NHS weight loss plan and cutting down on refined foods

[Studentnursesos12e]

From Monday (but transitioning over the weekend) I am starting the NHS weight loss plan. I am around 12.5 stone, 5’3 and only 21. I’d like to be lighter.

I am also an NHS worker.

I really struggle with emotional eating and have periods for 20-25 days of the month (due to a condition). I also have chronic nausea and chronic fatigue.

My plan is lots of fresh fruit and veg, meal prepping healthy meals for work, drinking lots of ice cold water. Lots of stir fry’s, chillis , fajitas etc.

I struggle with breakfast but will have some fruit at first shift break. Lunch will be pasta based or rice based as I need the energy. Tea stir fry, fajitas etc. Fruit and veg and maybe some nakd type bars to snack on.

I drink a lot of coffee but this is necessary.

Creating this for accountability

Good for you taking control. You have a demanding job and do need the energy but skipping breakfast isn’t good. I was wondering how you would work after lunch with a carb heavy pasta/rice. I have chronic fatigue syndrome and anything carb heavy makes me crash so might be something to consider.

www.mydomaine.com/which-is-healthier-bread-or-pasta

However it’s good you want to get healthier. I would advise logging onto My Fitness Pal. The realisation of how many calories are actually in things is revolutionary. Stir fry’s are good and healthy but, if you slip and have a cake, it’s important to not throw the towel in think ‘stuff it’, just have a few less calories the next day to balance it all out.

Work out your tdee, that’s the amount of calories to stay the weight you are. To lose reduce the tdee amount by 20%
tdeecalculator.net

Fresh fruit is great but a banana can be 100 cals, an Aldi ‘nice’ biscuit only 39 so it is still possible to eat too many calories when eating ‘healthy’

Could you manage a small amount of Greek yogurt & some seeds for breakfast, then a banana for snack along with a couple of these
www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2-ingredient-healthy-banana-bread-breakfast-cookies-with-delicious-add-ins/
I add a 25g bar of dark chocolate smashed up. I do carefully measure the teaspoons out, 2 cookies =90 cals
Have a small sandwich (bread is calorific, small wholemeal roll 159 cals rather that 200 odd cals for 2 slices of bread) and small crisps for lunch then a homemade spaghetti Bol (low fat mince, made with tinned toms & herbs not a jar sauce) wholewheat spaghetti measured out for dinner followed by a single finger of twirl?
Depending on your portion sizes/cals logged there is room for a couple of treats.

By the way a nked bar is 100 cals-they are nice enough-a twirl single finger from a multipack is 114 cals

Sorry to be a calorie bore but when ME hit I found myself 2 stone heavier & I started MFP in Jan 2019 to start losing weight. I’m 2 stone down

@Imboredinthehouse

Thanks so much for all these tips. I should have added I have a dairy allergy, so can’t have milk / yoghurt unfortunately.

I will be calorie counting from Monday as without it I’d be thinking something from 100 cals and it’s actually 450 cals.

Thanks again and well done on your 2st loss xx