Thread for those who are trying to eat "better"

[Octopus37]

Following on from yesterdays thread "Do I eat too much", which I posted on, I was unsurprising told that what I eat is crap. Have been feeling pretty crap the last few weeks, not enough energy low libido, sluggish, wound up, down - so have decided to see if changing my eating habits can shift things a bit. I'm not overweigh 5ft5, 8st6lbs, (slightly on the heavy side for me), but would be pleased if I did loose a few pounds, trying not to make weight the focus. Have decided to take a vitamin pill with iron every day, last year had v low ferratin levels so had to take iron tablets for a while. I'm not promising to do well every day and cut out sugar completely as I feel that I would be destined to fail. However, I am going to try to I improve. Today have eaten:
1 pack of Belvita biscuits
1 Actvia extra creamy yoghurt
1 large apple
1 Danone (high protein yoghurt)
3 Oatcakes
Some cashew nuts
I am planning on sweet chilli chicken & rice (ready meal cause of money diet) with some stir fried veg for tea and plan to eat some red grapes afterwards. Also may have some sort of a treat on school run. Also aim is to replace the Belvita biscuits with oatcakes for breakfast and maybe eat them with some cheese. Know I'm not doing perfectly but I am making an effort. Buddies welcome.

I told the nurse I was seeing a nutritionist (aka sleep)

Dame Appendix is on your right. It started off as a pain in the middle. Pretty sure that's what it is but it's not full blown. Yet So going to leave it. Too much to do today!

I decided to have porridge with berries for lunch. Bit off but then I can take the chicken salad with me to eat on the way. I've put some almonds and peanut buttered oat cakes in a little pot to take too. Thanks for the ideas.

• odd not off

I thought I heard that although your appendix is on your right, the pain is on your left, or something like that. Anyway do go and see someone if it gets worse! Two of my friends have had appendicitis recently.

I need snack ideas too - or more accurately lunch that I can eat really quickly. I've been taking cereal bars but I've gone off them (well, I will always love tracker bars really, but they don't make me feel very good now). Two of my shifts each week I have a 15min break around 12, and especially now I'll be doing the school run either side of my shift I really need to have lunch then as it's the only chance I'll get. But sandwiches get boring! I don't have time to heat up anything on the break.

I had my gangrenous appendix removed a few weeks ago.

Pain was central around belly button initially and I felt sick, then the pain moved, intensified and stayed in bottom right of my stomach.

Abdomen I should say, not stomach.

Fuzz-soup in a thermos?

Definitely get yourself seen if the pain gets worse x

Thank you I will see someone. Shame the GP isn't open Saturdays really. Our local hospital isn't great.

I'm feeling very good with my little pot of almonds and pimped up salad Although, yes, I find lunches in the go the hardest to get ideas for. I liked the hard boiled egg idea earlier. Those could be done the night before.

Hope you're all having a good day. Almost the weekend!

Courmin hope you are ok. Today for me:

Usual breakfast, 2 slices of seeded bread toast with sugar free peanut butter
1 Nectarine
Home made soup with mixed veg pack from Asda and also a dried mix which included lentils, pearl barley etc. Really enjoyed it.
3 Oatcakes (ones with no added sugar)
1 Dairy Milk bar
For tea having half a chilli beef enchilada ready meal for 2 (know not ideal, circumstances, trying to be quick,cheap, cheerful and healthy all at once), with some roasted veg and salad with home made dressing and a bit of avocado.
My have half a can of Strongbow shared with my friend when I take her Daughter back from her playdate. Generally drink alcohol about once a week.
Know its not perfect but hope not too bad. Actual felt quite energised this morning and less hungry than I expected to feel after my fast. Will be doing fasts next week on Monay and Wednesday.d

Marking place ! Lost nearly 3 stone and now looking to maintain eat healthy and encourage son to eat better.my favourite food is pearl barley boiled with bouillon mix salad leaves tomatoes cucumber onions chopped mint and basil add avocado olives sundries tomatoes mackerel or feta with olive oil and lemon ! Bought loads of containers for batch cooking wed.

This thread is exactly what I need! Posted in health a while back about generally feeling sluggish and tired constantly, think the major problem is no exercise and very poor diet!
Can I join?
I actually don't know where to start though to be honest.

Octopus-what changed from your OP to now wrt weight? You said you weren't over weight and weight loss wasn't your goal and yet now you seem to be stressy about it ? I'm only saying this out of concern, not having a go

Hello heavenly

Hi Parsley, well done on your weight loss, I love the sound of that salad.

Welcome Heavenly! Why don't you tell us about your daily routine and typical food and we can see is we can make a suggestion or two for initial changes .

Octopus I was sort of wondering the same thing as Dame about your weight. I have to say though, your food today looks a million times better than your OP on the thread before you started this one

Bram, I wasn't having a go about your food intolerance, just suggesting how the period of stress and your digestion problems may be linked. How are you getting on with 'slowly and mindfully'? Stick with that for now and see if it changes anything . The food diary later sounds like a good idea.

Coumarin I hope you feel better soon

Well done Sunshine! How are you feeling?

Dame I don't think you need a nutritionist, your meal choices are fantastic and have had nothing to do with me! All ok at your health check?

Fuzzpig, I love cannellini beans thrown together with some tinned tuna, tomatoes, cucumber, black olives, capers and lemon zest with mustard, lemon and olive oil dressing, chopped parsley if you have some. Also a pack of mixed healthy grains (merchant gourmet do these) with feta, tomatoes, chopped mint, spring onion and pomegranate is amazing, one pack of grains makes enough for at least 2 lunches.

Welcome parsley and heavenly!

Parsley, great job on the weight loss, wow! How old is your son? Getting my DCs (4/6) to eat better is a big motivator for me (though I have a lot more than 3st to lose myself )

Heavenly - didn't see your other thread, but I'm sure we can help you figure out where to start. Small changes is the way to go IME. Maybe you could tell us what your average diet is at the moment, and we can help that way :)

Xpost sleep, thanks for all the ideas. Soup a good idea too, especially as my friend recommended a really good flask (webtex) :)

This is quite embarrassing as I am a grown woman with the diet of a teenager (I promise dcs are fed properly, I just don't seem to!)
Today I've had:
Between getting up at 6am til dinner: approx. 5 cups of coffee (I know, I know!)
Dinner at 2pm: Ham salad baguette, coffee, ready salted crisps
Tea at 7pm: Salmon fillets, mixed salad, new potatoes, coffee

This is a typical day for me, absolutely no fruit, no water and very little vegetables, although some days I live on coffee and crisps from 6am til 8pm! (and I wonder why I feel rough!)There's endless supplies of fruit for dcs, they eat over the recommended 5 a day!

Have never been a breakfast water. Don't like cereals. I eat big amounts for my size, obviously because I'm really, really hungry by teatime! Have no dietary requirements. Could do with NOT losing any weight as I'm small anyway. I have no time/budget constraints really, just seems a bit pointless cooking for just myself sometimes.

I have no idea what a breakfast water is, eater, I meant eater!

Heavenly, you've said it yourself, you feeling sluggish etc is probably due to your diet. I'd start by trying to eat 3 meals a day. Anything you like but preferably good quality whole foods, (avoiding sugar and any processed stuff), with protein and fat included. It would be fantastic if you could get some veg in too Cereal is generally terrible stuff so don't try to develop a taste for that and don't necessarily tie yourself to 'breakfast' foods at breakfast time either. Eat what you enjoy and just get into the habit of three meals a day at regular times, to work with your body 's natural rhythm and see how you feel, I think you'll notice a difference in your energy levels in just a few days .

The trouble is I'm not too sure what good fats/bad fats, good sugar/bad sugar are. I'll definitely make myself have 3 meals on Monday (breakfast will be late as I just can't eat first thing). So, from reading this thread am I right in thinking 2 poached/boiled eggs and 2 toast (mmm maybe with tomatoes and mushrooms) for breakfast, ermm I have no idea for dinner, tuna pasta with salad vegetables? Tea will be some variation on meat, potatoes and 3 different vegetables. I seem to have lots of bread, pasta and potatoes there for one day

Great ideas heavenly.

I wouldn't worry too much about good vs bad fats as long as you avoid anything with trans fats (hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fat), and any deep fried food. Good fats are found in nuts, oily fish, eggs, avocados, there is also saturated fat in meat and dairy but to be honest it's got a reputation it doesn't deserve so don't worry about it.

There's not really any such thing as a 'good' sugar - some people choose to cut it out to the point where they don't eat fruit but my feeling is that this is a bit like throwing the baby out with the bath water so put the priority on veg rather than fruit (they shouldn't ever really have been clubbed together on the 5 a day thing) but no need to go so far as banning it. Anything with sugar in the ingredients is best avoided, as is adding sugar to food yourself, but you have to find a way that works for you, so the odd thing, like plain yoghurt with a drizzle of honey won't be disastrous - it's the dose that makes the poison, not the substance itself when it comes to food .

That does sound like quite a lot of white carbs in your day, I'd try and focus on lower GI, whole food carbs like root veg, lentils, chickpeas, beans, quinoa. White carbs are pretty much equivalent to sugar once ingested, there's a lot more for your body to gain from the alternatives I mentioned.

Having said all this, I still think eating regularly is the first step for you, regardless of what it is, it depends how full on you want to be about tackling it . Whatever changes you make need to be sustainable.

Hi, I know what you are saying about weight, have just panicked a bit cause I started putting on weight when I started out on healthy eating and for me that weight went beyond my cut off point. I know some people say its how you feel etc, but I find it impossible to be like that. Also I am quite small boned, extra weight shows quickly so I do have (although lapse quite easily) watch it a bit and I've got the big 40 coming up in January. On non fast days though I am still trying to keep the focus on healthy eating, have just eaten my usual breakfast and am intending to eat relatively healthily today, although DH in a mood with me cause he hasn't had enough sleep cause of the kids musical bed and I have just found out that my pay is loads less (ie about 200) this month which is stressing me out a bit.

Today, I've woken up feeling really sluggish and I'm sure its because I ate a naan bread with dinner last night. I feel so awful.
Really tired with a stiff neck and shoulders.

Octopus hope you get your pay sorted out. That's loads less!

Parsley well done on your weight loss! How did you go about it? I know that's not the point of this thread but I find stories like yours inspiring.

I need to go shopping this morning as I don't have much in so I'm going to buy some nice salad bits (I love the ideas on this thread) and lots of low gi foods.

Hi heavenly, what really occurs to me reading your description is that you've fallen out of love with food! Which is a shame. I think by slowly adding in lovely fresh ingredients you can turn that around.

And, just like many of us here, you have trouble giving time and energy to look after yourself. But you need to learn. You are important too!

Sleep (who has become something of an oracle on this thread :o) is spot on about eating three meals. I no longer generally eat straight away in the morning, but I've ditched my beloved cereal in favour of eggs. I usually have two boiled eggs with one slice of toasted really nice seeded wholemeal bread and proper butter (not spread). It amazed me how quickly I've grown to love it and I look forward to it every morning now! I vary it a little - your idea of mushrooms and tomatoes is great.

Here's a few changes you could make - just do maybe one or two a week and it'll be sustainable and not overwhelming (IME):

Drop one cup of coffee.

Breakfast as mentioned above (I eat mine between 9 and 10 as I'm ready by then)

Look for 'fake' foods in your kitchen and replace one when it runs out - eg spread for real butter, artificially sweetened yoghurt for whole Greek yoghurt, processed/low fat cheese for proper decent strong cheddar (probably more expensive but you won't need as much)

Get some whole unsalted nuts as a decent snack.

Put some avocado in your lunch or dinner (it's a superfood IMO :o)

Cut up some carrots/cucumber/pepper etc to have with your lunch.

Try one new recipe a week with lovely fresh whole ingredients (we can suggest stuff)

Make soup for lunch - if you have a big pot you can make enough for a few days.

Get some berries if you want to try fruit - I find a small amount very satisfying as they are strong in flavour and things like blueberries and raspberries aren't so sweet.

Ditch the lunchtime crisps or maybe just put a few on your plate and put a clip on the bag.