Ideas needed for breakfast and lunch that don't involve bread

[MrsMorgan]

I want/need to lose about 22lbs and am hoping to have done this by my birthday in June. It works out at roughly 1lb a week so doable I should think.

My biggest weakness is bread and so I think I need to just cut this out alltogether as I cannot just have a tiny bit. Trouble is, I get really stuck then for what to eat for breakfast and lunch. I am on a very tight food budget and so canot go buying loads of fancy/different things for me so it needs to be cheap but tasty and preferably filling.

Oh and before anyone says it, I hate porridge, sorry.

Omlette or scrambled egg.

Soup - all kinds - you can make huge vats and freeze them in single portions. We have a lot of monestrone soup and it is really cheap for a portion - grate in a little parmensan and some black peper and is really warming and hearty - the jamie oliver recope is good but I use tinned rather than fresh tomatoes because I can't be arsed with all of the skinning and peeling of fresh ones and there os no real difference at the end.

We also have a chicken curry that I got the recipe from Wairtrose from and it is lovely - I often take some in a thermos to work - here the thighs I take the meat off once it is all cooked and stir through and it goes further and the soup mix is just some chopped route veg and a handful of lentils.

Good Luck.

Breakfast - what about other cereals? Shredded wheat has no sugar, but cornflakes, specialK or whatever are ok as well. Look at your portions sizes - most people have huge portions of cereal but if you weigh the 30g it's quite surprising! Also if you add raisins and have a piece of fruit and some juice you've got 3 of your 5 a day.

Lunch - salad, oatcakes, omlettes, soup.

Good luck!

Thanks both, thats really helpful. My portion sizes are definatly way too big, so I will look at that.

That curry looks delicious, will have a go at that.

eggs, with a fork
sausages
blueberries and greek youghurt

nuts of all sorts
meat or chicken of some sort

steamed veg. etc

i find that once i cut out the carbs, then my portion sizes automatically reduce themselves.

Couscous is lovely with the previous nights leftovers. For example;

Couscous with sausage, roasted veg, cherry tomatoes,

With leftover roast meat.

With peas, tinned tomatoes and black pepper.

It is very cheap too

For breakfast, could you try having some fruit loaf, but freeze individual portions so you can't easily have seconds? Banana muffins, scotch pancakes etc. I can't stomach cereal first thing in the morning so prefer to go for something a bit more substantial.

Banana, Low fat greek yogurt, chooped nuts..spinkled with cinnamon...yum..good luck

Have you tried WeightWatchers Malted Danish bread? It tastes really nice but is so thin that it has something like a 3rd of the calories of a slice of normal bread.

Grilled lean bacon with grilled tomatoes and mushrooms

Eggs any style. Huevos Rancheros is lovely. here's Jamie's version

Make your own muesli and your own fruit compote and have with low fat yoghurt

I've lost a lot of weight by virtually cutting out bread and very little other effort, I have muesli, then usually salad or soup for lunch. I think couscous is great, very filling. Crumpets are good (if you don't smother them in butter!)

I do WW and find that if I eat more than one slice of bread a day, even WW then I don't lose weight that week - even when I stick to my points. If I do eat bread, even within my points then I don't put on weight but I don't lose any either. Crackerbreads are my saviour!

jacket potatoes for lunch - low fat spread and low fat chese

what, no custy?

have carbs for one meal - so cereal for breakfast and then an omlette for lunch, or scrambled eggs for breakfast and then a vat of soup (with no potatoes) for lunch.

search the Atkins threads in this topic and you'll get loads of ideas.

I am a bread-fancier as well. when i did atkins i used to have avocado and mozzarella salad for breakfast, twas nice but bloomin expensive.

these days i have done what you're not supposed to do and cut my breakfast down to coffee only as i am frequently not really hungry at that time, and this is really working for me. if i do find that i'm hungry i have poached eggs or an apple, then maybe a carrot or two at 10.30. it means i MUST eat lunch by 12.15 though so if that's frequently not an option for you, i doubt it would work. hth.