Calorie counting no UPF

[Thinlyveiled]

I need to lose four stones. I’m trying to do it with minimal carbs and no sugar and very little UPF. Does anyone want to join me and share their daily food list? I start off well and then fall into bad habits, mainly eating out or forgetting to log calories and just generally eating too much. I need to take a lot more exercise. At the moment trying to do 10,000 steps a day but am very sedentary apart from that.

Anyone want to join me?

OP, gently - if your normal diet to now has been carby, sugary and UPF-y, you're setting yourself up poorly.

Start with one goal for this week, if that works add another for next week.

Make a list of things that you can always eat without worry (apples? Carrots?)

Get one tasty takeaway-equivalent into your freezer for when you can't be bothered to cook.

And so on.

I've lost around two stone now - if you do things slowly and sustainably you are more likely to stick to them.

Good luck, I hope you carry on taking positive steps for your health.

I'll join OP! I used to eat really healthily but a recent blood test and checkup identified some just out of range things to watch/fix. I blame having babies and lack of sleep thereafter popping me off track.

So I'm aiming to go low carb, low sugar, low saturated-fat and low UPF.

My challenge is having young kids that are carb monsters and need full fat because they're young and a DH that eats a double portion at least of everything, and gets surprised (disappointed?) if my portion size doesn't match his.

We've been low-UPF for a while.

Last week we switched to wholemeal bread/pasta/rice (I really dislike brown rice!). This week it has been about adding in more fruit - I started with adding a portion with my cereal (which I've also downgraded from sugary granola to plain weetabix).
Next week will be switching out a red meat meal for a veggie one when I meal plan and trying to up the veg count!

Breakfast: 2 weetabix with blueberries, semi skimmed milk. Tea. Glass of water.

Snack: apple

Lunch: dippy egg with asparagus soldiers (toast for the kids!), side of smashed avocado topped with mixed seeds and some cherry tomatoes.

I actually eat really healthily and don’t eat sugar generally. It’s portion sizes and carbs I need to watch. I’m pre diabetic and have high cholesterol so there are so many things I shouldn’t eat. It’s a minefield! I need to lose weight desperately.

I’ll join! Am bit porky and only 5ft2 so need to lose at least half a stone. Having tried everything else, I’m falling back on the deficit whixh unfortunately for me is quite low. But doable for a couple of months!

Breakfast: grapefruit, greek yoghurt, 1 Weetabix, glass of water

Snacks: none, bottle of water

Lunch: mouthful of chicken and some peppers, crunchy lettuce. Bottle of water.

Dinner: half an avocado, tomato, spinach, 8 olives, grilled burger patty. (Left overs from DH as he got too many out the freezer to defrost then promptly went away on holiday!) Not ideal. Glass of wine (1), bottle of water.

I need to get started! I need some inspiration. Eaten far too much today. Well done @Notupmyalley

It took me a year but i lost 3 stone doing UPF free slimming world.

The only drinks i drink are tea / coffee with milk, sometimes to use my HEa a hot chocolate with cadburys drinking chocolate (synned) and water, with a slice of lemon or lime.

I do not drink sugary OR sweetened (with chemicals) drinks.

Its easy to make porridge, or have shredded wheat as HEB, with berries

Then meat / fish
fruit / veg
plain yogurt
potatoes / rice
eggs
lots of salad
beans / chick peas / lentils
some cheese

I DO still have and buy and syn double cream, butter, dark chocolate, avocado nuts / seeds (some are HEB) / organic ice cream, and make my own traditional puddings which i would have a small portion of.
I make my own cakes / biscuits (mostly for my kids) but have a small slice etc (made with butter / sugar / eggs / flour etc)

It absolutely can be done, and i feel so much better not eating random chemicals and strange "ingrediants" which dont have in my kitchen cupboards.

I avoid bread, and probably only eat it twice a month, max!

What is HEa? The very word syn makes my skin crawl, sorry.

I started calorie counting a week ago and have lost 0.6 kg
I usually eat healthy meals and then pig out on crisps and ice cream etc. I find calorie counting works for me and cuts out upf’s by default

Slimming world has "free food"
Healthy extras (a calcium) (b fibre) and syns.

My point is that I only chose upf free options and lost 3 stone.

(A typical SW diet might be high in UPF, but it doesn't have to be)

That’s what put me off it and I never understood the whole system. Which foods are free out of interest?

It's easy.
Free foods are most fruit / veg / salad, potatoes, pasta, rice, lean meat, fish, chicken, Quorn, eggs, beans, pulses, plain yoghurt.

Go to a group / buy the book online and find out yourself.

It means you CAN have a piece of cake, or glass of wine, or chocolate bar etc etc. rather than restricting yourself to nothing ever, which is not really sustainable for ever.

Unfortunately I can’t eat pasta, potatoes rice or chocolate as I’m pre diabetic.

Not even brown rice or wholewheat pasta?

Porridge and blueberries for breakfast.

Spinach salad with cucumber, capers, tomatoes, roasted red peppers and a dollop of cottage cheese for lunch. Watermelon.

Dinner yet to be decided.

No because it’s still carbs unfortunately.

Yum!