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Please tell me a healthy diet

17 replies

Starlet40s · 15/11/2018 23:07

I have an awful relationship with food.

This is what I ate today.

2 pieces of shortbread
2 packets of crisps
1 aero bar
2 mini rolls
2 packets of dairy buttons
2 chocolate digestives
1 piece of chocolate cake
1 ham sandwich
1 pizza

I have put on 2 stone in two months and I'm terrified. I just don't really know what's a good healthy diet.

Please could someone tell me what I should eat for breakfast lunch and dinner that's healthy. It has to be simple and relatively easy. Thank you

OP posts:
Ticcinalong · 15/11/2018 23:23

Ok OP well done for getting help with this, is that a typical day for you? What other foods do you like/ dislike?
I think variety of foods is healthier than just having the same set meals so if you tell us what you like we could help you make tasty meal plans.
I eat vegan and mostly plant based meals so today for an example was:
b -Porridge with oat milk and fruit
L- Home made veg soup
D- Buddha bowl - potato’s, onions, aubergine, raw red pepper, hummus, salads
Snacks - banana and 3 rich tea biscuits.

Yesterday
B- Beans on toast
L- Jacket potato hummus and salad
D- nice spice rice - rice with a peanut butter sauce and lots of veg. Alpro youghurt and plums.

Lots of people have different opinions on what is healthy but this way of eating works for me. Look up forks over knives. The great thing about eating plant based is that you can eat a much bigger volume and therefore feel fuller for longer with the same amount of calories as what would only be a small amount of say cheese.

GreedyBastard · 15/11/2018 23:34

looking at that there is a hell of alot of sugar there and carbs. I also have a crap relationship with food. When my jeans get tight I cut right back. I follow weight watchers loosely have done for fricking years There plan kind of revoles around High protien, low sugar, low carb. Its the sugar and carbs that are the culpruit for the weight gain. Today I have eaten

Breakfast
2 boiled eggs
babybel cheese
yogurt

Lunch
naked rice pot with chicken breast
an orange

Dinner
roast chicken with wholegrain pasta with mederatian vegtables
pudding
peaches and evap

Tomorrow I have planned

Breakfast
2 boiled eggs
cereal bar
banana

Lunch
McDonalds Grilled chicken wrap with shaker salad and diet coke

Dinner
Turkey burger with cheese on a protein bagel thin with salad
Pudding
Berries and Halotop ice cream

EllaDownTheLane · 15/11/2018 23:38

Only you can know what you like to eat. What you ate today would make me so tired and I couldn’t function on it. Everyone will have different opinions on what you should eat or what diet to follow but it depends on you, your lifestyle and what you can cope with.
I walk for a living, thank goodness for dogs...I need not to feel sluggish throughout the day but I had to break a lot of bad habits and find what suited me.

Today I had.
B - Porridge, blueberries, bit of honey. Green tea.
L - Lunch was in between jobs and made the night before. Spicy Rice, quorn chicken
fillet chopped up, salad leaves a smidge if mayo.
D - homemade veggie madras, cauli, carrot, onions, green beans. Little bit of rice and half a garlic naan.
Snacks - banana, plum, graze box choc flapjack, blueberry liberte yogurt. More green tea and a few pints of water.

Probably not the best but I’m not on a diet it’s just normal food for me. I hope you find something that works, I found excercise wise my fitibit keeps me on track and I set little challenges for myself through the day.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

PickAChew · 15/11/2018 23:41

Take out everything but the ham sandwich and pizza.

Adfin a load of veg, a bit of fruit, of you like it, and some nuts.

AGHHHH · 15/11/2018 23:49

Breakfast

Smashed avocado/smoked salmon/scrambled egg and tomato on wholemeal toast/bagel (swap out as desired)

Or basic fruit

Meals

Roast dinner with your choice of meat, plenty of veg, and small portion of boiled/roast/mash potatoes and gravy

Soup with bread, stir fry, stew, bolognese etc. You can batch cook all of these.

Snacks

Nuts, berries, Greek yoghurt
Carrot, celery, cucumber sticks in hummus

Just for some basic tips

Cailleach · 15/11/2018 23:50

Depending on portion sizes, I reckon there could be 4000 calories worth there, most of it coming from fat and sugar and cheap carbs (white flour.) There are roughly 1500 calories in a ten inch margarita pizza, for instance...a woman needs roughly 2000 calories per day and that's if she's very active!

Yesterday, I walked twelve miles, spent seven hours solid lifting heavy boxes and dragging pallets around, and cycled an eight mile commute. My Fitbit tells me I burned 2600 calories. If I ate like you I would be obese, despite being extremely active. That's the brutal truth I'm afraid!

No wonder you are putting on weight! You need to aim for a "budget" of 500 calories per meal for the foreseeable future. Breakfast: wholemeal toast, sugar free museli, eggs, porridge, yoghurt or fruit. Lunch or dinner should be a source of protein (eggs or meat) at every meal, accompanied by either salad or vegetables.

Cut out all sugar as far as possible. Strictly limit consumption of starchy carby foods like bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. No puddings except once a week. Above all, remove processed food from your diet and use "natural" substitutions: so not boxed cereal, oats instead: not Turkey twizzlers, chicken breast instead, etc.

Do not buy crisps and biscuits, full stop. Snacks should be fruit or nuts or yoghurt. No fizzy drinks or cordials, water only. Skimmed milk in tea or coffee.

Download Myfitnesspal and enter everything you ate yesterday...and I do mean everything, right down to butter, sugar in tea etc. You will be shocked I assure you! If you can, get a Fitbit or similar device. Compare how many calories you burn via Fitbit and contrast your intake on Myfitnesspal. Adjust what you eat accordingly.

It honestly is not that hard. Eat clean and natural and in the right quantities and you will feel better for it.

MillicentSnitch · 15/11/2018 23:53

I went to a naturopath a while ago as I had gallstones but he gave me some general guidelines for eating which not only made me feel absolutely great but I lost a ton of weight.
He told me to eat my fruit at breakfast - so I had half a banana & a plum or apple or berries - chopped up with some oats, almonds or walnuts & pumpkin seeds with Greek yogurt.
I was supposed to concentrate my carbohydrates at lunch. So I had a baked potato or sandwich or bowl with brown rice/millet/quinoa with a piece of protein the size of my flattened fist - tofu, tuna, chicken, tinned mackerel, boiled egg - and (his rule) at least three types of salad vegetable and as many as possible.
At dinner I had the same amount of protein - meat or fish - with three types of cooked veg at least with olive oil or butter but no potato or rice.
I used butter and good quality olive oil. If I needed a snack I'd have a boiled egg or an apple or an oatcake with a bit of cheese. No biscuits and only a bit of cake, def no more than once a week. I'd buy good quality chocolate from Aldi and just eat one square a day.
It might sound grim but I bought really fresh, good quality food and it was actually lovely after a while.

Zandra123 · 16/11/2018 00:18

I just want to say op you aren't the only one, I'm very similar to yourself, I know it's no good but I look at salad and healthy stuff and I have a kind of mental block, I can't explain it but I can't eat it. I'm type two diabetic now and I know the harm I'm doing but can't stop it. I wish there was some kind of psychiatric help, but I will be following this thread hoping to learn something, well done for starting it.

Applepudding2018 · 16/11/2018 09:41

Based on the things that you said you ate, I think it's unlikely you are going to want to switch to either a vegan or a high protein- low carb diet. I think the best thing for you is a diet based around 'normal ' foods, allowing the odd packet of crisps or chocolate bar but replacing most of your chocolate snacks with fruit, and having a small portion of your main course padded out with veg or salad.

So, for example, using what you ate yesterday as main meals.

Breakfast- bowl of cereal with milk and a piece of fruit. (Have plain cereal e.g. Porridge, weetabix, fruit and fibre)

Lunch - ham sandwich, plus small pack of crisps or cup of soup, piece of fruit

Dinner - half a vegetable based pizza with salad (alternately have a 1/4 of the pizza with salad and a few new potatoes) (I am assuming here that the pizza is frozen from a supermarket and not a 12 inch stuffed crust from Dominos!)

Alternative meals you could have are

Breakfast- toast with peanut butter or boiled, scrambled eggs

Lunch - baked potato with baked beans, salad OR bowl vegetable soup, piece of bread / toast, small piece of cheese.

Dinner- small potion of cottage pie OR small portion pasta in vegetable based sauce OR chilli and rice - but make sure that half of your plate has salad or vegetables on (not chips)

Snack on fruit, yogurt, plain biscuits, with the odd treat size chocolate bar

DonaldDucksTowel · 16/11/2018 10:01

I agree with ApplePudding2018 you’re not going to be able to suddenly go from eating what you do to eating no chocolate, crisps and biscuits ever and only eating lean protein and veg, that’s just daft

You need to eat ‘proper meals’ then you probably won’t be as hungry for ten chocolate bars

Many many people eat a packet of crisps or a couple of biscuits with a cuppa every single day and that’s fine, as long as you know when to stop and are eating plenty of good stuff as well

Maybe give yourself set days to eat certain things so when you’re craving it you can think ‘I’ll get a packet of crisps tomorrow’ iyswim

We have ‘fat fridays’ so I’m fine not eating a load of crap on the days around it as I know I’ll go and buy us some treats for Friday evening and we’ll really enjoy them
Maybe something similar would work for you?

crochetmonkey74 · 16/11/2018 10:50

I think it works really well to just stop thinking about it- I was in a cycle of 'not allowed this as on a diet'
Once I started thinking ' I can have what I like' it helped. I had to couch it with 'If I still want it tomorrow, I'll have it' which helped with emotional eating and cravings. I'm not fixed, more work to do but these are the 2 first steps that helped me

lljkk · 16/11/2018 10:59

Replace half of that (the most sugary items) with veg or fruit.

Starlet40s · 16/11/2018 22:15

Thanks for all your advice and tips. I have eaten ok in the past before but it's got really bad recently as I'm working away from home, not enjoying work and living in a hotel. I'm still here for the next two weeks but I'm aware that I'm massively comfort eating out of boredom and unhappiness and stress at being away from home and work.

Today I made a real concerted effort and did a bit of a shop in the morning and took it into work where at least I have a fridge and microwave. In my hotel there is nothing. This is what I've eaten today. I'd be really grateful for your advice and what you think.

Breakfast - Greek yoghurt with blue berries, some grapes and strawberries

Lunch - garlic and parsley prawns with Greek salad with some feta and beetroot

Dinner - some slices of chicken, a small bowl of tomato soup, a little pot of roast vegetable couscous and Beetroot.

Snacks - a hot chocolate with some marshmallows and two small shortbread biscuits. This was at a work meeting and I couldn't resist. Argh.

Snacks - I also had some pieces of watermelon and about 3 oranges.

OP posts:
Starlet40s · 16/11/2018 22:17

Millicentsnitch - if you don't mind me asking how much weight did you lose in what period of time? Also was your naturopath helpful? Im considering whether I should go to one

OP posts:
MillicentSnitch · 17/11/2018 00:14

Yeah, sure. Your food today sounds amazing. What a triumphant turnaround!
I used to be naturally very skinny then gradually went up to a size 14, which doesn't sound bad but I've got a very slight frame & not much tone so it was all fat. When I ate as instructed I went down to a size 8 (I don't have scales but from a couple of goes in friends' bathrooms I reckon about 21/2 stone lighter) and people were all 'wow' about how healthy I looked too. Bright eyes & skin, better hair, absolutely no cellulite, all that jazz. This was over about four months. I think the biggest thing was losing carbs at night & sugar in general because when I started having a bit of toast & jam last thing I put half a stone back on over a month.
Sadly I'm not that glowing now because my gallstones aren't painful any more so I'm less motivated. But I keep to the basics, and when I get a bit muffin-y, I go back 100 percent to this way of eating and everything goes right again.
I did find it helpful to see a naturopath because I liked getting simple rules & a plan to follow & feeling confident that I was getting all the right nutrition. Plus he asked me tons of questions about my wellbeing & was very encouraging. I do remember him talking about an 80/20 healthy/treat ratio too so I'm sure he would be breezy about the marshmallow-y deliciousness.

halfwitpicker · 17/11/2018 00:27

Your food from yesterday sounds great! So you CAN do it! I admit it's hard if you're on the road.

A fridge and a microwave isn't bad tbh, lots you can do.

dreaming174 · 17/11/2018 08:09

Your attempt at a healthy day is a huge improvement!

Start thinking PROTEIN and HEALTHY FATS to fill you up. And tone down the carbs- your blood sugar must be through the roof!
I calculated my macros, and signed up for myfitnesspal.com. I track everything I eat and aim for 135g protein, 60g fat, 95g carbs = 1460 calories a day. I hate having to enter junk food so it makes me less likely to eat it. But I can eat whatever as long as I stick to those numbers.
This might be too much of a leap for you, so I'd recommend researching healthier snacks e.g. a chunk of cheddar and a couple of rye breads/water biscuits. The little salads in M&S are a great snack. Nugo slim protein bars are my chocolate treat but low in carbs and sugar :)

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