https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/weight_loss_chat/3946098-Frugaleers-talk-food-fitness-weight-loss-2020-part-4

[Not2bObvious]

Just in case we run out of space

Are they the half size thick slices? If so they're yummy.

I bought salmon pate for on crackers some day this week too for a change.

Yesterdays dinner was blue dragon chicken in holy basil sauce. Absolutely lush. Tesco are doing a lean meat range, the chicken strips had 400g chicken, normally I'd divide that out into three portions and fill up with veg but the pack said it contain two portions for 198 cals so I did that instead, substantial dinner was so much better than making it into thirds. Had onion, carrot and petit pois with it and micro rice & a mini naan making it 631 cals, could have done without the mini naan and had it for 500cals and been full plus naan is better with curry than stirfry.

I'd a multipack of hunky dorys also. And reached 10k steps. Scales still stuck, maybe I'll adjust my boots order to include fybogel!

I feel the same about 15k steps it's a chore. And takes focus away from other things like enough sleep or downtime.

Good morning,

I've been in work about 20 mins and already started on my yogurt that was supposed to be for lunch I've got an M&S ready meal too, one of the count on us ones which is 308 cals it was a yellow sticker special.

Did my roots last night and think I may have gone a little too dark, never mind - it's better than grey I suppose.

Work is quiet, and this can lead to two things -eating and spending, both are not good.

Scales down .5 this morning, I am using Happy Scale App but to be honest I can't quite work it out.

Keep plugging in the weigh ins camden, it'll become more obvious as the weeks go on. It needs data points to do predictions, so once you get a couple of weeks on you can see what rate you're losing at, or in my case slightly gaining. It keeps a running total rather than week to week on the Fitbit app which is less upsetting. Hated seeing my average decimated on a Monday, and really that's not accurate anyway.
Mad lentil soup, bolognese and going to do another slow cooker dinner for tonight. Food that doesn't require much chewing😬
Yeah happier, little slices, even smaller than half. I get 3 for around 80 calories so that's nice. I think it's much better to have substantial meals than stretch it out and leave you hungry. Better to spend your calories on a decent meal than snacks to plug the void when you're hungry later

You must give me your recipe for mad lentil soup

I downloaded happy scale too, hated putting in the bloated weigh ins but did anyhow. Have to start somewhere. I like that the milestones are broken down into 10 segments.

camden that happened to my hair second last time it was done and I've now got a darker stripe as it's growing out

Haha, I know - saw that and was life ffs, hate that you can't edit!

Like! Not life, I give in

I bought tinned lentils on Sun.

Had vegan tacos a few weeks ago made with quorn mince and lentils. So I added red lentils to my bolognese last thurs, not the same.

Asked the friend who made the tacos and she said she always uses the tins so I've got them in stock now.

Argh - just wrote a long reply then lost it!

Happier - i add lentils to almost everything, any mince dish will always be 50% lentils lol.

How's your day going Not? Batch cooking sounds like an epic task but deffo worth it, it's just the washing up after that leaves me Thinking sod this!

Just thought, Mrs is very quiet today, running around all over the place I reckon, looking after everyone

I've eaten everything I brought in for lunch - boo! 544 cals.

Dinner is going to be Aldi Mediterranean chicken sizzlers -210 cals a wholemeal pitta - 160 cals and some Caesar coleslaw 88 cals I'm looking forward to it already and I won't be home until 7ish!

The day has been good! Nice and busy, got a quick walk in this morning, going for another walk now to get the last few thousand. Subway for lunch, delicious! Might have been a bit generous (as in underestimated) cals but meh. Dinner bubbling away in the SC, soup done for tomorrow's lunch, mince mix ready for tomorrow's lasagne. Not a huge batch but enough to keep me on the straight for another 24 hours at least😊

camden are the the kebabs on a stick? I've actually got a half pack you just reminded me!

My porridge from yesterday tickled my fancy a little while ago - I cooked it and tasted it and it was gone rancid, not sure if it was the almond milk or grated apple but it had to go into the bin, instead I'd an options hot chocolate with roasted almond milk. 76cals vs how ever many hundred I'd have spent on the porridge. Dinner time will be approx 7pm too as want to walk dog when we get home this evening.

Do you use the tinned lentils?

Any cooking ahead is good. I must find room in freezer for the lasagne I've prepped as I don't see myself eating it today or tomorrow.

No I used the dried ones, tbh I'd never used lentils before, I bought them to make a sweet potato curry I think - maybe someone mentioned it here? Then I saw this recipe and slung them in.

This is the recipe with a few changes as I don't have a pressure cooker, hope it's not confusing:

Ingredients:
1 Med/Large diced onion
4 Rashers Bacon Diced (I use unsmoked bacon bits or pancetta)
2 Medium Carrots Diced (180g)
A little oil to fry onion/carrots/bacon in
200g Red Split Lentils (dry weight)
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Mixed Herbs (I used thyme & parsley)
1 Vegetables Stock (I use a chicken stock pot, better flavour)
800ml water
Salt/pepper to season at the end(optional) - never needed this, salty enough

METHOD:
Heat a teaspoon of oil, add Onion and carrots, cook for a few mins. Add garlic powder/herbs and bacon stir until onions has softened. Or something to that effect!

Add red spilt lentils and if using a pressure cooker use cold water, if cooking on hob add hot water.. (I cook in a pot so make the stock with boiling water)
800ml give you a more thicker soup but you can always add a bit more at the end if needed.

I cook on medium heat for around 20 mins, stir from time to time - really thick hearty soup

Camden you hit the nail on its head. Busy again but it's brilliant for my food intake 😊
Nothing all day until 7 and we had sausages pots & broccoli followed by Clementines
Good calorie wise only just over a thousand.
Life we are not going anywhere in a hurry at least in my case l'm not 😂
Not that sounds delicious 😋😋😋
Happier l bet it was the Apple 🍎 Still the options sounded lovely. I think l Will have to get some too 🤗☕

Bloat started to come off. I'm going to make that soup as I have bacon to use

I love happy scale, this morning when scales dropped a lb it told me that I've made 23% progress to my first milestone

Yesterday I made the most fabulous dinner, felt like something you'd order in a restaurant. Baked salmon with cherry tomatoes and chilli flakes wrapped in foil. When that was halfway cooked. I added fresh taglitelle and frozen petit pois to boiling water and cooked that. Drained away most of the pasta water and stirred through some philly lightest and then served in a bowl with the salmon flaked on top and roast cherry tomatoes. Made two portions. All for 395cals. Discovered also that the fresh pasta can be cooked from frozen too, so I've frozen the remainder of the pack to test that theory out.

It's so much nicer than dried pasta.

I seem to have found my passion for cooking again.

In past week I've had a roast dinner, bolognese, chicken in holy basil sauce, chicken meatballs and last nights salmon tagliatelle.

And my lunches are good too, maybe it's because I'm inputting it into mfp again?

Soup sounds good, I think I got the recipe for that on here before, it's lush with the bacon. And bacon and stock cube definitely makes it salty enough without adding more.

Have had a great start to the day.
Got my trousers on l couldn't get on before l started IF so am wearing them 🥳. They are a size 18 so l am thrilled to bits!! Not weighing l find it is soul destroying . Onwards & upwards all of us have a good day 😀

Life sounds as if you are feeling it 🤗
Happier your meals sound fab. I love cooking but have to be in the mood 😄

Omg happier the salmon tagliatelle sounds delicious, I usually use Boursin in pasta buts it sooo many calories!

Got really organised and put together lunch last night, just left over chicken and 100g of rice, I've got to work and realised I've forgotten to bring cutlery they removed everything from the kitchens here back in March, so we only have disposable cups and nothing else!

So I've decided to walk over to Subway and get a chicken salad with sweet onion dressing, I don't usually have a lunch break but today I'm making an exception!

Scales were back to Sunday's weight 11st 5.75, started last Thursday at 11st 9.

I also have bacon in the fridge so am considering making the soup

Mrs - I knew you'd be running around busy! Hope you enjoyed your dinner. Are you allowed to buy non essentials in Wales now?

Mad that's a super NSV, I think weighing is ingrained in me, I can't not do it!

I've seen boursin but never had it.

Can you scoop up the lunch with a disposable cup? Just saw you found a better option.

Lovely to see that weight again camden

I had the whole tub on two crisp bakes for 268 cals, it was a bit too much but delicious and I'm full now.

Finished the last of protein powder this morning
Snack as above
Lunch is toasted flame grilled ham with west cork cheddar, spring onion & cherry tomatoes on wholegrain bread & ripe conference pear
Dinner will be chicken meatballs in garlic and onion pasta sauce with pouch of steamfresh veg & tagliatelle with some grated Parmesan
This leaves 197 cals for a snack if I need it

Your food sounds sooo nice happier
Hurrah mrs, nsv's are the best, that's such a nice one. You're walking on air I bet😉
Scales was up .2 this morning. I think I'm eating too much bread, so today I'm making a big effort to up my protein. So far so good, had a meaty breakfast at 7.30 and I was fine til 11'ish which is good going. I'm still having soup for lunch but no bread.
I did an hour on the treadmill this morning too, so I have my minimum steps. A good day so far

I made a special effort to describe it like that rather than just ham and cheese toastie with a pear

Ya I've tried to cut back on bread to once a day if I can too

Decent cheese makes the world of difference in a toasted sandwich

Salad was a bit by of a disappointment, I think the woman that put it together was new, they had run out of the plastic boxes so it was in a paper tray and consisted of a ton of lettuce 3 pieces of pepper, 2 slices of tomato - one was the end with the green bit an all, ant the tiniest bit of red onion. I think My expectations were too high lol.

Anyway I'm now the owner of a plastic Subway knife fork and spoon so I shouldn't have the same cutlery problem again!

It's such a good feeling to get back into old clothes isn't it Mrs? It's better than buying new stuff in a smaller size, apparently you go down a dress size for every 10-14lbs lost.

Happier - your description of lunch was like something from Nigella, lol.

Not - tell me more about the treadmill, I've been thinking about buying one for years, but never did due to space, now we have a summerhouse so it could be a possibility!

Bad salad is the worst! I have high expectations of salad, if I've gone down that healthy road I expect high standards.
I have this treadmill I'd say 10 years? We paid around €1000 for it so it's pretty decent - close to gym standard, proper suspension/bounce, it lives in the man cave at the bottom of the garden. It used to live in the house, it was some job to move it I tell you! It's gotten a fair amount of use, and now the teen is allowed use it - it's being put through its paces big style. Just gives me options with dark nights/mornings and I can jog on it. I can't jog outside, uneven footpaths are super dangerous to my back