Tell me what to do

[latrucha]

I feel completely lost as to what I should eat. I know that sounds daft, but it's true. I thought if I wrote down what I do eat, some kind person might tell me where I am going wrong.

I'm not gaining weight, I'm just not losing it, and I have 7kilos I'd like to lose.

I walk a lot, I do level three of the 30 shred three times a week, I have two small DCs.

For breakfast I have tea and a piece of toast with butter (don't tell me to use a spread, I find them totally spooky). If DCs are up really early I have a small bowl of porridge with them too.

I try and make lunch my main meal and have something starchy, usually pasta or a sandwich.

I make up a big plateful of snackfood for all three of us at 3, of cheese crakcers, carrot sticks, banana, apple, orange and any other fruit we have and we all pick and choose.

I usually try and eat with the DCs at 5. It's usually something starchy and something proteiny, like egg on toast. If I'm not hungry or don't want what they're having I'll have something similar later on. I try and keep the portion small. For example, I would have one piece of toast and two eggs if having eggs on toast.

If I have a main meal at an adulty time, I try and make it mainly vegetable based and only have a couple of tablespoons of rice or whatever with it.

My major downfall is probably bread or crackers and cheese. I eat it too often and if I have a snack it's probably that.

I have a glass of milk before bed.

If you have any suggestions, thankyou very much! I'm getting a bit down about this last lot of weight not shifting. (I've lost about 12 kilos in the last year and a half).

That sounds a very healthy rounded diet to me. Are you sure you've not just reached your natural healthy weight and don't need to lose any more? If I were you I'd up the exercise rather than change your diet if you do feel you need to lose more. I know that cutting out carbs helps but personally I don't think it's healthy to cut out entire food groups.

Admittedly I'm not a fan of dieting, more a eat everything in moderation and exercise fan. Maybe someone with more dieting experience will come along with different advice.

I would cut right down on the bread . I really think that would help . I remember reading some thing about eating bread and cheese being fattening. I can't remember the science behind it. I don't think you need bread twice a day.

Well done on losing 12 kilos.

I would switch to wholewheat bread/pasta and rice, semi skimmed or skimmed milk. Unfortunately, that is about the extent of my expertise (I'm not a professional in the field, this is what I have learnt from plans such as Slimming World etc.). What do you drink during the day? I would stick to water or sugar free squash. And remember that things like condiments and premade pasta sauces etc. can contain a lot of fats and sugar. HTH.

oo lovely - answers! I'll read them properly after dc's in bed and post back.

Awimba no unfortunately I am definitely overweight.

Fluffy - I'm sure you're right, I'm just not sure what else.

Perish - I do eat whoemeal bread. I guess I drink mostly tea.

NotJust - I alsways seem to burn brown rice. It just tales too damn long to cook. Maybe I'll try again. I'll try all your other suggestions too.

You are eating far far too much carbs (esp wheat based) and probably not enough protein.

I lost 4 stone (started in October last year) and I have so far kept it off (reached my target weight in June). This is a typical day for me (note this is my maintenance diet, not weight loss diet).

Breakfast: 2 eggs omelette and approx 100g yoghurt with 10g oatbran.
Mid morning: apple
Lunch: Tuna salad, whole tin tuna plus loads of salad and dressing from low fat fromage frais.
Mid afternoon: Pear
6pm snack after work handful nuts or 2 ryvita with cottage cheese.
Dinner (main meal): Protein with loads of veggies and small amount (ie 1/4 portion) of wholegrain carbs eg quinoa, brown rice or cous cous if in a rush. Also usually a treat - eg 100 cal ice lolly, some 85% choc.

I rarely eat bread or pasta or very starchy fruit like bananas. All yoghurts are fat free and with no added sugar (generally natural). Also I go to gym 3x a week. I drink gallons of water and herbal tea.

Have you tried tracking calories on myfitnesspal? Its a real eye opener.

I'm sure you're right. I need to find a way of eating more like this that fits in with cooking for two small DCs and a tight budget.

Any ideas where I could find higher protein recipes? I know there are probably loads of books, aren't there?

re: budget - I only buy generic fat free yoghurt, ideally in 1kg pot. Tesco value cottage cheese, tinned sardines (cheap) and tuna when on offer. Frozen white fish relatively cheap, esp if you can buy on offer. Use beans instead of carbs as they provided both protein and carbs to a meal.

Turkey also quite cheap... as are value eggs.

But tomato soup with beans is not a low carb meal, as tomatoes and beans both quite high in carbs, but yes better than bread and I do eat a lot of chopped tomatoes, often added to chicken and veggies.

Dukan a bit extreme and I don't think protein only days particularly healthy.

DD wouldn't eat minestrone but she does eat stars cooked in chicken broth. DS might. I'll give it go.I love minestrone.

They eat other kind of soup under duress

Thanks.

Forever thankyou for details of your maintenance diet. I have just got to my goal weight ( which was also a four stone loss) and am in need of some tops moving forward.
Latrucha when I was on my diet I snacked on ham rather than carb based foods. It really seemed to fill me up.

classic - I had to take drastic action when I was 3 stone overweight when Ds2 was 6 months old. Soup is great on a diet though as very filling but relatively low in calories.

latrucha - my kids love tomato soup, they eat with toast for dinner (they have proper meal at school at lunchtime). They'll eat 2 bowls each. I add sweet potato which makes it lovely and sweet.

fluffy123 re: maintenance I have also lost 4 stone and its seems to be staying off but I am eating much more low carb than I used to. Breakfast is either eggs and some yoghurt or yoghurt with small serving muesli. Lunch is either bean soup or salad with fish (generally tinned fish). 2 pieces of fruit, handful of nuts if I'm hungry between meals. Protein and veggies for dinner. I am less careful at the weekend but find anyway that if I overeat at weekends I end up feeling bloated!

Ok still ate bread twice today but it's all beginning to sink in and I'm making some changes.

Has a poached egg for breakfast and more chicken than rice for dinner.

DD loves Heinz tomato soup. I guess that's not what you mean forever

Ham is good too. I can do ham.

Are lentils and pulses low GI?

No, my DC have never eaten soup from a tin or package. I'm wary of the salt... Heinz soup isn't that bad but like other bought soup quite high in salt. I have always made tomato soup as my way of getting them to eat hidden vegetables. I might be wrong but presumably cheaper to make. I liquidise with stick blender and often freeze some for another day.

Ham good, lentils and beans good too, but they are quite high in carbs so if you have them don't have other carbs like rice as well.

It's dd's favourite ever ever ever. She had it once at afriend's house and ever since she loves it. I always feel bad about it but I make all our bread (now do you see why I eat so much) and we don't have salt in that so I bargain that it evens up.

I fyou have a good recipe I'd like to try it. Not the time of year for tomatoes though I guess.

Just use tinned chopped tomatoes, some carrots, parsnips, onions and sweet potato. Saute for ages, and then add water and simmer for a bit longer and liquidise with stick blender and add carton passata.

re: bread, I buy and put straight in freezer, DC have toast for breakfast, I never eat it though.

Thanks!

I can't eat any cheese at all when trying to lose weight and I have found cutting down on carbs really accelerates weight loss. Try to make your snacks vegetable or low fat protein based ones. If you have to have cheese make it a small amount of reduced fat cheese.