Healthy eating

[Alibobster]

DH and I both want to lose weight, about 14lbs. Could someone please give me some healthy meal ideas which would also suit 2 year old ds. Pre - baby days we would just have eaten low cal ready meals but that's not really an option now - I want to make something to suit everyone. Also, is pasta really a no-no if trying to shed the pounds? thanks in advance

pasta is not a no-no if you're trying to lose weight, it's a myth

try reducing portion size and use tomato based sauces instead of creamy ones

fill up with large salad dressed in just lemon juice

drink water with your meal and eat slowly

do some exercise, even if it's just walking

not rocket science i know, but if you stick to about 500 cals fewer than you'd normally have per day you will lose about a pound a week

good luck

I would have thought pasta would be good for helping shift weight - it is the sauces that go along with it that piles the pounds on.

eat only fruit/yoghurt before 12 noon, drink glass of water before you eat anything.

Do not eat any pasta,rice,potatoes after 4pm. Cut out bread completely.

obviously no cakes, biscuits.

Meal ideas...

chop up onions, peppers, courgettes, garlic, tomatoes, chuck on baking tray, drizzle tiny bit of oil over and toss. add in chicken breasts and bake in oven for 20 minutes at about 200 degrees. serve with green salad. really tasty and easy.

or...

big salad with drizzle of balsamic vinegar and tiny bit olive oil over. put on top roasted chick breast, tuna or salmon steaks or just an avocado.

eating certain things at certain times of day is nonsense, really

whys that then bundle?

pasta, despite being a carb, is relatively low GI so long as it isn't boiled to mush and therefore shouldn't be too much of a problem unless you have vast amounts of it on a daily basis. Wholemeal pasta is better than white.
Bread is more likely to be a problem, especially white or brown steam-cooked sliced loaves. Wholegrain is ok.

As Bundle says, reducing portion size and removing some of the creamy/cheesy sauces will help, but you still need to have some oil in the sauces - it's not about fat reduction, just saturated fat reduction, so make sure you still have the olive oil based sauces.

Make sure you have some protein food with every meal; reduce your starchy food intake (potatoes, white rice, white bread)

Exercise is really important, so is reducing alcohol and sugar intake, especially for shifting any "muffin-top" or beer belly fat.

Aim to lose 1-2lbs per week maximum - any more than that is unsustainable.

if you like pasta you can do things like spinach and ricotta sauce (ricotta is good as its lowish fat but tastes creamy)

fry onion in a bit of oil, add fresh or frozen spinach, lemon juice and nutmeg. When spinach is cooked add tub of ricotta and blend. my 13 month old loves it on any pasta. use a bit of parmesan instead of loads of cheddar on top.

things like fajitas or chicken wraps filled with salad and yoghurt instead of sour cream are good.

for puds, do fruit based ones and serve with yoghurt.

soup is filling, quick and tasty (if its thick like a minestrone or leek and potato your child should have no probs with it).

another tip is to have more, but smaller courses.

eg start with a tomato salad or soup. then have small bowl of pasta or grilled meat with salad. and finish with fresh or stewed fruit.

because it is mankymummy

if you put too many calories in and don't use enough (exercise) then you will put on weight

food combining/omitting food groups only works by reducing the amount you eat. it's up to you how you do that - excluding bread means there's a whole food group (and its calories) that you are avoiding

meal ideas would be things like:

steamed fish with salad or steamed vegetables, no carbs. Or have chicken breast, grilled, instead of salmon.

Fruit for puds if you must

Have yoghurt and fruit for breakfast instead of high GI cereals/toast

HAVE breakfast - it does help!

Try to eat at least 2 hours before you go to bed to allow your digestive system some chance to digest your food before you go to sleep

if you feel hungry, have a glass of water first - sometimes the body gets confused between thirst and hunger. If you still feel hungry after the glass of water, then eat something.

agree about the calories in and calories used thing but undoubtedly if you eat a large meal of potatoes or pasta late at night the body converts it to fat because you arent using enough energy.

bread does not have unique nutritional value that cannot be found in other foods.

i think maybe everyone is different and therefore different things work for different people.

sigh
mankymummy if you eat a large amount of anything late at night it will make you fat, period. cheese, steak, ice cream, lager...

as you were....

brocolli?

food doesn't have different effects on your body at different times of the day.

otherwise on the nutritional info it would have

1pm 350 cals

5pm 400 cals

11pm 500 cals

nonsense

if you want to lose weight your input must not be higher than your output.

do some exercise and eat a BALANCED diet.

in response to op:

have butternut squash roasted in low cal spray oil instead of potato sometimes;

try eating veggie mince sometimes (v low fat);

stir fries with low cal spray (add soy sauce, chinese 5 spice and garlic) sliced chicken and egg noodles;

add cooked pasta, 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, any veg, mixed herbs, garlic etc to an oven proof dish. put half a pot of ricotta cheese on top, bake at 200 for about 30 mins.

enjoy and good luck

aviatrix, just about everything has sugar in it!

what about fruit?

also, saying i am not going to eat a particular food will probably make you crave it and lead to a binge at some point.

moderation is the key.

avi means added sugar of course

what do you like to eat at the moment, ali? and what do you like cooking?

oh sorry avi, i see!

i don't even think that is necessary tbh. you have to have something you can sustain for the rest of your life, not just a temporary diet.

i would try weight watchers or something where you can eat what you want. it just educates you about some foods which may seem ok but actually should be eaten in moderation. it teaches you how to choose wisely and the recipe books have great meals plans suitable for the family.

i don't work for ww, honest.

Don't eat processed food.

Eat 3 proper meals a day + nutritious snacks

We usually have brown rice, always wholemeal bread.

Here is my list of what DS (2) and I eat.

Omelet
Frittata
Quiche
Veggie Bake
Grilled Portobellos w/ roast toms & ricotta on sourdough
Onion & Olive Pissaladiere (puff pastry)
Onion & Goat?s cheese tarts (puff)
Tomato & Tapenade Tarts
Sweet potato & chick pea curry
Baked spuds
Potato & Onion Tortilla
Spicy Roasted Veg
Veggie/ Allotment Pie
Chunky Veg Chili
Leek and Potato Gratin
Paneer, peas and potato curry
Cauli Cheese
Baked Figs with Stilton
Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed Mushrooms
Stewed Okra w/ tomatoes
Baba Ganoush
Aubergine Parmegiana
Aubergine & tomato gratin
Aubergine in cheese sauce
Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini, and Chickpea Wraps
Perciatelli with Roasted Tomatoes and Eggplant
Black Bean Burgers
Mushroom veggie Burgers
Carrot Lentil burgers
Pumpkin, Walnut & Blue Cheese Gnocchi
Spinach & Ricotta Lasagna
Roast pumpkin and mushroom lasagna
Lentil Lasagna
Tortellini
Ravioli
Pesto
Tagliatelle w/ Veg ribbons
Macaroni Cheese
Canelloni
Wholewheat spaghetti w/ fontina & Kale
Conciglie con broccoli
Risotto
Rainbow Rice
Mushroom Stroganoff
Dahl & rice
Red Beans and Rice
Chermoula Chickpea burgers
Chick Pea Burgers
Tuscan beans w/ tomatoes and sage
Aduki Bean Stew
Parsley & butterbean stew
Black-eyed peas (w. rice)
Homemade baked beans
Crunchy Lentil Loaf
Cheese & Lentil Loaf
Lentil Stew
Lentil Shepherds Pie
Spiced Lentils
Lentil Chili
Quinoa Tabbouli
Quinoa w/ avocado and mango
Jeweled Quinoa
Quinoa in coconut milk
Veg fried quinoa
Couscous with spicy chickpeas & veg
Spinach, Goats Cheese & Pepper Quesadilla
Pizza
Cheese & onion pie
Leek & onion tart
Spanakopita
Vegetable Tart
Toasties
Burritos
Quesadillas
Mexican Lasagna (blackbeans, salsa, pasta)
Mexican Lasagna with tortillas (refried beans, sourcream, spicy veg)
Fajitas

Soup
Veg Soup
Barley & Veg sop
Tomato & Lentil
Onion
Winter squash (Roast pumpkin/ Butternut & onion)
Cream of watercress & stilton
Mushroom
Spicy Carrot
Pea and bacon soup
Borscht
Carrot and sweet potato
Pumpkin & Red Pepper
Tortellini Soup (w/ escarole/ spinach)
Tomato Veg soup
Split pea and ham

Salad
Pasta w/ green beans & mushrooms
Potato
Greens w/ warm bacon & eggs
Nicoise
Beetroot & mint
Fried Halloumi & grape
Tomato, Bean & fried Basil
Watermelon & Feta
Anchovy & roasted pepper

My DP wants to lose weight, too.

I make meals based around lean protein (so mostly grilled or baked fish/chicken/veal) with lots of vegetables followed by a salad and fruit/plain yoghurt.

Often I serve a little snack before supper (tonight I have some prawns marinated in Thai spices). I try to make the meal longer and more colourful/spicier to compensate for the lack of calories.

I agree about it being sustainable
having said that I gave up eating added sugar for about a year and felt fab
It actually stops you craving the sugar highs and prevents the sugar lows that lead to binging
so OP could do worse than give it up for good
other than that I would just stick to whole grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, fruit and veg and the odd detour into a little bit of what you fancy
best diet in the world and sustainable for life

And exercise

UR can you bung us some recipes, please? maybe on 10 / 10 as I bet others would like them
I am partic interested in jewelled quinoa (!) and crunchy lentil loaf