutes Sunday through Thursday after the kids go to bed. That's helped out a lot. Our diet has shifted to a lot more of the foods that can be described with one ingredient (banana's, eggs, brown rice, kidney beans, oatmeal, chicken, green beans, potatoes, etc). These are foods your body easily recognizes as food and kicks up the metabolism to burn them. It get's really confused when you start eating stuff with 23 ingredients inside (ever look at a bag of Doritos?). I'm not saying we've completely cut out that stuff, but I think minimizing has helped. When I try to plan a meal I try to use stuff that can be described with one ingredient. I'm successful maybe half the time.

And then a lot of things that have already been mentioned: whole grain everything, cutting out beer/acohol during the week, old fashioned oatmeal for breakfast twice a week, kicked up our fruits/veggie intake, cut out pop mostly (even diet stuff is not healthy).

Also I've seen some studies that say your body goes into starvation mode if you diet effectively 7 days a week for weeks on end. You might be better off having a large meal once a week. It's our motivation (or excuse) to eat the wrong foods or eat more than we should at least once during the weekend. Homemade thick crust pizza and some Grain Belt beer is about my favorite meal for a Friday night during winter. Next move onto darker beers. I'm making myself hungry and thirsty now...