We always eat above our BMR with MFP, We SAFTFBS and we are EMTWL.

[ShirleyKnot]

If you've poked your head around the door of this thread then please read ourOld Thread, read all the posts, all the links and the links within links and then jump in with both feet to a new, better Way Of Eating (WOE)

Roll Up, Roll Up for the all new, amazing thread for those of us who are trying to eat good, healthy, natural foods while counting our calories and eating LOADS!

We had some brilliant successes on the last thread - inches AND pounds lost and lots of people feeling happier, calmer and more focussed on their goals.

Remember that this is NOT a DIET, it is a healthy way of eating. You will NOT lose 5lbs a week - you might even GAIN weight in the first weeks!

[ShotgunNotDoingThePans]

Prawns are pretty high-protein/low cal I find. You can knock up a quick curry with spinach or make a stir-fry, or just have them on pasta with butter.
Can't have them too often, though - DH bursts a blood vessel when he realises how much it costs to feed five of us with them.

[bibbetybobbityboo]

Gah don't like prawns, not really a big seafood fan unfortunately, wish i was. I've bought some tuna steaks to try for dinner one evening, never had them before. I hate tinned tuna so much that i've never been able to bring myself to eat them although i realise they taste and more important smell very different! Nuts, peppers and onions are the other things i really hate and wish i didn't. Perhaps i could train myself to like them!

[TobyLerone]

It's only since I joined MN that I've been grateful for the non-pickiness of my children and DP. I think I took it for granted before.

Honestly, poached chicken is a revelation! It's so moist. I'm not a fan of chicken breasts because they are so often dry. But poaching them is easy and far tastier.

[addictediam]

I've found the recipe section on here is great, healthy easy to cook meals that most children will eat.

[TobyLerone]

Put them in cold liquid (I often use stock, either fresh or from a cube, but you can use wine, or plain water with or without garlic, herbs, veg etc -- whatever you want, really!), bring it to the boil, reduce it to a simmer (lid on) for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat and let them sit in the hot liquid for a further 10 - 15 minutes to finish cooking.

[knitknack]

Maryz everything I've been reading recently (and boy have I been reading recently - now reading a book about paleo eating!) about new research into cholesterol and fats etc says that there's nothing to link eating it to suffering from high levels of it - which is why eggs are no longer considered a problem. In fact the new idea seems to be that it's low-fat high-carb diets (such as we've been told to each since the 70s) that are making us fat!

I know that I've been eating mainly fat now for two weeks and have lost over 7lbs, mainly from around my middle - do some research, it really is so wrong of the goverment to still be supporting the 'low fat' approach when all the new research seems to point to that being completely wrong.

NB: I am NOT a scientist/clever however!

[ShirleyKnot]

I?ve done my meal plan for this working week. I like to work out what I?m having, but it?s not set in stone ? I do tend to swap things out if I don?t ?fancy? whatever I have planned.
Here we go for those of you who are interested or after ideas.

Tuesday
Breakfast ? Chocolate/Banana Protein Shake. Coffee. (420 cals)
Mid Morning - Mango and Almond Oatmeal (400 cals)
Lunch - Cottage Cheese and Ryvita (600 cals)
Dinner - Salmon and Pak Choi (454 cals)
Total ? 1,874..

Wednesday
Breakfast - Peanut Butter Protein Shake. Coffee. (216 cals)
Mid Morning - 2 x boiled eggs with celery salt. (140 cals). Yoghurt (120 cals)
Lunch - Roasted vegetables and chorizo with wholemeal pasta. (600 cals)
Dinner Chicken Tikka and brown rice (381 cals)
Total ? 1,757.

Thursday
Breakfast - Banana and strawberry protein shake. Coffee. (350 cals)
Mid Morning - Wholemeal bagel with cream cheese and naice ham (400 cals)
Lunch - Chicken tikka and brown rice leftovers (381 cals).
Mid Afternoon - Oatcakes, banana and peanut butter (450 cals)
Dinner - Soup (250 cals)
Total ? 1,832

Friday
Breakfast - Blueberry Protein shake. Coffee. (350 cals)
Mid Morning - 2 x egg omelette with spinach. (300 cals)
Lunch - Baked Potato with tuna and cottage cheese (649 cals)
Dinner - Pork Steak with sage butter, celeriac mash and green beans (500 cals)
Total ? 1,799.

I?m on 2,000 cals per day and I have planned out to reach 1,800. This leaves me a couple of hundred for snacks and swaps (not including any exercise calories I have to eat back)
Thursday is a bit weird because I have YET ANOTHER dental appointment so will be just having some soup in the evening.

[TobyLerone]

Nice plan, Shirl. All sounds very healthy :o

I am very impressed by the smoothie this morning, btw. I'm only just getting hungry now, and I had it at 8am.

[ShirleyKnot]

Hmm. I think I've cocked up some of my copying over from my spreadsheet planner...

never mind you get the idea!

What smoothie did you have Tobes? I think the nutmilk keeps you fuller for longer!

[TobyLerone]

It was strawberries (5), half a banana (I ate the other half while I was waiting!), some hazelnut milk, a big tbsp of Greek yogurt, some flaxseeds, a squidge of honey and a tiny bit of vanilla bean paste. It was right delish. I'd already made fridge porridge, so I'm going to have that for lunch in a minute instead.

I'm really impressed with how it's stopped me from feeling hungry. Or maybe I've just been less bored this morning at work...

[ShotgunNotDoingThePans]

I've got some fridge porridge for lunch today just made it with frozen forest fruits. It's sitting on the Aga to defrost. I added some roast chopped hazelnuts as well as the yoghurt, and will be toasting almond flakes to add. Those things smell just like cake when you toast them .

I'm with KnitKnack on the cholesterol front - again I can only say 'I read somewhere,' but I really have read in so many different sources that cholesterol remains a mystery; like gallstones, there are people with quite high readings who are perfectly healthy, and it's not necessarily the foods we understand as being 'high' level that are causing the problems where they do exist.

I keep meaning to look into the Paleo thing; I've come across the odd forum where they really take it as far as they possibly can - to the extent of wearing bizarre shoes with individual toes . But it does make sense to me that eating (within reason) what the earth provides must be better than stuff which has been basically formed from a chemical reaction in a factory.

[TooImmatureTurtleDoves]

Hi people, love the new thread title! I too have been off-plan all weekend as I was away visiting people and therefore eating what I was given, like sausage casserole with cream in, a fry up, potato salad, cake, key lime pie, cupcakes etc. (Mmm) I weighed myself this morning and haven't gained any weight, hurray! And I have a freezer full of home-grown free-range chicken (Dad is a chicken farmer) ready to start off properly. Today's dinner is going to feature chicken legs that wouldn't fit in the freezer.

I read that about high cholesterol foods too, Shotgun and KnitKnack. I'm going to read more about paleo diets, but I don't think I could cut out carbs completely! Like Maryz if I don't eat white carbs I struggle to hit my target, but as mine is 2500 to allow for bf. I keep eating lots of bread, but at least it's wholemeal.

[TobyLerone]

I added pecans in my fridge porridge, too.

There is a thread in Chat at the moment discussing weight loss/dieting. I am totally judging everyone who is saying "ooooh I'm eating 1200 cals a day because I need to lose weight", while feeling smug about them moaning about being hungry amazed at how quickly I've come around to this WOE. Previously, I'd have been in the 1200 calories camp and been miserable and horrible to everyone. Now, when I see people talking about that I want to grab them and tell them it doesn't have to be like that!

[CJCregg]

OK, I'm going to sound really thick here, but could someone please explain what fridge porridge is?

I have oats, I have yoghurt, I have fruit - is the idea that you just bung them all together in the fridge for a bit? Does it get heated up?

So far today I have eaten mainly nuts and fruit. I feel like a big squirrel

Can't say I feel any thinner or lighter, but I don't feel bigger/heavier, so I guess that's the main thing. Still off the sugar

[TobyLerone]

Like this, CJ.

The one I'm having at the moment is made with 1/4 cup each of oats, hazelnut milk and yogurt, 1tsp flaxseeds, about 8 pecan halves (broken into pieces), 1tbsp maple syrup and 10 fresh raspberries. It's bloody delicious.

[knitknack]

Ooooh look:

why sugar is making us fat

In the Guardian. Do stop me if I'm getting boring! :)

[alittlebitshy]

shirl I just bought some hazelnut milk. if i wanted it in my porridge - is it ok to heat it up or will it do funny things?!

[CJCregg]

Thanks for those recipes - I'm going to make me some fridge porridge tonight

I am still overdoing the dried apricots. They're so yummy

[ShirleyKnot]

I'm not sure shy - I've not tried it hot - well, other than in coffee. It doesn't go peculiar in that, so I would imagine it would be fine!

CJ - We are about 50/50 split on the fridge porridge. I am on the normal side and LOVE IT. . I had the mango and almond one this morning, I went a bit heavy on the almond essence though, it tasted a bit like amaretto. FOR BREAKFAST! How decadent.

[CJCregg]

I am going to chuck some apricots (natch), yoghurt, almonds, oats and milk into a jar. That is pretty much the contents of my fridge, WTF is going on?

I am finding this WOE delicious but quite pricey. Found myself buying nuts and goji berries this morning, and it seriously bumped up my bill. I know, it's good for me, but the problem is, when I'm broke I tend to fall back on toast and marmite. Or pasta. Can't do that so much, these days. Even if it is 'Ma'aamite'.

I haven't written in my MFP diary for days. Need to get some discipline back. This is why I am wittering endlessly on this thread

[alittlebitshy]

Out of interest what are you lot all making your fridge porridge in? That is the one thing that is confusing me - what do i put it in?!

[CJCregg]

An old jamjar, I'm thinking. Though I've probably thrown them all out. Nutella jars are good because they have those rubber lids. Though, of course, I never have Nutella in the house. [theveryidea]