Help, I need to eat better

Jessey

Jessey

Well-Known Member
Dec 20, 2004
28,373
18,028
113
43
Suffolk, UK
I really want to eat better but for various reasons keep falling back into old habits, so wondered if you lovelies have some tips for me? I've put on 2kg and almost 2 dress sizes since Jess went lame :( my new exercise regime has begun, I've been running with Hank and walking Jess daily, though once back at work next week this will more likely be 4 times a week, it's probably half an hour total until we are all fit enough to up that. I will also go to the gym 4 days a week in my lunch break so will get about 40 mins in there.
I'm veggie and don't eat mushrooms or mouldy cheese, I'm funny about the textures of things im veggie as don't like the texture, this means fleshy fish like tuna is also out.
My normal working day I need breakfast and lunch to go, I have a microwave and kettle at work. I tend to eat way too much bread as sarnie's are so handy, I could live on cheese sandwiches :p and oatmeal, but I read somewhere evens that's not good :(
I buy food on a budget and don't really have time to go to the shop more than once, twice at a push, per week so find frozen veg etc easier, I love salad but it has to be really fresh, any browning or sogginess and I can't do it :rolleyes: I'm also only cooking for me and to this day struggle to work out what can and can't be frozen and reheated!
I love pasta, bread, potatoes etc but really want to cut these out, I do love veggies, soup's and beans but without something to chew on don't feel satisfied o_O if I have say soup for dinner I find myself raiding the kitchen a little later for something to munch. Help?
 
Have you tried substituting for your carbohydrates with something that you have to eat, but which is a vegetable? I'm afraid it's a lot more expensive than pasta/rice etc, but I find that cauliflower couscous is really nice, and my standard crisis weight loss meal is any pasta sauce I like poured over a huge mound of rocket and spinach!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ruskii
Yes I eat quorn @Trewsers, its not so good on its own but in a sauce its good.
I need to figure out the bulk cooking, I always used to buy veg, chop it and freeze ready for use but its as cheap to buy it pre done and frozen now. I only just learnt you're not meant to reheat rice, I've been doing that for years :rolleyes:
I love rocket and spinach, raw or cooked so will try that with pasta sauce :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: lauren123 and chev
I also bulk cook, portion and freeze (though not to the extent of pfb, I'm impressed!) and to be honest I will freeze and reheat pretty much everything! With rice I just make sure I nuke the hell out of it in the microwave!

I've just got a spiraliser so I can start making courgette spaghetti. I also find if I make a chunky enough sauce I don't tend to need the pasta to go with it. I pretty much live on casseroles from my slow cooker these days, just chuck in meat (or quorn in your case), loads of veg and a tin of tomatoes, herbs etc. Job done!
 
  • Like
Reactions: lauren123 and Jessey
Don't worry about the vegetables! Frozen fruit & veg are generally MORE nutritious than "fresh" ones. Fruit and veg start losing nutrients as soon as they're picked - freezing them when they're ripe and newly-harvested seals in the vitamins and anti-oxidants.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jessey
And I wouldn't be to worries about the rice being reheated. You're still alive now so your doing it correctly ;)

I went to bed on Christmas Day feeling really unwell from so much alcohol. So now I'm an alcohol free zone until NYE when I will have one glass of prosecco but that's it.

I've finally had the time to re-examine my diet and it got me thinking like you have about the food I eat (which in turn is what the family eats as I do all the cooking) and we are eating far too many carbohydrates as my old reliable quick dinner is a sauce of some sort over fusilli pasta or rice. We mainly eat a vegetarian type diet but will eat fish and organic free range chicken only, but that is about once a month the rest I replace any meat in the recipe with Quorn.

But I've been doing a lot of research into finding quick carb free or low carb meals that like you have will be easy to take to work and reheat or prepare easily.

I'm on an eternal battle with losing weight as well, so I'm gentle on myself and just examining our diet at the moment and get that going first.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jessey
Most cooked food can be frozen - to use in the next month. I always cook enough for 4 and we freeze half.
Like Jane I can eat a big bowl of some green veg - cabbage, broccoli, spring greens - kale just on its own or with sauce and it is filling.
Only you know what you like to eat, so instead of listing the things you hate, (dislikes and being veggie can be a mental reason for not losing weight) why not look at the advice on NHS choices website and work out what plan might suit you.
:Like Wally, I do OK on the 5 / 2 diet but eating low calory 2 days a week is an education in low calory eating which can be transferred to just generally going on a diet.
Down load My Fitness Pal to your phone or ipad and use it to keep a food diary. That is the first step.Then you can enter your exercise, walking etc evey evening and see whether you are over or under eating. I've put on a few pounds so I am going to resume that. It just automatically rules out popcorn in the cinema today and a glass of wine. But it is only for one day.

The way I do it, is to think of myself as a horse. Maisie and my share were older mares and not allowed as much food as they desired - so the same goes for me as I am an older lady too. I didnt let them snack -Pretending I am a horse helps me a lot.

Even when eating low calory you will need some fats -to keep your mind working ad to prevent depression. Eggs and almonds are my standby.
I know I lose more weight on a high protein diet but I dont know how one does that if one is veggie and in any case it can have adverse health effects.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bodshi and Jessey
I will be following this with great interest. Many days I survive completely on fruit smoothie, an egg sandwich and biscuits which is appalling.

I need to eat proper nutritious meals rather than just survive on sugar.

As I am still poorly I haven't really got an appetite, I've only eaten a slice of toast today so far. For dinner I am having chicken and vegetable fajitas which I think are fairly good for you.

I think for an active lifestyle you do need carbs, well that's what I've been told. I'm going to try and have 3 decent less sugary meals a day now.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: lauren123 and Jessey
I need to make a serious effort to shift my weight. It is my 10 year wedding anniversary in May. When I got married I was just over 10 stone, and now I am almost 13 stone. I need to shift those 3 stone and get back down to a healthy weight. I have a wardrobe of clothes which don't fit me properly and I look and feel horrible. I am thinking of doing online slimming world or weight watchers. It's pretty expensive but I think that once I have paid I will want to get my monies worth and therefore hopefully stick at it. I do however have 2 days left of stuffing my face. It's my birthday on New Years Eve so will eat what I want and start on Jan 1st!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jessey
What do you drink, this has hidden calories we often overlook.
I dropped excess weight just by changing what I drink to just water, tea or fruit tea, no sugar. I am planning on getting decaff coffee for the yard and drinking it black. If I was thirsty I would drink the water. The extra cuppas are just because it's what the brits do, drink tea and coffee!
 
  • Like
Reactions: N_J and Jessey
@Ale I am just like you I live on sugar and coffee. I realised today that until my OH put dinner in front of me I had not eaten all day and had. Mucked out both boys, ridden, walked the three dogs twice through the woods and been to the gym!!!

We do not eat fresh at all so sorry no help I can help on the exercise bit as did qualify as a PI etc and have heaps of experience on the fitness side.

OH and I eat out the fridge Sainbury ready made meals. We don't add anything but a jacket pot to some and just beans/peas/garlic bread to others. we are both a very health weight as we don't over eat.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jessey
I only really drink black coffee and fizzy water for the most part, occasionally I add squash to that, I rarely drink alcohol now days.
I did have an app on my phone but haven't used it of late, I must start again, last time I did I was normally under calories by quite a chunk but there would be the odd day where I would blow it out of the water :confused:
9 in 12 of my family are diabetic, I've asked repeatedly for the proper blood test but they just do a sugar check which is generally okay but I've noticed for 3-4 weeks after my depoprovera jab that I struggle to keep my sugars in normal range, not really sure why that should effect it, during that time if my sugars get low I tend to hit the sugar and carbs to get rid of the hot flushes, shakes and dizziness before it gets worse, that then begins a cycle that I struggle with. I borrowed mums test kit and my sugars crash to 3.6-4 but are normal highs. I can not eat with no abnormal effect but any refined sugar sends me into a downward spiral so not a diabetic reaction but prehaps a precursor?
Today I had some redi-brek made with water not milk, a few digestives (ran out of time to get lunch) and a cheese and onion omelette with baked beans. Ive written a shopping list, to do Thursday, of better option items like brown rice and sweet potato to wean myself off the bad carbs.
I would definitely appreciate help on the exercise front @OwnedbyChanter , making the most of my time at the gym would be good as I'm limited on time during my lunch break. I was going to start with cycling and a little power walking on the treadmill, then start on that awful step machine and if my back can cope get on the rowing machine, I'm lucky to have a fully equipped cardio room, weight room, indoor running track and sauna to finish off with and a few friends that go at the same time who will keep me motivated :)
I have never been able to control my weight by eating less alone, exercise really is key for me, but I know I need to eat better. My last fitness endeavour I dropped down a couple of dress sizes but the scales said I only lost one lb, very dishartening, so I try to focus on size rather than my actual weight.
 
Exercise is the key for losing weight for me as well. I enjoy running when I get into the habit of doing it, but getting myself out of the front door in the first place is the hardest battle. It's hard when it is so dark during winter, my village has very little in the way of street lights so unless I keep running up and down my road, I can't go very far after dark.

I do all the cooking in my house and we always eat fresh meals. I will make dishes like shepherds pie and lasange and then freeze extra portions for the following week. Our day to day food is pretty healthy and balanced, my weight piles on simply eating too big portions and then snacking in between. Whoever invented crisps has a lot to answer for!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ruskii, HorseHelen, lauren123 and 1 other person
Jessey, if you are worried about your blood sugar you can buy personal monitors. My son does not have diabetes, but he does have a metabolic condition that means his blood sugar can crash very dramatically. We have an accu-check monitor which was given to us by the hospital but I think you can buy them as well.

https://www.accu-chek.co.uk

A drop of 3.6 is nothing to be worried about really, but it is on the lower side so you need to be aware of other symptoms of hypoglycemia in case you do start to suffer. When my son goes below 2.5 he needs extra glucose to give him a boost. He has pure glucose sachets which send him sky high in about 5 minutes. When he has been really ill his blood sugar has gone from 1.8 to 8.5 in the space of 10 minutes!

I don't know much about diabetes, but I always thought that it was due to the bodies inability to produce insulin. Insulin stabilises the blood sugar so diabetics will have very high blood sugar which is lowered by artificially taking insulin. If they take too much insulin then the blood sugar can crash producing hypoglycemia. Therefore, if you had diabetes, I would expect your blood sugar readings to be consistently high?
 
I come from an obese family and one of my daughters has done little to control her weight except go to weight watchers. It isnt hard to pay a sub (I went to Slimmers World) and reach your target. The real problem is watching your weight and keeping it at that stable healthy target level. Year after year.
My experience is that the 5:2 diet was easy to do but it was harder to keep the weight off afterwards. Hence my present problems.

Like OBC, we did eat Sainsbury's Ready Meals some times. The great thing about package meals and sandwiches is that they are calory counted and portion controlled. If I make curry at home we may well eat more in terms of quantity. As what I cooked tasted better and OH had to cut down on fats and salt we stopped using ready meals.

The draw back of ready meals for us is the high cost. But may be living off ready meals or any other portion controlled food for a few weeks costs less than going to Weightwatchers?

I have often thought that I could lose weight by living entirely off Pret a Manger for a few weeks. I knew an old lady who had a hot canteen lunch 5 days of the week and the rest of the time lived off home made sandwiches.
 
Mary Poppins said:
Jessey, if you are worried about your blood sugar you can buy personal monitors. My son does not have diabetes, but he does have a metabolic condition that means his blood sugar can crash very dramatically. We have an accu-check monitor which was given to us by the hospital but I think you can buy them as well.

https://www.accu-chek.co.uk

A drop of 3.6 is nothing to be worried about really, but it is on the lower side so you need to be aware of other symptoms of hypoglycemia in case you do start to suffer. When my son goes below 2.5 he needs extra glucose to give him a boost. He has pure glucose sachets which send him sky high in about 5 minutes. When he has been really ill his blood sugar has gone from 1.8 to 8.5 in the space of 10 minutes!

I don't know much about diabetes, but I always thought that it was due to the bodies inability to produce insulin. Insulin stabilises the blood sugar so diabetics will have very high blood sugar which is lowered by artificially taking insulin. If they take too much insulin then the blood sugar can crash producing hypoglycemia. Therefore, if you had diabetes, I would expect your blood sugar readings to be consistently high?
Click to expand...

I have mums kit I borrowed, still sat here but once I knew what was going on I stopped using it. When my sugars drop that low its about an hour after eating, so totally opposite to diabetes, my body seems over reactive to or to be over producing insulin in these situations, I have no clue really and the doctors aren't interested so hopefully it's nothing, none the less that crashing feeling is horrible. Fear of it happening was a contributer to my bad eating habits, I never went anywhere without a packets of biscuits and sarnie for ages until I figured out the link between my jab and sugars preceeding a crash.
 
I will be another one following this thread! My diet can be awful sometimes! I am very much like ale and OBC. I do often live on sugar. I will often skip breakie, due to time if I aren't working, lunch generally goes out the window and I will fill up on chocolate! Tea is the only meal I actually have and sometimes I am actually asleep as my sugars have crashed as I feel shattered!( I mean the sugar rush). If I am at work I always have breakie as I cant work without it. But even then lunch is sometimes crisps and chocolate. Leaving work I will walk the dog then see to sox. Its only when I actually think all I have ate that day is breakie ( porridge) a mars bar and a packet of crisps. That I think I should eat more!
 
Isn't it awful that we have to do a "diet thread" this time of the year - every year? We are all adults and understand calories, health risk and healthy eating. Yet those with plumpatious tendencies keep finding ourselves in the same seam bulging place every few years! I feel, and look like an absolute lump at the moment. MP, I too am closing on 13st, despite being barely 5' 3". It's dreadful. I am a absolute fool, and a weak willed one at that. I've only ridden once in the last 12 months. That was my Friesian day out with the dreadful photographic evidence of what I looked like in the saddle!

There are some (complicated) psychological reasons behind the weight piling on, but I should have been able to counter them. The only hope is that I am feeling ready to tackle the issues now. I am almost looking forward to getting fitter and trimmer again. I won't be riding until I feel more in control of myself - so that will be a reward.

Good luck to everyone who's setting out on the journey. Could we perhaps share recipes - veggie and not? And tips, too,
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back