Weight Loss Recipes For Picky Eaters

Vegetarian diet??

I have been a Vegetarian for like 2 years now, but i don’t think have really been eating that healthy. I do exercise(i ride horses everyday!). I am kind of a picky eater(i don’t like spicy foods, or a lot of different kinds vegetables, but I do love brocolli(fav food) ) I am overweight I am 5’3″ and like 170. I’d really like to find a way to shed pounds while staying a veggie. Most of the diets involve meat and aren’t veggie friendly. So does anyone have any weight loss diets that are vegitarian. Also any recipes and tips would be very helpful.
I do eat a lot of pasta.
I don’t wanna come off mean but anyone who thinks horseback riding is easy is wrong. you try riding no stirrups for an hour 3 times a week, then try and tell me it is easy. Also hauling hay and manure is hard work too.

1) Cut out the sugar (cookies, cakes, ice cream, any sweets, and fruits — for a couple of weeks, anyway)

2) Cut way down on fats (butter, oil, etc.)

3) Cut down on carbs/starches (eat only whole-grain — and a small portion!) (Note: bananas have a lot of carbs! Strawberries and other berries don’t!)

4) It wasn’t clear whether or not you eat eggs and dairy.

If you eat dairy, cut down on cheese (and only eat low-fat), have low-fat milk, stop eating ice cream (or only do it once a month).

If you eat eggs, don’t eat the yolks.

5) If you cook, don’t cook with butter (instead use a little olive oil). Best cooking method is steaming.

6) If you have trouble with portion control, eat a big salad at every meal before eating. And make your own salad dressing! Many have added sugars. (Oil & vinegar is best/simplest. Or just a spritz of good balsamic vinegar — I like the one from Costco that’s about $20, but super yummy).

7) Fill up on fiber! (That comes from salad.) Then you’ll feel full.

Use herbs and sauces (watch out for sugars — read the labels!) to enhance veggies. Just because you don’t like spicy doesn’t mean you don’t get to have different flavors. (Try jarred sauces, reading the labels for added sugars to avoid. Trader Joe’s has a variety of “simmer sauces” that you can cook food in that adds wonderful flavor — like the garam masala, which is not spicy.)

9) Don’t forget to take your vitamins! Make sure you get enough protein.

10) Applying what you like to different dishes can improve the variety of your diet. For example, cooking in an “Italian style”, you could heat 1 TBS. olive oil in a skillet, add chopped garlic, add a chopped favorite veggie, stir a few minutes, and if it’s not cooked enough for you, add wine/water/veggie broth and cover for a few minutes to steam. Or you could add tomatoes and herbs like basil and finish the cooking that way.

If you like tomato sauce, what you can do is make a tomato sauce (olive oil, garlic, a bit of onion, ground tomatoes), then add fresh veggies (chopped) as you like.

11) A last bit of advice: be adventurous! Eat something new every week. Who knows, you may discover a different veggie that will be a wonderful alternative to broccoli!

Good luck!