Diet help?

Midnight_Ashes

Midnight_Ashes

Active Member
Apr 1, 2008
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County Durham
Over the last two years I have lost about 3 and a half stone. However I have sort of reached a plateu now, but I want to shift another stone. I need help, advice, tips, and a kick up the backside :D

I want to change my eating habits, rather than "diet" because otherwise when I stop said "diet" I get fatter again :rolleyes: I have no willpower to diet, I am utterly rubbish!

Here goes my day: (this is when I am working, I eat about the same when I'm not at work but I don't get up as early lol)

Get up at 5.45am, have a cup of tea (no sugar, bit of milk).
About 8am I usually have 2 slices of toast with butter/spread (whatever is in the work fridge).
Lunch is at 1. It's usually a sandwich (chicken salad in a white bap thingy)
Dinner is at 5, it's usually tinned spaghetti/beans/soup with two slices of toast.
I get home at about 8.30pm and sometimes have a bag of crisps or a sandwich when I get in.
Over the course of the day I have a chocolate bar, a couple of biscuits and a couple of bits of fruit as snacks. I probably have 6 cups of tea or coffee (coffee half a sugar, tea without) over the day, and usually a can of 250ml can of energy drink on my way to work. I sometimes have a bottle of Oasis/diet coke/lemonade with my lunch.

Now this isn't hugely unhealthy but what can I switch to ditch the weight? I have a good appetite and can't stand feeling hungry, and I don't want to have to give up treats altogether.

Helps?
 
cut down on your bread intake.... you have quite a lot in one day. Bread is quite bad for you as there is lots of secret sugars in it. I limit myself to once or twice a week.

Protein is also good as it keeps you full for longer , and your body is able to digest protein more easily.The beans are excellent for protein as well. Spaghetti not so good. Watch the cals in your soup as well. Soup is sneakily labelled as its normally x amount of cals per half a tin...

Change the crisps to a low fat version, Ie walkers baked (they have 99 cals a bag) or weight watchers ( they are in multipacks at poundland ) at the moment. They have hula hoops & quavers. They are pretty tasty & do me for a snack. They are about 80 cals per bag.

Would also cut out the energy drink as they are VERY high in sugar or perhaps look for an alternative..

Im also dieting at the moment.. want to lose another stone so my food diary is something like this-

Bowl of special K with skim milk (approx 200 cals)
Mid Morning Snack -weight watchers crisps/ boots shapers bar - both around 80 cals mark
Lunch - weight watchers meal - 300 cals , snack - Jelly pot -10 cals
Mid afternoon - handful of nuts , or handful of pretzels (around 100 cals).. ie for 10 pretzels its around 100 cals. Not sure about nuts.its a guess ...
Evening meal - some sort of meat and veggies. Last night i used the spray light oil , cooked 2 chicken breasts. Chucked in a load of veggies, and used 2 packets of cup a soup (woodland mushroom) and then let it boil down . That did me for tea last night & also for todays lunch . Handful of rice
Snacks - 2 snack a jacks, and a 2 finger kit kat

washed down with lots of cordial, and a few cups of tea :)
 
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candyflosspot said:
cut down on your bread intake.... you have quite a lot in one day. Bread is quite bad for you as there is lots of secret sugars in it. I limit myself to once or twice a week.

Protein is also good as it keeps you full for longer , and your body is able to digest protein more easily.The beans are excellent for protein as well. Spaghetti not so good. Watch the cals in your soup as well. Soup is sneakily labelled as its normally x amount of cals per half a tin...

Change the crisps to a low fat version, Ie walkers baked (they have 99 cals a bag) or weight watchers ( they are in multipacks at poundland ) at the moment. They have hula hoops & quavers. They are pretty tasty & do me for a snack. They are about 80 cals per bag.

Would also cut out the energy drink as they are VERY high in sugar..
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The energy drink is staying :p 12.5 hour shifts with a 40 minute drive either side....I needs it :giggle: It is a diet one though :tongue:

That's the trouble you see - I love carbs like potatoes, rice, pasta and bread :( I try to buy low fat everything, but sometimes I end up getting confused about this type of fat and that type of fat. :redface:
 
Get up at 5.45am, have a cup of tea (no sugar, bit of milk). Use Semi skimmed

About 8am I usually have 2 slices of toast with butter/spread (whatever is in the work fridge). Change your bread to wholemeal and use light spread, butter is acutally better for you than marg.


Lunch is at 1. It's usually a sandwich (chicken salad in a white bap thingy) Again change your bap to wholemeal bread or do yourself a pasta salad using wholemeal pasta twists or take soup in a flask.

Dinner is at 5, it's usually tinned spaghetti/beans/soup with two slices of toast. - Again your eating bread, change it for a baked potato, boiled new potatoes or wholemeal pasta. White bread is terrible if you want to diet.

I get home at about 8.30pm and sometimes have a bag of crisps or a sandwich when I get in.
Over the course of the day I have a chocolate bar, a couple of biscuits and a couple of bits of fruit as snacks. I probably have 6 cups of tea or coffee (coffee half a sugar, tea without) over the day, and usually a can of 250ml can of energy drink on my way to work. I sometimes have a bottle of Oasis/diet coke/lemonade with my lunch.

Drink water, change your tea & coffee to herbal tea.

Keep the chocolate as long as its a small one but cut out the biscuits

Don't drink Oasis it's packed with sugar.

Try and introduce fruit and veg to your diet.

Eat high protein foods especially chicken and fish (high in omega 3). Red meat and processed meats i would stay clear from.
 
Doesn't sound like you have an unhealthy diet at all - can you increase your exercise? When I was losing weight I did it steadily but increasing exercise really helped me. I know its not always an option.
I have accepted now that I am not going to lost the last stone that I wanted to originally. This is because I refuse to cut down on my food anymore (makes me grumpy and miserable) and because OH, friends and family all reckon I look better than I've ever done, my clothes are all a nice fit now and I feel ok about myself. TEchnically, according to the doctor and the nurses at our practice I am still overweight. WEll, ok, I might be, but I am probably a lot physically fitter than some of their patients who are thinner than me! I have developed a lot of muscle on my upper arms and thighs (quite proud of that! hehehehe) and they say muscle weighs heavier than fat - well there you go.
Sorry if I'm not much help btw!
 
Oh just wanted to add, although wholemeal bread is meant to be healthier, just make sure it doesn't upset your tummy. One slice of that sends me into griping pain mode and I can hardly sit down for going to the loo! For me, it is not healthy!!!!!
 
Midnight_Ashes said:
The energy drink is staying :p 12.5 hour shifts with a 40 minute drive either side....I needs it :giggle: It is a diet one though :tongue:

That's the trouble you see - I love carbs like potatoes, rice, pasta and bread :( I try to buy low fat everything, but sometimes I end up getting confused about this type of fat and that type of fat. :redface:
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same as me... i love carbs as well and bread is a downfall for me which is why i have to limit it. Another thing to mention is look at the labels & don't be fooled by "low fat/low sugar" alternatives. 2 examples i can give you off hand.. heinz low sugar/salt ketchup has more sugar in it than the normal ketchup. Its the same with weight watchers.. watch the sugar levels in their yoghurts .. they can have astronomical amounts in them & its often to better to choose a "normal yoghurt"
Also i would advise to check how many portions you get in something... companies are sneaky with labelling. I have often been caught at first glance, then i get home & realise that its 4 portions rather than just one (does that make sense..not sure i have worded that the right way)
 
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I'm pretty active, my job involves me being on my feet most of the day (I'm a nursing assistant on a mental health ward), and on my days off I have the horseys to do, so I'm reasonably active though I am allergic to the gym!

I'm kind of in your mindset Trewsers - I won't live on lettuce to be a stone lighter!

I will take on board the advice given and try to ditch the bread (didn't realise how unhealthy it was to be honest and I hate wholemeal bread - I'd rather not have any at all).
Are crumpets healthy? Someone told me they were low in fat?
 
One thing I think is brilliant for making you feel full for longer is porridge for breakfast - I grate an apple or a pear into mine and chuck in some raisins or dried apricots and it keeps me going much longer than any other breakfast.

And as has already been said protein fills you up for longer too. What about a jacket potato and baked beans for lunch?

One of the things I thought was brilliant from Weight Watchers was their "no point" soup (called pointless soup in our house!) which is basically a tin of tomatoes and stock with vegetables - courgette, onions etc. It whizzes up into a nice soup and is quite filling too - would go well with your chicken salad sandwich if you took it to work in a flask.

And you just have to be ruthless about the snacks ... sorry :cry:
 
It's not a case of black & white "bread is bad for you" at all - it comes down to everything in moderation.

We need carbs, sugar, fat, protein, iron (the list goes on) everyday and it's about taking in the correct balance. And for losing weigh it's as simple as burning more calories than you take in.

Don't think that eating a white bread roll is the same as scoffing a packet of 5 jam doughnuts (hmmm, douuuuughnuts) just don't eat it all the time. Cut down to wholemeal if you can. Bread can make you feel bloated (it does me) so I've been limiting the amount I have. Same with pasta (especially white).

OH & I have Quavers instead of other crisps & I prefer them. We also sometimes buy the two finger packets of KitKats (or a small Milky Way) for that sweet craving. We're also trying to add veg to things we eat as well - and cut down on our cheese intake (unfortunately) :cry:
 
Calluna - I thought that soup sounded nice until I saw the picture on the WW website...might give it a whirl though!

Can I just ask for a basic idiots guide to healthy food please...am I right in thinking:

Good food:

Baked potatoes
Veggies and fruit
Chicken
Turkey
Fish (but not oily fish?)
Wholemeal pasta
Brown rice
Porridge
Baked beans

Bad food:

Bread
Normal pasta
Normal rice
Red meat
 
Midnight_Ashes said:
Bad food:

Bread
Normal pasta
Normal rice
Red meat
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No!!! I wouldn't say "bad" food at all - but maybe cut down on it. Like I said, it might be making you bloated and while yes it has starch and some sugar in it, it's not going to be the be all & end all. If you have two rolls, try to cut down to one. Maybe have pitta instead, or a smaller roll? Switching to wholemeal for bread, pasta & rice is a good idea if you can.

But eastern Asian coutries bloody live on rice & veg and they're all stick thin! So don't think of it as "bad" food, that's not the mindset you want at all. Just everything in moderation :happy:

Another good thing is to look at your plate you're about to eat and ask yourself what colour your food is. Biege food generally is what you want to cut out/down on and incorporate some colour along the way.
 
So, if I change my diet to:

Breakfast:

2 x crumpets with butter

Lunch:

Soup
OR
Baked potato and beans

Dinner:

Whichever I didn't have for lunch

Snacks:

1 chocolate bar
1 low fat bag crisps
Lots of fruit

Will it help?
 
Baked beans are actually pretty high in calories and sugar. A tin of beans is about 500 calories which is loads. I would replace this with mushrooms or egg on toast.

If you can, I would drop the chocolate bar. They are so bad for you and don't provide any benefit in making you feel full. When I was dropping weight I went into sainburys and got loads of different fruits that I hadn't tried before. I soon forgot about chocolate.

I don't think that you are eating enough 'energy' food in your main meals. They are small meals and if you ate more then you wouldn't need to snack at all. I also think that you should eat breakfast as soon as you get up - it's the most important meal of the day!
 
I'm late to the party here but hope I can help a little without adding to the confusion :unsure:

Everyone is right that it's about everything in moderation. White bread is my absolute enemy (although I love it). Its high sugar content means that you don't stay full so are more likely to eat again soon afterwards and the processed additives in it are likely to make you bloated and in my case, result in terrible tummy ache for hours :cry:

Also, what candyflosspot said about low fat options, they're a total con! I eventually persuaded my hubby to quit buying WW snack bars when I pointed out that a 2-finger KitKat had fewer calories and, bonus, was coated in actual chocolate :bounce:

Start reading your food labels to get a bit more clued up and you'll probably automatically start making healthier choices.

My best tip would be to keep hold of a list of low GI foods (low on the glycaemic index) which are generally low sugar, will keep you full for longer and help your body to manage its energy supplies steadily e.g.http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Food_and_recipes/The-Glycaemic-Index/. Baked potatoes are high-GI but baked sweet potato is low GI. And, in a stroke of genius, custard and ice-cream are somehow also low-GI :biggrin:

Good luck anyway, very impressed with anyone who has the willpower to change their diet at all! Alcohol is my downfall *said scurrying to the fridge for Baileys and Maltesers*
 
There isnt enough "range" of food groups IMO... Crumpets arent low in fat, because they dont fill you up. They are one point on WW with nothing on per crumpet. What about a cereal with a low fat yoghurt on or similar?

Lunch - potatoes aren't bad, but they aren't ideal for always eating either. My current yum yum is flavoured pitta bread (two per lunch) with a dip (low cal if wanted) such as houmus, tzatziki and ad lib veg to go with it. Love peppers and tomatoes with it. Also really like the garlic and coriander pitta breads Ive got :D

Dinner - Can you premake dinners on your day off and freeze them so you just have to microwave them? Such as pasta bake (tuna, chicken), spag bol, beef and bean pie (minced beef with baked beans toppped with mash - like a shepherds pie but super quick and easy to cook). Just pot into take away pots and freeze - if you have enough space you can make a months worth in one go - a lot cheaper on food bills too :)
 
The one thing I have not read is when do you drink water?

Water consumption is the key to any diet, drinking water fills you up, its makes you feel full, drinking water makes me not even snack during the day, I am not slim yet but I am learning how drinking water when hungry takes away hunger pains.

I am lucky to have a water cooler at work and drink endless amounts, I don't snack, just have porridge (oat so simple), soup or crackers for lunch, normal tea. But i must drink about 5/6 big glasses of water between 8-6.

I cant diet, have no will power but if i fill up on water I dont feel like snacking etc. The power drink can stay but how about replacing most of the hot drinks with so nice cool water?
 
nat17 said:
I am lucky to have a water cooler at work and drink endless amounts, I don't snack, just have porridge (oat so simple), soup or crackers for lunch, normal tea. But i must drink about 5/6 big glasses of water between 8-6.
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That's amazing nat17 where do you put all that liquid?? Even when I was sweating out water running 3 miles a day I was just constantly to and fro between desk and loo! Nothing seems to be wrong with my muscles but a drop of liquid and it has to find its way somewhere! :redface:

As well as keeping you full, water is also obviously very good for you and will help keep your energy levels up, hopefully reducing the need to snack.
 
I remember one slow afternoon we had a long conversation at work about food and what was good and what was bad. Lots of conflicting advice had been heard by everyone, but the best bits I thought were these:

Read the label - if something in the ingredients list would not be in your cupboard at home (ie it is a wierd additive) - don't eat it

If your granny wouldn't recognise it as food - don't eat it!
 
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