To ask you to create a healthy menu for me?

[MongoAkimboAGoGo]

I’m 40. I look absolutely haggered. My hair is a massive frizzy mess, a photo was taken of me yesterday as I’d been caught in drizzle my hair was like a ginger Afro, I looked homeless.
I’m overweight now for the first time in my life, almost 12 stone. My skin is dry, dull looking, pale and tired. I’m tired. I look about 60.

My diet now consists of pot noodles, chocolate, crisps, takeaways and alcohol as well as endless coffee.

I was raised on fish fingers and chips.

I need to do something. I barely leave the house now as I’m so ashamed of how I look.

Anyone else been like this and turned it around? How long did it take to see improvements?

AIbU to ask for people to post examples of a healthy day’s menu? As I honestly have no idea. People say eat museli for breakfast but others say it’s loaded with calories and bad for you. Slimming world say eat pasta, others say it’s fattening. Wtf

I think a successful diet starts with being a bit kinder to your yourself for a start!

Me and DH felt a bit in a rut with quick and easy meals coffee or wine everyday and we did the Joe Cross juice reboot thing.

I’m not one for faddy diets but this really spoke to me be cause it was all about just hitting the reset button really.

It was hellish for the first few days, but worked in that we felt better and lost weight. I dunno if we look better mind you 😅

Not sure I could do a juice diet, I don’t like fruit 😂

Firstly start by getting some multivitamins in. And moisturise.

Bbc food has some nice under 30 min recipes so go for it. If you have money spare, you can try something like gousto to explore new stuff and keep recipes.

Don't do anything too complicated really. Just take care of yourself and the rest will follow

I found weight watchers quite helpful with this to get back into good habits.
A typical day for me is:
Porridge with banana for breakfast
Tuna jacket potato for lunch with some salad
Chicken/salmon and brown pasta with pesto and veg or chicken in a run to give it flavour with sweet potato wedges or rice
Within that some kind of 100 calorie treat

Would start off with simple food. Fewer ingredients, fewer processes, just simple food.

Porridge for breakfast, or a simple cereal like Weetabix. Add fruit, seeds or yoghurt for tasty added goodness.

Lunch, a sandwich or a wrap ... egg, chicken, cheese... with salad or roasted vegetables. (No crisps, cereal bars or biscuits)

Dinner... again start simple, a salmon/chicken fillet with salt/pepper/lemon juice/paprika, green beans/brocolli, boiled/steamed/roasted new potatoes or rice.

Few actual ingredients lots of vitamins and minerals, plenty of taste.

I'm not going to be unkind , just realistic . Your way of eating is not because you were brought up on fishfingers and chips , it's down to lazy eating.
If you have a kitchen and can read then buy yourself some cookery books ( lots of them are about simple , healthy eating ) go shopping for basics, and then spend some time giving cooking a go .

Cut out the takeaways. Cut down on the alcohol and coffee. Eat more plants. Aim for 5 portions of fruit and veg a day as your starting point. Drink more water. Carbs are not your enemy but try to choose wholemeal/wholegrain rather than white. Potatoes and beans are good. Cut down on fat, sugar and animal products.

A good day for me would be:

Oats, oat milk, berries and walnuts for breakfast
Jacket potato with hummus and a big salad for lunch
Vegetable chilli with rice for tea.

I am also over weight, much more than you but find most of my meals are actually pretty healthy, its unhealthy snacking (biscuits, crisps, chocolate, cake) and allowing things like to much white bread oe takeaways to slip in that stops me loosing weight. I am trying to cut these out and increase my greens and drink more water.

You got this.

Half your plate should be veg/salad then a quarter of your plate should be carbs and a quarter your protein. Look on the back of packs to see what the portion size should be (DP and I have just discovered our portions are too big, I was making double the recommended portion size of chips per person, for example).

Things we eat - seeded/wholemeal bread, baked photo with tuna/cottage cheese/baked beans. Pasty/Quiche/pizza with salad and steamed new potatoes with the skin on. Sweet potato fries instead of chips. Try to avoid frying anything, grill, steam or oven bake instead. Try to eat your five a day but remember fruit can be high in sugar whereas veg not so much. Oily fish twice a week is also recommended. Homemade soup is easy to make and nutritious.

First I'd scrap the focus on losing weight. You are 12 stone not 20 so if you simply change what you eat, the rest will follow.

Start with breakfast. Simple things like buy decent wholemeal bread. Add spread and a topping that you like. Maybe a piece of fruit too. Or in winter I have porridge with sultanas. It will keep you full for longer.

For lunch, I stick to one third protein, one third veg, one third carbs. Easy stuff, decent sausages, cherry tomatoes & a jacket potato if you have a microwave. Easy & quick.
The same for supper, servings that evenly split the food groups.

This week we have lamb burgers, grilled peppers and couscous, which took 10 mins. Or smoked haddock baked in paper, green beans and oven chips. 10 minutes. Keep it simple until you have a few meals you like.
Moving away from alcohol is much easier if you have an alternative you like, so try different fruit teas and cordials.

There’s no easy fix. It’s going to take a while but small steps will help you get there.
Cut down to start with, cut down the amount of wine and coffee you drink and substitute it with a glass of water.
Is it just you at home or do you have others living with you to consider?
Make a large pasta salad - lots of lovely ingredients you like and you can get recipes online. Portion it up and you have lunch for a few days.
Cook a whole chicken and again portion it up and make chicken and rice with veg, chicken with salad and new potatoes, chicken curry, chicken and jacket potato.
Look online for inspiration. There are loads and loads of recipes, you don’t need to transform your diet overnight, little steps will make a difference and you will start feeling better in yourself.
Also go for a walk- I find a walk In the evening a lovely thing to do for my mental health and it’s the only exercise I do too!

Definitely agree with skyeheather on home made soup. Make it chunky, add in chicken or bacon, chilli if you like it spicy and some wholemeal bread. Endless possibilities and so easy to make

I’d suggest not doing it unsupported and not going for fads. I’d focus on boosting the nutritional content of what you eat and ditching the junk. Weight loss may likely follow, but unless your under 5’2”, 12 stone isn’t shocking.
If you focus entirely on weight loss you may end up yo-yoing and feeling a failure.

Ditch the junk from your cupboards. Do you like porridge? Good filling stuff that keeps you full a long while. Lowers cholesterol as well. Don’t use sugar, used skimmed milk and add a banana.
Or if that’s too much effort just some fruit and Greek yoghurt with a bit of granola.

Plan ahead so you have sufficient vegetables/salad and good main meals without too much work. Roast chicken portions with salad, salmon baked with spices, baked potatoes.

Cut out snacks altogether.

Drink lots. Water is easiest and cheapest, but tea brings additional benefits.

Walk more. Swim. Laugh. Get a decent haircut. Give non-food treats such as having your nails done (if that’s your thing). Buy good underwear to maximise the bits that should be maximised and so you are comfortable.
Use nice toiletries- not ridiculously expensive ones but ones that make you smell and feel nice.
Smile and laugh a lot.

What are your budgets like?

So I'd personally get a nutritionist, they can take a reply deep look at what will help you personally work with your lifestyle and support you.

Second buddy option I'd get some mindful chef or gousto delivery's and start to introduce some fresh meals maybe 3 days a week.

Trying to do this all in one go would be hard, so tiny changes.

Week 1-4 start looking at breakfasts you enjoy, smoothies, porridge, eggs etc and get about 5-6 you like.

Then start with lunches and try different things.

if you are not an adventurous cook and don't quite know what you like give a recipe box a go. (gusto, hello fresh or similar)

as a general rule, imagine a toddler plate. the big compartment is for veg or salad, one of the small ones for the starchy component (potato, pasta, rice) the other small one for the protein & sauce (meat, egg, cheese, tofu).

Please don't wait until you look better to leave the house. Just get out there and start doing stuff, your mood will improve and the rest will follow. Don't put off doing things because of the way you think you look.

Diet wise just start small - make sure you have some fruit like an apple every day or treat yourself to some nice strawberries. Little steps.

Be kind to yourself.

I would focus on trying one new meal a week. If you’re short on time/energy, those packs of ready chopped stir fry veg are really good. With a nest of rice noodles, you can have a healthy dinner in ten minutes.

What do you enjoy eating?

I find soup for lunch is a good option because you can make a big batch once a week and freeze in portions. Over a few weeks you’ve got a variety of different options in the freezer.

I also find batch cooking really helps. I’ve usually got a variety of veggie curries, chillies, tagine, bolognese sauce etc in the freezer so all I need to do is cook fresh pasta/rice/cous cous to go with it. It’s great to aim to cook from scratch more but you’ve got to be realistic or you’re just setting yourself up to fail.

I find a regular sweaty exercise class does wonders for my skin.

Should have posted a typical menu. I am veggie and I like vegetables.
Breakfast is seeded bread toast every day. On top, either houmous, vegan almond cheese spread (Nush-it’s lovely) or marmite and butter
Lunch is usually soup and a piece of toast or added nuts/chick peas/tofu etc to make it more filling. I often have leftovers (smaller portions sometimes with no carb accompaniment).
Dinners are varied because I like cooking. This week there’s been: veggie sausage pasta, tofu veg stir fry with rice noodles, sweet potato and chick pea curry with brown rice, jacket potato with beans and cheese, quorn fish fingers with oven chips and beans, roast cauliflower enchiladas with guacamole and salad.

Keep it simple.

I'd do this for the first week

1. Replace most of your booze/fizzy drinks with water.

1. Aim for a small little walk each day. Even 15 mins around the block.

This is a great start, will make you feel better, which is the aim after all.

Week 2 - in addition to your new healthier routine. I'd suggest adding some veg to your meals/hair mask. Little, sustainable habits are much more achievable in the long run. Week three - contine adding small. Just do it as they say 🙂

Don't buy anything in packet.

My friend told me this a few years ago. It's life changing.
It makes you only buy fresh fruit and veg. And protein from the meat/fish counter.

No crap, fewer carbs. ,

Perhaps try the Gousto or Hello Fresh meal box - you can choose meals you wouldn’t normally eat but are well balanced with everything provided. No need to buy extras to snack on.

Don't buy anything in packet.

What exactly do you mean by a packet?

I just don’t think that’s realistic for most people.

Healthy diet is about the balance overall. Eating much less packet type stuff is definitely good but there’s nothing wrong with using convenience foods occasionally if they’re not the bulk of your diet.

Look at some fairly healthy recipes on BBC good food.

How are your cooking skills? Would you feel confident making a tomato based sauce for example? If not, upskilling in the kitchen is an important first step, the more confident you are the easier cooking will be, quicker too.

@maddy68

Don't buy anything in packet.

My friend told me this a few years ago. It's life changing.
It makes you only buy fresh fruit and veg. And protein from the meat/fish counter.

No crap, fewer carbs. ,

So no peas, beans, tomatoes, radishes, salad leaves, oranges, strawberries etc, I can see why its life changinf

I have thick frizzy hair and rain is not our friend and frankly, nor are photos!

Regarding eating, why don't you start simple by buying a large bag of pre washed salad a couple of times a week. Serve yourself a bowl each lunch and dinner. You can try out a few salad dressings to find one you like.

You could then maybe move on to get one of those veg boxes delivered once a week - they usually have recipes on their website. You're more likely to eat veg if they're there in a box winking at you.

Eating salad/veg two meals a day will quickly improve your skin.

You can also get lots of veg in freezer packs ready to boil - peas and broccoli are good.