Eatbetterers part 3 -gather around healthy people !

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Third thread of healthy eating, no calorie counting just good, healthy food for us and our families.

Thanks Sleep. I'll give it a try.

Dame. Could it be partly to do with the change in the weather? I've noticed a few people saying they felt unsettled/down this week when it's been more autumnal.

Sorry Dame, keep walking and eating well to give yourself the best chance of feeling better. I'm with you at the moment, got braces last week at the grand old age of 31 (having already gone through this as a preteen) and I feel awful - insides of my mouth are sore from rubbing against them, still too tender to chew so I'm drinking all my food, but mainly I just think I look and sound fucking ridiculous. Thankfully they're ceramic rather than metal so I don't look as bad as I could - never Realised I was this vain to care so much!

I love overnight oats and normal soak 1/3c oats, 1/3c almond milk, 1/3c yoghurt, frozen raspberries, grated apple, chia seeds and sunflower seeds.

Of course I can't chew at the moment (at all) so I'm soaking the oats in the milk with the chia seeds then blended with frozen coffee cubes and a banana (frozen or not depending if I've remembered) in the morning.

I'm on a diet of smoothies and soups and am fucking hungry!! Although discovered last night if I let cheese soften I can suck little bits of it!

Poor you, Americas. That sounds really tough. Try to concentrate on how lovely your teeth will be when the braces come off.
Could you try eating something like scrambled egg to feel more satisfied?

Neeko, maybe but I love seasonal changes normally and autumn is my favourite season. I went for a long walk yesterday and later I'm going blackbering is my favourite thing!

Americas,I always wonder how people cope with braves they look so uncomfortable, you pour thing

Sleep,I am taking pro biotics yes, and also lots of live yoghurt. I don't do well taking medicine generally so I'm sure it's just knocked me for six. Think I need more anti biotics too as my bite is still awful, thus is a month on!!

I soak my oats in milk overnight with a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg, then I add a dollop of Greek yoghurt and some fruit in the morning. And sometimes some seeds or a bit of almond butter. Yum!

How much milk to oats and I could use soya, right? Sounds nice!

Normally 1.5-2x milk to oats, def use soya. I eat mainly vegan and avoid dairy completely so it def works with alternative forms of dairy

I eat eggs if they are pasture raised and from the local farm, think I'm ready to try very mild forms of chewing so will go get myself some very expensive eggs to try scrambling soon.

Made up for calorie deficit with too much gin last night, bad idea!

Eek, didn't realise it was quite so long since I posted

It's been tough in the holidays, I am sad they are rushing by so fast but can't deny I'm craving the alone time a couple of times a week, and the increased opportunity to eat more meals that don't have the DCs saying "I don't like that".

That said, I did make some leek and potato soup the other week just for me, didn't bother giving DCs any as they've always refused before but DD asked to try and she loved it - had another bowl the next day too. Reminding myself that it IS worth persisting.

So, we went away for a few days and we were in a hotel so no home cooking for 4 days . I was very conscious of making sure I had enough veg as a lot of the places we ate were quite carb heavy. Despite this I still found myself feeling a bit sluggish. I think in future any trip over say 2 nights will be better if self catering.

Off to catch up with thread now

Hi fuzz

Thanks Americas, I'll try that!

Do you keep it overnight in the fridge?

Yup

Thanks

Well done with the leek and potato soup, Fuzz. I've found the holidays tough too, especially the snacking.
Thanks all for the overnight oats ideas. I'm going to try that tonight.

My sugar addiction is out of control. Back to work properly tomorrow and I'm going to limit the snacking, particularly with the last cup of tea at night. I have already planned dinners until Friday so that should help.
I really struggle at break time though. There's lots of cakes and tray bakes for sale in the staff room and if I don't take something in with me then I know I'll end up buying. Fresh fruit doesn't help me resist. Does anyone have a nutty/oats type tray bake recipe that might satisfy my sweet tooth whilst still ticking the eating better box?
I know this thread isn't about losing weight but I've definitely gained a few lbs over the past month or two that I really want to eat better and shift.

Neeko - I definitely have a snacking problem too, and find it hard to resist sweet things when they are there. I want to cut out snacking altogether really.

I know some say it's good to eat little and often and therefore snacking is ok if you choose healthy snacks, but I know that when I eat good, nutritious meals I don't need to snack. Essentially I tend to crave snacks when Iam generally eating too much sugary, starchy stuff.

I'm still finding the Eating Better quite hard because I'm used to imposing rules on myself about what I should/shouldn't be eating. In the absence of rules, I drift unthinkingly into bad habits.

I'm thinking I might try having ummm... guidelines. Maybe aim for overnight oats or eggs on wholemeal for breakfast, soup or a big salad (no bread) for lunch and a good dinner with half of it being veg. No snacks, but occasional sweet treats at the weekend. I thought that might be helpful without seeming restrictive.

Holmes are you me? That's exactly how I feel! I decided after my post earlier that I was going to set myself some ground rules too. I have planned my meals for tomorrow already:
Breakfast- overnight oats (already in fridge) soaked in Greek yoghurt with some strawberries and a milky coffee
Break time- I've packed some raw nuts and dried apricots
Lunch- I've made a big salad with tuna and packed an apple and a plum.
Dinner- veg chilli with a couple of tacos.
I'm hoping that knowing what I'm eating will limit the random snacking and that DH will finish the biscuits tonight
I'm also going to make more time for me as teaching plus parenting tends to take over my life from the moment I open my eyes til I flop into bed at night during term time and I know that's not good and makes me less effective all round. I've arranged to start an adult ballet class with a friend this week and I'm going to try to get out running 2x per week.
I went running tonight (whilst my good intentions were high) for the 4th time since the physio gave me the ok. I managed 22 mins without stopping plus warm up/down so I'm pretty pleased with myself. Bet I can hardly move in the morning.

We can do this.

Neeko! Apparently I am you. I am also a teacher and a runner! I do like the 'not being on a diet' and I do need to keep in mind all I took from the Michael Pollan book, but I'm so used to imposing food rules on myself that it's pathetically hard to do without them.It definitely seems more positive to have guidelines about what I SHOULD eat rather than what I SHOULDN'T though.

Lol Holmes. It's the control-freak teacher thing, clearly . What do you teach? I teach secondary English.

I teach Secondary MFL. Although not at the moment - I am between jobs and managing our big move from Oxfordshire to Cumbria . I may eventually will look for a job once we've moved. I taught English briefly at my most recent school on a maternity cover, though utterly unqualified to do so (long story!).

That all sounds interesting Holmes .

I have survived the first day back and eating hasn't been too bad 2 chocs from staff room

That all sounds interesting Holmes .

I have survived the first day back and eating hasn't been too bad 2 chocs from staff room

Interesting was one word for it, Neeko . Four unqualified English teachers in the dept including me, two of them TAs training on the job. Oh and no Head of English. None of which I was aware of when I accepted the job. And the school has recently been rated Outstanding. Go figure.

Oh jeez. That sounds really tough . Glad you are out of it now. Bet it was really stressful. Goodness knows the job is hard enough when it IS your subject.

How has your snacking been today? I've been better so far.

I've been better on the snacking front too. Dh is off up to Cumbria to start his new job on the 30th and we will join him when our sale goes through. Much as I'll miss him, he's not a great influence food-wise (though he is a fantastic cook) so I'm hoping to eat super-healthily during his regrettable absence. My dc will not be happy about the lack of unhealthy snacks though!

My DH is also a bad influence, but unfortunately not the excellent cook. Probably best or I'd be several sizes bigger

Mine just made a roast chicken glazed with soy, honey and sesame seeds, served with roast vegetables and fennel. Yum.