Eating clean in New York... possible?

[Katia7]

I finally moved to NY Still haven't found a job I want (Graphic Design), but I'm still looking. Very stressful!

As for the diet...it all went down the hill.. soooo much amazing food here! The good thing is that somehow I still managed to lose wight here Maybe because we walk everywhere here. I want to see what my body can do if I actually eat right and stick to the workuts! I have no idea how I can eat 5 meals here, because when I leave the house I'm not home till very late (takes forever to get anywhere witout a car) so we usually end up either eating out or eating very late at night (which I HATE). And I keep undereating and then overeating on the days when I'm home and tired. NOT GOOD!
This is also the 1st time I'm living on my own so it's all new to me.
The hard things: I don't have a car here so I have to shop for food almost every day and bring things one at a time since I can't carry it all at once. And I don't have my George Forman grill here which I can't live without My boyfried has it in his house so I don't know, maybe I can make some chicken at his house sometime and just bring it home.
If anyone has some suggestions on how these things can be overcome please let me know.


OK.. as far as the plan... suggestions are always more then welcome!:
Workout
3 day split : Back/Bis, Chest/Shoulders/Tris, Legs
Cardio 6 days a week 30-50 min
Diet
CLEAN 1200 cals a day. Once a week I'm allowing myself to have 1 small free meal or dessert (not both) and have my cals go up to 1400.

More good news... Some of my food allergies (or I think it's more of food intolerances) are gone. Now I can have rice, eggs, cow's dairy and any veggy Although I'm still scared to eat cow's dairy and eggs I REALLY should give it a try though.
Here's the new list of foods I have to avoid:

clams,
cane sugar,
coffee,
lemons,
cranberry,
blueberry
cod,
buckwheat
oyster,
corn gluten,
kidney beans
pinto beans
oats
pecans
chocolate
coffee
mint
garlic
onions​

Here's my shopping list, please let me know what to take out or what to add.
chicken
broccoli, red pepper, spinach, zuchini, romain, cucumber, tomatoes
apples
rye flakes (instead of oats)
brown rice
barley
whole wheat pasta
plain goat's yogurt
sourcrout
tamari (soy sauce)
fat free French dressing
stevia
spices
chicken broth
pumpkin seeds (have salt on sheels, so I don't know if they're OK )
fish oil
water
herbal tea

Ok I think that's about it Just have to remember not to look at the food when we go out (especially the desserts)

 

[Pylon]

Good luck to ya.

Those food alergies must blow, but I would think the walking and single meal shopping might work out well for you. By not keeping stuff in the apartment, you can't really freak out and eat a lot of junk.

From the cardio and cal count, it looks like you are cutting. Make sure you have enough cals in there. As for the cooking, what do you have access to? If you have an oven, try using the broiler over food on a grate and pan combo. fat can run off that way. If not, get a cast iron skillet and some non-stick spray, you should be OK. Start lovin' whey powder, cause if you have trouble making 5 meals, it will save your butt. (Or not save it, depending on how you want to look at it...)

Good luck!

 

[Katia7]

Thanks Pylon
Cast iron skillet it is! Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately protein powders never agreed with me (I tried all different kinds), so I'm sticking to all natural food.

 

[GoalGetter]

Eating clean in nyc is totally possible, ask p-funk.

Not sure where in nyc you are, but there are a bunch of good places in the city: The Pump, Energy, Pita Grill, Lili's. Plus most diners/restaurants will have veggies and chicken breast and stuff like that, too...

I'm still getting to know the city, but patrick and anyone else around there can probably be more helpful in terms of where you can go to have a good, clean meal.

 

[P-funk]

yeah, the pump and energy kitchen are cool. if you are in brooklyn Fuel is sweet too. All the dinners serve chicken and salad with oil/vinegar. Pita grill is a favorite of mine and lili's on the upper east side has great steamed chicken and brown rice.

 

[Katia7]

Thanks guys
We decided to stay away from eating out as much as possible, but when we do it's salad for me for sure.. and no more desserts!

 

[Cardinal]

A couple of suggestions on food. Get a large expedition hikers pack or army type rucksack to hold all the food you need. This is the sort of solution I would go for as a non-social type person. Other idea. Just make friends with someone that has transport and get them to take you once a week.

I imagine food cost in NYC are horrendous, even at grocery stores. In that case I would order most of my stuff online. Stuff like bulk oatmeal, nuts etc. whatever your diet will allow. It will almost certainly prove much cheaper and you can keep an endless stock of food if you so desire. I get stuff from bulkfoods and bobsredmill among other places. sky is the limit and most are cheap.

 

[Katia7]

Yup, I was just thinking of getting a back pack to hold some food in when I go food shopping. No one I know has a car here, well 1 girl does but I hardly ever see her.

Food here isn't THAT expensive. Right in the city, yes, but outside of it you can find pretty cheap stuff. Although I like to buy everything organic, so that defeats the point of cheap supermarkets. Whole Foods is my store!

 

[P-funk]

do you live in the city?

When i lived in brooklyn food was cheap.

now i live in manhattan and food is ridiculous.

 

[Katia7]

No, I live in Queens, so food there it's really cheap. However I like to get my food from Whole Foods or other organic stores sometimes, so it gets expensive at times.

You probably shouldn't have told me to you live in the city, cause now I'll be bugging you with whole bunch of questions lol

 

[min0 lee]

I used to live in queens.

P-Funk are you a native New yorker?

 

[Katia7]

Where in Queens did you live?

 

[min0 lee]

All over, I moved there in the 70's. Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Richmond Hill, Jamiaca, Corona, Woodside and Flushing.

 

[greekblondechic]

Katia we should get together! I am just down in Jersey!

 

[Katia7]

Hey girlie! We definitely should! Let me know when you can.

 

[min0 lee]

All over, I moved there in the 70's. Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Richmond Hill, Jamaica, Corona, Woodside and Flushing.

These neighborhoods were better in the 1970's.

 

[P-funk]

I used to live in queens.

P-Funk are you a native New yorker?

nope, grew up in cleveland. been here for almost 3.5 years.

 

[min0 lee]

I see, you guys enjoying the different foods from the world. We have the whole world in New York.
How are you guys enjoying NY?

 

[Katia7]

These neighborhoods were better in the 1970's.

I heard the same thing about Brooklyn.

nope, grew up in cleveland. been here for almost 3.5 years.

I have A LOT of friends there

I see, you guys enjoying the different foods from the world. We have the whole world in New York.
How are you guys enjoying NY?

I NY!

 

[P-funk]

I see, you guys enjoying the different foods from the world. We have the whole world in New York.
How are you guys enjoying NY?

it has its good and bad's.

 

[Katia7]

it has its good and bad's.

Totally agree, but compared to Michigan this is heaven. Although to be honest I haven't really even had a chance to REALLY enjoy NY. Any places I should go to 1st?

 

[Katia7]

Workout
Legs 3 sets of each (don't remember what weight I used though)
leg presses
stationary lunges
squats
hamstring curls
calfs
SLDL

30 min ellitical

I got this low carb BBQ sauce (made with Splenda), but now I'm not sure if thats OK to have. Is it?

 

[P-funk]

Totally agree, but compared to Michigan this is heaven. Although to be honest I haven't really even had a chance to REALLY enjoy NY. Any places I should go to 1st?

I don't know I rarely leave my apt. and when i do I rarely leave the upper east side. the park is nice. the art museums are also nice. lots of good jazz in the village too.

 

[min0 lee]

The Village is always good. Just be careful around here.

 

[min0 lee]

St. Patricks Cathedral if your christian, Little Italy in Manhatten whats left of it and then right next to it is China town. Then you have Central Park but best you go during the daytime.
The United Nations Building. The Empire State building, the statue of liberty. 42 street. Broadway plays.

 

[min0 lee]

The Bronx Zoo.

 

[P-funk]

the piers
lincoln center
museum of natural history

 

[min0 lee]

Best of all Yankee Stadium.

 

[Katia7]

Diet
11:00
1/3c rye flakes (measured dry)
1/2c yogurt
vanilla extract
lecithin
4:00
3oz chicken (raw)
1/2c barley
broccoli
sourcrout
1T soy sauce
1 T Fruit-Eze
6:30
apple
11:00
Special K Vanilla Almomd cereal .. that's what I mean.. I wasn't home till 11PM and by this time I was STARVING, and couldn't eat at home because the lady I'm renting with sleeps by this time so I ended up eating this junk.

Total: cals: 1142 P:46g C:254g F:14g Fiber:32g

 

[aggies1ut]

What exactly are you trying to accomplish ie. what are your goals and stats? You certainly aren't eating very much and your "meals" aren't really meals.