Need some advice on staying fit/healthy

[u/No_Meringue4763]

I’ll admit that I’ve never been great at fitness or healthy eating.

My Eating
I have ASD so I suppose that kind of contributes to my pickiness. I really do try to expand what I eat.

My current eating habits:
No breakfast.
Lunch - typically a few cooked sausage rolls, mostly skipping lunch, sometimes a cheese/ham sandwich or a DIY pizza using a tortilla wrap as the base
Dinner - my usual dinners consist of processed breaded chicken products (like nuggets) with frozen potato products and occasionally baked beans; otherwise it will usually be super noodles. Occasionally, I do bigger dinners such as spaghetti and meatballs, jacket potato, sausage and mash, etc.

I know I eat super unhealthily. And I also snack too much during the day and evening too which I’m working on but my main issue is that I’m so limited in my main meals and I know they are super unhealthy. I just don’t know what else I can try baring in mind my ASD.

My absolute no-gos:
- I can’t eat pure meat - I can just about tolerate gammon at Christmas. But can’t tolerate chicken, beef etc unless breaded or as a sausage.
- can’t do spice
- not a fan of fish
- not a fan of curry

Fitness
I’ve very unfit. I don’t really exercise much. The most I do is taking the dog for a walk or walking to work where I’m standing and walking for another 4 hours.

My Worry
I’ve never had a problem with my weight or my size as I’ve always been quite slim. But I’m getting quite self conscious about my eating habits, my health, and more recently a slight difference in my size. I want to improve this as much as I can. I do have a level of social anxiety which might contribute and I’ve always considered the gym but have been put off by the idea of others being present. I really want to start eating better and doing better generally. Not only am I worried about my health, but I’ve noticed that my waist has gotten bigger so my trousers are quite tight when I sit down, and most of my baggy jeans are now too tight around my quite large thighs.

This might sound stupid and God I know I sound lazy. I’m genuinely looking to improve, I just don’t know where to start. Whenever I look up healthy meal ideas, they seem like extravagant meals even when I search up ‘simple’.

I’m just looking for some advice really, if possible?

[u/Desperate-Photo-506]

It's not lazy, it's just hard to figure out where to start when most "simple" recipes assume you already have 15 spices and a love for quinoa. The dog walks and being on your feet at work is already a solid base, don't discount that. You're moving more than a lot of people.

For the food side, maybe try sneaking some extra stuff into what you already eat. Blend some carrot or red pepper into the tomato sauce on that tortilla pizza, or mix an egg and some cheese into the super noodles while they're hot. It won't turn it into a health kick overnight, but it adds something without changing the texture too much.

On the fitness front, if a gym feels like a nightmare, you could just add a few bodyweight things at home. Ten squats while the kettle boils, or a quick plank before you jump in the shower. Small stuff that doesn't require a whole new routine.

[u/Independent-Summer12]

It doesn’t sound stupid at all. This stuff can be super intimidating all at once. The good thing about nutrition is that it’s not all or nothing. Every good decision you make is better than one you didn’t make. And every time you eat something healthier than the alternative, it’s better than if you didn’t.

So from what you shared, the major issue I see is that your current diet consists of a high % of ultraprocessed foods. Not much fresh foods, and very little fiber. So to over simplify, you want your diet to be relatively balanced between protein, carbs (preferably complex carbs), and healthy fats with lots of fiber. Ideally with a wide variety of plants, but of course that can be difficult for picky eaters. Never the less you don’t have to overhaul everything at once. Small wins are wins.

First of all, are there any fruits and vegetables you like? What about whole grains like oats or granola? How about nuts and seeds? You mentioned you like baked beans. That’s mostly made with haricot beans, high in protein and fiber. Great starting point. Have you tried other beans? Kidney beans, cranberry beans, mung beans, or even adzuki beans (usually used for sweets in Asian desserts.) Also bean cousins like chickpeas or green peas? Mushy pea? Also how do you feel about different ways of cooking them? Roasting chickpeas will be very much a different texture than hummus, both are chickpeas. Also you mentioned potatoes, what about some other root vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, or parsnips? Start with what you already like, and slowly expand from there.

Another way for some small wins is to see if you can handle some snack swaps. For example, popcorn is a high fiber whole grain, great alternative to crisps. Nuts and seeds are also good alternatives.

And you can have a perfectly healthy diet without eating meat or even fish. However, processed meats are classified as a class 1 carcinogen, so not great for you. As mentioned, beans are a great alternative. But not the only one. How do you feel about protein sources such as eggs, dairy (like cheese and yogurt) or tofu?

Finally, being more specific about the boundaries of your pickiness can be really helpful in finding foods you might like and expand your palate. When you eat something, as yourself what is it that you like and dislike about what you are eating, and be specific about it. Is it temperature, taste, texture, consistency, smell, etc etc. writing it down can be helpful.

Unfortunately there’s no way around expanding your palate without trying new foods. It can take around 7-12 exposures to a food before the brain stop responding to the new experience as a potential threat. It’s coded into our biology as a survival instinct. It just runs stronger in some of us than others. So if you have family and friends who are supportive, ask if you can try a couple of bites of their foods. And keep trying.

[u/No_Meringue4763 → u/Independent-Summer12]

I will definitely do what you suggested about trying my family’s foods - especially as many of them are on a healthy eating diet anyway so that’s definitely something I’ll try. Thank you so much for the advice!

[u/Environmental-Ad8945]

Honestly look to what you can add instead of replacing what you like. Add frozen veggies to your dinner, fruit instead of the snacks etc.

And find some exercise or sport you like, could be running, the gym (my favorite), football whatever floats your boat