Healthy eating while less mobile than normal

[Partialretiredpensioner]

I have badly broken ankle and am coping alone with an ankle scooter. I need to do everything quite slowly and carefully so as to not weight bear on my leg. I have finally discovered Tesco deliveries and they bring everything in for me. It has been a god send so I do 1 Tesco shop a week.

I have standardised on Greek yogurt with maple syrup and pumpkin seeds for breakfast. I skip lunch. Then I make a big pile of cut veg enough to do me about 3 days - red onion, courgette, aubergine, peppers, mushrooms with garlic and chilli and olive oil. I roast that in air fryer each night with e.g. marinated chicken, pork or lamb.

That is basically all I have had consistently for the past 6 weeks with another 4 weeks before my next review.

Does this sound healthy? Are there other easy healthy meals I could do?

I need everything to be very easy as I haven’t a lot of real life help.

Tins of sardines etc. Those packets of quinoa/beans/chickpeas etc. Packets of nuts (you say you live alone but obviously you'll know if any visiting mates are allergic).
It is horrible when you're normally active to be doing nothing. Actually feel quite ill. Get fresh air and lots of friends visiting helps.

Don’t fancy sardines. Or any of those. Definitely wouldn’t cheer me up!

To me eating the same thing for 6 and then potentially 10 weeks sounds deeply unhealthy. Mentally and dietary. Variety is important.

Maybe look into chair workouts if that will allow you to eat something a bit more interesting. Theres a lot of YouTube aimed at people with mobility issues.

I’m going to buck the trend in what other people are saying and say that sounds pretty balanced and healthy to me, if you’re happy with it and not getting too bored - and also not too hungry. IF it’s weight gain you’re worried about (and I caveat that with a big if, as fully appreciate that that is not the same thing as being healthy, so apologies if this isn’t remotely your concern) with the being less active than normal, I do understand where you’re coming from, I felt the same when I had a similar period following knee surgery. I actually lost weight as, being so inactive, I was much less hungry than normal. I also think if you’re wanting something different and also maybe super low effort, interspersed with some low effort lightish but somewhat pre prepared meals like soup and nice bread, granola, things like hummus and picnic style food won’t do any particular harm for that relatively short period.

good luck with your recovery! Make sure you do as much physio as possible.

It doesn't sound too bad, but what about legumes, seeds, salad? If not from scratch, get some shaker flavourings you shake up in a bag then airfry to add variety. Do you eat fish? Do you change the veg you eat weekly? Don't forget that frozen veg can be fresher and have more vitamins than fresh.

I don't personally eat frozen, ready type meals, but in your case, surely the odd one would break up your week till you've recovered enough to cook again? Lasagne, cottage pie, pastas, roasts etc.

sounds similar to what I eat but I swap veg around, and not keen on lamb.

I also enjoy salmon fillets, marinaded in teriyaki sauce with a big pile of green veg - broccoli, fine beans, asparagus, etc.

Or cod loin baked with a cheese sauce and some panko crumbs on top, with a big pile of veg. The Tesco finest frozen cod loins are nice.

or do your chicken with a salad instead of veg, I sometimes do this and build it into a wrap.

i use Tesco delivery saver so i can get 2 deliveries a week, fresh bread/veg/fruit and don’t need to meal plan as far ahead.

Thanks there's some great ideas here. I do swap the veg those were just typical examples of my favourite ones. And I have marinated sea bass and salmon as well as meat for protein. I must admit I don't want to put on my h weight due to the inactivity as I have a big event late September that I'll need to dress up for. But the inactivity also reduces appetite. I will try the chair yoga that Is great idea I've got 2 weights I can use. xx

If anyone has any recommended exercise routines online for my situation I would be very grateful as well.

I quite like bag of salad leaves, can of tuna, some cheese and crisp breads as a quick meal.

wishing you a speedy recovery

I'm disabled & dieting, because I'm usually not up in a morning I just have a main meal around 3pm, I'm mainly doing the carnivore diet but do add in a portion of carbs. I never feel hungry & I'm losing around 2lbs a week, I've lost 5 stone 5lb up to now, another 3 stone to go. Today I had 4 lamb loin chops, boiled baby potatoes & peas, yesterday I had trout fillets cooked in the air fryer, tomorrow I've a large Ribeye steak with grilled tomatoes, mushrooms & onions. I occasionally throw in a fasting day or a day off just having things like strawberries, my cheat days are jacket potatoes with coleslaw.

I think that sounds really delicious and doable. When you can’t move much one meal a day makes sense as appetite is low. I don’t find I get very hungry but a high protein meal feels good and very satisfying. I find the Greek yogurt in the morning is something to look forward to as well though. I’m finding the immobility challenging. I am glad you’ve found the thing that works for you 😘

I’d add in some fibre to your breakfast like chia seeds and raspberries to keep everything moving as it should.

yes it doesn’t sound healthy

I do add chia seeds and pumpkin seeds to the Greek yogurt. There’s a few other ingredients I didn’t mention. I add balsamic vinegar, lime or lemon juice to the roasted veg and melt grated cheese on top.
Main thing I have found is avoid codeine. 1 small tablet and everything seizes solid!!

I have also amended my weekly Tesco order based on this thread. Much more variety of veg and more salads.

If your local Tesco does the "Unbeleafable" bags of mixed baby salad leaves they are worth a try.

I love them, I eat a full bag to myself in a meal and I am not a huge salad fan. They usually also last a bit longer in the fridge than other salad leaves.

No they don’t seem to have them but I’ve added in a bag of the naked mixed leaves. Also signed up for off peak delivery saver - thanks to PP for that suggestion! This has been useful thread for me :-)

Remember, when your body is repairing a bone, it is not the time for dieting. Keep your protein and calcium up for your age and weight.

I’m disabled.

ideas for meals:

hummys and chopped raw veg (I use carrots and peppers)
bang bang cauliflower (roasted cauliflower with spices)
omelette with mushrooms or veg of your choice
hot dogs with salad
poached egg on mashed avocado either on toast or in salad.

if you get some exercise bands you can pretty much do a full exercise routine.

bicep curl

seated press up

I’m not really trying to lose weight. Just trying to stay healthy in difficult circumstances and eat nice easy healthy meals.

@Octavia64 thanks for those YouTube exercises I will definitely give those a go.