Some guidance needed please re weight loss and exercise/diet

[mandymoo]

I am 5 ft 6 and weigh 11 stone 1 lb.

I want to lose approx stone and a half.

I have tried many ways to accomplish this but am failing miserably and its already Feb!

have tried cutting out all the crap, SW and WW.

I just need a simple, easy to follow plan which will aid my weight loss.

Any advice please? You all seem to be doing so well and i cant even get started

TIA X

Sure no problem - I am working on the principals of weight watchers so you might have to re-think them a bit but this is how I survived dieting AND still being able to eat with the family:-

CHILLI

Brown 450g lean mince with one onion and some garlic (I count the mince as about 5 points)
Add 2 tine of chopped tomatos some chilli poweder and cumin to taste and a chopped pepper if you fancy (you can also add salt, pepper, stock cubes if you want but I don't as I am giving these meals to my 14 month old) These are all no points on weight watchers.
Just before the end stir in a can of sweetcorn (also no points)
You can also add kidney beans but no one in my house likes them so I leave them out - not sure how many points they would be.
Serve with rice (I normally have about 90g (uncooked weight) of rice which give the whole meal a point value of 9.5 - that is alot of rice though, you can live on much less)

CURRY

Brown of diced skinless chicken breast (about 500g) with an onion and some garlic. Chicken is about 2.5 points.
Add some corriander, 2 tin tomatos, and some curry powder. Again you can add the salt and stuff - I also sometimes like to slice an apple and add that with some raisens.
About 5 mins from the end of cooking add some Garama Masala.
As with the chilli - add some rice and you can even have a couple of popadoms with this (Avoid Nann Bread though!!!!) Everything in this recipie is no point except the chicken - the apple and raisens do have a very low point valus (about 0.5 each) if you choose to add them.

I also have another sort of curry recipie for mallagawy chicken which is really nice but I can't remember it off hand. it's along the same lines but you ove roast it for an hour and add lots of tomato puree.

SPAG BOL

Brown lean mince 450g with onion and garlic (5 points) then add some mushrooms, carrots, celery, pepper, mixed herbs, basil, 2 tin tomato and a splash of worchester sauce. ccok it all for about 20 mins - again you can add salt and stuff and i find you can mix and match the veg you put into this one. All the veg has no points, you just have to count the mince and the pasta.

I hope this helps because I lived on these for months. Before I started I used to cook microwave meals and live on junk - I was really worried about cooking spag bol from scratch and I can't believe it now - I can knock it up no porblems in under 30 mins! I have actually started to enjoy cooking and now I try and give a new recipie a go once a week. The only think I haven't mastered yet is lasagna oh and mash pot's - I just can't seem to make them smooth!

Sweetheart - thanks so much for that! Half of my problem is that i get fed up cooking 3 different meals all the time. DS is being weaned atm, dd (4) needs good home made diet free meals and then me and dh have whatever!

So, if we can all eat the same and it still be relaitvely healthy then horray!

thanks again X

are there many calories in a glass of wine bte?!

btw even

Mandy - most of the reason I eat healthier now is because I decided to cook family meals which I could wean ds on. He eats exactly what we eat and I'm lucky that dd will eat most of it too - although there are certain things she won't.

I used the Annabel Karmel book for some good ideas - the toddler scetion is great for family meals which can be used for adults and they are mostly quite low in calories. Another favorite of ours is chicken with a cream, lemon and grape sauce. We do tend to have a list of meals that we rotate each week but I am trying to introduce more.

I think that once you have learnt the basic principals of healthy eating it's important for you to prepare your own food to take control of your eating habits.

Wow - I sound a bit ike that Gillian McKeath woman - oh god!

I've never done calories I'm affraid - i think a glass is about 2.5 ww points?!?!?!?!

i wish i had your willpower and determination. It sounds silly, but with "only" a stone and a bit to lose, i struggle to get started. I dont feel happy at this weight and i have never had to watch what ive eaten before but i just dont know where to start! Thanks for all the advice and tips!!

Start by cutting out all the crap and snacks. try eating 3 meals a day, if you are hungry between meals eat ome fruit ot (my trick) drink a cup of tea. After a couple of weeks your stomach will actually shrink and you ill stop feeling so hungry. Plus you'll notice your energy levels rise.

I'm a big advocate of diet WITH excercise although it might be best to start with one first. It does take alot of willpower and in some respects I'm the same as you. I've got another 7Ibs to go and I've given up at the moment because it doesn't matter what I do I cannot shift it.

Just think of the feeling when your clothes are too big - I've trown out 2 whole wardrobes of stuff over the last year as I've slimmed down about 2-3 dress sizes. It is worth it I promise - stick with it!

I bet you I could find a thread with me saying the same things as you 1 year ago

god my typing is CRAP today!

bump for any more inspirational ideas!!

the truth about food/about slimming

I'm doing well and losing weight steadily. I've cut out alcohol during the week and just have a glass or two of red wine at the weekend.

I have a large bowl of porridge for breakfast made with water and sweatened with a handful of raisins (one of my 5 a day straight off). It keeps me filled up until lunch.
Lunch is a ham/chicken/tuna sandwich on wholemeal bread with LOADS of salad. I only use a low fat spread on one slice. because of all the salad it again fills you up. I usually have a banana to follow.
I eat a normal, healthy meal for dinner, protein/ small carbs and plenty of veg.
Snacks are fruit and if I fancy something sweet I'll have a cup of hi-light.
Instead of coffee I drink hot water with lemon (which is really quite enjoyable) and I drink at least 4 pints of water a day.

Well, that's my diet. It fills me up and works really well for me

oh, also don't skip meals always chew your food well, have dinner on a smaller plate (so it looks like more) and ALWAYS eat sitting down